The sun was blazing orange amidst a late-june afternoon sky. The semester had just begun and being a junior in the Journalism major, one's social existence for the remaining two years of his college life depended on the people he would get chummies with during the first few months of the school year.
Darrell and Omar, the two tag-team buddies from the morning section the previous year, had just doused my burning desire to be the third wheel in their tropa. I was forcing myself too much on them, they said many years later, that in the end, I got into Darrell's nerves. "Kain muna kami ha," he said during one of our breaks. Being good in deciphering the subliminal message between the words he said, I understood that he don't want me for company.
Finding Leslie loitering in the corridor after the batman and robin partners dumped me, I tried to befriend him since he is the only guy in the class who had not found a social circle yet. Angelo, my 6'2 tropa from my section the year before, who had also chosen Journalism as his major was still nowhere to be found. Probably he had extended his summer break since that year, monsoon season only arrived in July.
Darrell and Omar, the two tag-team buddies from the morning section the previous year, had just doused my burning desire to be the third wheel in their tropa. I was forcing myself too much on them, they said many years later, that in the end, I got into Darrell's nerves. "Kain muna kami ha," he said during one of our breaks. Being good in deciphering the subliminal message between the words he said, I understood that he don't want me for company.
Finding Leslie loitering in the corridor after the batman and robin partners dumped me, I tried to befriend him since he is the only guy in the class who had not found a social circle yet. Angelo, my 6'2 tropa from my section the year before, who had also chosen Journalism as his major was still nowhere to be found. Probably he had extended his summer break since that year, monsoon season only arrived in July.
In those days, boys tend to group themselves together especially if their class is dominated by strong and aggressive females. I must admit, we were just around 12 guys in the class including the two gays. (i have not yet crossed over the fence yet so I'm not yet included) But our pride and self-deceiving machismo made bonding among us proved quite a challenge. In fact, it would take another semester before the first solid group of guys in the class would form under the name Prestigious Group Of Companies.
A week later before Angelo showed up in class, a small sturdy guy around 5'4 in height, fair skinned and had small rounded black eyes sat beside Darrell and Omar. He was our new classmate. Leslie, who I had befriended gazes outside the door still longing for his barkada from his previous section to appear and check him out. He was still suffering from a "peer hang-over" and it would take another semester before he accepts the fact that all of them have new lives already.
That same week, I was given the chance to hang out with this new kid whom everyone calls Ace. It appeared that we had the same taste in music (Smashing Pumpkins), poetry (Short and full of angst) and even for being senti (He was not actually the senti, he simply rode with my whinings). One afternoon, as we walked along Espana to get a ride home, I decided to wait for him to get a ride first before I walk my way to Vicente Cruz. Suddenly he told me, "mauna ka na, hindi ako babae para intaying makasakay."
For someone who is used to wait for a companion to leave first before leaving the scene, his statement was very new to me. In the days, months and years that followed, he would eventually teach me how to become a stronger man.
In my six years of being a PLU, I systematically distanced myself with all the straight guys I knew, except for seven. One of these guys I kept contact was Ace. For 40 days beginning from this entry, I will include some vignettes that would reveal how deep and important my friendship was with this guy; that it even crossed the divide that I imposed upon myself when I embraced my new preference.
You see, people with different backgrounds or new ideals adopted, will stick together for the sake of some shared pinagsamahan moments that continue to burn their spirits. In case of Ace, he did his part in making me the person who I am today. In retelling some of our shared stories, which he played a major part on would be my own little way of returning the favor. It is my assurance that he will never be forgotten.
This blog, even if small and mostly unheard of, will be the key to his immortality in this existence.
A week later before Angelo showed up in class, a small sturdy guy around 5'4 in height, fair skinned and had small rounded black eyes sat beside Darrell and Omar. He was our new classmate. Leslie, who I had befriended gazes outside the door still longing for his barkada from his previous section to appear and check him out. He was still suffering from a "peer hang-over" and it would take another semester before he accepts the fact that all of them have new lives already.
That same week, I was given the chance to hang out with this new kid whom everyone calls Ace. It appeared that we had the same taste in music (Smashing Pumpkins), poetry (Short and full of angst) and even for being senti (He was not actually the senti, he simply rode with my whinings). One afternoon, as we walked along Espana to get a ride home, I decided to wait for him to get a ride first before I walk my way to Vicente Cruz. Suddenly he told me, "mauna ka na, hindi ako babae para intaying makasakay."
For someone who is used to wait for a companion to leave first before leaving the scene, his statement was very new to me. In the days, months and years that followed, he would eventually teach me how to become a stronger man.
In my six years of being a PLU, I systematically distanced myself with all the straight guys I knew, except for seven. One of these guys I kept contact was Ace. For 40 days beginning from this entry, I will include some vignettes that would reveal how deep and important my friendship was with this guy; that it even crossed the divide that I imposed upon myself when I embraced my new preference.
You see, people with different backgrounds or new ideals adopted, will stick together for the sake of some shared pinagsamahan moments that continue to burn their spirits. In case of Ace, he did his part in making me the person who I am today. In retelling some of our shared stories, which he played a major part on would be my own little way of returning the favor. It is my assurance that he will never be forgotten.
This blog, even if small and mostly unheard of, will be the key to his immortality in this existence.
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