Andro...
Two days have passed, and I still haven't replied to Lois; in fact, I haven't written anything to anyone at all. Not just her.
After class that day, I simply stayed in my room the entire afternoon and did all of the thinking, and analyzing every possibility of everything. I'm really afraid of how I feel and I'm also quite hopeful about it, but in the end, I know that God is in charge and that He will take care of me the best way possible, and that is something amazing.
___________
The next day.
As usual, I called home in the morning as I walked to my university, and this time Dad picked up the phone.
"Hello," He answered.
"Hello Dad, How are you?"
"Oh, Andro. We are doing good y todo bien. How about you?" I sense immediately the seriousness in his voice.
"I am okay Dad. How about my brothers and sisters? how are they?
"They are good, thanks to God. Everybody is doing well"
"I am happy to know that. Dad?" I tried to ahve his full attention. "Did Mom ever mention anything to you about me," I risked and posed the question.
"Yes, she did and we will talk about it when you get home" After he said that he passes the phone to my mom.
What??!
The holiday season is still more than a month away from today, meaning to say he will not say or do anything until I speak with him in person??
I asked myself as I waited for my mother to speak on the other end of the line. I wanted to protest, but I opted to keep my mouth shut.
"Hello son, how are you?" my mom said on the other line.
"I'm good mom, how about you? everything is fine?"
"Yes, and I told your dad already" she informed me.
"Yeah, I know, I asked him before you came."
"Oh yes? So what did he say?" I'm can picture her face in my head from the sound of her voice.
"He said we'll talk about it when I get home and It feels like torture to me" I complain to her
"You know how serious your dad is in this area so be patient and we'll wait for you here," she said briefly and then we ended the call.
As I continued to walk to the university, I spotted someone carrying a birthday cake for somebody. I immediately remembered that this month is Lois' birth month. "I need to send her something" I mentally made a note.
Later on that day, I visited the Apple store in search of a nice yet practical gift for her. After two hours of searching, I found the ideal present for her. It was simple but very useful.
Never in my life have I been so thrilled to purchase a gift for someone. The matter about Lois is that throughout the entire time of our friendship, she has never once mentioned money to me, her difficulties, or anything that maybe hinted at soliciting money. Because of this, I am more motivated to give her something because I know she was not asking for it and will appreciate it.
I got to my apartment around dinner time. I sent a short message to her while I was eating, asking for her precise birth date and address. I was planning to send my parcel the following day.
Just after a few minutes, I got her response.
To my very best friend Andro,
How are you? I hope everything went well for you.
Anyway, thank you for remembering my birthday, it will be on the 30th. And my work address is:
WWCD Inc.
358 St. Brgy Tres Marias
Davao Philippines
Please don't bother yourself about sending me something. I have enough already, and I am beyond grateful for what I have. All I asked from God is good health for me, my family, to all the brethren and that He may allow me to serve Him with all my heart and live a life that pleases Him every day, this is all I need. So, thank you for thinking about me.
I pray all the best for you in the Lord.
The best friend that loves you in the Lord,
Lois Lhing.
She doesn't know how many more things I want to give or how many experiences I want her to have, but I know for the time being that I need to restrain myself and wait until I can clearly see God's direction in these matters. A mistake is not an option when it comes to this aspect and I have learned my lesson in this area very well.
I sent her a quick message before turning into bed, subtly expressing how grateful I am to have her in my life and how special she has become to me.
__________
I was in the USPS office the next morning at exactly 8:00 a.m., shipping my package by priority mail.
"To which country sir," the postmaster asked
"Philippines sir" I answered. The moment he heard the word Philippines he looked at me with his eyes wide open in surprise.
"So far, it will cost you a bit more sir," he said.
"It's okay, and thank you for letting me know"
"Is it a gift?" he asked again and when I nodded to him, he wrote something in my box then he added smiling at me "She must be pretty special for you".
I felt my face flushing up to my ears but I manage to say "She is". From there, I continue to my University.
___________
One week later.
Lois wrote me a message of gratitude along with the photos of the present I sent to her, I was astonished by how quickly it arrived, and I'm genuinely delighted for her since I know she'll enjoy it. After all, it was just a few days before her birthday, so the timing was ideal.
My Ever Dearest Lois Lhing,
It makes me very glad to know that you have already gotten my birthday gift for you. I hope you like it and find it encouraging.
Advance Birthday greetings! May God bless you and keep your path in Him as He grants your every petition according to His will. I sincerely hope that you discovered Him to be your real treasure in life for time is short.
Before I forget, Do you think I can call you on your birthday? Or are you going to have a busy day? Please let me know what you think about it.
Please take care always.
Love you in the Lord,
Andro
This will be our first official phone call if she agrees to this one. I remember once I tried to call her but because of a poor connection I was unable to hear her voice so we decided to just hang up. This time, I'm hoping that it will be different because I'll be using Skype, taking advantage of the fact that she also has a Skype account.
We still write in a formal manner until now, especially when the subject is somewhat serious, but if I am just teasing her or just simply "Hi, hello, how are you" we do the normal chatting, the exchanging of one word or one sentence away.
The card in the photo was in the box together with the gift of Andro to Lois.
I will write below the message written inside.
God made friends
because stories, dreams, and prayers are meant to be shared.
God made friends
to remind us to laugh a lot and to be really silly sometimes.
God made friends
to help us feel loved and accepted
just the way we are.
God made friends
to shine His love in our lives
in a very special way—
The way you have done for me.
You're a real blessing.
I really love and treasure you in the Lord,
Andro.