“Lovellia Andrada is her real name. That was her picture when she was only seventeen. She is my childhood friend. She is my first love and my first girlfriend. She always supports me when no one believes in me. Because of her, I learned how to fight in life and I also learned to laugh. No one ever loved me, not even my parents. They only love themselves. My parents were both addicts who did nothing but quarrel. Then they just left me when I was twelve years old.
“But they are not like Love. Love is always there for me. She had asked our parish priest on her own so I could have someplace to stay. She didn't have to work hard but she did so I could study. She supported me when I had the opportunity to go abroad. She was never selfish. But when I left her, I became drowned in getting the things that I didn’t have before. Things that I can buy now I have money. I have forgotten about her. I never went back to her and hurt her. ”
A woman who loves unconditionally. A woman puts others before herself. He had never seen such a woman. All those he met were always waiting for a reward beyond what they had given. The reason why he had no woman who had stayed in his life for a long time. Because he has never met a woman like Love.
Cameron remembered Love’s smiling face in the picture. Where else could he find a woman like that?
Mitos was lucky but Cameron also wanted to beat him. Women like Love should never be exchanged for anything, or anyone. If a woman would ever give him that kind of love, he would be faithful. He would never leave her.
But he couldn’t blame Mitos. The guy did not grow up with a privileged life, unlike him. Cameron always had everything since he was young. Mitos indulged too much on the things he had never experienced and never had before. Success can be overwhelming. But one day you would find yourself all alone, no one by your side. Then you would remember the people who valued you. And oftentime, it was too late already.
Cameron doesn’t want everything to be too late for Mitos.
“I always have his pictures in my wallet because I want to go back to the Philippines and look for her,” Mitos said. “To correct my mistakes.”
“That’s why don’t be a pessimist. Just think we’ll soon get off this island. You will be taken to a nearby hospital and you will recover. You and Love will meet again. You can apologize to her. You will be together again.”
“We may not be able to be together again. I don't really think I'll last long.” Tears streamed down Mitos’ eyes, his breathing was laboured. “Sir, promise me that when you leave this island, you will look for Love. Tell her everything that I wanted to tell her. Tell her I love her. You have to promise me.”
“ERON, ARE YOU sure you're okay over there? Your father and I are so worried about you. You didn’t have any broken bones, did you? No scars or bruises?”
Cameron forced a smile to his crying mother on the webcam. He was finally back at his condo in Miami, Florida. After being rescued and given first aid at a local hospital in Belize, they were flown to America at last. He was safe and just needed to rest because he still felt so beat up from what happened to him on that island after the plane crash. He decided not to let his mother know about his little wounds and bruises on him. She would just cry even more when she learned he felt worse than what he was telling her.
“I am okay, Ma. You have a very strong son,” he said proudly and smiled.
“If you're really okay, then come home. Here in the Philippines. I want to see with my own eyes that you are okay. ”
If his mother’s body was a little stronger, she probably would have been in America by now. She just recently had lung surgery so she couldn’t travel just yet. This was also his thought when he was still on that island. Her condition would have been worse if she knew he had been missing.
“I’ll fly home when Mitos’ condition stabilizes. He was still in a coma until now, Ma.”
The fever had reached his brain and he was convulsing when they were rescued by a helicopter that very morning. If Mitos had not been taken to a hospital immediately, he might have died on the island.
It was still a horrible thought up till now. But according to doctors, there was no certainty if Mitos would wake up. It had been bad enough when he hit his body against the yacht as they were trying to save themselves. Mitos was lucky he was able to stay awake for that long.
Because of their near-death experience, Cameron felt a little bit closer to Mitos. And if he returned to the Philippines, he wanted some good news about his condition.
“Son, there are doctors and nurses in that hospital. There are people who would take care of him. Reyli would take care of him, right?”
“Yes. But I would still get worried, Ma.”
“What about me and your Papa? We wouldn’t be able to stop worrying about you over there as well. Come back home to us. Do you want me to be comatose or have a cardiac arrest for worrying about you? ”said his mother and cried.
His Dad, who had been quietly reading the newspaper, hugged Cameron’s mother while he was video-chatting with his mother. It was his father’s turn to face Cameron on the webcam while his mother was lying on his father’s shoulder.
"Son, go home," his father said softly. “I mean for good. Let your people handle the US branch. We have trusted people there. ”
Of course his parents were fragile. And when his father asked Cameron for a favor, he just couldn’t say no.
“Okay, Pa. I will let the office know that I will take a vacation for a month.”