But where were you, and why couldn’t you make it?
We wish you could have seen how Marvs Bernabe and Zed Matubis had us all in stitches because of their non-stop alaskahan. We wish you could have seen how Brian Tenorio could still wallop a volleyball and how John Valdezco and Pablo Yambot could still outrun everybody on the basketball court. We wish you could have heard Trin Garingan and the Glee Club sing again. We wish you could have seen how Maxie Escano is still, and always will be, Maxie Escano. We wish you could have seen how good we all looked, considering, especially Dex Osorio, but wait, that’s me, so let’s get back on track, okay? Okay.
We wish you were there to hear all the stories, the ones we pledged never to repeat, especially in front of Ms. Alcid.
But mostly, we wish you were there to share your own stories, the ones you never had a chance to tell us because college and adulthood got in the way. We wish we could have met your family. We wish we could have shared a beer with you, or two, or ten. We wish you well and all that, but we wish you could have been, well, there.
We wish you could have been there so Barry Gutierrez could remind you that you were – are – spectacular.
The Reunion surprised us by being more fun than anybody ever expected or even hoped for. Imagine laughter overflowing, laughter unforced, laughter coming out of your nose and ears and making you feel fifteen again. Now imagine that laughter, as good as it is, being more than just laughter. Because at The Reunion, that laughter was just the audible manifestation of ties being retightened, friendships being renewed, and new ones being made all around.
We missed you, batchmate. (Yes, you too.) We hope to see you next time. Facebook is not good enough, trust us.
Life in the Bukids 