Year 5

One

Let me start from the beginning.

My name is Ricardo “Riker” Faulknor, 29 years old, part-time model and actor, entrepreneur.

And she?

She is amazing, a wonderful creation sent from heaven to change my life in the most magnificent way to make me the happiest that I can be and to show me what love... true, unconditional and selfless love was all about. My Dinah is a miracle, there is no one like her.

So how did I ever chance upon such a singularity? Let me tell you that story.

***

It was a rainy afternoon on July 16, 2015. Since my schedule was free for the rest of the day after the noontime show that I was co-hosting, I decided to stick around in the studio and hang with the crew.

An hour or so later, I was heading for my car when something unusual caught my attention.

A girl... No, a beautiful vision was standing in the middle of the rain, drenched all over, her long hair and clothes clinging to her skin and thin yet shapely body. Her eyes were closed and her face was turned towards the sky with a contented smile on her full lips, happily catching every drop of rain with her beauty.

I walked towards her, captivated by the radiance of her simple joy. I stopped just under the edge of the roof that covered me.

She must have sensed my presence because she slowly turned her lovely face towards me and smiled.

God! That smile... that smile was like sunshine in the middle of the rain that beamed from her and seeped through every fiber of my being. I couldn't help but smile back. I know her.

I knew that sunshine in the rain. I've seen her videos on YouTube dozens of times and stalked all her social media accounts.

"Dinah Maines." I uttered her name as I exhaled the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"Halika." Her melodious voice rang through the cold gust of wind.

"Ano?" I asked.

I still could not believe she was standing in front of me when I least expected it. We worked in the same show but she was always at the barangay and I was always in the studio. There was word that she was only going to be with the show for another week because she was going to start training to be a flight attendant.

"Tayo na't maligo sa ulan." She grinned and I felt like I just melted into a puddle. "Riker, tama? Halika na. Mas masayang may kasama maligo sa ulan."

"Ricardo actually. That’s my real name. Riker is my stage name. Please call me Ricardo."

"Okay, Ricardo." She called, my name musically flowing from her mouth, and held her hand out to me. "Samahan mo ako."

So I did. Just like that. In a heartbeat, without another thought I took her hand and stepped into the rain.

"Aaah! Tangina! Ang lamig!" I shivered as I was soaked in the downpour.

She giggled, her brown eyes twinkling like stars and her face shining like the summer sky. I started laughing too, my heart started to fill up with warmth against the cold weather. I wondered for a while if it was all a dream, that I was sharing that awesome moment with such an amazing woman.

"Ang cute mo. Para kang baby." She grinned and pinched my cheek.

"Baby mo? Pwede?" I asked and wiggled my eyebrows.

"Halaaaah... Inaano ka ba?" She blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear with one of her adorable funny faces.

I laughed even harder, my eyes reduced to slits and the edges of my mouth felt like they were going to reach my ears.

"Pumasok na kaya tayo baka sipunin na tayo nito." I suggested.

"Ang laki-laki mong tao, takot ka sa sipon. Mamaya na. Habulin mo muna ako." She giggled and ran away from me.

I chuckled and shook my head then, of course, chased her. I chased after my dream.

I was able to catch her a few minutes later and asked if I could drive her home after changing into dry clothes. She let me. She invited me in for coffee which I didn't usually drink but still did when she gave me a cup then we spent a couple more hours chatting before I reluctantly left.

I was right. I did get sick. I had a fever when I got home and endured a long sermon from my Lola. I also had to cancel a few shows and tapings, much to my manager's dismay but I had no regrets. It was all worth it.

Spending the best afternoon of my life with the most beautiful woman I have ever been with and getting her number were all worth it.

***

The rain will always remind me of her. Now, even though she's gone, I still see her outside when I look out the window, standing in the rain, looking up to the sky and smiling.

"I miss you, my Dinah." I whisper to the wind as my tears fall like the drops of rain pattering on the roof.