The Perfect Ending

I'm just a writer, Emma. 

I don't know what to do to show you how much I love you. 

I only have words. That's all I have.

~Alex Sheldon, Alex & Emma, 2003

For the longest time, I have been working on a story.

I haven’t been writing fiction for quite sometime now. But I had it. The five key elements were there - character, setting, conflict, plot and theme. And most importantly, the inspiration behind it, the heart and soul of writing that story was never lost.

But admittedly, I encountered difficulty inasmuch as I didn’t want it to end. Not that I didn’t know how to end it. Thing is, I already had a perfect ending in mind. But for some reason, I didn’t want it to have an ending. It was ongoing, and I wanted to keep it going. There were times that I thought tapos na ito. Tama na ito. Ayoko na. Yet every day, may nangyayari. I would add something. Or I would change my mind. I would have a change of heart. Baka pwede pa. How I wanted it to go on forever. Never mind that it was supposed to be a “short story.” I just didn’t want it to end.

Sooner or later, I knew that I had to write -30-. The struggle was on. Sometimes I could be stubborn. Sometimes I could be so persistent. All the signs were there, yet I kept on ignoring them. Hoping that one day, that perfect ending, that beautiful and happy ending would materialize. Baka naman pwede pa, I kept on wishing. Konti na lang, konting push pa. Baka makuha sa kulit. Even in my daily prayers, I would ask the Lord to give me more time. Dear God, You do know that I never give up. I won’t give up on this. Maybe in this story of mine, You would allow me to go on. Never mind the heartaches, never mind the strain. I just wanted this story to go on forever.

Yet one morning, I woke up to find that the end is near. The story has to be concluded. I have to wrap it up. Otherwise, it would just go nowhere. It is in fact going nowhere. Its beauty will soon get lost. Hindi na baleng matapos na in all its splendor, kesa naman pilitin ko pa, papangit lang.

And so, I am writing -30-. It’s time. Finally. I have now reached the end, and I have to write the ending it properly deserves. My story is finished. While the final chapter was not what I had originally in mind, and I didn’t see it coming, it has all come together. I couldn't put a happy ending, otherwise it would come out “pilit”. Sorry if it’s not the classic ending (I or) most readers would prefer, but at long last, I let the main character overcome her major conflict and put that conflict away - in the dark recesses of her mind.

The End.

~TheGoodGirl

I Write The Stories

I put the words and the melodies together

I am music and I write the songs...

-From "I Write The Songs," Barry Manilow

Photo acknowledgment: @landiandesign

Not a few ask me why I write sad pieces. “Tearjerker,” said Sir Lito. For a (supposed to be) funny girl like me, they find this perplexing.

I write about my amusing and sometimes, annoying van experiences in my Facebook account. I share them with you because some of you could relate to my stories, being regular van passengers too. These can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. I just capture the situations as they happened and I am glad that I can entertain you. Some of you even tell me you look forward to my adventures every day. Honestly, I don’t come looking for those stories, they come to me. I was riding with my sister once and I was just too busy chatting with her, when a passenger approached the dispatcher, “Kuya, punong-puno na po ba talaga?” We burst into laughter.

What if it’s just puno, and not punong-puno, sasakay pa ba sya? Or bakit kelangang punong-puno, hindi ba pwedeng puno lang? See, I said to Lea, hindi ko na kasalanan yan ha. Nananahimik ako dito, nilalapitan talaga ko ng istorya.

I write about my son Caehl, and the amazing stories about him. Every day, there’s a new learning from him. And every day, he never fails to amaze me. I often say he looks like his dad, but every inch of him is just like me. His hunger for knowledge, his study habits, sense of humor and comic timing.  I may not admit it, but I think his persistence came from me, too. I can be importunate, too, you know. I would never give up on something even if it hurts me. Even if everybody else has given up on me.

I write about my daughter Cae, and the tales of my being a mom to her. She is a beautiful person, inside and out. She has her temper, too, and down times, like me. But I will always be proud of her and I will always take note of the things she has achieved, which I have not.

I write about my husband, Alex – how we met, how we ended up together, and how we have spent the last 22 years of our life. Yes, we are not perfect, and we do have faults and failures as a couple. But we do celebrate our small victories, and we have stuck it out through the years. 

I write about being a daughter, and a sister. I will never run out of stories about my parents and siblings. Again, we may not be perfect but the love of this family is absolutely life’s greatest blessing to me. I am lucky to have them.

I write about being a friend. As you may know by now, I can be the most loyal person around. It’s difficult to send me away or shut me out. You may grow tired of me or refuse my love, but I will never ever leave you. I can just be a shoulder to cry on, I can listen to you without judgment, but if you ask for my opinion, I will gladly give it. If you want me to pray for you, I will. With nothing in return. Even if I am not always appreciated. That is how I am as a friend. You may be million miles away, we may not see each other that much - it does not matter. I am always here.

I write about my job and how I love the company I am working for – the many blessings I have received from it and how it loves me back. Loyalty may not always get you anywhere, but then again, I am not going anywhere.

I write about love and life’s lessons. True, they may not always be on the bright side, but that’s the way it is. If my writings make you cry, then cry. If they are sad, then maybe that’s the real picture I want to paint. Life is not always about laughter and joy. Even if we always shun negativity and sad things, they are always a part and parcel of our daily living. And we have to face that, so that we can cope and move on, go with the flow. We have to learn from our mistakes, and become better persons.

Why do people climb mountains? Because they’re there.

It’s the same thing with writers. It's how we live. And survive.

~TheGoodGirl