the boys are back, pt. II

"Buti naman at naisipan mong magparamdam." Damaso said as he put his Blackberry on the table. He took a sip of his coffee as he glanced towards Wormtail who was busy with the pie that he ordered. Damaso was not able to join Mak and Wormtail at lunch. Instead, he picked them up and suggested that they have coffee elsewhere. "Nagkita pa tayo di ba bago ka pumunta ng US? Natuloy ka ba?"

"Yeah. I got back June something." Mak answered as he stared at the two of his High School classmates. "I've been wanting to call you up but I was distracted." He paused before continuing, "I saw Kr'sh the other day. Well, he saw me. We talked and it gave me the idea to see if I could pull a mini-reunion or something."

"Ayos yan. Kaso wala na rin akong contact sa iba. Si Kr'sh nakita ko rin dati kaso hi-hello lang yun. May hinihintay ata kasi." Damaso said. "Pero parang nagkita pa tayo after graduation. Siguro 2000 yun. Sa McDonald's pa di ba. Hindi ko lang alam kung bakit tayo nagkita."

"Ah. Oo nga!" Mak said. He remembered it now. The McDonald's branch in front of their school was where they usually stay after classes. They would sit at their favorite spot by the glass window, combine each of their large french fries into one big heap, and talk until it grows dark outside. "Naaalala niyo pa yun?" He asked grinning.

"Oo naman. Sa'yo ko nga nagaya yung pagkain ng fries na paisa-isa yung lagay ng catsup, kasi ayaw mo nung parang dip." Damaso animatedly explained.

"Oo nga. Alam mo ba, hanggang ngayon ikaw lang kilala ko na ganun ang pagkain ng french fries. Kaya naaalala kita kapag kumakain kami sa McDo." Wormtail said.

"Awww." Mak shrugged and chuckled. "Well, alam mo na... maarte. Hahaha. So have you guys heard from anyone else from our batch?"

Apparently, both of his friends have had limited to zero contact with their High School friends. So Mak gave them a quick update on the people whom he have heard from recently.

"... So you see, it would be great if we could meet the other guys again - SO, Roy, Noel, Dom, Tomas, Ton... even if he is out of the country." He said.

"And LJ." Wormtail added teasingly. This however, earned him a glare from Mak.

"Sige, let's do that. We can have dinner at my place." Damaso proposed.

"Sounds like a good idea." Mak said.

"Pagluluto mo kami ng masarap ha. Engrande." Wormtail said as he checked his watch.
"Hey, tara na. May client pa ako. Bilis hatid mo na kami ni Marky."

"Ito talaga KJ kahit kailan." Damaso whined as he grabbed his car keys and mobile unit. "Wag ka ng sasama next time ha!"

And the old friends laughed as they walked back to the car park area.

It's been years since they have done anything remotely similar to what they're doing now - endless teasing, ganging up on someone, sharing a laugh, bonding. And it is rather a relief that they can still find connections in the simplest things, however difficult it may seem at first. But that's how friendship is - it isn't always about big things because most of the time, it's the million little stuff that hold people together. Changes happen but genuine friendship will let each person grow separately, without growing apart from one another.

*******

"Hey, thanks for the lunch. Let's do it again sometime soon. Keep in touch."

"Marky. Next time ulit."

After sending a smiley to the two, Mak slipped his phone back into the bag and turned back to face his laptop and started typing an entry:

It has been said that friends are a connection to life. They are a tie to one's past, and a road to one's future. Perhaps it is time to seek out these connections; so I may possibly find out what is in store...