November 1 has passed by, there was something missing with this year... yeah, I didn't visit my old friends grave for the first time. I haven't missed any all souls day without peeping at her memories. During those past years, It's like a small reunion with my past barkada, seeing their faces again after a year would just remind me how long it's been since I've lost a friend.
Let me tell you a story about this girl, so dear and very special to us. It was second year high school, she was like the rose among the thorns on our section, II-Capricorn. It was also the time I met the only guy who turned out to be my bestest best friend until now, I don't even have any idea at all that I will be friends with a girl like her. She's so kikay, malikot, pa-cute, a typical crush-ng-bayan type of classmate. I remember her being the most friendliest kikay on that section, every boys on our room would literally drool over her, no joke. Through her, I met three pretty high school girls just like her, kikays (~.~") But I'm not kikay! I was the authistic type, I just sit on the corner and vandal our wall with G1 Pilot (sarap ng labas ng ink nun prang pentelpen) Her name was Jane Margarette Corpuz, a girl with the looks and the brains! one of our top rankers in class and muse! So amazing being friends with a popular girl like her huh? I learned to start going home at 5:30pm just because we where playing playstation at their house ( 4:30pm palang noon dapat nasa bahay nako! strict ang parents ko! lols ) I started enjoying high school life because of my new found high school friends, Ehm, Bebang, Girlie and Apple (Jane). That time I was also hooked up with my newest best buddy Yanyan! He was young and innocent back then hahaha! It's because he came from the elite St. Lorenzo on our first year (section 1 sa 1st yr HS)
To tell you frankly, those girls back then wasn't exactly the type of people I would prefer to go along with, but I have no idea what happened but we all became barkada until our 4th year HighSchool days came! We've been together through ups and downs of our barkada, through breakups with their ex-boyfriends and controversies with High School Hunks and crying like a baby because she lost in the Miss Intrams pageant and giving each other pet names according to our attitudes, yeah hehe she was the barkada "cat", she likes Hello Kitty so much she looks like Hello Kitty LOL *peace apple*, She gave me a Smileng nickname because she said my smiles are always there whatever situation I'm in. She was the first person to touch my hair forcibly making me wear a pucca hairstyle (WTF?!), she was the Bestfriend that I never imagined I would be friends with.
At Third year High School, she was often sick and would always ask me to take her home and be excused from school, I was worried because she's been like that for months and months... the end of the 3rd year came. She was often taken to the hospital, he sickness grew more and more often. That time, COCC began and I passed as a Dumbguard so I have to take the training for the whole summer! Argh the hardships those days was all capital PAIN IN THE ASS! the seniors were like leeching us money and making us do the duckwalk in daffy duck style! Being abused by seniors gave me and Ehm a busy summer so we couldn't pay Apple a visit during that time, We'd always say... "gagaling na un si Apple tawagan nalang natin mamaya"
At last, we graduated Dumbguard, we became PMT Officers for our batch succesfully (after the abused summer! LOL) We heard she was confined once again at a Hospital near our School so we all hurriedly came to see her, she looks so different from the Apple I knew before she got sick. Her face became paler and looked sicker than ever, her veins on her arms are all numb and fat because of the nonstop pinching of IV's. I felt sadness and pain when I saw her, I know she was trying to smile and prove to us she's okay, but who the hell is Okay when you're confined in a private hospital and needed to stay in there with lots of IV's stuck on every veins of your body. I wanted her to get well as soon as possible, there's so many things we wanted to share with her on our Senior year, but after a few days of staying there she told us that she have to be moved to Makati Medical because the doctors here cannot find a cure for her sickness. We were all saddened because she have to leave Olongapo and stay away from the comfort of her friends, she promised to come back and will taste the sweetness of Seniority before school begins.
First day of school came, we were all excited because we were all in the same section! At last Apple will be so delighted to know that. We tried contacting her but Tita Jess would always say she's asleep or she can't talk right now.. During Senior year I was so occupied with our upcoming School Newspaper, because DSPC will soon begin and we must submit our newspaper entry. I began to get hooked up with new set of friends (Mahalia and Janice) and another set of barkada( Jeson, Rannie, Emilou, Michelle and Yanyan ) while my old barkada's started spending time with new people too.
One night, I went home late because we finished the newspaper layout at Mahalia's place, around 11:00pm the telephone rang and I was the one who answered it, It was Girlie. I was spaced out, my brain stopped thinking about DSPC and newspaper deadlines, she was crying while speaking in a harsh voice, Apple is dead... She died a few hours ago, they were trying to call me but I didn't bring my Celfone with me. I remember clearly the TV was tuned into Maala Ala Mo Kaya in channel 2 and my mama was watching as she noticed I was crying, I dropped the telephone and started sobbing while telling Mama that Apple is dead, like me, Apple was close to all our parent's. I was tired from all the cramming and deadlines that we did today but nothing else could make me feel like some kind of big stone was thrown at me, I lay flat in my bed crying and trying to convince myself that one of my best friends are not dead. That everything is Okay, no one has to go...
The next day, I came to school with nothing but emptiness in my eyes, I didn't get any sleep at all and I still cannot believe what I was hearing as I walk to the school grounds... I was late so I didn't get to attend the flag ceremony. Suddenly the school announcer spoke and started praying for Jane Margarette's soul, damn it is real... I entered our classroom and I saw nothing but a bunch of classmates crying and looking sad, to think we even covered Apple's chair with pink and Hello Kitty designs, thinking she would come back and be happy to sit in there. It was the worst school day in my life, I wanted to burst out of sadness because she's not coming back. Then after school they said that her body has arrived their home and that her Mom wanted us her barkada to be the first people to see her.
It was the most awkward feeling of all, seeing your bestfriend in a coffin, she doesn't even look like the Apple I knew, she became fat. I can see all the pain she was through in her face, I've ran out of tears from crying. I was merely talking to anyone at all, as her mother told us all her struggles at her last minute.
A few days before she passed away, her mother told us that she asked her to buy stationaries in different designs, those designs are based on how she knew all of us. She tried her best to fix her writing as the IV's made her hands unable to feel anything because of the veins becoming thick and painful, she wrote letters for each of us... She then told her mom to give it to us when she get's home. Who knew she's going home sleeping... I opened the letter and tears started flowing down from our eyes, we all realized how much friendship we had and how much she meant to us, when all those times we were too busy to see her when she was sick and still here, she'd promise to be with us eventhough she knew she's not going to anymore. All the memories we all shared together became so special because of her, I've never seen anyone value friendship like her. Loving us all with all the differences we had from her, those letters were the only thing I hold as a token of a real friend.
I'm writing this entry to remember a dearest friend who showed me how friendship can ignore the biggest differences and show happiness inspite of all the troubles in this world. How someone like her taught me to value friendship that can't be found easily, and that it stays forever in your heart. I remember her always, as someone who showed to us how to hold on until the end... I know that barkada was long gone, we all parted ways and living our own lives now. But I wouldn't value my other friends this much if there wasn't someone like her who showed me that.. I owe it all to you Apple.
We all Miss you so much.
To Jane Margarette Corpuz, who passed away from Aplastic Anemia.
Hi Guys! I'm back to blogging with more anime spotlights! Last week I finished re-reading a classic manga titled "Elfen Lied" and I'm so inspired to share it with you blog readers! ^_^
