Secret Love Affair

From Love Notes of Joe d' Mango


Dearest Joe,

First and foremost, let me greet you and your staff a pleasant day. I'm your avid fan ever since because you often give sound and effective advice to all the problems being presented to you.

Call me Shielou, I am already 20 years olds and a 3rd year college student here in Manila. Let me take you back 8 years ago when I was in 2nd year High School. My aunt was problematic because the household helpers took their vacation and didn't come back. So she decided to recruit helpers from Samar.

After a couple of weeks, the helpers arrived - one houseboy named Wilfred and another househelp named Letlet. I got along well with them. I treated them as my friends. Wilfred always cracked jokes and I often laughed with him. We always talk about so many things in life. One day, he admitted that he feels something for me but he was hesitant to speak up because he knows that we don't belong to the same world. We are not compatible to each other intellectually and financially. But after a few days he courted me. Suddenly I found myself falling for him too and that was the start of our secret love affair. We almost forgot our limits one night when only the two of us were left in our house but I refused and I didn't give in to his lustful desires. He was asking me to elope and get married. I disagreed with him and I asked him to wait until I'm old enough.

I really believe that love is blind. He's not good looking and he only finished grade 6. I was thinking that if we end up together, we would not be able to survive and send our children to school. In spite of all these, I still loved him. He was my first love and probably would be my last. Eight years have gone and up to now Joe, I still couldn't take him off my whole system. He's always on my mind and I always fondly reminisce our happy and unforgettable moments together. A couple of months ago, we took our vacation in Samar and I saw him again. He's already married and they're expecting a baby by December this year. I was so hurt, Joe. I felt like I broke into pieces. I wanted to cry but I couldn't. Now, there are a number of guys who are courting me but I don't take them seriously because I couldn't find someone like Wilfred. What should I do to forget him, Joe? Our love affair remained concealed. How should I react if somebody would come out in the open and tell everyone about the whole thing? I belong to a well known and well to do family while Wilfred comes only from a very simple family. How would I explain it to my family and friends? Should I deny him? Thank you very much for reading my letter. Please help me.

God bless,
SHIELOU



Dear Sheilou,

People who have loved deeply would know that letting go isn't always easy. Some people have a way of locking someone in their hearts for a long time, holding on to some hope that one day they can be together again.

Each day, as they wait, is filled with silent and empty longing. They shy away from others who try to break in the walls they have built around themselves. They live and survive but deep inside they are lonely and miserable. Sheilou, your secret affair has been buried for eight long years and I honestly don't see any reason why you have to tell everyone about it. You simply have to learn to accept your fate and forget Wilfred. You cannot live on memories alone even if these bring warm and pleasant thoughts. Memories can slowly trap us in our own world of empty hope and broken promises. Sheilou, you cannot open a new chapter in your life without closing the previous one. Nothing lasts in this temporary world we live in. Everything that is born dies. Even the people we love go away for good. That is why there is always a time for good-bye. It is a sad word but it is the only thing that keeps the past where it should belong. When we say good-bye we put an end to what has begun. When we let go, we give ourselves the reason to live a new life and find the real love that has been kept away from us by the crippling memories of the past.

Joe