Summer Memory

Chapter 2 Part 3

            The next day was our last day, and it was a free day for us too, so I spent the whole day bonding with friends. Me and my block mates browsed some books at Fully Booked, and bought some stuff from Comic Alley. At last, it was almost 6 p.m., and I separated from my group. They didn’t know I met up with a girl every evening, though I did tell them I was meeting up with a friend from this area.

            On my way to the usual meeting place, something caught my attention. In a local boutique, I spotted a silver necklace with a pendant shaped like a treble clef – a musical symbol. I remembered the girl telling me that she was once past of a choir, and that she absolutely loved singing. I decided to buy that necklace for her as a farewell gift. I entered the boutique, and since there seemed to be some sort of clearance sale, I got the necklace for only half the original price. I went out the store and put the necklace safely in my button-up shirt pocket.

            It was a quarter past six when I got Starbucks. She wasn’t there yet, so I sat on our usual table to wait. After about five minutes, I saw her figure walking towards me.

            We exchanged greetings, and got dinner together at a nearby fast-food joint. We swapped stories and laughed like old friends, and after that we headed back to Starbucks.

            The girl told me to wait outside at our usual table while she ordered, and so I did. I sat down comfortably and gazed at the trafficked streets, very much like five evening ago, when she arrived with our order. She smirked, and I couldn’t help but shake my head in amusement. She ordered a caramel macchiato, a mocha frappuccino, and a cinnamon roll.

            We finished eating and drinking after a while in silence, just savoring the moment and each other’s company. She then spoke in a quiet voice.

            “So…last no ‘to..?” (T/N: “So…this is the last time…?”) I nodded my head.

            “Yeah, last na ‘to…” (T/N: “Yeah, this is the last time…”)

            She then looked me in the eyes and said, “Kuya, maraming salamat sa pagsama mo sa ‘kin sa konting panahon. Hindi ko alam kung ano na pwedeng mangyari sa ‘kin kung ‘di kita nakilala nung gabing yun. Baka siguro depressed na depressed pa rin ako hanggang ngayon. Di ko alam ang mukhang ihaharap ko sa ma kaibigan ko kung sa kanila ako lumapit. Kahit dahil lang sa isang taong ngayon ko lang nakilala, dahil sa ‘yong mga encouragement, nagawa kong kalimutan ang sobrang sakit na nararamadaman ko, at thankful ako para dun.

            (T/N: “Kuya, thanks a lot for doing this thing with me even for the little while we were together. I have no idea what could’ve happened if I hadn’t met you on that night back then. Maybe I’d still be really depressed – I don’t know. I don’t even know what face I’ll show to my friends if I came to them. Even if the reason was a complete stranger to me until now, your encouragements really helped me numb at least the pain I was feeling, and I’m thankful for that.)

            “Alam kong matagal pa bago ako makapag-move on, pero alam kong ring magagawa ko yun baling araw. Sigurado ako. At pagdating ng panahon na yun, magmamahal na ako ng tama.”

            (T/N: “I know it’ll be a long time before I can truly move on, but I also know I’ll be able to do it someday. I’m sure. And when that time comes, I’ll make sure the right love comes along.”)

            She paused for a bit and we just stared at each other. She sighed and continued with what I could only surmise as her farewell speech for me.