a tribute to friendship: one of the reasons why i love my college days part 2

"o bangon na, magnenevada daw tayo. pahiram ulit ng tshirt mo. hindi ako nakapagdala ng damit eh."

"puta ka! hindi mo pa nga nababalik yung mga pants ko."

she had this beautiful sets of long, colorful and wavy pants, about a three inches below the knees, that i love to wear to school. i never returned a single pair back. but i still keep all of them with me until now.

as cheesy as it may sound, we found another family in our friendship, that made our college days and nights more fruitful and worth recalling. i believe that its something not every college graduate is blessed.

even after we graduated, we have constant communication with each other. we would surprised each other with unexpected visits, eventhough some of us are back in our own provinces. catching what happened to our careers, lovelives and yes, even our sexlives.

until one day, she called for a meet up.

"talaga?! congrats!" S shouted with full astonishment.

"where?" i excitedly asked.

"in london. i just received the letter yesterday. the scholarship will cover everything for my masterals, except for the lodging, ofcourse. if i'll be able to finish all the requirements before the month ends. then perhaps i'll be leaving next month na."

then the realization dropped on us like heavy chunks of ice. we were happy that she had such opportunity abroad, but sad because someone has to leave again. its just hard to live in a country where citizens are their major exports, as if the state thinks that their people don't have friends, families or just simply apathetic.

a year swiftly passed by, but we heard nothing from her. she didn't leave us her numbers, never replied to our messages nor contacted us through friendster or facebook. we missed her and at the same kinda woried. but we have high hopes that she'll be able to tumble down any obstacles she may encounter in london. until i received an contact invitation in my facebook yesterday. it was her.

i immediately accepted her invitation and went to her page. left a message there saying, HUY! PUTANGINA KA! MUSTA KA NA, HAYUP KA! MISS NA MISS NA KITA! I LOVE YOU!

our sociology professor once told us, you can only and truly curse the people you love, that is why we learn to address each other with profanity.

it didn't take long when she replied back. we shifted in using IM. i could feel that there was something different based from the tone of her messages. she was not as perky as she used to, as if she was not that excited as i was. and most of all, she didn't curse back. until she finally admitted she is already in the country since last december, that she is now renting a condominium in qc, with her family. but what surprised me the most was when she said, "magkaka-inanaanak ka na ulit next year."

"what?! are you pregnant?"

"ay hindi, sa kuya ko close kayo nun di ba?! malamang sa akin. 5 months na."

"sinong ama? oh no, don't me tell me taga-london yan."

"hindi, sira. tinatanong pa ba yan?"

"oh no, si M?!"

"andami mo namang oh no... OH YES, si M nga."

"che! hahaha! hah? e di ba may nabuntis din siya dati?"

"oo. pero hindi sila magkasama. and he doesn't know."

"wait lang ha. medyo sumakit ang gspot ko sa iyo. bakit?"

"saka na. i've decided to tell him kapag nalabas ko na para isang paliwanagan na lang."

i was speechless after reading that line. i knew that shes strong, like she has always been. but in a strange way, she made me feel that she needs me, she needs us.

"whatever happens, or if you need anything, never hesitate to contact me ha. kahit ama para sa magiging anak mo, pwede ako."

she laughed.

"hey. seryoso ako," a long pause.

"salamat."

i could picture her crying.

we're both crying.

a tribute to friendship: one of the reasons why i love my college days

it was hard not to notice her for she towered most of the girls in the assembly ground that day. though she was silent, there was something in her that makes her mysterious and very appealing. she was definitely the safest choice, if people decided to ask that stupid question, "who is your crush in the block," which i think is every acquitance bonding's favorite.

as expected, the question was then raised during our first block inuman. but in my surprise, among all the boys in the block, she actually chose me. but took the shot straight when she was asked why. perhaps thats where all the ackwardness between us began.

for more than a semester, she was nothing to me but a blockmate. a classmate who i always saw in all of my classes. a fellow student who i nodded whenever we passed each other in the lobby. nothing more, nothing less.

but when we reached our sophomore years, where we were asked to choose what major we are pursuing, i was actually surprised to see her in my first social anthropology class. for i really thought she would take economics since she was one of those who excelled in math.

we were only 7 students in our block, in that program. probably because those who took economics had better foresights of whats ahead of them compare to ours. nonetheless, this gave us opportunities to know each other more. we decided to take the same subjects for each semesters, exchanged notes, held weekly inumans and even do each others' projects and papers. until we just realized were already living under the same house, her house.

eventually, i learned that she was actually not that silent at all. that she is an open book for those who are brave enough to ask her but ofcourse, worthy of it. that despite her intimidating beauty, built and personality, she was just a simple girl but with a very welcoming heart. thus, we instantly become good or better yet, the best of friends.

"isn't that, you had a crush on me when we were in first year." i asked her one chilly night while we were under the same blanket, sharing a single sized bed together with a couple of our close friends (which we seldom did before and i miss a lot).

she laughed and said, "yes, i did. and i repeat, i did."

"bakit hindi na?"

"because i realized you are that kind of friend, that is too precious to be risked and lost."

i was speechless. it was one of the sweetest thing i've heard from someone up to the present. i never felt so much appreciated.

whenever allowance were delayed and we have nothing, not even a faded cent, she was always there to help, eventhough she too was just depending with her groceries.

for days, we will stay in her place, collect what was left from us, if any. then buy and allocate food. we would feast with pancit canton (the official college student stable food), eggs (which we experted all the ways of cooking it), cold rice poured with toyo and oil everyday, until all of us were financially stable. there were even times when we would finish each meals without drinking.

but the memories worth really remembering were the times whenever one of us needed someone to lean on and talk to, we would meet in her place and drew good things out from it. i believe that i would never be the same person if not of those talks.

you see, studying in a place, where you are hundreds of miles away from your family, is not as easy as it may seems, especially in your first years. yes, its great because of independence. you can do whatever you want with limited PARENTAL supervision. but there were times, most of the time, when we would just catch ourselves crippling because of homesickness and depression without anyone beside us. and the chilly and gloomy weather of the city worsen it all.

"hey whats the matter?"

"nothing," then she immediately hid something under her pillow and wiped her eyes dry.

"cmon, spill."

"nothing."

then i would grab her neck until she confess. you see she has a large funny bone in that area, that i could easily bring her down to the floor, helplessly, by just placing my hands between her neck and shoulder.

"oooo-kkk-a-yyy, ee-rriikk! i give up."

"alright, i am listening."

"its M (her jawy boyfriend), i think he is seeing someone else in manila."

"din't we just talk about it the last time? are we suppose to remind you of what we told you?"

"thats why i don't want to bring it up."

"can you blame me (us), if we always see you that way?"

"just let me be."

"and what? to see you just like her?" i pointed the tv, which had kris aquino in the national news crying.

"you're a million times of what he has you in him and you know this for a fact. and if all hopes, including boys failed you, always remember that i'll always be here for you."

then she smiled. we both smiled.

to be continued...

bitchesa experiment vol. 2: farmville, sino ka sa tatlo?

minsan ko lang tong gagawin kaya makinig kang mabuti at sana mabasa mo ito, balang-araw.

*pasintabi sa mga maaring tamaan. ang susunod na entry ay naglalaman ng mga maseselan bagay na maaring ikamatay.

sabi nga sa isang pelikula, "walang mukha (o katawan) ang libog." so huwag kang mag-aassume na hot ka at sa iyo na umiikot ang mundo dahil lang madami ka'ng booking.

"kahit kailan ay hindi ako nagandahan sa mga hayup na tinotnak ko sa bukid," yan ang di ko malimutang sabi ni mang laryo ng mahuli namin siya sa aktong nakikipag seks sa kalabaw.

para daw sa kanya basta may butas na papasakan at may init na mararamdaman, solb na ang malibog at lonely na matanda. at marahil yan din ang sinasabi ng lahat ng booking mo. marahil isa ka lang mainit na butas para sa kanila. isang tasang tagasalo ng walang paglagyan init. yun lang.

hindi din dahil sa malibog ka pa sa baboy na bulugan, ay may karapatan ka ng bombahan ang buong mundo ng iyong lutong gawgaw at paglaruan ang kanilang nararamdaman. hindi lahat ng tao, tulad mo. partida, clinasify pa kita bilang tao. pasalamat ka.

naawa ako sa iyo. daig mo pa ang galising aso, na nagpapakamot kung kani-kanino. nagkataon lang ng beneath the skin ang mga lungib at naknak mo, kaya may kumamot. hay, kung alam lang nila.

actually, mahihiya pa nga sa iyo ang aso kapag tatabihan mo. ganito, payo ko, iligo mo yan. siguro kulang ka lang sa hugas. matinding hugas. o di kaya naman ay lumaklak ka ng isang galong caladryl tapos kayurin mo ng steel brush. ayyy, bigla akong nanghinayang sa steel brush.

malaking ang kinaibahan ng pagiging optimitistic sa pagiging delusional. malaking-MALAKI. di kaya umakyat na semen mo sa utak mo? o kaya ganyan na amoy mo dahil nag papawis ka na ng precum? well, kung anuman man, AGAIN, iligo mo yan! walang lagkit ang hindi nawawala sa malamig na tubig.

tol, hindi kasalanan ng mga tao kung naghahanap sila ng mga taong magmamahal sa kanila. natural yun. kaya may nagtitiwala, may nagmamahal at mayroon ding nasasaktan. pero kung ang dahilan kung bakit sila nasasaktan ay dahil sa panloloko ng tulad mo ibang kaso na yun.

kahit sabihin nating may consent sila, kahit hindi sila naging maingat o hindi nila nagawang mag-isip bago naniwala sa iyo, hindi pa din yun sapat na katwiran para sabihing wala kang kasalanan.

hindi, wala.

wala kang atraso sa akin. dahil hindi din naman kita papatulan pagnagkataon. malas mo lang dahil kinanti mo ang mga kaibigan ko. pero wag ka mag-alala hindi ako baba sa lebel mo, kaya pasalamat ka dahil hindi na kita papangalanan pa. basta alam mo naman kung sino ka. pero kung talagang makapal na ang kalyo ng pagmumukha mo, hayaan mo na lang na ang karma ang magpaalala sa iyo.