Kao
"KAOOOOO!" I flinched as I took the phone away from my ringing ear as I tried not to fall off the stairs as I made my way down to the lobby from my office.
"Saddie!!! Can I please not be deaf at least till your wedding?"
I chided my best friend as I made my way out of the university where I teach and into the waiting lounge.
"Oops! Sorry, my bad. I'm just really excited. Finally we'll be able to see each other again."
I rolled my eyes.
"You were just here a week ago and you kidnapped me into helping you shop for your wedding give away."
That familiar snicker echoed on the background.
"It's different silly. I mean, yes, even though you're on the other side of the country we still do see each other from time to time. But this is different. For one, I'm getting married, I mean, can you believe it!?! Me!?! Married!?! Huh! Anyways, second, a lot of our old friends are coming and for the first time in like forever, you're finally coming back to the land of your birth my friend. So yes, excuse me for trying to tear your ears off!"
I rolled my eyes and snickered as I returned the greetings of the student passing by me as I stood their with my different bag waiting for the ride Saddie promised me.
"Alright. Alright. Whatever, there's no way I'm ever gonna win over you anyway. So, where's my ride? I've been standing here by myself awkwardly for some time now the students might think I'm trying to smuggle a dead body with my duffle bag."
I had a last minute meeting at work so instead of going back to my apartment which is only a block away from the university where I teach English literature since graduating college, I decided to just bring my stuff so I could go straight to my one week paid vacation leave right after the meeting.
"Oh, yes! I was just texting him, he's almost there."
Saddie informed me.
"You told him to meet me in front of the university, right?"
I asked as I scanned for the possible ride my best friend promised me.
It will be about five to six hour drive—depending on the traffic to the southern province where I once lived with my best friend and where the mighty Cassandra Lin decided to finally tie the knot.
I fondly shook my head with the thought.
Saddie and I are best friends since high school. And even after I moved to the city to be with my family and for university right after graduation, our bond never ceased to wane.
And now that she's finally getting married, I cannot not be with her in her special day. That's why she didn't have to convince me to take a week off from work and join her one week pre marital activities.
I also thought it would be a good opportunity for me to go back and visit my roots.
It's been too long since I was back in the province. Since leaving, I might have only been there once or twice. And I didn't even stay longer than a day.
If only not for Saddie and her family, I wouldn't even remember to go back.
Everyone in my family and close relatives are already living in the city so aside from Saddie and some friends, there's really nothing much for me there—also, that place—it holds too many memories I wanted to forget.
"Kao!?! Kao!?! Kao Roberto!?! Are you listening!?!"
I cleared my throat.
"Yeah. Yes. Yes. Uhm, I just, I just saw some students—yeah."
