Dear You,
I am delighted to finally hear from you! Your sentiments warm my heart and your hopefulness spurs in me a renewed vigilance for our fateful meeting. That day will surely be magical. But maybe we did not receive the same memo? While I am pleased to see that you've been studious at watching your Romantic Comedies, your letter baffles me. You see, I embrace your eccentricities. It's cute and will give you personality for the first month of our relationship (or first half of the movie). I will get used to having my collar fixed and my T-shirts stolen. But surely you expect more than this from me, your prince charming! After all, I am ready to listen to your opinions and to share in your passions. (I'm not talking about likes and dislikes teenagers talk about.) Which issues do you find compelling? Do you agree with Aristotle when he said some men are more fit to rule over others, and the naturalness of slavery? Are you fascinated by design, art, music, philosophy, poetry, business, engineering or economics? I want to know what drives you. Taking long walks on the beach under the stars is okay. Going on chocolate runs during rainy days is okay. They make for nice 4 minute scenes which establish how charming, sweet and blissful our life is, especially with "All My Life" playing in the background. What actually excites me though is organizing a beach cleanup with you because you worry about the environment or opening our own hot chocolate cafe because you are a passionate chocolatier/barrista dedicated to making the perfect blend! Giving space is good! but it's not just for me, it's for both of us. More than playing video games or watching TV, I will develop my body and my mind, keeping fit, learning new things and deepening my appreciation of other people and of life. I will accept you but I expect you to grow, evolve and to have your own sense of purpose. More importantly, I regret to inform you that we will not be able to go on epic adventures around the world. Our pre-schooler's school, the one with mini-plays where he acts as a talking pumpkin or little drummer boy, isn't cheap. Our first dog, which I insist on naming Sparky, has veterinarian bills that need to be paid. So maybe after thirty years, after our son and our daughter,have both gone to college and taken their international MBAs or MFAs and I can quit my job, after Sparky the dog has been replaced by Sparky the turtle, after we've set aside money for our retirement, after we've moved to Canada for the excellent health-care coverage, if you're still up for it, then we can travel the world. Having said this, waking up to my smile might be problematic. I make it a point to sleep early so I can wake up early, clean the house and cook a healthy breakfast for the kids before bringing them to school and heading off to work. My barkada is responsible and they understand how demanding life can be so there's no need to worry about barkada nights either. It sounds like a lot of work doesn't it? And not the kind of conflict you can resolve in a two hour movie. Of course, as Prince Charming, I could just leech off my father's fortune. We wouldn't have to squander our youth building our careers and saving for our children's education. But is that really the kind of man you want me to be? Spending his father's hard earned money? I would rather earn it and prove my worth to you. I assure you our life will have moments of romance and comedy, but more than anything, it will be characterized by commitment, discipline, discernment and maturity. Lastly, I want you to know that I do exist. But I am not waiting for you. I want to find you but right now, I am still finding myself. After my journey of self-mastery I will find you. I urge you to make sense of the world on your own for now so that we can swap stories afterwards, learn from each other and teach our children that life is much much bigger than a montage of kilig moments in your latest romantic comedy.
Love always,
Your Prince Charming.
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