Connie and Rolando Garcia, both senior citizens, have an extraordinary vibe around them. Even in a crowded campsite, they stand out because they have a similar warm smile. Through 45 years of being together — 43 years as a married couple — they have melded a signature smile that welcomes a friend or stranger to their circle.
Both retirees, with three adult children, they spend much of their time these days outdoors finding some of the comforts of home in a 4x4 Ford Ranger pickup truck. From there, an awning and tent serve as their bedroom, kitchen, dining area, and lounge spot. That’s where I found Connie and Rolan one day a year ago, and from the many times I’ve camped with them, I’ve discovered that the signature smile and the love for the outdoors — come from a relationship built on love letters.
“Wala pa text or Viber noon. I carried paper and pen every where to write what was happening during the day,” Connie said with a giggle.
Handwritten love letters are now a thing of the past, with technology delivering messages at real time. Love notes and longer letters are now sent through SMS or text messages, Viber, or email. But the lovely ritual – and the thoughts – that come with a handwritten love letter are valuable tokens of love. The hundreds of love letters exchanged by Connie and Rolan are now stored in a special place, not forgotten, but considered too valuable to be left just anywhere.
These love letters have kept their relationship going despite arguments and distance. When Rolan left for the Middle East for a job in 1993, he said his boss was amazed that there were two letters from Connie waiting for him when he arrived.
“A week before Rolan left, I already started writing and mailing letters to him so that he will get a letter from me every day after his arrival there,” Connie said during the interview.
“Ng nag work siya sa Middle East first time kami nag kahiwalay, I wrote a letter more than once a day. When I had time to sit, paper and pen ang hawak ko, I write every detail na makita ko at ma feel sa moment na yun (When he worked in the Middle East, it was the first time we were separated. When I have the time to sit, I am holding paper and pen to write him every detail of my day), she said.
Rolan, who sat with us at the campsite, ventures a remark: “When the mail was distributed and my name would be called more than once, an officemate would say, ‘pahingi naman ng isa dyan’ (may I ask for one of those letters) because not all of us would receive a letter.”
A year later, Connie, with two kids then, moved to join Rolan in the Middle East. Now together, the letters continued. Connie said that when they had an argument and were not talking to each other, she would write him a letter.
“Pag galit ako, pag may tampuhan kami, tumatahimik ako pero dinadaan ko sa sulat. Nung bata pa kami, nilalagay ko sa walet niya para pag nasa office na siya saka niya mababasa. Pag uwi niya, maganda na mood niya (When I am angry or hurt, I keep quiet and I write a letter. I place that in his wallet so he can read it when he’s in the office. When he comes home, he is in a good mood),” Connie said.
Connie’s letters started early in the courtship. She was 17 when she met Rolan and somehow she said she knew they were for each other.
“Nun kasi nag cool off kami for two years wala kami communication, pero syempre na mimiss ko rin sya. Di ko alam kung paano siya mako-contact. Wala pa cellphone, wala pa beeper, writing lang talaga ang maaring mag connect samin. So sumusulat ako sa kanya address sa company office yun lang kasi alam kong address. Dami ko na sulat kasi wala siya reply! (When we cooled off for two years, I wanted to keep communicating with him. I had no address except his office address. So I sent my letters there but I did not get any reply),” she said.
But as love stories go, Connie and Rolan’s paths crossed again. After trying her luck working in Manila, Connie went home to Calamba. She was with her sister who was confined at the UST Hospital when Rolan visited. She walked him to the lobby, kissed him on the cheek and said — “Love you!” There was no reply and she still remembers how he just walked across the street without looking back.
“Sabi ko lumingon ka sana, balik ka sana! E kaso hindi, deretso lang siya,” she related.
“Ng binabalik balikan namin ang moment na yun e sabi niya nakatawid daw siya ng kalsada ng di niya alam, nasa office na raw pala siya, nawala sa sarili, (When we go back to that memory, Rolan said she didn’t know how he was able to cross the street and get to his office. He was not himself,” Connie said, while Rolan laughed with delight.
Connie and Rolan got married on Jan. 1, 1982. Today, after three children aged 42, 40, and 23, they are enjoying life car camping. They enjoy that so much, that they are on the road at least twice a month, usually with the Senior Car Campers Plus group. In camp, when the evening settles in, stories pour out, like the love story strengthened by the love letters of Connie and Rolan.