Audette and her husband Alfredo came to Manila from Sanfo for a three-week holiday and of course Cherish and I came to meet up with them. There’s actually four of us who have kept the friendship intact even after we left Stateland (the other part of our foursome, Cecille is in Illinois where she now resides with her husband).
We all met when we were in our early 20’s, completely clueless about how our lives will eventually unfold. 10 years later, we are still friends, still enjoying each other’s company and still laughing at and with each other ‘til our stomachs ache.
I remember when I first came to Stateland straight from my first job at the university. I was oblivious about corporate life, thinking that it will be hugely different from working in a laid back environment. One thing that I dreaded was making new friends (I was never good at it, having grown up with the same circle of friends from grade school). But on the first week of feeling my way around Binondo, I was approached by Audette. We learned that we take the same route going home and from then on we went home together. She was then residing in a boarding house a few minutes away from where I lived. Some days when it was difficult getting a ride, we traversed the stinky and filthy Quezon bridge from Lawton to Quiapo just to catch a jeepney en route to Dimasalang. I wouldn’t have braved that creepy overpass had I not been with Audette who keeps me engaged in her usual colorful anecdotes as we crossed the bridge.
We talked about everything under the sun. Long conversations that may seem trivial back then but it was what let us into each other’s lives. What I like about Audette is that when she tells stories about her family, she talks about them like you actually know them personally. So I knew her mom and dad, Charlene, Jeff and Hazel even before I actually met them.
She is also one passionate person. She puts her heart into the things she believes in. I may not believe in the same thing, but her passion wins my respect for her principles and values in life. And she in turn knows how to respect convictions different from hers.
While it is sad that she now lives in the US, thousands of miles away, I’m extremely delighted that she does with Alfredo, her perfect match. When she left the Philippines a few years back, there was nary a doubt in my heart that I will lose her friendship.
True enough, a few hours of being together today, proved that we can always pick up from where we left off.
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