“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”
- Khalil Gibran
We thought it only happens in romance novels, but the dedication Lola Aurelia Matias had as she searches for his missing husband, Lolo Luis, 78, shows that it isn’t only fairytales that come true, but, so do stories of everlasting love.
Separation
Lola Aurelia emotionally recounted how she lost her husband and the great deal she had to overcome before she could finally be reunited with her missing husband. Lolo Luis was last seen two weeks ago, November 10.
In a radio interview, Lola Aurelia narrated that she was doing her daily chores that morning when she found out that her husband had gone amiss.
"Hindi ko po namalayan na bumaba sa bahay nung umaga na 'yun. Pinag-almusal ko siya. Pagkatapos kumain, pinunasan ko at binihisan. Tapos pababa ako ng bahay, bumili ako ng pagkain kong kamoteng kahoy na nilaga sa kabilang pasilyo. Eh pagbalik ko, di muna ako kumain, naglaba muna ako ng mga damit ko, damit niya," she said.
"Pagkatapos kong maglaba, umakyat ako, kumuha ng hanger, nalaman ko wala na pala siya dun.
"Tumakbo ako, nagtanong ako sa mga anak ko kung napansin ba nila ang Papa nila na bumaba, hindi raw. Sabi noong manang, kanina pa dumaan dito 'yung asawa mo palabas. Sabi ko, 'Hay nako, bakit di niyo man lang pinigilan? Alam niyo namang sinusundan ko 'yun 'pag nalabas.
“Pagkatapos sumakay na ako ng jeep. Kalsa-kalsada pinupuntahan ko, pero wala talaga. Lumabas na kami hanggang Rotonda, sa EDSA, San Juan, Baclaran… Wala talaga.”
In search of ‘true love’
If there is anything that we could be envious about Lola Aurelia, it is the fact that she had found her one true love and she is willing to risk everything, including her own well-being, to be reunited with that one true love again.
Lola Aurelia recalls how it pained her knowing that her husband was out in the wild streets of the metropolis, uncertain if he is receiving the care he needs. Lola Aurelia revealed that Lolo Matias is suffering from dementia.
"Masakit. Hindi ako makatulog sa gabi lalo na kapag umuulan. Iniisip ko ang kalagayan niya. Kasi kahit kami'y naghihirap, nagdadamayan kami," she said, crying.
Against the wishes of her children and grandchildren, the elderly Lola Aurelia went out of her way to find her missing husband by herself. She roamed the streets of Metro Manila with two posters of her missing husband pinned on the front and back of her dress. As she wanders through the metropolis, a street photographer glanced upon Lola Aurelia; he took a photo of the grieving lola and the rest, as you have probably guessed it, was history.
The picture that launched a thousand searches
Street photographer Reddie Js took a photo of Lola Aurelia while she was resting near the corner of Gil Puyat Avenue and Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City. The missing person posters pinned at the front and the back of Lola Aurelia’s dress caught the curiosity of the street photographer. With Lola Aurelia’s consent, Reddie Js posted the photo on his Facebook account and, in a matter of minutes, the photo had gone viral in the internet. The photo had more than 60,000 shares in a span of one to two days.
"Yun ang paraan ko para mapakita sa tao na nawawala ang asawa ko... Malayo na ang nararating ko, lakad ako nang lakad, dala ko ang mga larawan niya," Lola Aurelia said in reference to the missing person posters pinned to her dress.
While still unfound then, Lola Aurelia expressed her gratitude to the thousands of anonymous persons who helped her search for her then missing husband.
Lovers reunited
With the help of the thousands of people who shared the photo of Lola Aurelia on various social media platforms, Lola Aurelia and Lolo Luis were finally reunited. Lolo Luis was found near the Quirino LRT Station on Tuesday afternoon.
When asked about his whereabouts for the past two weeks, Lolo Luis could only say, “Hindi ko alam.”
One cannot express in words the joy Lola Aurelia felt when she was reunited with her missing husband. As for Lolo Luis, he only had one request, that he and Lola Aurelia share a hearty meal of his favorite adobo.