Here’s my story. Back in 2010 I
got together with this beautiful, smart, fun, crazy, loving girl. Our story
started with a simple game of volleyball. At that time I was a 19 year old guy
with a knack for that sport. I’ve played the game for almost 10 years before I
got a bad knee injury that got me off the sport for good. But that didn’t stop
me from wanting to help people who really enjoy the game get better at it. I
found a team that had the potential, but just lacked in the basics of the game.
The school principal and school directress didn’t have any faith in the players
the team, but I soon suggested that “If I can get them to win a game, will you
let them continue playing?”, when I said that, they responded that it would
take a miracle to make that team win, they gave me a shot. So then I decided to
come up with a good regimen on how to get this team better.
After watching videos online on
volleyball training, fitness programs, and most importantly anti-injury videos.
I came up with a simple to hard training regimen that could be done by women
ages 12 – 17. It was simple basic movements and a little body training. After 4
months of training and hardworking players, the team got better and better and
finally succeeded in winning a game! The team got their recognition from the
higher ups and were able to continue on. By this time I bet most of you are
wondering “How’s this all connected to the girl?”. I’m getting there! So the
team continued on for the next year and actually made it to the City finals!
Unfortunately at that time I wasn’t the one who lead them to victory, but still
I was so proud of the team that had been ignored, put down, and was at the
verge of being disbanded to make it that far. During that time I was busy with
my job as an online freelancer, but I had formed a bond with one of the players
in the team. She was really young at the age of 14, which made me feel kind of a
bit concerned.
Well it starts here. We were both
worried on how people would look at us if we ever get together, things like
look at that guy he’s too old for that girl, or maybe that girl is just being
seduced or something, and a lot more weird things popping into my head and
hers, but that didn’t fully stop me from just being in contact with her. We
actually did manage to go out sometimes, but not really go out as dating yet,
but it slowly grew into a real “relationship” yes I said it, “relationship”,
please do not compare this word with “puppy love” or a “fling”, totally
different type of couple. A little backstory of the girl is that her family
lives in a church, her father is a pastor, her mother is a devote teacher of
the word via the beliefs of “Christians”, don’t confuse this with apparently
the “pseudo-Christians” like the Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Anglicans or Baptists, her brother who I really don’t know much what he does,
and a little sister. They are part of the Church of Nazarene (by the
way, I’m Roman Catholic). By this time I confessed to her and we finally
officially got together!
Here comes the fireworks, I bet
some of you are like “Oh no, that can’t be!” or “Why don’t you just convert?”.
Well it’s not that simple for me. For other’s it must be really easy or maybe
just no big deal. Every Sunday we go to different churches, I went to a
catholic church and she went to the Nazarene church. There were some Sundays
that I attended their services just to see how it is. To be honest they do a
lot more fun things like joyful singing, a bit comfortable chairs (you know
what I mean!), and members telling their stories and achievements. This kind of
made me feel like “this would be a nice place to be!”
So then 3 years passed, but since
I didn’t join their church yet I started hearing some things that are very hard
to take in sometimes. I did my fair share of being an asshole and prick to be
honest. We talk on the phone almost every night with the girl and we share
things together. There some moments where I would hear that the people in her
church started treating her differently when they found out that I wasn’t part
of their church. Like they would say things like “her brother is having a
better life because his partner is part of their church” or “Don’t you see why
you’re not moving forward? It’s because he’s not a member of the Nazarene”.
Well going back to the story, even after all these things were said, I still
didn’t join, I’m stuck between believing in what I believe and just changing
everything I know just to please them. Let me get my side in, I believe that
there is a God, I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that they are
the only beings allowed to pass judgement on anybody.
During those times we would still
go out to the park, enjoy a movie together, go to the arcade, take strolls in
different places, and even just look for a place that we can talk and enjoy
each other’s company. Magical times! But then something happened, my knee got
even worse due to another injury and I had to get it operated on. February 16, 2013 was the day that I had to
undergo surgery. This thing hit me hard, I wasn’t able to walk for a week and
the saddest part was that she didn’t have the time to visit me while I was in
the hospital due to her busy schedule, she’s in college by the way. February
24, 2016 was the day that I got released! Man that day felt awesome! Only
problem was that I still couldn’t walk properly with a big enormous bandage on
my leg. The pain of walking from one place to another was like spilling hot
boiling alcohol on an open wound. Well enough of that, 3 days pass and I
finally got a visit from her in my home. YES! I was so overjoyed that I cried
like a little baby seeing their mommy after a long time. Yes judge me if you
will, but I was so happy to see her! But during that time I wasn’t fully
recovered yet and still had to take some medicine for the pain and fever to
come. During the day of her visit I came up with a very high fever that almost
made me lose my mind! She was there to comfort me, she gave me medicine and she
stayed beside the entire time. This was a moment that would be etched into my
heart for the rest of my life.
As time progressed I went for
therapy and she would always send me messages to keep my spirits up, she would
tell me to always go and not skip a single day. With her motivation I kept
pushing through the hard moments and hard times even if some of those times
were really hard that I felt really depressed. I had negative thoughts about
ever walking normally again. There were some nights where I would actually let
out some tears and just tell her that I’m fine, because I didn’t want her to
think that she isn’t helping. She really helped me a lot through those days of
hardship. Three months passed and I
finally started walking with cane. Yes I can finally go places myself! At that
time I landed a job as a computer facilitator in a school. I would teach them
lessons on the basics of computer software and hardware. I enjoyed teaching,
but I still felt like it wasn’t something that really suited me, but I pressed
on until the next year.
February 16, 2014 came and I had
to undergo another procedure to remove screws from my past operation. Well this
time I only stayed for 3 days and got home walking with a cane. It wasn’t as
hard as the first operation at all! This time I didn’t need to undergo long and
painful therapy sessions! YES! But it still took at least a month before I
could walk normally again. All fine and dandy after all that, but this year was
a painful year for me. I couldn’t land a job, I don’t know what to do with my
life and I don’t have a direction to look forward to. I always thought about
what I would do if I get married, will I be able to sustain a family? Will I be
able to provide for my wife? What the heck is wrong with you?! Will I finally
convert into a Nazarene? Will be able to get my girl a birthday present this
year? Will I be able to get her a Christmas present this year? How will you
earn money if you’re not doing anything?!!! And much much more things that made
my mind go crazy. I also thought about finding a job to send my girl to school
as she was having a hard time with her tuition fee and expenses. I just kept
getting deeper and deeper into a slump and not going anywhere at all. Until I
finally decided to help out in my family’s business which was a school. I took
on the job of being at the front desk and accounting. This wasn’t that bad, but
I wanted to do something more to be able to get my girl the things she wants,
places she wants to go, and the presents that I could get her. Up until this
day I still feel like a nobody. I feel like I couldn’t do anything to make her
life better. I actually live to make her happy, because when she smiles it
makes me feel so happy that I sometimes get teary eyed just thinking about that
smile and how happy she was at those moments.
The year 2015, this was a very
big year for me, because I decided to go back to school and build myself up to
something I and my girl can be proud of. At first I had my doubts, because I
was a lot older than most of my classmates and sometimes even the professors.
It took me awhile to get used to it again, but I still got to pull through and
continued going to school, because the best part of it was that I got to see my
girl almost every single day! There were some days that I felt really tired and
exhausted, but I still go to her because she makes me feel so happy and whole
again. There are times that I would skip lunch just to save up my money and
feed her at the end of the day. I tell her that I already ate, but her content
after having a nice meal after her long day fills my stomach up. I know it’s
wrong to lie about it, but my apologies, I really love seeing that smile of hers.
I often have really bad pain in my knees, but I push through when I’m with her.
I skip taking pain medication, because she’s concerned about my health. She’s
just something worth everything of me.
After 6 years of being together
my conclusion would be that I wouldn’t change a thing about her and I would
want to build myself up into a man she could be so proud of. Well that would be
my story so far! ;)
