ON-LINE JOURN ARTICLE
CLASS PROPHECY
DREAMS COME TRUE
A few hours from now, the plane will arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. I’m excited and at the same time doubtful that some of my former classmates whom I’ve lost contact with for the past years will no longer recognize me. That has been ten years ago since we graduated in college and if I am to flashback my thoughts, so much have already happened in each of our lives.
Beb, my college friend and classmate, managed to contact me in between my hectic schedule at my office in New York. She informed me almost two weeks ago that our batch is going to have a grand reunion at our former professor’s residence in Lagro. Ah, how dearly I miss the place! Throughout the years, my close friends and I have been keeping in touch the reason why I know the happenings in their lives especially the ones that are important. Beb is now a successful researcher and at the same time a journalist at World Vison an international Non-Government Organization. Right now she’s based in Seychelles island for her Christian mission.
Khem, is also staying in New York with her Filipino husband who is a successful businessman and their two bright kids. She is now a day editor at the New York Times.
I sighed in happiness thinking of the good things that have transpired in my friends’ lives. Cheers, good ‘ol days.
When I arrived at the airport, the thud of my heart tripled. I knew my friends are looking for me somewhere in the crowd. My eyes were searching for familiar faces when… there! I saw them! Farrah, who is now a prominent columnist at the Philippine Daily Inquirer has two kids already with her college boyfriend-now-husband, Ronald. On her left who is also smiling broadly at me is Riza. She’s working as an editorial consultant at the newspaper publication where Farrah is working. Well, unfortunately, Riz is still single and as far as I’m concerned, very much available. They’re two of my great friends at the portals of University of the East.
I rushed towards them and we hugged each other so tight.
At the van where Ronald is driving, we can’t stop ourselves from talking so fast and laughing at our hearts content. We were catching up stories and some of what I am hearing from them are quite “unbelievable”. Farrah was telling me that Lem and Eli are now business partners. They have established four branches of computer shops all around University-Belt and they call it “Elem’s” which stands for the combination of their names. They are also classmates at the UE Law School and would soon be graduating. I was really dumbfounded and ok, shocked. Perhaps I just can’t imagine that the former DOTA (a popular computer games during college days) “manias“ who only exert their some 70 percent effort in class will be as successful as they are right now. Another batch mate who surprised me was Jocel. My, my, I actually uttered the word “wow” four times when Riz said that she’s now a branch manager of AVON, Inc. in Taft Avenue. Well, ok, some of us have not practiced the profession our degree requires but it’s a good thing that all the pioneer batch of Journalism in UE went successful in the fields we have chosen to venture after graduation.There is also Aloha. Her real name is actually Malaya but she wanted to be called Aloha. According to Khem, she saw her sometime ago on TV reporting a big rally at Mendiola Avenue for a news program in ABS-CBN, one of the biggest network in the Philippines. I was glad that she has that confidence now because we had always thought that she is a shy girl way back in college. And then I remember Kathleen. The last time I heard from her was she got married with a Hungarian journalist who happened to be her co-worker in a daily publication in Canada. She called me a week ago to say that she will be arriving in the Philippines the day before our reunion together with her husband and their twin daughters. That was a good news.
I went back to my senses when Riza tapped me on my shoulder.
“Hey, do you still remember Ate Ems? She’s now the executive vice-president at Convergy’s! That’s one of the best call centers in the country daw ha! And mind you ha, she’s carrying her second child with her politician husband. From what she told me, her hubby daw is a congressman in Ilocos Norte! Big time talaga!”, Riza enthusiastically revealed.
“Really? Oh my…that’s great! I can’t wait to see the rest! I’m so excited na talaga!”
As for me, I worked for a year as a Corporate Relations Assistant at PDI right after graduation because I was compelled by my parents. Then after completing my one year stay with them, I applied via on-line at the New York Times as a reporter. I was overjoyed when I was accepted at once. I used the money I saved up from PDI and bid “Sayonara, Philippines!” However, fate played a trick on me. Instead of rising in the field of journalism, I was assigned at the corporate relations department of the New York Times. In a few years, I was inadvertently climbing the corporate ladder and here I am the head of the Advertising and PR Department of the same publication. I am now happily married to my successful businessman husband who had been my boyfriend for eleven years. We have now a lovely and bright daughter, Yvaine, who just turned four years old a couple of months ago. I have also established my dream business—the coffee shop and bookstore in one. I simply called it “Jo’s Caffe and Bookstore”. Right now, we’re staying at an “expensive” apartment in Lexington but we have plans of going back to the Philippines when our daughter turns six.
As for Prof. Alex who is my constant email correspondent, he went back to his work at the United Nations Organization as a researcher after our batch graduated. And then just recently, he retired to relax and enjoy in his newly bought farm in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. According to him, his “former” estranged wife came back to the Philippines before he retired and all of his family went back to Paris again. Together, they are happily enjoying their lives now. As the cliché goes: “Love is sweeter the second time around”. Chill.
Hearing the stories of Farrah and Riza about our friends made me fell silent to reminisce again the good times that years had brought us. I smiled contentedly to myself and uttered a prayer of thanks to the Almighty One for the blessings He had showered to me and to my friends as well as to our favorite Professor in college. I believe, our dreams, in which some used to be just a secret before, have been heard. Thanks be to God. All is well that ends well.
jojo and coffee 🙂
Banana fish talks 