The art of waiting

(Editor’s Note: You are welcome to contribute your piece to this section. Articles shouldn’t be more than three pages, short bond paper, double-spaced. Each published article gets a cash incentive. We don’t return rejected articles. Checks should be claimed within six months after they are issued. E-mail your pieces at [email protected])

Waiting pays off. This is the main message of the movie, The Lake House. For the rare times I watch movies in theater, this was indeed worth it.

The Lake House, which starred Sandra Bullock (Kate, a doctor) and Keanu Reeves (Alex, an architect), is about a couple who developed romantic feelings through letters. The story made it more interesting as Kate lives two years prior to Alex’s time. Odd as it may seem, they continued writing to each other sending it through the mail box of the lake house they both had lived in until friendship developed and bloomed into love.

In the course of their long distance affair, they agree to meet in a famous restaurant too difficult for Kate and her ex-boyfriend to dine in because of too many customers. What Alex does is to reserve (two years before their meeting) to ensure that they get seat reservations. That day came. Kate waited and waited for him. But he didn’t arrive. She later told Alex in the letter that he didn’t come. Kate realized that nothing will happen to them. She decided to stop sending letters in spite of Alex’s prodding that there must a perfect explanation why he failed to come on that date.

Both tried to move on. Alex decided to sell the Lake House to Kate during his time (yes, they did meet before). Kate started to live in again with her ex-boyfriend.

In the bedroom, Kate suddenly steps on something on the floor. When she opens it, she sees the book Persuasion — the book which she asked Alex to look for during his time which she forgot on her way to a train ride. During their chance encounter on her birthday party (his time), she explained to Alex that the book is about waiting, waiting and waiting for the right person. This made Kate think of Alex again.

During Kate and her boyfriend’s meeting with their architect, she suddenly sees a painting of the lake house hanging in the architect’s office. It was Alex’s work and the architect is his brother. When she asks where she can find him, the architect says, "Sorry but my brother just passed away after a terrible accident in the plaza."

Perplexed, she realizes that he is the man she was trying to save after being hit by a bus a few days before she started communicating with him. After grasping what really happened, she immediately runs off, forgetting about her boyfriend who is running after her. She goes to the lake house and hurriedly writes Alex a letter telling him that she already knows the reason why he wasn’t able to meet him — he was the guy who died in the plaza. She begs him not to go after her, wait for two years and just meet her on the lake house in her time.

Hoping that the story would not finish with a sad ending, Alex was able to read her letter and decides not to go after her in the plaza. Yes, she waited for another two years. The movie ends with Alex meeting Kate at the lake house in her time.

The movie is not perfect as it showed some ambiguities. But still, I cannot stop myself from being moved by the story. Truly, those who wait at the right time get rewarded.

I’ve had my share of bad experiences in relationships all for the sole reason that I didn’t wait for the right guy to come. I just followed my instincts and took the risks. Sure, I didn’t regret any of it from happening because I would not be the strong person that I am right now if I haven’t experienced those. But if I could have just waited, maybe, it’s going to be a much sweeter experience.

I cannot erase the past. What’s important is I still have my present and my future to look forward to. And as a reminder from the movie, I still can wait for the right man to come... because surely, waiting pays off. And by the way, I think it already did.