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Tuesday, June 27, 2006
A moment like this, some people wait a lifetime
By Vincent Alocada
LAST June 10, just two weeks after I acted as an emcee for the wedding reception of my high school friends, I was again given the same opportunity at the wedding of another high school friend, Amor Gonzaga (a nurse in Maryland, USA) who tied the knot with Victor Alton Dela Cruz (also a nurse in Maryland, USA). Both Alton and Amor were active in the University Church (UC) when they were still in school, Amor being a member of the Bahandi and Alton being a member of the University Choir before he transferred to Filamer College. Yes, they've known each other from way back but the dealings that they had were more on the casual level.
Amor is the closest female friend that I have. I can tell her my darkest secrets and feel assured that she's going to keep those under wraps. However, I've always known her as a person who's fond of dilly-dallying. Years after graduating from college, she seemed to be not doing anything to fulfill her American dream.
However, in 2003, she finally showed interest in her application for the States. Before Alton left for the States in 2001, he told most of his friends, especially the UC people, to send him an email once he's already in America. Amor, concerned about the status of her application, sent Alton an email saying hi and inquiring about the necessary steps needed to speed up her own application.
Little did Amor know that her correspondence with Alton would lead her to getting more than just information. Tired of a boring single life, Alton was also in search of a partner that he would spend the rest of his life with, somebody he'd grow old with -- and without Amor's knowledge, she was one of the strongest candidates as she was endorsed by many friends.
The long distance communication went on and Alton's intention finally became clear to Amor. I remember how Amor broke to me the news about Alton. She asked if the name rang a bell. At first, I was kind of clueless, but with a few more vivid descriptions, I finally became sure of whom she was talking about. I asked why she was asking me, she told me he was courting her. I'm not exactly sure how I reacted, but I remember telling Amor not to say yes right away because we couldn't be sure of Alton's intention considering the distance between them, that she had to take her time to assess her feelings for Alton.
Amor wasn't the type of girl who would easily fall for a guy. Sure, she had crushes but the most that you could hear from her would be "Ka-gwapo sa iya a." But whenever she'd talk about Alton, the topic would be more than just his-skin deep attributes.
Almost every night, whenever we talked on the phone, Amor always mentioned the name of Alton and we would discuss what they talked about on the phone or in the chatroom. As time went by, basing on the tone of her voice, I could sense that she was becoming fonder and fonder of him.
With the quality and frequency of their communication, Alton assumed that he and Amor were already an item. His Internet with web cam would be on 24/7, giving Amor the chance to see him even if he was asleep. Technically, they were lovers but not officially.
Alton, though assuming that he and Amor were already romantically involved with each other, still wanted to make sure of the real score between him and Amor. So he asked her on the phone:
"Di bala ginsabat mo na ko?"
"Wala pa ah," replied Amor.
That prompted the both of them to set an official date of their romantic partnership. So, in August 22, 2004, Amor accepted Alton as her boyfriend. In November of the same year, Amor finally flew to Maryland and Alton took some time off from his work in Texas to meet Amor. With how their relationship was formed, awkward moments were inevitable, but not for long. And in January 15, 2005, Alton proposed marriage to Amor that she willingly accepted.
And finally, the moment that some people wait for a lifetime finally happened to Alton and Amor. In a solemn yet riveting church ceremony held at the University Church of CPU last June 10, Alton and Amor became husband and wife in the eyes of God, family friends and acquaintances.
(June 27, 2006 issue)
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