Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A Dance To Remember.
Third-person POV
"…and so given the angle and the length of one side, you can get the sine, cosine, tangent and all the dimensions of the triangle." He finished explaining. "Now, did everybody understand?" he asked his students.
"Sir, I don't think Gilbert and Rona understood. They were too busy making out in the back." One of his students exclaimed.
All the students were gasping, laughing and awing at the couple at the back.
"Students, that's enough." He said as he raised his hand to silence his students. "And that's enough out of you Jeff." He added, as the student went to make another snide remark.
"Now," he continued. "Gilbert, Rona, I know it's fun to be in love. I understand that it's one of the best feelings ever. But you have to value your education as well."
"Mr. Benson," a student raised her hand and asked "have you ever fallen in love?"
"Yes." He replied "But it was a long time ago. We should really get back to the lesson." "
But his students were persistent. They kept begging him and made puppy-dog faces. Eventually, he gave in.
"Alright, alright." He said. The students listened closely. "It was twenty years ago. And it was the best I ever experienced."
"She was my best friend. She was beautiful, funny, and awesome. She was a good singer and an even better dancer."
Kamukha mo si Paraluman (You looked much like Paraluman)
Noong tayo ay bata pa. (When we were young.)
At ang galing mong sumayaw. (And you were a great dancer)
Mapa boogey man o cha-cha (Whether it be the boogey or cha-cha)
"She was gracious. She was a natural. She would sing many songs, dance different dances. And I would just sit and watch and look at her in wonder."
Ngunit ang paborito (But your personal favorite)
Ay ang pagsayaw mo ng El Bimbo (Was dancing along to El Bimbo)
Nakakaindak, nakakaaliw, (It was lively, it was entertaining.)
Nakakatindig-balahibo (It gave me goose bumps.)
"Everyday, me and another friend would go to her house after school to rehearse for a show we did. Then afterwards, we would act all silly and we'd start dancing around. Often times I asked her to teach me so that I could dance with her."
Pagkagaling sa eskuela ay dederetso na sa inyo.
(After school, we'd rush to your house.)
At buong maghapon ay tinuturuan mo ako.
(And you'd teach me how to dance the rest of the day.)
"I always did it so that I had an excuse to be close to her. So that I could touch her. When she touches me, my knees feel weak and I could barely support my weight. My heart would leap out of my chest from sheer excitement. "
Magkahawak ang ating kamay (Our hands we're held tight)
At walang kamalay-malay (And you never knew)
Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko (That you taught my heart.)
Na umibig na tunay. (To love a love that was true)
"I would look into her eyes, and I would get lost in the moment. Sometimes, I wondered if she ever felt anything for me."
Naninigas ang aking katawan (My body always stood rooted.)
Kapag umikot na ang plaka. (Whenever a record starts to play.)
Patay sa kembot ng bewang mo. (Mesmerized by the swaying of your hips.)
At pungay ng iyong mga mata (And stunned by the look in your eye.)
"The way she swayed would drop my jaw. The look in her eyes always made my day."
Lumiliwanag ang buhay (Life was always brightened.)
Habang tayo'y magka-akbay. (When our arms are around each other.)
At dahan-dahang dumudulas ang kamay ko sa makinis mong braso
(And my hand would slide carefully across your smooth arms.)
" When I danced with her, my doubts would fade away. Whenever I was embarrassed, sad, ashamed, or it was simply not my day, her touch would wash it all away and make me smile."
Sana noon pa man ay sinabi na sa iyo. (I wish I had told you sooner.)
Kahit hindi na uso ay ito lang ang alam ko.
(Though it was not the norm, it was all I knew.)
"I only wish I told her sooner. It could have changed between us. We could have been more than friends. I was a coward. I knew there was a spark. I just didn't have the courage to ignite it."
"And then what happened?" a student asked.
"Well, she moved to another state. She left my friend and me. We stopped the show, and I never got to dance with her again." He replied.
"Did you ever hear from her, sir?" another student asked.
"No," he said, " I never heard from her again. Until after ten more years."
"What happened, sir?" the student asked again.
"Well," he continued, as he recalled those painful memories.
Lumipas ang maraming taon. (Many years had passed.)
Hindi na tayo nagkita. (We never saw each other.)
Balita ko'y may anak ka na. (Then I heard you had a child.)
Ngunit, walang asawa (But you were a single mother.)
"I heard she had a child. But she never had a husband. She raised the child on her own. She barely had a home. She ended up washing dishes for a living."
Taga-hugas ka raw, ng pinggan sa may Ermita.
(I heard you had job, washing dishes somewhere in Ermita.)
"And then it happened. I never saw or heard from her again."
At isang gabi, nasagasaan sa isang madilim na eskinita.
(Then, one night, you were run over in a dark alley.)
"She died. A hit-and-run. The culprit was never caught. She was hit by a car, just like that…"
Lahat ng pangarap ko'y bigla lang natunaw.
(My whole world crumbled, my hopes melted away.)
Sa panaginip nalang pala kita maisasayaw.
(And my dreams are the only place where we can ever dance and sway.)
"My hopes and dreams just melted. My whole world crumbled. My heart broke into pieces." He continued as he wiped away tears that were falling from his eyes. "I would cry myself to sleep thinking about her. I would dream of her. I would dream that we were dancing, like the old days. Then I'd wake up, realize it was a dream, then I'd cry again."
Many of the students wiped away their tears. Some would emit an audible sob.
He continued speaking. "Then I said I would never fall in love again. The love I had for her could never be matched. My love for her was unrequited."
Then, he fell silent. Tears dripping out of his eyes as he began to sob. A loud ringing of a bell that signaled the end of classes interrupted everyone's tears and sadness.
"Alright, class." He said, wiping away his tears. The students did the same. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Don't forget your homework."
His story was the talk of the students throughout the rest of the day. Students would make remarks such as "Isn't that sad." Or "That was a touching tale" or even "I don't know if I could ever take such heartbreak."
And when he got home, as he prepared his bed, he would open a box and view the contents, which was mostly pictures. Then, he would proceed to place a CD in his CD-player and it would play the song they had danced to so long ago.
Tears continued falling from his eyes as he began to fall asleep. He was eager to fall asleep and enter his dreams. For he knew that it was the only place he could ever dance with her again.