MANILA, Philippines – There’s a common misconception that Lasallians are just hard partygoers, filthy rich, or both. In truth, La Sallians are a very mixed bunch, and you’d be pleasantly surprised by how diverse the community is.
If there’s one stereotype we’re okay backing, though, it’s that Lasallians are very romantic; they fight with all their might for the person they love.
To give you a better idea, here are some great, kilig-inducing, heart-crushing Lasallian love stories, narrated by the sources themselves:
Mr. and Ms. DJ
My freshman year, I joined DLSU’s radio station as a DJ. All of the new DJs had to be trained before they could host a regular show. I was so scared because I never really intended to join them.
Thank God I had a great mentor, Carlos. We became very close because we had to spend late nights together at the radio booth. He would offer me car rides home and it became habitual.
One night, I was surprised when he suddenly held my hand in the car. I removed my hand and turned my gaze towards the road, but that’s when I started feeling something for him.
He courted me traditionally for quite some time and finally asked me to go steady with him. I told him to accomplish my list first with me. The list included things like riding a rollercoaster, seeing a historical landmark, impressing my family, and so on. The last thing on the list was a dance in the park.
Eventually, we did all those things. We danced one December night to “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” at the Mercato parking lot. I thought I was in love with him. There was even a time when I was confined at the hospital and he would just stay with me and hold my hand while I was asleep. He gave me butterflies. I was ready to say yes.
One day he made me play this computer game called Minecraft. You had to go through portals, climb over mountains, and enter strange rooms. I ended up in a dark room. He told me to switch the lights on. I was taken by surprise when the walls of the room spelled out, “Will you be my girlfriend?” I cried—the good kind of tears. And, I said yes. – Francesca
Girl crush
I’ve been in several relationships with boys. It never crossed my mind that I would ever like a girl until I met Lian. We were classmates two terms ago. She had a pixie-cut, usually wore a hoodie, and was generally boyish. She has these black, pretty eyes. Sometimes, I’d catch her stealing glances at me during classes but I would ignore them; I didn’t want to assume it meant anything. Up until she talked to me and asked me things about myself, that is.
At first, I wasn’t sure if she was a lesbian. But I asked around and eventually confirmed that she was. We still talk until now but I’m still not sure about what I am feeling. There are a lot of things that are stopping me, but most of all, I’m not certain I’m up for this kind of relationship. But, yes, I do like her. It’s something new to me and I might just be up to try it. – Marie
Through thick and thin
I met Dennis when he became part of the school newspaper, which I was editor of. I didn’t like him the first time because he wasn’t really my type. We seemed to be total opposites: he was shy; I was outgoing.
How I perceived him changed through months of being friends and colleagues. One time, we had a trip out of town, and we became bus seatmates. I thought we would probably talk once in a while during the trip so it would not be awkward, but we ended up talking seven hours straight, even after leaving the bus. That’s how we grew close.
He eventually courted me and we officially got together after several months. Initially, because we worked in the campus paper together, we chose to keep it a secret. But we became public about it soon enough and enjoyed the first year of euphoric young love.
But in the second year of our relationship, I found out that I had a tumor in one of my ovaries, and it had to be removed. The doctors said that there was a slim chance for me to get pregnant, but regardless, Dennis stayed with me. He would always take me to church every Sunday to light a candle and pray for me. He stuck it out with me for two more years.
I graduated in college ahead of him, and while I was working, he was focusing on a board exam he had to pass. That’s when we got into a rough patch, being in different environments. Still, we kept going for three more years, dealing with differences and changes more gracefully, settling fights with cheesy date nights full of DVDs and take-out food.
Then one fateful day, I had a strange feeling that I might be expecting a baby. We took the pregnancy test together to confirm it, and it came out positive. It was a miracle. I was happy because I thought I couldn’t conceive, but I was also scared because I was certain he would leave out of fear. He was a man of big dreams and everyone had great expectations for him. But he still remained by my side, and assured me that everything would be okay. He even asked me to marry him.
After the wedding, we lived in one house with our baby. After that, we went back to school to take up our master’s degrees. We were both busy juggling school, work and our family. All of this pressured us. We didn’t know what we were doing. The one thing I thought would bind us only tore us apart.
Four months ago, we separated.
We may have been and will always be each other’s great love, but love is more than what’s in the whimsical, romanticized novels we read. Love is a decision. It’s waking up every morning and, after seeing your significant other in an unflattering light, asking yourself, “Do I love this person enough to stay with him for one more day?”
A psychic once told me that Dennis was my soulmate for several lifetimes. Some lifetimes we’d end up together, other lifetimes would keep us apart. Maybe we’d end up together in this lifetime, maybe we won’t. But one thing is for sure, in at least one universe out there, we do. – Rica
Still hoping
People see us as a real couple. Sometimes, I think that too, but we’re really not. We never defined our relationship. But I am content and grateful that he’s always by my side, providing me with constant companionship and love. I wanted it to be official with the two of us but we can never be.
We have different sets of beliefs. He’s in a religion where he can only be with someone with the same belief. I later found out that his family and friends were strongly against me because of that. Their exact words to him were, “Drop her now”. So, he did. We sort of broke up after that. I really felt bad that this had to come between us.
He went back to me and told me he was trying to ignore everything they told him, because that’s how much he loved me. But he was also hoping I would convert. I asked him what was going to happen to us. He told me he didn’t know. He wasn’t sure; we couldn’t really look forward to anything.
I asked him what his choice would be, if it were between me and his church. What he said broke my heart. He said it simply and with certainty. – Dee
Do you have other Lasallian love stories to share? Tell us in the comments! – Rappler.com
Ching Yu is a Rappler intern from De La Salle University.
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