Looking For My Rafael

Joanna Menezes is a hot 24-year-old I met precisely six years ago at Wilson College. She and her sister Eroisha Fernandes were my batchmates with whom I had not intended to become friends, but life is such that we ended up together, for good. Menezes and I are now inseparable, so much so, that I can totally picture us sitting in a cafe in Paris when we're sixty yet sexy. 

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She is a Netflix queen, and there was once a time when there was not a single show she had not watched. One of her recommendations was Jane the Virgin, a San American romantic comedy-drama and satirical telenovela developed by Jennie Snyder Urman. This series revolves around the life of Jane Villanueva's life and how it turns upside down after she gets artificially inseminated. She is in for a more tremendous shock when she discovers that the biological donor is her (hot) boss and former crush. 

Although I never take any recommendations seriously, after much consideration, I started watching this show and there's no going back now. While the series is all about Jane, as the then 18-year-old and as a little more mature 24-year-old, I still watch the series on several occasions to drool over the character Rafael Solano played by Justin Baldoni. 

This character portrayed by Justin Baldoni was born in Italy and adopted by Elena and Emilio Solano, the latter being a cold, critical, and distant man. Although this is how Wikipedia describes his character, I believe, I am the one who can describe it better than anybody else. So, Rafael Solano is Jane's baby daddy and the dreamy daddy of all. 

Although there are a hundred reasons why you end up watching a show, it is very obvious that most young girls watched Jane the Virgin, not for Jane. Rafael's character is such that it is too ideal to be real. Just like teens, we also ended up changing our Whatsapp group names to Rafael, we shared IG posts about him and followed him, heard his podcast, skimmed through his book, and whatnot. 

Rafael is one character that stayed with me even after the series was over long ago. Our banter would usually be teasing each other and asking if we found the Rafael of our lives. True that, although my previous relationship lasted for four years, I'm not sure if I saw Rafael in him. The other character that Jane falls in love with, who is also the second hero in this series is Brett Dier, aka Michael Cordero, a detective. 

Every time I thought about the other boy, my mind would subconsciously tell me that he was Michael, and turns out it really did not work out. However, fast forward to over a year and we now have a new flame. This sweet, absolutely sweet boy was recommended Jane the Virgin by yours truly and boy, he loved it. Watched all of it, and binge-watched all of it. 

This boy has an eye for things and is quite the detective, so much so, that every time he catches me doing something, he ends up telling me that he is a better detective than Michael Cordero too. Looking for my Rafael could have started subconsciously, but how am I wrong? Is there no Rafael at all? Is Michael the good one? 

He is all things hot. If there is any person I would stalk, stand below their apartment for days, and wait without even bathing for three days straight, then it would be for Justin. After all of this, what I keep wondering is, Is there even a Rafael out there? 

Because Rafael used to be a playboy, he went to prison, he has three children from two different women, he does not respect his sister, he does not know how to function in a family, and he is so much more than any girl would not appreciate. However, his character has been written in a way that you do end up falling for him. Rafael is a walking talking sex icon. He looks like a freshly baked waffle and talks like a dream. He strips, he dances and he kisses in slow-mo. What more? The protagonist is a girl who is particular about everything in life and she eventually ends up falling for Rafael. Which makes you and I, okay, mostly I think that if she chooses him because he is right, isn't he right for me too? 

This also makes me think, in retrospect about the choices I make. For the longest time, I did not know what kind of boy I was attracted to. Initially, it was a tall boy, then it was a boy from Sobo, then it was a boy who had lesser drama than me, then it was a boy who did not know how to talk in Hindi, then it was a ... Okay, the list might just not end. Cut to the chase, since I never really had an idea, it was always changing now and then. Until, I watched Jane the Virgin and decided that Rafael was ideal, but am I really going to be okay with a guy who is like Rafael? Now, that's a debate for another day. 

I wonder if looking for my Rafael is wrong, or if becoming friends with Joanna? Wasn't she the one who insisted I watch Rafael Solano/Jane the Virgin?