skip to main |
skip to sidebar
The months following Myra’s death were some of the darkest I had ever known. Losing her and our unborn child created a void that no amount of work or distraction could fill. The pain was constant, a dull ache that followed me everywhere, especially during the quiet hours when the Love Bus carried me home alone. Brenda, still recovering from giving birth to Josh and grieving Rich, became my unexpected anchor during those difficult days. We had both lost the people we loved, and somehow, that shared grief pulled us closer.
One quiet night in late 2010, Brenda called me...
Franz, tara. Ride tayo. Gusto ko lang ng kausap. Her voice was tired but steady.
I met her at the usual stop. Josh was with her mother, so it was just the two of us again, like old times. We found our paired seats near the middle. The bus was half-empty, and the city lights outside created a familiar, comforting rhythm.
For a long time, we sat in silence. Then Brenda spoke softly.
Franz… salamat sa hindi mo ako iniwan kahit kailan. Kahit may asawa ka na noon, kahit namatay si Myra, nandito ka pa rin. Hindi ko alam kung ano’ng gagawin ko kung wala ka.
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
Ikaw rin, Brenda. Kahit may anak ka na, kahit lahat ng nangyari sa atin, nandito ka pa rin. Salamat din.
We didn’t need many words that night. The paired seats had witnessed so much, our first spark, our confusion, our heartbreak, Rich’s death, Myra’s death, and now this quiet healing. Brenda leaned her head on my shoulder, not pretending anymore, but seeking real comfort. I put my arm around her gently. The bus moved through the dark streets, carrying us forward even when we felt stuck.
In the following months, our friendship deepened into something more mature and steady. I helped Brenda with Josh as much as I could. I learned how to change diapers, how to calm him when he cried at night, and how to make him laugh with silly faces. Brenda would often say,
Franz, ikaw na talaga ang tatay ni Josh. Wala na akong ibang mapagkakatiwalaan.
I would reply softly,
Hindi mo kailangang mag-isa. Nandito ako. Palagi. Tayo na lang ang magsasama para sa kanya.
Those were our silent promises, no grand declarations, no dramatic commitments. Just the quiet understanding that after all the losses, we would stay for each other and for Josh. The energy crisis, rising prices, and daily struggles in 2010-2011 made everything feel heavier, but in the paired seats of the Love Bus, we found small pockets of peace and hope. → story continues tomorrow!
Our bond had survived many storms. It was different now, more careful, more mature, but also deeper and stronger than before. We had seen each other at our lowest points and we were still here, still choosing to move forward together. The Love Bus kept running through the nights, carrying us through another chapter, another silent promise to keep going.
Updated June 28, 2026 from original post date February 22, 2011.
Previous
