That's Another Love Story

Chapter 8 ''Rewind and Fast Forward''

Senior year. The last and most intense year for all of us who have ‘’graduating’’ status. First semester of the fourth year was approaching. We were all excited to tell each other about our summer on-the-job trainings.

We all have different experiences which made the stories more and more exciting. Everybody has something to say and it was the buzz for the first week of the school year.

Weeks have passed and all of us are planning our future. Thinking about the kind of work we want to have after we graduate. Back then, the term us includes Paula, me and Ian but now, it was me and Paula with our circle of friends.

 Ian got busy with his Academics and school politics. We didn’t even hear anything from him that summer but before that, he mentioned that his girlfriend was going to help him in his on-the-job-training.

I wasn’t bothered at all that time. I was even happy for him and teased how sweet the girl was and that she doesn’t deserve to have a super busy boyfriend. He objected and said that he always try to visit her and make time to her despite his busy schedule.

After that summer, I heard that Ian and his girlfriend broke up. Ian was devastated and had a serious heart problem. I was worried of him.

I know that he loves his girlfriend too much that it may have caused the condition plus the student council being blocked for enrollment because of issues concerning the increase of tuition fee. It was just a lot for him to take.

Two years ago, I promised myself that before I graduate, I should make myself useful to my own school. It was then that I told myself that I would join every organization I would like to be in.

I wasn’t really an active member of our organization which by the way we did not choose to have because every student has one organization he belonged to even if you are just a freshman. When we enrolled in a course, there’s a specific org destined for us to have.

But it wasn’t the only org I have. I am also a part of the school publication which was really not my intention. I became a junior writer almost instantly. And there’s a story behind it.

Last year, they were in need of writers and other staff. I passed by their office and saw the advertisement. And then I bumped into Ian in the student center where he spent almost half of his life. It was more like his office.

‘’I saw that the pub needs writers’’

‘’yeah, almost all of their staff are graduating this year so there’ll be many vacancies, why?’’

‘’hmm. Nothing’’

‘’why don’t you join?’’

‘’haha. Me? Really. I don’t even know how those things go. And I’m not really the writer type of person.’’

‘’come on. Just try it. There’ll be exams tomorrow. Just try it. And besides, you’re not busy than I am so there’s no excuse for you not to come.’’ Ian insisted.

‘’okay, okay. I’ll try.’’

The day has come and I took the exam. It never mattered to me at all. For me, it was just something that I could do to past time. The exam went on smoothly like an English test.

The essay parts are really easy. It was kinda like writing my everyday journal. What I had problem was writing my name. There was this instruction as to how I was supposed to write it but I can never understand it. It was like ancient English combined with Mathematics. Oh how I hate math, I thought.

After long debate to myself, I wrote my name where it was most commonly placed. I thought that maybe I could excuse myself that I didn’t notice the instruction. I laughed at my own stupidity.