A “Totoy’s” Recollection.
The moment that I dread finally came last night – reunion. Though out of the 44, this would only be a ‘mini’ reunion of 3, the pessimistic got the best in me. I was uneased. I dread it.
I did not hate grade school, but i did’t love it either. Oh, it’s not that there weren’t good people — there were, and are, many really nice, enjoyable people in my class. I guess I have never really enjoyed it.
A few years can change anyone’s perspective.
As I was reminded at our mini reunion last night, there are so many nice people that I was lucky enough to grow up with. Sure, I wasn’t really close with many of my classmates. But somehow I’d forgotten how many really cool classmates I have. As Jhul points out, there were and are ‘cool kids.’
We are about 23, and in our group of three, there is the happy gal who laughs at about anything; the funny broken hearted who is so good in ‘making hirit-s’ and there is me, the one who escapes work for fun! (April and Jhul, shox, sensha.. haha!)
While we talked about those who are enjoying the life of having a family and/or simply motherhood, we are not married nor do we have kids YET. I suppose it’s cute to see the people I remember as awkward kids like I was have children of their own — and be such great parents.
I had the most wonderful time. Truly. I reminded myself of not asking “So, where are you now?” or “What do you do?” I do not want to come fresh and be labeled as “Mayabang” But I guess that air is bigger than I am that not less than 5 minutes or so, Jhul makes his first hirit on me, “Mayabang” – with soft voice and ‘that closed lips’ (as April describes them).
On a serious note though, we did talk about the “Where-are-you-nows” and “What-do-you-dos” April, a successful pianist already (having won 2nd place on a national piano-ing competition while we were in the 3rd grade and 3rd place while we were on the 6th) is taking up her master’s degree in UP and at the same time, teaching in Makati. (Man, that’s like 20 km?) Jhul, on the other hand, is a new Civil Engineer (hoohoo!), and has been working for 3 months. Where he found his job, he lost his 5-and-a-half-year girlfriend not more than a Saturday ago. I swear I can hear April’s “kelangang i-rub in Rey?!” Again Jhul, we can never have everything in life. Haha!
So the Notre Dame University – Elementary Training Department Class of 1999 (whew!) has members in different parts of the country, although most are in Cotabato City. April recalled the December 2008 reunion that THEY had. Up to this time, I am still scratching my head as to why I was not there. She did an attempt to recite the yearbook. I don’t know about Jhul, but I surely cannot believe that she can recite our classmates’ complete names. Seems like she memorized the yearbook! I guess all the nice people I remember are still nice, the good kids are still good, and the bad kids? Hahaha.. I am keeping it to myself.
It was a fun trip down-the-memory-lane.
.. How we hated being late as we will be asked to do a complete cleaning swipe of the entire campus as a punishment while the whole school looks at you from their classroom’s windows. (Talk about being embarrassed!)
.. How too many were linked to Jhul. (read: landi mo Jhul!)
.. How we were irked by ‘Cleaners’ and ‘Did not clean’, plus the infamous ‘Noisy’ on the chalkboard!
.. How hot Ms. Janet Fernandez was!
.. How fun (for Jhul) camping was.. hahahaahahaha.. sharing tents with.. hahaha
.. How empty the campus was when the Catholics have their mass.. while those who were left would enjoy jackstone, as recalled by April AND Jhul.
.. How some would be ‘snobbish’ and ‘cruel’ with the others.
.. How some would give the others a ring, almost everyday to the point where they do not talk about anything in particular! *I think it’s called crush until now.*
..and oh, we also talked about the transferees from Saudi, Bader and (Nader?)..
.. Now, I wished I took Gingko Biloba! We talked about a lot but I just can’t remember them. Haha!
I guess when a person is in grade school, it seems like its own world, as if it’s the end-all, be-all – whether that’s good or bad. Later, as we found out, it’s just one chapter in everyone’s lives, although it remains a unique one.
When we hit the ‘stop’ button, I found myself wanting more.
Heck, I’d meet up with the whole gang again whenever we agree to meet again! Grade school was tough to some of us, but that was then. This is now. Life goes on, if we’re lucky, and we get to be reminded of the kindred souls we’ve met along the way. A class reunion, big or small, is like a second chance: a time to relive great moments and/or time to heal childhood wounds, and everyone’s should turn out so well.
We cannot bring back the ‘Totoy and Chubby looks’ nor the ‘bigger-than-our-body shirts’, but we all brought back or has just started friendships, and it was just as ‘totoy’, ‘chubby’, or ‘big’ – and maybe even better than ever!
