I saw on old - as in OOOLLLDDD - friend today at SM City Baguio. I didn't even plan on going to SM because the sight of stuff on sale makes me gooo craaazzyy ! (I actually do a mental twerking when I find something really good - and it is on sale), but I promised Nicole that I will get her these:
O. K. Back to my OOOLLLDDD friend. She is literally old - older than my mom or dad. She is around 85 years old. She used to be a high school teacher in the '70s (so obviously she was not my teacher since I was maliit pa noon), went to the US and came back home here in Baguio as a real estate broker.
She may be old, but she has really good PR and is good at selling, that is why I met her. I helped her process papers for transfers of titles of properties she sold. And small world ha, because she knew my mom. My mom worked at the Baguio City Treasurer's Office's Real Property Tax Section. (I met her after my mom passed away, though.) and she swore she was a good, good friend.
Anyway, she reminded me of my grandma - a strict but sweet lady...
Anyway, I was on my way to the National Bookstore at SM when I saw her (after two years) walking ever so slowly with this 3-legged walking cane.
I rushed to her, so happy to see her and hugged her tight.
She was happy to see me, too, saying I looked good with the usual "Tumaba ka" (which everybody I know who has not seen me for a long time always says. Anobeh!).
Turned out she just returned from Tallahassee where she stayed for nine months. Her son-in-law died of stomach cancer. He was just around 50 and did not even know he had cancer until it was sobrang malignant na. He was a doctor.
Which made me so scared ha. Every now and then (as in every minute, every second of the day), hospital scenes of what happened to my dad haunt me. Between me and my brother, I have seen my dad in his bad days. Three times I have seen him near death and survived. Until the fourth when I whispered to him to "Go to Mama." A lot of times, I hate myself for not being with him more in the hospital. My brother, who had to go on leave from his work in Manila, would stay there the whole time, even sleeping in the car, to be near Papa. But Papa chose to show his suffering to me. He always appeared strong everytime he is around my Kuya.
So, anyway, my hurt would be for another topic. Back to Mrs. F.
She was looking disoriented, because she has been away for nine months. She was to meet a couple who are asking her to broker for a property (bongga di ba. )at Max's. I walked with her, ever so slowly (she told me her three toes on her left feet are painful). She drove to SM, by the way ha! Galing. When I grow old, I want to be as clear-minded as she is (but I sure don't want walking with a cane though). She chose to go through the escalator, e fourth floor kaya yun. She appeared tired once we reached Max, but happy because we caught up with each other.
And when we separated, I felt sad. Lately, older people in my life are leaving....
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