A Moment of Truth

 

A Moment of Truth

A “moment of truth” is that precise instant when two people realize they love each other. Such moments are exceedingly rare; they seldom just appear. Even when living together, or when sharing intimacy for a fleeting burst of joy, you still wonder how the other truly feels. In the end, there is only one thing we deeply want to know: who is the person inside their heart? Is it me?

I do not know what it looks like now — it has been 34 years, after all, so it may have been renovated — but back then, at Manila International Airport, I was walking down the concourse after saying goodbye to my girlfriend. There she was, right through the glass. By some twist of fate, it was a one-way mirror. I could see her, but she could not see me.

She stood there by the glass, lingering as if unable to bear the goodbye.
My four-month stay in Manila had come to an end, and I was on my way back to Japan. Previously, she had been living in Japan but had to return to the Philippines due to visa issues. The truth of the matter is that I had followed her there.

But after four months in Manila, I could not stay forever. We loved each other every single day until we were completely spent. Day and night, all day long.

She told me she was serious. She asked me to marry her. We were both 30 at the time — the prime age for marriage. I told her I couldn’t do it, and so we parted ways.

Through the glass, she started to walk away multiple times, only to stop and come right back to it.

A one-way mirror separating those who have checked in from those who came to see them off. There was no turning back. I called out her name against the glass.

MIA, what cruel staging! That I could see her through the magic glass, yet she couldn’t see me!

The glass was incredibly thick, and amidst the hustle and bustle of the airport, my voice never reached her.

That single instant was my moment of truth.

Thirty-four years have passed. With the rise of the internet, it is now an era where you can reconnect with an old flame if you truly want to. Back then, there were no cell phones. And yet, after all these decades, that very same person is still inside my heart — living on as a memory.