THE HOUR-LONG ride to Bulacan was grueling. I stood the entire time, my knees aching, begging to crouch.
Crushed between people as exhausted as I was, I couldn’t help but worry about the box inside my backpack. It was probably just as battered.
Today had been my busiest yet—a seven-to-nine class, followed by a trip to Bulacan–but I had to see her.
Even the vendors outside, their voices hoarse from repeating desperate sales pitches, seemed worn out, pushing expensive tulips few students could afford. I certainly couldn’t.
When the bus finally stopped at my station, I stepped off, eager to breathe again. The first thing I did was reach for the chocolate box I’d bought from manang four hours ago.
The ribbon had come undone. I sighed, shaking my head. It had looked so elegant when I first bought it, but now, after the long ride, it looked worn and ragged—a painful reminder of its struggles.
The lid of the box was slightly open, and a piece of chocolate had already peeked out, trying to escape.
But the heart-shaped box held it in place, refusing to let go.
I opened the box, knowing the chocolates were likely in disarray. Most of them had melted, but not all. A part of it remained intact, while another part of it had given up.
I shook my head again. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know how to fix it. I had to try. I couldn’t give her this heart-shaped box in its current state. As long as it wasn’t broken, it could still be saved. F – caibiganlang
“It didn’t matter that I didn’t know how to fix it… As long as it wasn’t broken, it could still be saved.”
