Do you believe that first love never dies? Check out my kilig story about making it work and marrying your first love.
What can you read in this article?
- Knowing my husband since they were 12 years old
- The truth about marrying your first love
They say young love doesn't last. Are you sure about that?
Allow me to share with you how my first love became my last and how we managed to make our relationship work given our young age. A unique yet simple encounter that led to walking down the aisle.
A brief encounter
As a young child, I grew up in a loving family. I had three sisters with whom I share countless nice memories with. Like any girl entering puberty, my preteen years were pretty awkward. I was morena and a bit on the heavy side.
However, I didn't care as I was still enjoying being a kid and exploring my blossoming teen life.
Although to give you a background, my ate who was fair-skinned, beautiful, and charming already had suitors at the age of 15. I always wondered if I will ever be courted one day or if I’m even likable.
Then came Miguel.
We met through a common friend when I was 12-years old. Our encounter was brief but after that, we started talking on the phone and writing each other letters. For once, I enjoyed talking with someone who was not a girl. I had boy cousins but it was a refreshing feeling that a boy was giving me attention and had an interest in me even though I felt awkward.
It was not built on the usual premise of love at first sight or crushing hard on someone. We basically spent time talking on the phone for hours just getting to know each other.
The thing that really made me take an interest in him was because we were both close to our families. He grew up with four brothers. The similarities and differences always made our conversations interesting, as we go back and forth sharing our stories.
In summers, he would go to his province to spend time with his cousins but he would still call me via landline making the phone bill of his Lola skyrocket! It was embarrassing looking back, but being a city girl at heart, I enjoyed listening to his stories of island hopping, hiking, going to small mountain trails, and his trips to the bukid.
Keeping an open-mind
As much as I tried to keep mum about my budding friendship with Miguel, my parents realized that it was starting to take much of my time and it was becoming exclusive.
As someone who grew up in a strict but loving family, my mom started giving me advice on what I should focus on and laid out some boundaries, which I appreciated.
Seven months into talking almost every day, I told Miguel that I cannot have a boyfriend yet because my parents won’t let me. And that my Dad was inviting him to his birthday. He gladly agreed and surprisingly went to the birthday celebration.
One thing I’d like to point out here is that my father was a big basketball fan. Having four daughters and nobody to share his love for the sport with, I think he was somehow open-minded at this time to get to know our suitors just so he can talk to them about basketball.
Miguel, being a basketball fan as well, had pretty good conversations with my Dad. It was nice watching him with my family. This open communication we had with my dad also built a good foundation for Miguel not to break their trust and to always show respect. On the other hand, my mom won’t budge on the idea of her daughter having a boyfriend at the age of 12 so I obliged.
READ MORE:
REAL STORIES: "I fell in love with the person I hated the most"
Cute meet: My ex-boyfriend gave me books— the author is now my husband
Making it official
Our friendship grew as the years went by. I was enjoying high school life and Miguel was also doing his own thing. We never stopped talking to each other and exchanged letters and simple gifts being creative with our little allowances back then. We were always in touch and celebrated each other’s small victories in school.
I realized that even if I agreed with my parents not to have a boyfriend at that time, Miguel and I always had each other’s back and did our best to protect each other’s hearts.
Close to high school graduation and after giving much thought to our degrees, we wanted to continue our love story. So we made it official. In college, he took up Chemical Engineering in a university in Intramuros while I was studying in a university in Ortigas taking up Marketing Communications.
The distance was challenging for us but Miguel would still make up for it taking up LRT & MRT rides just to be with me on Fridays. We seldom saw each other on weekends as we often had a class on Saturday.
Marrying your first love
During my last years of college, I vowed to enjoy it to the fullest. I enjoyed going out with my girlfriends, staying overnight for study groups, and celebrating after our exams. Miguel became the least of my priorities.
At this point, I never gave any thought if he will be my husband as I was just starting to enjoy the new environment I was in with new connections and friendships.
You may think that our story has finally come to an end or we could let the next chapter unfold.
With Miguel, I always felt like I was the most loved person in the world. He would always tell me that cares for me and I am worth the wait. And he did. We celebrated one anniversary after another, still going strong. The years really do go by so fast when you're having a wonderful time with someone.
Fast forward to 2015, Miguel proposed to me and we got married a year after. After everything we’ve been through, who would have thought that at the young age of 12, we would meet the person meant for us. I never thought that I would end up marrying my first love. It was destiny, yes, but it was built on constant communication, trust, and love.
I’m so happy to be with my one true love for twenty years now. I hope our story will encourage others not to give up on love. Your story may be different from mine, but with fervent prayers, God is preparing the best spouse for you.
And remember, love is not just based on promises or just a feeling. It is something that needs constant work and action.