Hi Bob,
Bob,
hindi ka nag-iisa. I felt what you felt. Toss coin baga, to attend or
not to attend, and that was what I was asking myself. Then I was
waiting for the courage in me to tell Grace that we will be having a
class reunion and I wanted to attend.
And since you have spoken
and chose to do it this way, through email. I have to add in my
revelations to you guys that I almost gave up attending our reunion.
First I have to got the courage to tell my wife of the upcoming event
we will be having. And when I got the courage to tell Grace, a negative
reaction was all I got. Of course I felt sad at first. But she
explained it to me why.
Firstly, she cannot come with me since
it will be the last week of the year. Year-ending for banks, are very
busy. Bawal ang leave. Secondly, walang makakasama sa akin. Which means
that I will travel on my own. That will be a very big problem for me.
With my situation, you know now. Just imagine me travelling alone.
Lastly, if ever I would push through with my plan and Grace okayed, how
much would I spend on myself, my alalay if for 1 but I need to have 2
persons to accompany me. How much would I spend from Davao to Manila
to Legaspi and vice versa. I don't have the courage to ask Grace to
earmarked as early as May, since I am jobless. The ego in me creep in.
Being
the "man", I hesistated to be insistent with Grace, cause in my mind
and in my heart, I wanted really to attend our reunion. But the
circumstances does not really favor my attendance. Besides all the
negatives were with me, another thing that went through my mind is I
will go te reunion with nothing to make "yabang", what I meant was I
was not successful enough to be proud of you guys. Sa tagalog, wala
akong maipagmamalaki sa inyo. What happen to me, no job, dependent with
my wife. I ask myself ano naman ang maihaharap ko sa inyo?
Then,
inspite of all of these unfavorable circumstances, as early as April,
I started to be always online to see what promo fare I could get from
all the airlines. Kahit na alam kong malabo akong maka-attend ng
reunion. There was a thread in our exchanges of emails that by hook or
by crook you have to get me to attend our reunion, then Melo offered
his services to drive me from Davao
all the way to Legaspi. I was glad that you all wanted to went out of
your ways just to have me to attend. But pride..oh pride...ayaw ko.
Many
months passed. Still persistent, I go online looking for promo fares,
baka naman magbago isip ni Grace, sabi ko sa sarili ko. It was already
August, I felt desperate that I cannot attend cause if ever I will
attend, by August I should have booked myself because I knew for a fact
that November or December are peak season and I can not get a promo
fare. Sept., Oct. and November came. I was really convinced I cannot
and will not be able to attend our reunion.
November
came Nov.1,2,3,4 until 27. Up to the last minute, Bob I tell you, I
still I feel in my heart I will be able to attend. Ganun ka-tindi ang
pagnanasa kong pumunta sa reunion. And on Nov. 27 of the evening my
cousin from Manila came to Davao without notice. Together with his
wife, his mother and our uncle. They just stayed for 2 days and on the
third day went back to Manila.
I am very close to this cousin of
mine, barkada ang turingan namin. He was already working and I was
still a student at that time. Sa lahat ng bagay magkasama kami, inom,
cine and of course chicks. We have not seen each other for more than 20
years. Their visit is biglaan, very short visit by Nov. 30 the'll be
back to Manila.
My family and I were scheduled to go to our
farm on the 28th November to attend to our family reunion on my
mother's side. Sinama namin sila sa Malita, sa farm. About 2-1/2 hours
drive from the city. Anyway, I told them balikan naman tayo.
The
day before they will left for Manila, our wives were shopping at SM
Davao and my cousin and I were left at the car. And so we had the time
to talk one-on-one, reminsicing ung mga kalokohan namin noon. Then he
asked me, kumusta na? Eto ganun pa rin, still very young at nag-aaral
pa ring maglakad, I replied. HAHAHAAHA. We both laugh. Then he told me,
sabi ni Grace may reunion daw kayo sa Legaspi?. Just like that. And
asked me if I am coming. I said, NO! Without asking WHY, he just said
to me sagot ko pagpunta mo sa reunion. Isama mo si Grace at kung sino
gusto mong isama.
I was really awed. I almost cried. Infact I
posted in my facebook that I will be attending our reunion because
somebody sponsored our trip. My facebook friends were really
happy....congratulating me.
In short, I was really hoping I
will be able to attend. Bob, i was thinking, whatever happens, I told
myself, "BAKIT AKO MAHIHIYA SA INYO?' ANO BA ANG DAPAT KONG IKAHIYA
KUNG ITO LANG ANG NAABOT KO AT NAGKAGANITO AKO?"
One last question I asked myself, "DOES IT MATTER?"
I posted in my facebook . LEGASPI HERE I COME !!!!. (Of course still with mixed emotions)
So
Bob, don't hesitate. You still are very blessed. You have your very
nice wife with you at andidito kami, kaming mga STAGS. If there's a
line in a song " I left my heart in San Francisco,
Bob this I will tell, I am a tagolog and bisaya by blood.
(BISALOG)....I tell you..I DENNIS LAINEZ, left my heart in Legaspi
City. It was the best moment in my whole life to be with you and all
the Stags. I really missed you so much on the last day/night of our
reunion. I missed our personal jokes. And I know deep inside me and you
know that we both know, those were just cover-ups of our immaturity and
shortcomings of our dreams, if I may say.
Cheers !!!
Dennis K. Lainez
Wheeling & Willing
(from Durian City)
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