Highway to Happy

I’ve been planning to make this post months ago; or maybe even terms ago. The obvious delaying is due to my inability to organize what I really want to write about. All I know is that I want to devote a space here for two guys. That is, aside form the entry I made about hunting girlfriends for both of them.

Last weekend, I came across an old woven pink box with paper flowers on top. I smiled at the sight of it. Actually, I almost chuckled. Who would have thought that it was from Vlad and Dex? Yes, those two guys, I don’t know who specifically, picked an extremely girly box and used it for my palanca letters. But that’s not the surprising part.

I was surprised by their gesture.

I know it was their way of giving back, since I was the one who prepared their last- minute palanca box when they had their retreat. Like how Vlad put it, one good turn deserves another. But still. At that point, based on how I knew them and the depth of our friendship, it was one bigtime surprise.

I can still pinpoint the first time I “talked” with Vlad. It was a day after our qualifying exam. He asked me if I already had the books we need for the next term. I said, yes. That was the first of the many conversation we had; some are nonsensical; others really profound and private. Nevertheless, I learned a lot from him. I mean, aside form lame jokes and sarcastic remarks. (for those who are skeptical, yes, that’s possible. Hehe) And if there’s one thing I won’t forget about him, it’s that instance I confessed to him about an argument I had with the boyfriend. Rather than asking if I was okay, he asked how not okay I am. It was a one- liner message, but it showed genuine concern.

With Dex, though, it was a different case. I can’t remember our first encounter. Perhaps, I just knew him because of Vlad. I had quite a bad first impression of him but he was able to prove me wrong along the way. If I remember it right, there was even one phone conversation we had when I mentioned not being able to imagine having that talk with him, based on how I knew him months before. I guess, looking back, it was the ACPACI thing that brought us closer. That was when we had our first serious talk; about religion, relationships, family and the rest of that sort. Right then, I knew, he’s someone I can run to for conversations- easy and difficult ones, alike.

I was able to develop different friendships with both guys. Different, but both the kind I would want to keep. It might take some effort, though, because both aren’t in SGV; Vlad is part of Unilever, while Dex is in P&G, Singapore. I’m just hoping regular texting and facebook updates would do the trick. So that, somehow, I’ll remain comfortable texting them after having a really tough day, and they’ll remain the kind of friends who would bother calling just to ask if I am okay- or how not okay I am.


P.S. the title is a direct quote from Vlad's letter.