Nobody had the slightest idea that Nicolo would be home in Cavite on February 14. The idea was that the 25-year-old pilot-in-the-making had been at his flight school in La Union for weeks, and would not make it for Valentines.
But 185 miles was all worth it, said Nicolo, for his girlfriend— life partner— of 10 years. He left 'Elyu' at 1:30 past midnight on the 13th (Thursday), which bought him just enough time to prepare the mini-stunner.
Nikki, not at all expecting a darling in attendance on hearts' day, agreed to a lunch invitation by Mama Jane (Nicolo’s mom), who's an accomplice by this time, at their home on the 14th (Friday), where he's already waiting.
Nicolo travelled all the way from ‘Elyu’ to celebrate their 10th Valentine’s Day together with a drive-around capped with a steak dinner, only to pack up and leave for another 185 miles back for school the very next day (Saturday).
The surprise was short and simple as it was tender and thoughtful. After all, nothing ever beats a celebration of love with a lover back home.
Nicolo Yap and Nicole Turreda, both Bacoor, Cavite natives, have been together since January 2015— back when they were young teenagers looking forward to prom. They even wittingly claim that there must have been a red string of fate based on loose memories and old photographs (both attended the same elementary and high school).
While longevity is not the sole metric to determine the quality of a relationship, and while ten years may seem short relative to longer ties, it definitely must be a uniquely consoling fact to stay madly in love even after going through major phases and changes– much less the angsty years of puberty and the emotional chaos of college.
In an interview with GMA Regional TV News, they share a few dating tips on how to keep the fire burning after ten years filled with “communication, compromise, and commitment.”
“We always go back to our 3 C’s!”
Communicate.
“As cliche as it sounds, communication is indeed key!”
Compromise.
“After communicating each other’s feelings, meet in between. Don’t let pride ruin things for you.”
Commit.
“We cannot make things last if we do not commit to the compromises we make.”
Embrace your together-but-alone time.
“We don’t always do everything together. Sometimes we focus on our solo activities while in each other’s presence (I play DOTA, while she watches Netflix).”
Appreciate each other, specially the little things.
“Nothing equals the feeling of being appreciated!”
Go the extra mile.
“Everything is and will be worth it if you do it for the person you love.”
It is safe to assume that Nicolo and Nikki have transcended significant personality changes before the full development of their frontal lobes. And still, everyday, they say they find novel reasons to fall in love.
That’s tough, but not really. And as with all tough things in this world, it is easier said than done but never impossible with the right mindset and the right Valentine.
For Nicolo, going the extra (185) mile/s was the only fitting way he could think of to celebrate with his Nikki. He made La Union-Cavite-La Union like city-hopping in the Metro, but seeing her was more than enough to make the tough seem easy.
