As Kenny Rankin described it through his song, “It’s not how long I held you in my arms, what matters is how sweet the years together…What matters most is that we loved at all.”
The recent episode of Magpakailanman, which had the same title as Kenny’s song, captured a lot of hearts as it featured two former campus journalists who braved life and death with the love they shared.
Both members of Campus Journalist Ako, a Facebook group created for student journalists, Mark Lester Andrei “Drei” Cruzet and Randell “Dell” Echon were young dreamers when their paths first “crossed”. Years later, amid all the chaos brought by the pandemic, life “officially” introduced them to each other and became one another’s safe haven as they dealt with their personal and mental health struggles.
Fast forward to their glory days, Drei and Dell had the time of their life when their business succeeded, allowing them to reach a million peso worth of sales; which also left them wondering why they were given such a blessing too soon.
“‘Di ba parang and bilis-bilis ng mga nangyayari? Hindi ka ba natatakot? Para tayong may hinahabol. Mamaya may kapalit ‘to,” Drei told Dell.
In 2023, Drei saw face-to-face what he had feared, Dell was diagnosed with a terminal illness and passed away not long after. Fast as a streak of lightning, he lost the love of his life.
Drei has been braving life after Dell’s demise; dealing with grief, going through the process of healing, completing their bucket list while bringing his framed photograph, and fulfilling their dreams alone. In a previous interview with Traffic Digest, Drei said he believes Dell is with him as he tries to achieve their goals one by one.
Sharing a bittersweet note after their love story’s airing, Drei wrote, “Sinabi ko sa sarili ko na hindi maaaring maisabay sa paglibing ang aming pagmamahalan. Ipinangako ko sa kanya na kahit wala na siya ay gagawa pa rin ako ng paraan upang maipagsigawan sa mundo ang pag-iibigan naming dalawa. Ito na ‘yung punto na nagdesiyon akong ikuwento ang istorya ng aming pagkakaibigang humantong sa pag-iibígan.”
And just like what the song What Matters Most expressed, Drei can truly see now the importance of being able to make the most out of the little time they had. True love stays and lasts even after eternity, he believes, “Namatay man ang iniibig at sa kalauna’y papanaw rin ang umiibig pero hinding-hindi ang aming pag-ibig.”
In the same post, he thanked the love of his life for giving him a chance to experience that kind of love, “Bata pa lamang ako ay sabik na ako sa busilak, payapa at buong-buong pagmamahal. Maraming salamat dahil pinaramdam mo ang klase ng pag-ibig na matagal ko nang inaasam kahit sa saglit na panahon lamang. Salamat sa pagtupad ng pangakong ako ang una’t huli mong mamahalin,” he said.
“Muli, mahal kita palagi, Dell,” he went on.
For life stories that make the world stop and make the world go, visit Traffic Digest‘s Stories Section.