"Hi!....two, please...."
"Hello Sir....your name?"
"F....Faulkerson....."
"Please spell that Sir...."
"Here, let me write that...."
Nearby, another fellow was also registering at their homecoming. He had overheard the exchange beside him.
"Faulker....Poks?! POKS!"
Richard was surprised. He had not been called "Poks" since he graduated from highschool. He turned to the speaker and studied him for a few seconds.
"....Tong?"
The guy was dorkily grinning, baring his teeth, and with arms outstretched.
"Napoles! Nipples!!" Rj hugged Jerald. "Gago ka! Saan ka nagsusuot?"
"Ikaw? Hanep! 25 years later, pare! Dito pa tayo magkikita ulit? Saka pare, Jerald na tayo ngayon..." Jerald shows his nametag on his shirt.
"Utong ka pa rin, gago ka.." Rj elbows Jerald.
"Ulol mo rin, thank you! Dark-skined Jerald replied, his arm still over Rj's shoulder. "Sino kasama mo? Narinig ko, dalawa ni –r-register mo?"
"Asawa ko...." Rj beams as he looks towards the direction of a group of ladies who were also busy catching up with each other.
"Sino?"
"Grabe tong si Tong o....nakalimutan mo na ba yung prom queen natin dati?" Another classmate, Kristoffer, whom they childishly called "Tuns" because of the way he pronounced the word "tunes" during one of their classes, passed by the pair as he was about to register.
"Uy! Tuns? Pare! Kamusta ka na?"
"Businessman na ako, pare! Etong si Poks, may dalawang restaurant at gas station na. Sila din yung may-ari nung bagong bukas na bakeshop dun sa condo sa tapat ng school." Kristoffer explained.
"Ahh talaga?" Jerald could not believe what he was hearing.
"Oo....saka napangasawa nga nya yung prom queen natin dati"
"Prom queen?.....si....Menggay....Menggay Mendoza ba yun?" Jerald asked, a bit unusure.
"Oo.....Maine Mendoza na sya ngayon...." Rj interrupted.
"Uy wow! Di ko alam yun ahh...."
"San ka kasi napunta nung nag-college tayo?" Rj asked Jerald.
"Ayun.....sa LB ako nag-college....alam mo naman, liblib na lugar....malayo sa sibilisasyon...." Jerald chuckled. "Happily married na rin....."
"Uyy....kanino?" Rj asked.
"Kay Monte.....naalala nyo si Valeen.... Valeen Montenegro?"
"Sus! Ayun sila o, magkakasama sila ni Maine...." Kristoffer pointed out.
Maine heard her name and looked at Rj, she smiled and approached the men.
"Uy Tong! Parang walang pinagbago ah....you look the same!" Maine said as she bussed Jerald and Kristoffer on the cheek. "Ikaw rin, Tuns..." Valeen had joined Maine so she also bussed Kristoffer and Rj.
"Hi...M....Maine. Kelan ka pa naging Maine?" Jerald chided.
"Gago ka talaga! Pangalan ko talaga yun 'no?" Maine giggled. She turned to Rj, "...Are we done?"
"Yeah....let's go?" Rj said as he offered his hand to Maine and intertwined his fingers with hers.
The five friends walked into their school's gymnasium, ready to party and re-connect with their friends and batchmates of 25 years.
