Our Love  Story

November 2020 changed everything for Rizza. Habang nasa hospital ang Mama niya, lagi nitong sinasabi na hindi pa siya handang mawala — hindi pa niya nakikitang ikasal ang panganay and bunso nya. Mama kept praying na sana mahanap na rin nila ang taong para sa kanila.

Habang nasa ICU pa si Mama, may nag-message kay Rizza sa Messenger — si Mark. Walang common friends, just a simple school-related question about BSU. Nag-reply si Rizza thinking it was purely academic. Hindi nila alam, doon pala magsisimula ang lahat.

Hindi sila agad naging close. Minsang kamustahan lang, hanggang sa hindi nila namamalayan na napapadalas na silang magkausap.

November 21, the day Rizza lost her Mama, nagmessage agad si Mark, nangangamusta. November 24, Rizza’s birthday, nakita ni Mark ang story niya — may hawak na cake beside her Mama’s coffin. Kahit hindi pa sila magkakilala nang personal, ramdam niya ang bigat. He reminded Rizza how strong she was and that everything would be okay.

December 10, they met for the first time sa may arko ng San Pascual. Pagsakay ni Rizza sa kotse, may instant comfort na para bang ang tagal na nilang magkakilala. Walang awkwardness. Walang pilit. They talked about a lot of things - Same vibes. Same values. Same view in life. It felt easy. It felt safe.

December 23, habang tinutulungan ni Mark si Rizza sa thesis at schoolworks niya sa dorm ni “Tita” near BSU, nag-breakdown si Rizza all of a sudden. Doon niya unang nakita itong umiyak. At doon din niya naramdaman na gusto niyang maging pahinga nito — hindi dagdag sa bigat. He asked if they could try being “us: - a simple what if.

Rizza said yes.

Walang formal ligawan, they both believe na mas nagiging totoo ang isang tao after the courtship itself, so why not skip that part? Sabi ni Mark, araw-araw niya na lang liligawan si Rizza — and until now, he kept his promise. What started as a simple “try” became more than five years of choosing each other, every single day.

A love story that didn’t begin with courtship, but with comfort. Not forced. Not planned. Not predicted. 

Because loving was never complicated — it was simply right.

From a cliche mindset that “if it works, it works. If not, at least we tried.” - to choosing each other again, not just for the good days, but for every season life will bring.

Maybe, just maybe, a prayer whispered in a hospital room was answered at the perfect time.