Year 5

Two

"Saan mo dadalhin yan?" I asked Riza one day. "Mabigat? Kailangan mo ng tulong?"

My back was against her while I watched TV but I still saw her in my periphery.

She was holding a big file box in her hands after cleaning in the study. Ever since Dinah has gone, she and my long-time personal assistant Mama Terry have been living with me to keep me company. I said I didn't need it, that I can take care of myself but Dad insisted. They were worried. They said they've never seen me so broken. Not even after Mom died.

"S-sa storage lang, Kuya." She answered. "Magaan lang naman. Okay lang." She lied. I knew she was lying because she was obviously struggling with the weight she was carrying. I was immediately suspicious.

"Ano ba yan?" I asked, as I returned to absentmindedly browsing through the movie choices on Netflix.

"Ano kasi..." She hesitated before continuing her sentence. "Kasi medyo marami na yung mga trophies mo na nakatambak lang sa box sa sahig. Sayang naman. Kailangan ng space to display them kaya I cleared up a desk in the study."

I froze at her response and felt a sudden outburst of anger. She better be very careful about what she says next.

"Which desk?" I asked. I turned to face her, my eyes dead set on the box she was holding. I slowly raised my stare to her face which was painted with undeniable fear and guilt. "Which. Desk?" I repeated, my voice grave and clear, when she did not respond.

I saw her tremble as tears brimmed her eyes. "Kuya, wag kang magalit please." She pleaded but we both knew that was useless.

I got up and marched to where she stood, my strides strong and determined like a charging bull. I heard her gasp as I forcefully grabbed the box from her hands. I quickly scanned the contents and found Dinah's manuscripts, research materials and books in it.

"What the hell, Riza! Ilang beses ko bang sasabihin na wag na wag niyong gagalawin ang mga gamit ng asawa ko?!" I asked in a voice that boomed across the house.

She sank back to the wall and started crying. "I'm sorry, Kuya. Kasi one year na din na hindi sila nagagalaw. Wala naman na si Ate para ituloy yan. Tsaka sabi ni Dad..."

"I don't give a s**t kung anong sabi ni Dad! This is my house! I didn't want you here pero pinilit niyo. Tapos ngayon pati simpleng instructions na wag pakialaman ang mga gamit dito, hindi niyo pa din kayang sundin! Kahit amagin, alikabukin o matunaw na lahat ng trophies na yan, wala akong pakialam pero never ever ever touch Dinah's stuff. Mahirap ba intindihin yun?"

"Kuya, sorry talaga." My sister continued to sob.

"Umuwi ka na, Riza."

"Kuya..."

"Get out of here. Kunin mo na mga gamit mo. Ipapahatid na kita."

"Pero, Kuya..."

"Now!" I yelled and she scampered to her room, sobbing and crying.

Of course this has happened before. I get upset, I send her home, Dad comes to see me, we fight, he reminds me of how my wife made an effort to help us have a better relationship as a family, he tells me that it's  disregarding my Dinah's thoughts and feelings about us if I keep being stubborn about it, I apologize, Riza comes back and repeat.

I sighed and set the box down on the center table. One by one, I took the contents of the box out. Printed manuscripts, copies of her books and research materials with her neatly handwritten notes.

"Dinah..."

Dinah has always loved writing. She had kept a blog for years before she auditioned for the noontime show we both worked for but didn't really get to writing a book until the first anniversary of our first wedding.

We had a whirlwind romance. No. That's not it. What we had was an earth-splintering, universe-shaking, time-obliterating tornado romance.

Since that day when I met Dinah in the rain, I couldn't stop thinking about her so I called her every chance I got, day and night. For two weeks, our two-minute conversations turned to ten, to thirty, to an hour, to all night. People around us, our co-hosts, staff and crew in the barangay and studio, friends and family started noticing the changes, dark swollen circles around our eyes, the lingering stares, the sweet smiles, the secret code words and actions that only she and I could understand (a product of hours and hours of private conversations over the phone) and just the way we were around each other. They started teasing us but it didn't go more than that on the show because I had a current love team partner, Lara,  who has a huge following and to protect the illusion of the love team and the marketability of our projects, Dinah and I were instructed not to show anything that would encourage the audience to link us together.

We did as we were told but what happened next was inevitable. The chemistry between us was so strong and people still took notice. They called for our partnership in segments in the show and other projects which were in conflict with what the network had promised for me and Lara. There was a big fan war between those who supported Lara and those who shipped us. Hateful words and bashing was thrown all across social media against me, Lara and Dinah.

It was then that Dinah realized she didn't want anything to do with showbiz anymore. She decided to take the training she was offered for an airline company to be a flight attendant and quit the show altogether. She was content with the occasional guestings, the number of endorsements she was doing that fit her schedule, creating and posting video blogs and going back to her first love which was writing. She didn't want anything more than her peace of mind and freedom to be just who she was.

I was sad that she had to quit because of what happened but I was not disheartened. I worked with Lara as usual but beyond that, my heart was telling me something else. It was set to keep her and lock her in. I never stopped calling her. I kept sending her gifts, food and flowers to her home in Bulacan, her condo and even her workplace. She appreciated all the effort but I knew that if I ever had a chance with a girl like her, I needed to do more than that.

It didn't really matter if I missed some meals, had no sleep, had just come out of a 22-hour shoot or had to be late for a few commitments because I made sure I was there to pick her up each morning to drive her to work then show up again each evening to bring her back home. It became a pleasant daily routine for us which was usually accentuated by our quiet conversations over coffee and snacks or our time watching the stars and the city lights from the balcony of her condo unit which usually lasted for an hour before I rushed off to another commitment.

I would have loved to spend more time with her. To be honest, to spend every minute of every hour of every day with Dinah was a dream but that seemed impossible with my schedule. I kept apologizing for that shortcoming but she always understood and I fell deeper each time. By the way she looked at me, how she became more comfortable in our conversations, the way she touched my arm when she laughed or cupped my cheeks when she was touched, how she would let me hold her in my arms and kiss her hand and forehead, they she held my hand and let me intertwine our fingers together, I knew she felt the same way.

We also could not be seen together in public lest she would be the center of hate and bashing by some fans once again. My management also clearly instructed me and Lara to not be seen with anyone else outside of work. It was frankly suffocating for both of us since she too was involved with someone but we had no choice. I thought Dinah would not have the patience to put up with that set up but she did and once again I was convinced that she was the one.

That went on for a few months until she finally finished her training and was ready to go on her first flight. The thought scared me. She would be very busy and her schedule would be unpredictable. I feared we won't have any more time to spend with each other and whatever we had at that point could be lost.

So, on the board her first flight to Narita, Japan, I defied all the limitations working with a love team has set for me. I drove like a madman from my taping location in Makati to NAIA, ran across the airport terminal like you would see in those climactic movie scenes and caught up with her plane just as they were about to close the door to the cabin.

"Ricardo!" She gasped as I rushed inside, flushed, breathing heavily and sweating profusely.

"Hi, Dinah." I smiled widely as I brushed my forehead with the back of my hand to wipe the sweat as if my shirt and hair was not soaked through.

"What are you doing here? We're about to taxi. Are you on this flight?" She asked, her brilliant bright eyes confusedly searching my face for answers but all I could give her was the silly grin plastered on it.

I raked my hand through my hair and showed you my passport, visa and boarding pass. "According to this, yes but I really just came here to see you." I smiled.

"Me?" You whispered nervously, suddenly aware of all the eyes and cameras then focused on us. "Ricardo, why are you doing this? Can you not? Pwedeng mag-usap na lang tayo pagbalik ko?"

I drew in a deep breath and let it go slowly then took your hands in mine. You tried to pull them back but held on to them tighter and stepped closer to you. "Dinah, I did not think this through. For once in my life, gagawa ako ng bagay na wala sa plano, yung hindi naninigurado muna kasi ngayon gusto ko namang sundin kung ano ang sinisigaw ng puso ko."

There was a unified sigh in the plane after that statement but you didn't seem to notice. Your gaze was glued on me and a smile was threatening to draw on your lips. "Ricardo... What are you saying exactly?"

"I'm saying..." I sighed. "What I'm saying is..." I then went down on one knee and took a small box from my front pocket then opened it to reveal an emerald-cut diamond ring.

"Jay, saan galing yan? Why do you have a ring?" You asked.

"I've had this all along. Binili ko after the day I saw you dancing in the rain." I answered.

"Why?"

"Ikaw na eh. Ikaw na. No matter how hard I try to imagine, how I think about it, how I search the depths of my heart and soul, the answer will always be the same. Ikaw na, MIss Dinah Maines at ikaw lang. Only you could make me feel this way. I could never love anyone more than I love you. I could never be as happy as I am when I'm with you. My eyes could not stare at anyone longer, my smile could not be more heartfelt, my heart could not be this filled with so much love that I feel it's about to explode. I can't imagine the rest of my life with anyone else. Kaya... Miss Dinah Maines, will you marry me?"

"Oh my god!" You gasped as you covered your mouth with one hand. Everyone else had the same reaction.

"Please..." I smiled.

"Marry agad? Hindi pa nga tayo." You chuckled and quickly brushed the tears that fell on your cheeks.

I chuckled. "Oo nga pero ganoon din naman yun. Pakakasalan at pakakasalan pa rin naman kita."

"Ang confident ah." You giggled and sighed then looked around before staring back at me. "If I say yes, pwede na ba akong magtrabaho? I don't want to be fired on my first day." You asked and I laughed.

"Yes. Tutulungan pa kita." I grinned. "So, yes na ba yun? Will you marry me, Dinah?"

"Yes." You smiled and nodded. "Yes na yes, Ricardo Faulknor."

"Yes!" I cheered as I pumped my fist then put the ring on your finger. I got up and gathered you in my arms, holding you for the first time as my fiancee. "Baby..."

"Baby?" You asked as you hugged me back.

"Uh-huh... Baby ko, pwede mag-request?" I asked and you slightly pulled away to look at my face.

"Ano yun?"

"Pwede na ba ako maka-first kiss?" I blushed and you laughed.

"Let's see. You interrupted my work, proposed to me on a plane full of strangers and now asking me to kiss you in front of everyone..." You said and I nervously swallowed a lump in my throat. "Why not? Lubusin mo na." You giggled.

And with that, I cradled your nape and held you by the waist then pressed my lips on yours, claiming your lips for the first time and sharing our first kiss, soft, sweet and gentle in front of everyone.

I got off the plane with a happy heart and a calm mind as you went on your first flight knowing that you will come back to me the next day as the future Mrs. Ricardo Faulknor.

Notifications on my phone told me that the entire scene on the plane was broadcasted live by some passengers through social media. Calls started blasting my phones in a few minutes and a crowd of reporters was waiting for me when I exited the airport. I braced myself to face the consequences of my action, determined to protect you at all cost and take full responsibility for my spontaneity.