LOVE AND BEYOND

©Mallari 2017
written by Rolando Q. Mallari, MD

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The characters, the story line, the location are all culled from the imagination. Any similarity to real life and place are purely coincidental.

He suddenly asked, "Did you ever love my older brother?"

I was dumb-founded with the question posed to me by Ryan. Who by the way is Ryan? Ryan is a handsome, muscular built young man of 20 years. He looks more like an Indian. His mother is a Filipino while his father is an Indian national involved in the 5-6 financing business in the Philippines. His parents had a falling off and got separated when he was still 5 years old. He grew up under the care of his stepfather who is a Major in the military.

I took Ryan as one of my production staff in a recently staged show that I handled. He is such an industrious and diligent worker. I was surprised with his question. What does he know? I wanted to block his question point blank but I was surprised with myself, I answered differently.

Why are you asking me that question? What do you know about your brother and me?, I asked.

“Even if you keep your relationship from everyone, still everyone will know. He is always at your home, almost every day. He sometimes sleeps there. If he comes home, the topic of our conversation is you. His text messages are always about you. The private messages he had were all from you,” Ryan explained.

And who is this brother he is referring to? It is Arman. He lives at the border near our subdivision. I instantly went back memory lane.

A text message was received by me and it is asking who I was. I don’t usually entertain messages from unknown number and persons but on that particularly day, I told the texter, “Why are you asking me when in fact I never have texted or called you?”

Then he bared out he is Arman, the young man who shook my hands when introduced to me by my personal assistant, Lumen. It was Lumen who gave him my number. He extended his apology and asked if he can visit me.

That was the start. Arman became part of my life. He became a fixture in the house. He can come to house anytime as my mother had accepted him. He entered my heart and allowed him stay there! How can I not say I did not love Arman when I gave him my heart and soul?

It is as if I was lulled into the dreamland and Ryan just snapped my beautiful dream.

“Do you think you love him when you didn’t even fight for him? When he was framed in to a marriage he did not like, what did you do? You just stayed there. You are selfish! If you really loved my brother, you should have agreed to his suggestion,” he emotionally charged me.

I was affronted. “What do you know about love? What do you know about the things we shared that you confront me like this? I have loved your brother so much but that is what it should be!”

“My brother loved you so much. Even when he got sick and died of that dreaded meningitis, you were his words even to the last of his breath!”

I just sat and then looked at the floor and let those tears fall. Slowly, Ryan sat beside me. He embraced me telling me that I should allow him to continue that love.

I was startled.

“What are you telling me? Didn’t you know how old am I? Do you know the real me?

“Age doesn’t matter to me. You are what you are and whatever and whoever you are, that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is what is in my heart. I have loved you since I was younger. Yes, you have loved my brother but that love was meant for nowhere. Let me love you in my ways. I will fight for this love. Let us leave and let us make this love work;” Ryan said tearfully. 

Slowly, Ryan took me to face him. He wiped the tears on my face. His faced went near my face, his lips gently kissing mine.

(PostScript: It’s been a time. Ryan and I are now in Canada living together as a couple.)