Ramen?
by Anna & Michael
Anna’s POV:
I met Michael at my home gym in Manila. I vaguely knew him but would sometimes end up in the same space or in some small group conversation. One strange afternoon though, we ended up being the only two people at the gym. He was in the middle of his workout and I was just about to start mine. He asked, “What’s on the menu today?” and moved closer to see what the workout was on my phone. He said (without really asking me first… 🙄), “I’ll join you for the last cluster.”
We stayed for 3 more hours after finishing that last cluster, just chatting. I remember thinking about a million things that day, which I all just willingly shared with Michael, while shamelessly still sweating from the workout. I felt warm, literally and figuratively; that was when I really met Michael.
Michael’s POV:
The first time I met Anna was at the gym. My housemate had actually matched with her on Bumble about four months earlier. It was through this random connection that I was introduced to Anna in the form of a very distant wave from across the gym as my housemate went over and said hello. Their relationship didn’t progress (phew), and my chance to get to know Anna came a few weeks later when we both ended up at the gym with the whole place to ourselves. By the time we finished our workouts, we chatted for three hours until we had to call it a night as it was way too late (I’m a teacher!). I went home that night feeling a bit high on life with a full and happy heart.
Anna’s POV:
Quickly after coming home that night, I already got a message on Instagram from Michael, linking The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, his then-favorite book. We exchanged messages, voice notes, stories, writing/art.
Michael’s POV:
I started to interact a little more with Anna (I promise I was not too much of a weirdo). It took a bit of time however, I did manage to work up the courage to ask Anna out to eat ramen for a date. I’m quite sure she already thought I was a cutie at this point. Like the 3 hour chat at the gym, this first date was no different. We ended up closing the restaurant! Anna at first played a little “hard to get” when I asked her out again the following night saying, “it might be a bit soon.” But we both knew there was a connection and did end up going on a date each night that week.
Anna’s POV:
We just kept moving. I didn’t think about whether or not I was replying too quickly, saying yes too easily (maybe at some points I did… haha), or writing too long of a message. I didn’t think about whether or not I appeared cool or pretty enough.
Michael’s POV:
Soon enough we were traveling together and went on adventures around Manila, traveled with friends, and even flew to Bali and Thailand. I sadly had to leave for Rome for a month of education courses which meant a little time apart from Anna.
Anna’s POV:
Then a curve ball hit us.
Michael’s POV:
I had emergency life-saving surgery the night before I was supposed to return to the Philippines; it was colon cancer. One of the most difficult things at this time was not knowing when I would see Anna next. Apart from this, the reality of my diagnosis pushed us to have some very open conversations about our future and what our relationship meant. Anna affirmed her commitment to making our relationship work knowing the challenges we would face in the future. Soon, Anna was on a plane to meet me in the US to begin a whole new chapter together.
A & M:
Our home base now is Henderson, Nevada, where we’re currently staying with Michael’s loving parents, Dorothy and Alan. Our adventures now include driving or flying to California twice a month for Michael’s chemotherapy at City of Hope, where we get to squeeze in games of Monopoly Deal or Backgammon in the infusion room. During Michael’s off weeks, we schedule short trips or other activities we can both still do, like visiting museums/attractions, going on beautiful hikes (the proposal happened while we were on a hike by Mt. Charleston!), and finding our next favorite ramen spot. We’re even planning our future trips to Hawaii (for our honeymoon), the UK/NZ (to visit the other Blakes), and the Philippines (to visit the Roxas).
Our journey has begun, but we feel it’s just the start, with curve balls shocking us and keeping us on our toes. But as you guessed, we’re going to keep moving. We’re going to keep looking for adventures in whatever form. We’re going to keep talking to each other, joking around, and laughing. We’re going to keep sending messages, voice notes, stories, and writing/art. We’re going to keep reminding each other of our love in small and big ways (such as getting married in a few days…).
In the meantime, you’ll catch us keeping our cool on the couch, munching on some ice cream, and finishing another episode of Modern Family.
Written on May 18, 2024
