Ito na talaga ang totoong epilogue. Hahaha. The longest one too. Wow. Nagulat din ako. Mas gumagana kasi sa gabi ang utak ko kaya ayan. Haha.
Paalala: WALANG BOOK TWO!
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Celine decided not to go back to Chicago and it's one of the best decisions she's ever made. Kelvin made sure to let her know how much he loves her every day. Accepting that love became a learning process. Not only did she learn that she deserves to be loved the way he loves her, she also learned to love herself more, in the process. She learned to love more, and to show that love to the people around her.
Sabi nga ni Janelle, unti-unti na raw siyang nahahawa sa ka-sweet-an ni Kelvin. Naging expressive na rin siya when it comes to her feelings. Saying the phrases 'I love you' and 'I miss you' became normal to her. Hugs and kisses too. Kelvin succeeded in making those things normal in her world. And that made her love him more.
Nabawasan naman ng kaunti ang pagka-clingy nito. He's still clingy, but not to the point that it's already suffocating. She could still move around her own personal space. He makes sure not to invade it. Mas clingy lang ito noong akala nitong babalik pa rin siya sa Chicago dahil limitado lamang ang oras nilang magkasama. But now, he's taking his time because he's assured that she won't be going back there.
She doesn't need to. Nadagdagan ang trabaho niya nang gawin siyang technical writer at trainer ng kumpanya. Nadagdagan din ang sahod niya at gumanda ang sked, dahil ginawa siyang pang-umaga. And it all worked out for the better because Gaile joined the GY team. Who'd have thought na ComSci pala ang natapos nito?
Kelvin helped Gaile apply in the company and made sure that she'll get her previous post. Gusto raw kasi nitong siguraduhin na magkakaroon ng maraming oras na magkasama sina Yuan at Gaile. He still gets jealous of Yuan from time to time. He told her na mawawala lang ang selos na iyon kapag kasal na sila o may karelasyon na si Yuan.
--
Sa loob ng dalawang taon, marami na ang nabago sa paligid niya. She became more positive, happier and loving her life more. Kahit ang relasyon niya sa pamilya ay gumanda rin. Ayos na sila ng tatay niya. They're still not as close as most fathers and daughters, and she's not really expecting that to happen anytime soon, but Kelvin made her realize that she's so lucky to have her father back. Iyong iba raw kasing lung cancer patients na nasa stage 3 na, hindi na raw nabibigyan ng isa pang buhay. He encouraged her to talk to her father, to resolve their issues and she did, begrudgingly so.
But even though she was indignant at first, her heart eventually softened.
Bumawi naman ang tatay niya sa kanya, sa kanila. Araw-araw itong bumabawi sa mga naging kasalanan nito. Dahil doon, naging magaan ang buhay nila pare-pareho.
At dahil din doon kaya botong-boto ang buong pamilya niya kay Kelvin. Buong barangay na nga pati yata nila. Kelvin just gets along with everyone. Candy's very fond of him. Kahit ang mga tao sa palengke, tuwang-tuwa rito, lalo na nang gumaling ito sa pagkakaliskis ng isda.
May ilang nagtataka, nagtatanong, kung bakit sa loob lang ng ilang linggo ay naging silang dalawa na, to think na hindi naman siya nito niligawan ng pormal. Isa lamang ang isinagot niya sa mga ito. "Kapag gusto ko, gusto ko."
The reason why she didn't say yes to Kelvin before was because she didn't really like him back then. Kapag ayaw niya, ayaw niya. Ayaw niyang napipilitan. But when she came to realize that she finally loves him too, it just took a few nudges here and there to make her finally say yes.
She needed him to change. She needed to change. Kung siguro naging sila noong una, baka hindi rin sila nagtagal. Kasi hindi pa panahon para sa kanilang dalawa. Ang pag-ibig naman, kahit palipasin mo ng ilang taon, kung totoo naman, hindi agad-agad mawawala.
"Sorry, I'm late!"
Napatingin siya sa may pintuan. Kelvin came rushing in the cafe. He took his seat, the one where he used to always sit before.
She met his lips for a quick kiss and smiled. "Okay lang."
Inilagay nito sa lamesa ang mga dala. Then he gave her the bouquet.
"Happy anniversary."
She used to not like flowers. They have no use to her before. Para sa kanya, aksaya lang sa pera ang mga bouquet. But now, she adores them. She just wasn't sure kung dahil iyon sa nahilig na siya sa bulaklak o dahil si Kelvin ang nagbibigay.
She also thought that the kilig would wear off after a while. Na baka maumay siya o magsawa ito. But it's there whenever he stares at her intently or every time he holds her hand. It's there in every kiss and every hug. It's there even if they're just sitting quietly while watching a movie.
"Happy anniversary," she responded with a smile. "Happy Valentine's Day na rin."
Who would have thought that they'd reach their second anniversary? She certainly didn't. She used to wait for the other shoe to fall and make her happy little world crumble, pero nang hindi na iyon dumating pagkalipas ng ilang buwan, she eventually learned to let it go.
Because Kelvin taught her that happiness is not a fleeting chance. It is a choice. And as long as you choose to be happy, you would be.
