NATURE FOR LIFE
Anabelle E. Plantilla

Christmas is a season for re-unions and get-togethers that last for hours. Last Saturday, I had dinner with five college friends whom I’ve known for 30 years. We all have put up with each

other’s idiosyncrasies and in spite of differences and periodic disappearing acts our bond has grown stronger. We met during our freshman year in Maryknoll College (now Miriam) being all in the same section. Since a prerequisite was for all freshmen to take a psychological exam, we surmised that our mental and emotional states brought us together. Our barkada didn’t start with five; we were more than a dozen! Within that universe of friends, we had subsets - each had her “best friend. ”

Thirty years and twenty pounds ago, we spent our four-hour breaks together, in the cafeteria, in the library foyer (chatting and laughing loudly until the librarian expelled us) or around Maryknoll’s campus enjoying the shade of the big mango tree near the resting place of deceased nuns. With permission from the school, we would go on required retreats in Baguio riding in a Coaster separate from our other classmates because a member of my barkada had one.

In our sophomore year, we found ourselves in different courses gaining new friends but we still gravitated towards each other. After college, we experienced the “split.”  Some have wandered to other parts of the world while those who remained in the country joined the rat race. In our 20s, we tried to conquer the world, experienced our individuality and some started their families. Between our 30s and 40s, the search for that special someone (whether male or female) continued, but a few marriages ended, too. We would organize out of town trips whenever a barkada visited from abroad. In those trips, we would reminisce and ask questions that should have been asked 30 years ago. Although belated and awkward, we faced our ghosts and the candor has contributed to a better understanding of each other.

In the recent years, we kept each other company in the hospital whenever a parent is confined and eventually comfort each other in a funeral home.

Facebook was helpful in bringing the distance closer. Pictures of our togetherness, in the present and in the past peppered our pages. Although one or two have remained distant, the barkada is still intact. So last Saturday, Lala made dinner reservations. I have known Lala since high school. Ever the fashionista, she now supplies garments to a large department store and is always on a plane to Las Vegas, Europe, China and other parts of the world attending fashion conferences and meetings or just enjoying the company of loved ones. Lala has a big heart; I don’t know how it fits her petite size.

Liza is a neighbor and so I picked her up. She is the leader among us having been our senior class president. We all had that “air” in college because she was in our barkada! She worked for a bank, retired early after that bank was bought by another, took a second course and is now a full-fledged interior designer.

Mae is very good in math and it is no wonder that she works with the BIR. She is the most talented. She danced ballet and although she stopped dancing in college, she became a member of the basketball varsity team. She lends her good singing voice in our programs and moreover, composed our graduation song. As if that were not enough, she went on to be part of the Philippine chess Olympic team in the 80s.

Teng arrived very late but still she made up for it by making us laugh with her stories. A successful career woman, she is the most candid among us, generously sharing her heart and her thoughts. She is determined, being able to get what she wants.

Sandra is the glue that holds us all. As far as I can remember, she has been the member of the barkada who has insisted that we hold Christmas get-togethers no matter how full our schedules were or how few we were. Now it is a tradition. Thank you Sandra!

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