We'll Get There Someday

Looks Like We Made It

[December 2023]

Have you ever agreed to something, thinking it would never happen anyway?

If you haven't, then you're smarter than me. But if you have, I hope you're having an easier time than I am.

Mori's trying to figure out where we can pick up our checked-in luggage while I'm semi-sulking behind her. I agreed to this—four years ago, when I didn't think this girl in front of me would graduate at the top of our class. And she's not just graduating at the top of our class, she's graduating first in our batch in the whole university.

"Che, I think it's—" she cuts herself off as she checks left, then right. "This way, definitely this way."

Amore Magsaysay, or Mori as everyone calls her, has been my best friend since high school. We got into the same university and also chose the same program—BS Psychology. I chose it for a particular reason. She said she chose it because it was as good as any pre-law course and having me around wouldn't hurt.

Don't get me wrong. I've always known Mori was smart. But she just never took an interest in academic rankings. She's the only person I know who can crank out a two thousand-word essay (that's actually good) overnight. But she's also the only person I know who would skip an exam to line up for a meet & greet with her favorite group—SB19.

[June 2020]

"Are you sure you want to study Psych with me for four years? It's not too late to shift to something you might actually enjoy," I tell Mori while we search for our room on the first day of class.

"Any course is just a pre-law course but at least this one will have you in the same room with me," she says. "Unless what you're actually worried about is that I'll flunk." She raises an eyebrow at me.

"I'm—I—yeah, you got me," I shrug. College isn't as forgiving as high school. Instructors can drop you from their class with a snap of their fingers. And I get the feeling that Mori will get those fingers snapping if she keeps up her old antics.

"Hey, have a little faith in me," she hits me on the shoulder. "What if I graduate at the top of our class? What then?"

"I'll do anything you want," I say, confidently foolish and foolishly confident, as we find the right room.

"I'm holding you to that."

"I'm counting on it."

[November 2023]

I'm holding Mori's hand as I guide her blindfolded into the room where the rest of our friends are waiting to surprise her. Our dean spoke to her last week. We still have to defend our thesis and finish the hours left on our on-the-job training at a local psychiatric hospital—but it's basically sure that she'll graduate first in our batch.

The dean spoke to her because the top student gives a speech at graduation. As excellent as Mori's grades are, her erratic behavior never really died down. And the dean wanted to make sure she would have plenty of time to prepare an acceptable speech in front of the university president and everyone else in attendance at graduation.

Of course, Mori knows about the 'surprise' party. But she doesn't know what kind of party we prepared. In honor of the man she credits as her inspiration, we've prepared an SB19-themed party. I even put in a special order to get a standee of Ken, her bias.

"The longer you keep this blindfold on me, the higher my expectations get," she says before she squeezes my hand.

I lead her to the spot marked "X" a few feet in front of Ken's standee. "Okay, take it off."