Chapter 3: The Lovers in Spain

It was a beautiful sunset. It was as magnificent as the sight of a couple strolling amidst the romantic scenery.

The couple were holding hands while walking on the beach. Their bare feet were touching the powdery white sand.

“I love the sunset. I can’t believe that I am in this place. This is paradise,” the woman uttered. She gently squeezed the hand of her companion and took it on her lips. She kissed it.

“Thank you so much for taking me here, darling Pablo.” She was continuously kissing that one hand of her lover while they kept walking.

“Te amo mucho más Laura,” Pablo lovingly replied in Spanish. “You know that I will do everything for you. Te llevaré a los lugares más bonitos de España.” The man vowed he would take Laura to beautiful places in Spain.

Laura remained silent. She was simply staring at Pablo in the most adoring way. Then she said, “Playa de Bolonia is such a beautiful beach. I feel like I am in my hometown in the Philippines.”

“Of course! Este tradicional pueblo de pescadores is one of Spain’s best kept secret.” Pablo exclaimed that the local village was such a treasure for their country.

Laura decided to sit in the sand. Her lover followed suit. They wanted to bask in that wonderful moment. And those moments in their lives were few.

The lovers were on a brief respite, far from the hustle of the city and away from their regular grind.

Bolonia, a coastal village in the municipality of Tarifa, in the province of Cadiz, in southern Spain was the perfect getaway for this couple who had kept their relationship a secret for quite a long time.

“I am afraid, Pablo. What if your parents find out about us?” Laura expressed her worry.

“Laura sweetheart, aparta esas preocupaciones en tu corazón,” Pablo said in the Castillian accent. The man was trying to assure Laura that everything about their relationship would be fine.

“I am thankful that I met you. If not, I would have turned crazy in the last three years that I have stayed here in your country,” Laura said.

Laura came to Spain from the Philippines to work as a nurse. However, due to lacking documents which were entirely the fault of the agency that sent her to this foreign country, she was forced to work as a house cleaner.

She faced so many difficulties in her first few months. She had to apply to a household cleaning service agency so she could stay in Madrid.

Part of the reason why she had to stay in Spain was that she needed to fulfill her promise to her mother to give her the best life. She wanted to give all the luxuries to compensate for the many years that her mother sacrificed so she could finish her studies. Unfortunately, a year after she left her province in the Philippines, her mother died.

When she received the news that her mother succumbed to an illness she had been battling for years, Laura thought it was the end of the world for her. She wanted to go back to her country but she could not. She didn’t have enough money to purchase flight tickets. And she thought she might not be able to come back to Spain to work again.

It was tough for Laura to live alone. There were even days that work was so erratic; that she could not feed herself and starved for a couple of days. Nevertheless, she was still grateful that an old Spanish landlord was gracious enough to provide her a tiny room that she had been renting since she came to Madrid.

It was in one of her job contracts that she met Pablo. It wasn’t supposed to be her work assignment that day but fate had planned for these two to cross paths.

Pablo’s family was one of the affluent in Madrid. They owned a colossal mansion in Spain’s wealthiest suburb, La Moraleja. Pablo’s father owned one of the biggest wine distilleries in their country, while her mother was a famous socialite who was once a top fashion model in Europe.

With his hunky good looks, Pablo could also be mistaken for a male model. But he wasn’t. He was a young cosmetic doctor who studied medicine at the University of Virginia, in the United States.

“No wonder, you can speak English well,” Laura said to Pablo when they first met in the family’s mansion.

“No es atractivo para un hombre hablar inglés?” Pablo began speaking in Spanish to tease the naïve-looking Filipina. He was trying to test her Spanish language skills.

“I’m sorry for I could only speak a little Spanish,” Laura shyly replied. “I have only been here in Spain for barely a month.”

“No hay problema. Lo importante es que eres tan hermosa como la mañana.” Pablo kept speaking his mother tongue, trying to intimidate Laura.

Laura didn’t have any other option but to say “Si!” This meant “Yes!” Both of them found the situation funny. They laughed while still staring at each other.

That was the beginning of the many encounters they had. After a year, they began dating. After a few months, they decided to become a couple.

“I love you so much, Laura!” Pablo was hugging Laura from behind. They were spending a lovely evening at Puerta del Sol, the plaza in the heart of Madrid.

They just had dinner and they decided to stroll as the evening was still young.

“Te amo también!” Laura began showcasing a few Spanish words she had learned.

“Muy bien, darling Laura,” Pablo said teasingly. They both chuckled as they remained inseparable, not willing to let go of each other.

They spent so many nights like that. But they were like thieves. They had to conceal their relationship as Pablo’s parents were against Laura to be their future daughter-in-law. She did not fit their standards as Pablo’s future wife.

One day they decided to travel outside of Madrid to have more intimate moments without having to worry about the prying eyes of people that they may know.

In one of the private beaches of Playa de Bolonia, they were certain that they needed not to restrain themselves from showing their affection towards each other. It was a tranquil place where nobody knew them. They could have all the time for each other. But, Laura’s apprehensions kept meddling their romantic moments.

“Pablo, I love you so much but I know this will not be forever.” Laura began to feel dejected. “I know that your parents are against our love.”

“Darling Laura, stop this nonsense,” Pablo replied. There was a bit of annoyance in his voice. But he had to reassure his love to the lady beside him.

“I know that this is difficult for you but all I am asking for is time.” The man had to rid those worries from Laura’s mind.

The woman remained silent. She didn’t want to start an argument and destroy the romantic atmosphere amidst the dusk.

Then, Pablo began to speak again. “Laura, por favor, trust me on this.” He held Laura’s right hand and kissed it.

Laura gazed at her lover while he was kissing her right hand. “So, when are you going to tell your parents that we are together?” she asked.

Pablo released a heavy sigh. He was still holding Laura’s right hand, her fingers intertwined with his. Then, he placed it into his chest.

“Can you feel that Laura?” Pablo made sure that Laura’s hand can feel his heartbeat. “Do you know why my heart is still beating?”

Laura just stared at him.

“You are the reason, Laura. Tú eres la razón.” Pablo exclaimed how much he adored the lady that made him understood what true love really meant.

It was evident that despite their differences in race, culture, language, and status in life, they seemed to have found the soul mate that they had been looking for.

“I love you so much Laura! I know our situation has been tough for you. In the past two years that we were together, I witnessed your sacrifices for me. I felt your genuine love. I knew that I committed mistakes sometimes but you forgave all my misgiving. Pero usted fue tan amable. I love you so much.” Pablo thought of all the words that he could think of to persuade her lady love.

Tears fell from Laura’s eyes. She could not contain her emotions. She felt his sincerity. There was a bit of uncertainty, but she just let her emotions overwhelmed her. However, she remained silent.

“Don’t cry my darling, Laura,” Pablo assured. “You know that the time will come, that we will face my parents, and they will give their blessings. And we will be together, hasta el final.”

“Pablo, I don’t know what to say,” Laura expressed her true feeling at that very moment.

“Just say you love me. That you trust me. That you will stay by my side and never leave,” Pablo replied.

“Pablo, I love you. I trust you. I will stay by your side. And I will never leave you. I promise. Te amo,” Laura uttered these words while cupping Pablo’s face.

“Ese es mi amor.” Pablo never hesitated to claim her lips and kiss them passionately.

They shared the kiss that seemed to last forever. The moon which had begun to rise, along with the stars that seemed to smile through their twinkles, became witness to the love that was consumed in the sand.