love actually

my favorite love story movie of all time is love actually.  whenever i feel down or frustrated with the goings-on in my life, it's my pick-me-upper.  it kind of reassures me that love is, actually, all around.

i have my own version of this movie coming from the love (or non-love, for that matter) of people around me.  some have some sort of semblance with the characters in the movie.  to name a few:

natalie.  she's been through a lot with love.  you can say she's actually through with love -- over and done with.  one day, a friend from way, way back messaged her on facebook.  she hesitantly replied; he was her crush long ago.  one thing led to another and they found out how they eyed each other back in the day and had this secret thing for each other then but only got the chance to tell each other now -- 2 decades after.  he's had a stormy marriage, she's had two.  he's overseas, she's in the mountain.  he's got kids, she's got more.  he's a soon to be president with no one to take care of him but her.

karen.  she found her love long ago, he left her for another woman and they met again years after.  he decided to marry her, despite a previous marriage.  it was bliss until he started fooling around with other women -- again.

jamie.  he married the perfect girl.  they had perfect, beautiful daughters.  he was rich, handsome, funny, smart, generally a good person.  but she wanted to work and live in the states.  so he agreed that they live apart.  for years now.  it's bothering him but he can't do anything about it.  he visits her once a year but this year, he skipped going.

aurelia.  her love has a foreign bloodline, not much like hers.  he grew up with a dysfunctional family and found the love he did not have as a child with her and her family.  they've been going steady for years, went through differences and came out strong as a couple.  last christmas, he asked her to marry him.  next month, my daughter walks down the aisle with them as their flower girl.

stacy.  sex appeal is her middle name.  she turns heads wherever she goes.  she loves herself so much -- or as she says, she loves freedom too much -- that she feels she will be single the rest of her life.  she has one lovechild, by accident, but she loves him deeply and has decided that her little guy will be the only man she will love forever.

to be continued....