M: It’s post-Valentine’s but let’s talk about love still. Rochelle is in love with Max but she’s in a relationship with Rommel. The latter is kind and good and he’s the one financing her sister’s studies. Rochelle is the breadwinner. She knows she sounds like a user but she’s afraid to let go of Rommel. She’s not sure if she can finance her sister’s studies. Well, I have to tell Rochelle that she does not sound like a user. She is a user. Let’s call a spade, a spade. It is unfair to Rommel to keep on paying for Rochelle’s sister’s tuition thinking that someday Rochelle’s family becomes part of his family and vice versa. If Rochelle has no love for Rommel and loves somebody else, I think it will be better for her to work harder to support her sister or ask her sister to help in getting the finances for her studies.
DJ: This soap opera appears to have three main parts to solve: Her being unfair to Rommel, her sister’s education and her love for Max. I suggest that she solves this drama in that order of priority so she won’t feel beaten.
M: Why is Rochelle sacrificing her personal happiness for her sister’s education? It’s not as if she has zero means to support her sister’s education. Her sister can also find work to finance her way through school. It will be unfair not just to Rommel but also to Max who Rochelle claims to love, if she continues being in a relationship with Rommel. Does her sister know her sentiments? If Rochelle’s sister knows, I think she herself would want what’s best for Rochelle, including being with the one Rochelle loves.
DJ: I commend Rochelle for sacrificing her own happiness for the sake of her sister. But that doesn’t change the reality that there is an obvious gap in equity. Ending the relationship sounds like a compassionate choice both for Rommel and her. She and her sister can still find a fair means to finance her education. Employment possibilities in school or at the business process outsourcing world are just two of the many options they can potentially tap. Piecing these two broken parts first makes her more ready should she decide to eventually be in a relationship with Max. There really is no guarantee that all these will yield positive results but she can increase the likelihood by being clear-headed, truthful and fair.
M: The heart has reasons of its own that reason itself does not know. Being in a relationship means it is give and take. Sure, Rommel might have the cash to spare and doesn’t mind footing the bill but he deserves to be treated with courtesy and fairness. After all, he is the generous benefactor who gives Rochelle the money to support her sister’s studies and allows her to enjoy some rest from all her labors.
DJ: While it seems like she’s too far deep into the trenches at this time, it’s never too late to solve the drama it’s creating. We all make mistakes. It’s part of human experience. And the lessons she’s learning are part of growing up.