A love story that transcends distance and time (2)

A tribute to my first love, Capt. Tiu -- Choco Pie: Years passed and we continued to live separate lives focusing on each others career. And in one of his vacations while in the province some ladies planned to trap him, and his father was clever enough to send him back to Manila. Over the grapevine, I heard that some women continued chasing him. At this point, he was enjoying the time of his life, being one of the most eligible bachelor in town. (Karugtong) In Iligan, I was patiently coping the load of working in a man's world. In February 1984, I had the chance to met him again during my stop over in Cebu, Philippines but at that time, somebody else captivated our hearts. He had a good relationship with an old family friend who is a medical doctor working in Sagada, Mt. Province while I was nurturing a special friendship with a colleague back in Iligan. After graduating from the EMT Training program in December 1984, I was assigned as a process control engineer of a steel making plant. It was quite tough, but the need to earn a living to support my sister to school, motivated me to hang on and make it through. The good camaraderie amongst our co-workers and new friends in Iligan made life enjoyable despite of the peace and order situation of the place. The memories of my adventures with friends in Timoga, the dinner, the disco lived forever in my heart. I spent the best four years of my corporate life in Iligan, a place I once called home. By a twist of fate, the special friendship with my colleague traumatically ended in November 14, 1985. Letters and postcards kept coming again in December 1985 while he was on board. He was just in time. I was waiting for a very special someone to heal my aching heart.

I decided to give him the chance to prove himself. Hoping that a beautiful romance is possible despite the distance and vast ocean of doubts, because of the stigma of his job as a Merchant Marine Officer and his fondness for beautiful women. But I took the risk. November 14, 1986 was the turning point of our relationship, our eyes said everything to each other when he made a surprise visit in Iligan for my birthday. The most eloquent silence, where only love existed. This time, I feel the same concealed charm as I felt on the first day that I met him in Cebu. There is no remedy for love but to love him more. During the Christmas break in December in 1986, I informed my family that I will be leaving Iligan for good. For reasons of personal safety, and to improve the lines of communication if he is on board I requested transfer to our Head Office in Makati. Although it was against our company policy, the request was granted on special grounds. The movement took effect on January of 1987 before he left for another shipboard assignment. I joined the Technical division in Makati in January 1987. In July 1987, a letter from ‘someone’ special in my past who at that time worked in the Middle East as a Mechanical Engineer tested my very fragile heart. It was too late for him to win me back. I hold on to the belief that staying in love is not a matter of chance, but needs a lot of working out to keep the fire burning. The wedding came in May 30, 1988 to start a new adventure in life together while on a new assignment as a Senior Staff Engineer in a Pasig plant. It was indeed a double feat for me. We praised God for these Great blessings. While on vacation, he took the Licensure Exam for Master Mariner. The license he needed to assume the top post on board a ship and he made it. He went back to sea after the board exams as a Chief Officer a shipping company, and continuously served on board for 23 months. Took a leave of absence from work to sail with him after his one year of stay on board. This was the first opportunity to travel with him for 3 months and had the chance to conceive our only child in the midst of winter in the Pacific Ocean. Underway to Qingdao China, the Skipper was air lifted in Japan Sea when he suffered a heart attack. By the chain of command he assumed the responsibilities of both positions as the Captain and Chief Officer. It was so tough for me coping with the weather but I know that it was even tougher for him coping up to make everything on board alright. We safely arrived Qingdao,China in January 3, 1990.The new Master boarded and I went home with the vacationing crew. Went back to work for a month but have to go on bed rest for 3 months due to threatened abortion. While I was at the Pasig plant I experienced contraction pains on the 8th month of my pregnancy. (Itutuloy) - GMANews.TV Choco Pie A love story that transcends distance and time (1) A love story that transcends distance and time (3) Mga Kapusong Pinoy! Maraming salamat sa patuloy ninyong pagtitiwala at binuksan ang inyong buhay sa Kwentong Kapuso upang maibahagi sa iba. Ang inyong mga karanasan, saloobin, payo, at kung ano-ano pa na ibinahagi nyo sa amin ay nagbibigay ng lakas ng loob, dagdag na kaalaman at pumapawi sa kalungkutan na nararamdaman ng marami nating kababayan na malayo sa kanilang mahal sa buhay na naiwan sa Pilipinas. Sana'y hindi kayo magsawa sa pagbisita sa ating website na GMANews.TV at silipin ang iba't-ibang bahagi nito lalo na ang Pinoy Abroad na sadyang nilikha para sa inyo. Muli, ang papuri at pasasalamat ay ibinabalik namin sa inyo mga kababayan naming nagtitiis sa ibang bansa upang mabigyan ng magandang buhay ang kanilang mga mahal sa buhay. Patuloy kaming hindi magsasawa na basahin ang inyong kwento - maigsi man o milya-milya ang haba. Kahit ang laman nito ay naglalabas ng sama ng loob, nagbibigay ng inspirasyon, gustong magpayo, nagsusumbong, nais lang magpatawa o kahit wala lang at nagpapalipas lang ng oras. Inaanyayahan din naman ang mga kabiyak, anak, ina, ama o sinuman na may bahagi sa buhay ng isang OFW na nais magpaabot ng kanilang saloobin sa kanilang minamahal na nakikipagsapalaran sa ibayong-dagat. Hihintayin pa rin namin ang inyong mga email na maaari ninyong ipadala sa Pinoyabroad@gmanews.tv Sa aming mga kababayan saan mang bahagi ng mundo, saludo kami sa inyo mga Pinoy sa abroad! Mabuhay kayo mga Kapuso!