2 Minutes, 23 Seconds

2' 09"

The moment they all stepped out of Mr. Aguirre's office, Duncan made his way in and locked the door behind him when he entered.

Mr. Aguirre dropped his jaw at his unexpected guest but Duncan only walked towards him purposely.

"Tamares, what are you doing here? I'm not expecting you today, am I?" The older man asked. Even though they were friends, he addressed Duncan by his surname. Duncan, on the other hand, called him Tito as respect to his father's friend.

"Sir," he began, confusing Stacey's stepfather. "I want to marry your daughter."

The old man's eyebrows joined to form one line, the lines on his face became more obvious, and he felt as though whatever is left of his black hair all turned gray in an instant. "Excuse me? Are we talking about Stacey?"

"Yes, sir, Stacey Margaret Aguirre." Duncan enunciated every syllable with conviction.

The first time he heard her name years ago, it unconsciously dug its way into his mind. Stacey and him, they met twice before but she might be too young to remember and he was lanky back then for her to recognize him. When he asked her about him, Stacey only said she knew his name but never his face, until they met each other in the hospital.

He was eighteen that time and she must be ten but she definitely looked mature for her age. She was pretty and she wore a bright smile. Once he noticed that, he never got bored again as he chose to focus his attention on the little lady than watching old people enjoy that party he was dragged into by his father. He realized he was being weird for trying to steal glances, and the fact that she was way younger made him feel that it was wrong to like the girl. The night only got better when their fathers introduced them to each other. She waved at him and it made his heart skip a beat even if she looked at him for less than a second only, considering that he was much taller too. He found her cute, but left all those thoughts in that hall. He forgot about the young lady he met at a party.

Yet another party happened a year after they first met. It was his father's birthday and Stacey and her father were invited. He only had a chance to catch a glimpse of the girl as he was about to leave for his wrongly timed departure. School demanded more of his time for he was now a junior. He smiled as he thought, this girl would make men cry when she grows up. He shrugged his thoughts away and headed for the door after bidding his father goodbye. She was too young for him anyway, he thought. He got busy with life, met people his age, and became a doctor.

And when Mr. Aguirre asked him to help Stacey's friend, he did not know how to react at first but he obviously wanted to meet her again, and so he agreed.

The second he stepped inside his office, his eyes landed on Stacey, a woman now, and his jaw dropped at his beauty but learned to control it and masked it with arrogance instead. He was actually pissed about Van's case too. It made his blood boil at one point. And Stacey cared for him too much that he thought he lost a chance he never had in the first place.

That chance has come now, after more than a decade. Who would have thought?

Mr. Aguirre slowly shook his head and Duncan lost a few threads of hope but he must stay and prove a point. "I... I don't have the right to decide and I am honestly confused. How did this happen?"

Duncan cleared his throat and stood straight. "It... It just did, sir." He sighed at his answer and fell silent for a minute. He suddenly lost all the courage he had when he barged in. "I- I want to ask for your blessing, sir."

"Wait, stop calling me sir. If you're asking for blessing, I would gladly give it to you.'

Duncan felt a short-lived relief that ended when Mr. Aguirre said, "But, the decision is not mine to make. If Stacey agrees to marry you, it is fine by me since I have known you for years. Although, I suggest that you take time to know each other. Hasn't it been only a few days since you met each other?" The old man stopped him when he tried to answer. "I know we've introduced you before but that was a long time ago. A lot of things had already happened and I wish for the best for my daughter's life, especially now that we are having a new beginning as a family once again. I'm just saying that it's up to her. She has been through a lot. I just don't want her to get hurt again."