My Polyphonic Cries

“Jan..”

“O?”

“Buko juice, o..”

“[slurp]“

My father and I already reconciled through a buko juice [yes..you've read it right]. He offered me a glass and we seated together on the dining table. We drank off ’til the last drop [naks..nomo?! haha]. I couldn’t believe it would happen. It might sound simple pero ganun talaga yung nangyari. I feel more okay than before. No more burdens for me.

Buko juice–our pride. We [my father and i] already knocked it down.

———-

Speaking about Ethel Carlo, I already found him through my cousin’s account. I have just invited him on Friendster. Yipee!

Best friend.

The person whom we consider as our brother. Our emotional baggage. The person whom we often get along with since childhood. The one whom we share our joys, success, troubles, pains–almost everything! Simply our best company.

Back in pre-school, I had a best friend named Ethel Carlo. Actually, I did not consider him as my best friend until our servicemen already became close. Their relationship was contagious enough to infuence and make us to be close with one another, too. We spent our pre-school years having fun, playing pranks, laughing at each other’s jokes, and syempre, studying. We built a nice bond. We treated each other like brothers. Minsan nga, nagpapalit kami ng serviceman whenever we feel to do so. We even had taken our lunch and dinner at each other’s houses [kung sinong taya] just to be together for we really enjoyed spending our time with each other. We treasured each other’s company. But then, after graduation, our relationship suddenly had been on the rocks until my family and I moved here in Cainta. Our communication was halted by the gap between us. I tried to search for him in Friendster soooo many times pero hindi ko siya makita until now. I thought I won’t be able to hear anything about him anymore. It even came to a point when I needed to forget our friendship for it is pointless to think that our friendship will still be saved.

But one time, when I was choosing a news for our reporting in Social Studies III, I’d read a news about a boy who was shot at his leg for he had resisted to give his cellphone to a snatcher. I pitied the boy and suddenly I knew that his name is Ethel Carlo [i forgot his surname], residing at Brgy. Victorino, Bagong Ilog, Pasig, City [the place where we once lived]. I knew deep in my heart that he was the Ethel Carlo that I had been with for almost years. I was shocked upon knowing the incident.

“Gosh, si Ethel Carlo, yung best friend at kaklase ko, nabaril!”

I wasn’t able to do anything aside from worrying. Gusto ko siyang puntahan pero hindi ko naman alam kung san ko siya bibisitahin o pupuntahan. I felt bizarre. I should have been there to protect him, my best friend. I should have tortured the snatcher to death with my Triple Critical Jur. I should have used the excalibur and stealthily slashed the snatcher’s head. Woah, it’s getting morbid. So much for the delusions.

I know it’s unusual for best friends to worry like what I do. But it’s my thing. [ano daw?] I’m just expressing what’s inside me. I hope he’s okay by now. Wherever he is, I hope we won’t forget.

There is still so much to be confessed but to wrap things up, let me just say that, I’m missing him, so badly.

Psychology.

The course I’d been dying to take when I was still a sophie way back then. I don’t really know what came into my mind that made me choose this course. Maybe I’m just trying to save myself from the torturing courses [as what i call them]–Business Ad, Medicine, Engineering, and all those. Ayoko na kasing mahirapan sa college. Pero mali yung iniisip ko diba?! Oo, alam ko. As we take a step higher, things [mga inaaral natin] also get more complicated and arduous. Pero hindi ito ang gusto kong pag-usapan.

Time passed by and my passion to take Psychology slowly decreased. Parang gusto ko na ng ibang course. Too late because the course I’d written on UP’s application form was AB Psychology.

Actually, I hate Science-related courses. Mas gusto ko yung related sa Arts.

But wait, sang school ba ako papasok sa college?

My choice?! La Salle. Animo!

Pero actually, ang tigas ng mukha ko. Kasi ba naman, UP at DLSU lang ako nag-apply. Tatag ko talaga! Pano kaya kung hindi ako pumasa dun sa dalawang paaralan na iyon, san ako pupulutin? wah.

I hope I would be able to make it at either UP or DLSU. Kasi gusto ko talaga pumasa sa dalawang paaralan na ‘to. I really can’t imagine myself walking in the hallways of PUP, CEU, UST, CCP, URS, UE, PNU, ICCT, uhh.. no pa ba? Basta dun din sa iba! [ang yabang ko, no offense ha] Sana lang magkaroon ng worth lahat ng pag-aaral ng ginawa ko sa pagkuha ng entrance exams sa mga colleges na ‘to. It’s really a slap on my face when things turned out the way we not want it to be.

All hopes to God.