October 29th, 2008 
Iris … madilim. Ito ang istorya niyan. Sana’y magustuhan niyo.
if I had a choice to do my life all over again, I’d go back to that afternoon when I sat at a jeepney stop watching the pedestrians and traffic pass by. You see, I wasn’t alone then.
you asked me if I wanted dirty ice cream, but I said no thanks. I had too much calories in me and i’d do better without one hundred and fifty more. You shrugged and still bought one, telling the sorbetero if he could add just one more scoop of chocolate. I marveled at how much room you still had for dessert, after eating at our favorite carinderia.
you sat beside me at the stone bench and for a few minutes we took our time to scan the bulletin board for new announcements like, “wanted: lady bed spacers” or “lose/gain weight call” or “up to 70% off on all items” maybe realizing there was none worth scrutinizing, you turned to me and asked where I was going later that night. I told you I had nowhere to go; I was still grounded for coming home late the other night.
Ayan kasi, dapat nagpaalam ka maaga pa lang.
It wasn’t my fault, I wanted to tell you. nobody had told me you were coming. I thought you still had a basketball game with the boys. But never mind, we still had a great time, didn’t we? i asked if you were going somewhere yourself.
Ewan ko. Ikaw, gusto mo gumimik? Ay, oo nga pala hindi ka pwede. Hehe. Ikaw kasi eh.
yep, that did it. I began to tell you about how we ended up being friends. I recounted how we first met, what was the first thing you told me, and even what you wore. I said you were too mayabang and figured you couldn’t be as nice as they say. You laughed at me and said you were probably the nicest person on earth even if it turned over.
I wanted to say yes, that’s possibly true. That’s probably why I began to like you minus the first impressions. And you were also sweet and fun to be with and smart and such a gentleman and so much more! But I kept that to myself and just smiled. Yeah, you’re sooo humble too. You seemed to have found that amusing and playfully punched me in the arm.
It’s been three years since we met, I told you. remember that time when I got stranded in school because of the rain (and you kept pestering me to bring an umbrella but I didn’t want to) and you still went back for me anyway even if you lived in the south and I was in qc? The flooding was really bad and you just had your car washed. i was so grateful to you then. I still am.
It’s funny how I really never got to thank you for all those times you were my hero. I guess I’ve always felt you were going to be there for me constantly. You interrupted my reverie and said I was getting way too sentimental. Yeah, you were never the schmaltzy, gushy type.
But I wanted to tell you anyway.
My point is, my dear friend, hindi ka ba naa-amaze sa tagal na nating magkaibigan? Akalain mo yon, natiis kita? (haha) I’ve always hung out with you, na kahit may gustong manligaw sakin, hindi makalapit! Akala nga nung iba nating mga classmates boyfriend kita. Sabi ko nga ang swerte mo naman.
Haha, you know what I’ve always liked about you? you have such a great sense of humor! Pero alam mo, sa lahat ng friends kong babae, ikaw lang yung sobrang close sa akin. Ewan ko pero feeling ko you know me inside out, im not afraid to be myself. Eh bakit nga ba hanggang ngayon wala ka pa ring boyfriend?
Bakit ba? Wala eh, na-intimidate siguro sayo.
Nye, sakin pa? sira nalang ang hindi pa lumapit sayo, sa ganda mo na yan, matalino ka pa, sobrang bait pa. what more can they ask for?
Hmm. You think? It didn’t seem to apply to you.
Come on, you’re my bestfriend! Your prince just seems to be a little lost. You know what I love about sitting in this waiting shed with you? you always come up with crazy ideas. what’s all this over-sentimental session about anyway?
Wala lang. don’t you ever think..?
What?
Wala. Never mind.
Ano nga?
Wala nga, ok? Drop it.
A bunch of students stood near us and tried to flag down a jeepney. It just sped by. like that moment, when I could have told you. it went past us and it is never going to do a u-turn.
I’m sitting on the same stone bench at the same jeepney stop where we had that conversation. i held the thank you card in one hand and gripped the edge of my seat with the other. as if life couldn’t be more unkind; I realize i should’ve taken your offer for that one ice cream cone. I should’ve said this or done that. But it’s too late for that now.
I picked up a box full of your and my stuff, each of them with stories to tell about us. your mom told me how you’d love for me to have them. i loaded the box inside the trunk and went on my way to the church where they’re keeping you for a while. i know it’s no jeepney stop, but I’m still going to wait with you there till you board your ride home.
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it’s such a sad story…makes you realize that life should be lived more bravely and according to what our heart tells us.
fortuitous faery’s last blog post..halloween hullabaloo
yeah… seize the day, sabi nga.
nyeheheh de ko na gets yung story. ang hirap talaga pag mahina pumik-up eh.
happy LP
scart’s last blog post..LP#31 Kadiliman (Darkness)
haha. ok lang yun scart.
ganda ng story … very engaging … remind me of the short pinoy stories s mga libro ng panitikan nung elementary ako … ganon kaganda ang story, pang-libro!
inyang’s last blog post..uh-huh
wow salamat inyang!
pangarap kong ma-publish actually 
ganda ng kuha ng litrato atsaka haaay! nakakaantig naman ng kwento mo. Ano ba yan? nangyari sa tunay na buhay?
Marites’s last blog post..PhotoHunt#5 Blue
hi marites! salamat
partially based on true events, pero doncha worry, not the dying part. wala namang namatay. just that the person is the one that got away. 
hello ganda….
hay na touch ako sa story mo…
Isang magandang araw n LInggo kapatid
jeanny’s last blog post..LP: Kadiliman ko’y Biyaya
salamat jeanny! at sayo din!
Haaay, naalala ko na naman yung kaibigan kong hindi ko napaibig, haha:P Akala ko meron nang something sa amin, pero umasa lang pala ako *tear* Salamat sa entry:)
komski’s last blog post..Love 201
uy, may hang up.. sumbong kita kay karmi! hahaha. kidding.
waaahhh!!! pinaiyak mo ako.
korky’s last blog post..LP #31 Kadiliman
awww. sorry to do that…
soooo sad
Reflexes’s last blog post..The Box Collector
sorry kung napalungkot kita!!!
oo nga bitter sweet.. ganyan tlga buhay.. minsan nakamiss no? Silipin nyo rin ang lahok ko.. ang litrato ng anak ko sa kadiliman…naway matakot ko kayo! Ang aking Lahok
“sa kadiliman”
hehe oo, minsan.
nice photo and nice story… one big *sigh…
magandang huwebes sa’yo!
http://beybi-gurl.blogspot.com/2008/10/lp-31-kadiliman.html
lidie’s last blog post..LP #31 :: Kadiliman
thanks lidie! ako rin napapa-sigh pa pag binabasa ko hanggang ngayon
Aaawww…lots of emotion in this post…
Nandito po ang sa akin
Happy LP!
peachkins’s last blog post..LP: KADILIMAN
may pinaghugutan eh.
nice capture… and nice story…. happy huwebes…
salamat lino! at sayo din
aawwwyyy naman….
na-senti tuloy ako.
Happy LP
http://eloiselei.blogspot.com/2008/10/lp-kadiliman.html
eloise’s last blog post..LP: KADILIMAN
salamat sa pakikiramay eloise!
ang intriguing ng photo. medyo kamukha ni jean garcia ang babae, no?
pao’s last blog post..Lion Head
hmm.. siguro sa angulo na to? pero in real life medyo malayo
ang ganda nang iyong larawan at napaka poignant ng iyong kwento…nice story all the same
pining’s last blog post..cold.weather. stranger than fiction…
salamat pinig
Wala akong masabi – nalungkot naman ako dito sa post mo…
Tugged at my “senti” side, I guess. Waaahhh!!!
Pinky’s last blog post..LP #31: Kadiliman
aww. sana hindi maapektuhan ang araw mo pinky! it’s my favorite “the one that got away” story
grabe talagang pinagbutihan mo nga ang lahok mo ha! puyat at hinagpis ang katapat nitow!:) nice:)
ces’s last blog post..Litrato:candle in the dark
kinareer, kumbaga. hehe. minsan lang naman mag-drama!
naalala ko kasi yung “the one that got away” ko. hahaha!
Gusto ko ang litrato mong ito…pati na din ang kwentong kasama nito…
G_mirage’s last blog post..Litratong Pinoy – Liwanag
salamat G!
ill read again this post pag katapos kong umikot sa 1stbatch nang LP.pero ate, di ba nakaktakot sa jeep stop nayan tapos Bangkok pa
ill comment again after my second reading, slow me today eh, lumilipd ang isip ko kakaisip kay dearest someone
)
eto aken lahok
magandang araw ka-litratista
Salamat sa pagbisita
Jay’s last blog post..LP#31: Kadiliman (Darkness)
bakit nakakatakot ba talaga sa bangkok? slow ako..
aba, lovestruck ang jay. hehe. ok lang, balik ka ha!
Bittersweet. Happy Thursday.
Em Dy’s last blog post..Yakap sa Dilim
happy thursday to you too em!
awww, so sad iris, yet so beautifully written.
Kadiliman sa California Adventure
Kadiliman sa Disneyland
thank you weng
may pinaghuhugutan noon eh. haha.