In one scene, her Titas remind her,"Baka maabutan ka na ng finish line! Alam mo naman ang curse sa family. Hindi na nakakapag-asawa pag lumampas ng 25!" I can't really remember how the dialogue went but I'm pretty sure it was something like this.
Toni, played by Baretto, then daydreams of competing in a race where all the women were dressed in wedding gowns. Possibly, this shows a stereotypical approach as to how singles, teenagers and young adults alike, should live out their years. Like some of my relatives, most people believe that if you're not "playing the field," you're not living your years as a young woman or man to the fullest.
Questions regarding the status of your "love life" from your relatives are usually expected as one nears the first third of their life. Not when you're on the onset of puberty. Ever since I stepped into high school, I have had "romantically" related questions and/or jokes thrown to me from so and so relatives. And I'm getting more of them lately as I am 19 going on 20."May boyfriend ka na?," a conversation would start. "No," I say. "Mag-boyfriend ka para ma-enjoy mo pagiging teenager mo." Or something like that becomes the usual implicit or explicit turnout of these conversations.
"Nag-e-enjoy naman ako ah," I answer my Tita in truth. My personal choice to not be part of the whole dating/flirting/MU/fling game may not be a popular and/or fun decision as others would think. However, the question I seek to answer is not, "What would make me happy?" or "What is the popular choice?" As Andy Stanley puts it, my question is,"What is the wise thing to do?"
Contrary to popular belief, experience is not the best teacher. Do you have to drive off a cliff just to learn that driving off a cliff would entail life and death consequences? No, right? Making experience your teacher could lead to a lot of regrets in life. You may not deem me an expert on this area because I've had no romantic relationships whatsoever in my lifetime but I'd rather spare myself (and my future spouse) the heart aches and wait on God instead.
Honestly, when I was younger, I too had been so caught up on the I-have-to-have-a-boyfriend trend. Good thing, God has taught me a lot of things when it comes to purity and guarding my heart. I could go on and on about it but I won't. For now, let me just say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my teen years. It's a sad notion to consider that no boyfriend time is just idle waiting time. God always gives me something to work on and something to enjoy.
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Even I don't know or I don't plan when I intend to be in a romantic relationship. All I know is that God will build me for when that time comes. If God has purposed it for me, then the time will come for romance that honors Him. And so I hustle as I wait. Just not in romantic or seemingly romantic relationships with boys.
