Cherry-picked Pitfall

Chapter XXX

SIXTH MONTH at Islas de Hermoso Fuego. I witnessed changes in my personality and principles as my love grew for this place. Nakita ko ang pagbabago ng ibang pananaw ko kasabay ng paglago ng buong isla.

About two months ago, Damon and I decided to start the tourism business that we had been planning. The local government approved our proposal and finally gave us enough fund and support for this project. May mga sakripisyo man— tulad ng paggugol ng oras, pawis, at dugo— naging tagumpay naman ang pagsisimula namin sa bagong hamon na ito. The tourist spots were finally built. Primavera Milagrosa and Bealado were finally open for public.

"Ma'am, full house tayo!" I perfectly saw the grin on the face of Leonie, one of the office staff who also supervised the spots.

"Kaya magbantay ng maigi, ha? 'Wag mong kalimutang paalalahan lagi ang mga empleyado sa pwesto nila. I don't want any accidents today. May shooting sa Primavera Milagrosa, mahirap maantala dahil malaki ang offer doon. Pakisabihan na Bealado lang muna ang pwedeng puntahan hanggang makalawa, ha? Sabihan niyo rin yung mga tao sa entrance na next next week na ulit pwede magpa-reserve." I wrote notes on my checklist, immediately tore the page, and handed it to Leonie. "Ayan yung mga approved na reservation ngayong buwan." Then I smiled at her.

She immediately skimmed the list and stopped upon realizing something. "Puno rin tayo next week, Ma'am? Pero walang name dito? Confidential po ba?"

I just shrugged. "Ewan ko rin kay Sir Damon." Then I snorted, trying to joke professionally. Although, it's true that I didn't even have a clue about the next week's reservation. "Sabi niya, gawin daw pahinga muna ng mga empleyado. Tinanong ko na rin kung bakit, basta lang daw. Alam mo naman, iba minsan ang topak noon. Hindi agad sinasabi ang plano, pero for sure, he has his reasons with solid grounds. Hayaan mo na," sabi ko na lang dito saka nagpaalam na titingnan ko muna ang paghahanda sa Primavera Milagrosa para sa shoot.

It was rented by one of Damon's business partners in Manila. May marriage-themed promotional video raw silang gagawin.

I must say. . . The director was brillant enough to pull off that concept. Napakaraming camera sa paligid pero mas napukaw ang pansin ko ng mga palamuting inilagay nila. They placed a lot of flower arrangements on the rocks to make it look like a pathway and it made the whole Primavera Milagrosa even more serene and sublime. There were also peach petals floating on the water—which happened to be a favorite of mine as it symbolized creativity, positivity, and warmth.

Perfect for marriage. The corner of my lips twitched as I thought of that.

I won't even deny that the fake marriage with Caleb actually took a hit on me. I was fazed and that totally crumbled my ideal vision of a perfect marriage. Dumating rin ako sa puntong naisiping kong. . . .baka hindi para sa akin ang kasal. . . .at baka kailangan ko munang hanapin ulit ang sarili ko. Baka mas importante iyon para sa amin ni Calley ngayon.

But then, I realized that although you were able find yourself and have a good marriage, you still need to find yourself committing in the relationship. You should want to find yourself within the marriage.

Because marriage is allowing.

Allowing yourself to grow as you both submit all the worries, doubts, shortcomings, and imperfections on the table and be able to accept, understand, and fix it together.

Because you just don't marriage a person. You marry all the person your partner have became.

Maybe I learned a lot with Caleb. Hindi ako totoong ikinasal pero sa tingin ko, totoo naman akong naging asawa at ina sa isang pamilya. The process of being in a sacred commitment and the struggles I had within that relationship bombarded me with morals that I was not even prepared to. Binago ako nito pero sa nakikita ko ngayon, gusto ko ang pagbabago na ito kahit na pinagsisisihan ko man ang mga masasakit na nangyari.