Chapter 5
I flipped the invitation card open as soon as I'm inside the house. A classmate of mine is having her debut and I am invited.
Hindi ko alam kung matutuwa ako o ano, paano ba naman ay napunta ako sa 18 Shots. Do I have a sign on my face that 'I love drinking'? Kasama ko si Tina at Nicus do'n kaso hindi ko alam kung makakapunta si Nicus dahil nasa Batanes siya. Grinding until the last week of our vacation.
Summer passed by swiftly. We went to Manila and I met some of my friends then after two weeks there, we traveled to Bohol. Another two weeks balik ulit ng Manila then hello again, Cagayan.
Gusto pa sana ni Tita na ipasyal ako sa Baguio kaso nga lang she's needed in the hospital. Ayos lang din naman sa akin dahil nga sakto naman na kasali ako sa debut ni Jam, at least makaka-attend ako. Unlike Nicus who doesn't give a damn as long as he's beaching.
Tina: Nareceive mo invites?
I took a picture of my invitation and sent it to her. Kakauwi niya lang din from Vigan kahapon. Next week pa naman 'yong debut, three days from now. Then next week after that is enrollment na.
Tina: Kasali si Darwin sa 18 dance. Yesica is still in Nueva Ecija tho, di siya makakapunta.
Sien: Yap, so casual lang ang suot? Akala ko 90s? She mentioned it before.
Tina: Iniba siguro. Yaan mo na, let's meet later. I have pasalubong for you.
Kagaya nga ng sinabi ni Tina, we agreed to meet at SM. She was all smiles because she saw her idol during a meet and greet in Taguig. James Reid she says. I know the artist but I'm not really a fan of celebrities. She was in Taguig before they went to Vigan.
Foods ang pasalubong niya sa akin. Tumambay kami sa Macau Imperial Tea habang nagkukwentuhan tungkol sa ganap namin no'ng bakasyon. After that, we went to Saint Paul and ate barbecue. Pagkauwi ko ay nadatnan ko si Tita na nagbabasa sa may living room.
"Evening, Tita." I greeted and kissed her cheek.
She smiled at me and put down the folder she's reading. She instructed me to sit beside her. Napansin ko ang lab coat niyang nakapatong sa handbag niya. Kakauwi niya lang siguro. It's already quarter to 7 in the evening.
"Are you really sure about taking up Medical Technology?" She asked.
Tumango ako. Tita Marta is a cardiologist in a big private hospital here in Cagayan. She studied Nursing in FEU then went to med school. Nagtrabaho na siya sa Manila no'n pero ilang taon lang.
"Balak mo bang tumuloy sa med school? You want to be a Doctor?" She inquired.
Huminga ako ng malalim at tipid na ngumiti.
"Hindi ko pa alam, Tita."
The truth is I'm a little scared. Med school is not a walk in the park, seriously. Iyong mga nagte-take na nga lang ng pre-med courses sa school ay mukhang nahihirapan na, paano pa kaya kapag nasa med school ka na talaga.
They say med school is not only for the smart-ass. Hindi raw kailangang matalino ka, basta masipag ka mag-aral. But let's be honest here, kailangan naman talagang may talino ka pa rin. And I admit, I'm not a smart ass. Hindi ako matalino pero hindi rin ako bobo.
I study and pass, that's all I am. Hindi naman ako nahihirapan sa klase. I get average scores and sometimes, I can ace but I don't know if it will be enough to survive in med school. Yes, I want to be a Doctor but I don't know what specialization yet. And I don't want to claim it for now.
I have other options aside from Medical Technology. Gusto kong kumuha ng Secondary Education or Pharmacy kaso nga lang nagbago rin nang nag-Senior High ako. And now, I just want to see if I can survive my chosen pre-med course first before I finally decide whether or not continue to med school.
