The Possibility Of You And Me

Chapter 9: FR. JOWIE

I arrived early at Fr. Jowie's office. After having breakfast, I walked immediately toward the church where his office was located.

The arrangement in Fr. Jowie's office was simple. There was only a small table covered with Manila paper and plastic book covers. On the right side of the table was an old desktop computer that was still turned on, with an unfinished document waiting to be typed. There were also three books stacked on the table, with the black Bible on top. Fr. Jowie's desk was clean and neat, which wasn't surprising considering his personality. On the left wall, various pictures of saints and cut-out articles from newspapers and magazines were pinned. In the corner, an electric fan loudly ran, probably a sign of its old age. He and Mama Luisa had been close classmates and friends since high school that is why when I was born, she made him my godfather.

It was warm in Fr. Jowie's office. He didn't use air conditioning because he thought it was an unnecessary expense. He also mentioned that he didn't feel comfortable with it as it caused his entire body, especially his joints, to ache. How old was Fr. Jowie again? If I'm not mistaken he might be the same age as Nanay Luisa. If Nanay were still alive, she would be forty-two years old. That meant Fr. Jowie was still too young to have rheumatism or any other body ailments.

I had been sitting on a monoblock chair in front of Fr. Jowie's desk for a few minutes now. My eyes had gone over everything in the priest's office several times, but they stopped at the small jar on the table. It was filled with candy, our favorite—mine and Oteph's. As usual, I took some and pocketed them for my sibling. I knew Fr. Jowie wouldn't mind, especially since I had done it several times before when I visited his office.

"Fr. Jowie is taking so long," I muttered to myself. I started to worry that Oteph might be crying because I hadn't left his side since we arrived at the center.

I glanced at the office door when I heard someone turn the doorknob to enter.

"Finally,  he's here."
I thought to myself.

I was about to stand up to greet him and give him and have his blessing  when a young altar server entered and smiled upon seeing me.

"Good morning," the youngster greeted, quickly placing the books he had brought on the table.

"Good morning. Is Fr. Jowie here?" I asked the altar boy.

"He just finished celebrating a requiem Mass. He's on his way here," the boy replied, showing too much respect even though we might be on the same age.

"Thank you." I responded with a smile.

"You're welcome," the boy answered  and swiftly exited the office.

I don't know why I suddenly had the urge to explore the other books on Fr. Jowie's table. I guess I was born with a habit of snooping through other people's belongings, even though I knew it was wrong. I'm naturally curious about many things. Fr. Jowie had scolded me several times for this habit. "Curiosity kills the cat Andrea," he often said to me.

On his desk, I noticed an old book that sparked my interest. I picked it up and read the title, "The Story of a Soul," which was written by a Catholic saint. The book was already worn out, slightly tattered, and its pages yellowing. I thought Fr. Jowie must have enjoyed reading it, considering how frequently he carried it around. I ran my thumb over each page of the book when suddenly something fell out. I quickly picked it up—a worn-out photograph that caught me off guard. I knew exactly who was in that old picture, and I couldn't be mistaken.

It was an old photo of my mother. Mama Luisa was in the photograph, looking beautiful and young. My hands trembled, and tears welled up in my eyes as I held the picture of my mom. It was evident that Fr. Jowie had taken good care of it, as despite its age, it still looked new. I felt a pang of longing for my mother at that moment. Fr. Jowie had been a good friend to my mother even until her death. This picture served as mama's only memory of their friendship, so I knew I had to return it to him. Just as I was about to put mama's photo back between the pages of the book, I noticed something written on the back. I set the book down on the table and read what was written, but suddenly, the office door opened.