First Drafted : May17, 2014

Story:

Never did I expect to meet someone so caring, sharing, loving, and kind-hearted. I know I don’t deserve to be his friend (kay evil ra kaayo ko), but somehow we clicked, and at this moment, I am certain that we will be good friends till infinity. I know I’ve always been a b!*ch to him for quite a while, treating him like $h*!, but he never did put any grudges in me. He’s still that kind-hearted person I met since day one. And so for his birthday, I would like to acknowledge his presence and how much he touched my heart, life in more ways than one. To Nikki, this is my shout-out to you, and Happy Birthday. I love you.

Nikki & I in Camotes Island April 12, 2013

First, I would like to look back to that day we first met. I was applying for a job at a company he’s working as a Human Resource Personnel. He facilitated my preliminary exam and my initial interview, and he looked very young to be working at that company and to be facilitating the said application process. But he was very formal and I knew he meant business. Eventually, I got hired and two years after I am still working at the same company. I must admit though, I can’t remember vividly the exact moment when we first hit it off and started being real good friends. What I am sure of was that it all started over a bottle of Red Horse beer. I can remember going out with him and our other colleague after work to drink a bottle of beer. But instead of having one bottle, we ended up drinking one bucket while singing on the karaoke. From there, we became drinking buddies and started spending a lot of time together (mostly drinking beer). I do think I was his bad influence at that time. But I didn’t really care because I know we’re both having a good time. And after hearing his life stories and struggles, I know he deserved to have a break and just be free.

Taking a break a busy Sinulog night

It was February 15, 2013 (Friday) when I introduced him to my best friend – Yami. Nikki and I, along with our boss, were hanging out at my place when I invited Yami over to hang out with us. They instantly became friends, hitting it off that fast. We were really drunk, so they spent the night at my place. I remember the next day, Nikki left his phone in the cab, still groggy from last night’s drinking session. Since then, we became really close friends (the three of us). As we are officemates, we usually plan our night out and then inform Yami of all the details.

Sinulog 2013 with our boss at Cebu, IT Park

We really did spend most of our time together. Every working day at the office, and then during weekends. We always hang out either just the two of us or with our boss and yami.

Taking some well deserved timeout Sinulog 2014

What I really like about him is that I can tell him everything, anything at all. He just listens without any judgments. He knows all my secrets and he has shared some of his own. Whenever we’re together, anything is possible. And although he has this fear of riding on a boat, a ship, or encountering sharks and other sea creatures (literally anything that’s related to the sea), he still accompanies me on all my trips. He’s brave, I hope he knows that he is.

yeah, we kinda love the beach and we used to love to travel together, not anymore

Taken at Camotes Island, Santiago Bay Garden & Resort
We’ve been on a lot of adventures together; to Danasan, where he experienced riding an ATV, we climbed Osmena Peak in Mantalongon, Dalaguete. We went to Camotes to celebrate Yami’s birthday. We went to Siquijor to celebrate something special, toured around the island riding on a motorcycle. We crossed the waters of Bogo City and went to Capitancillo Islet. We did an outreach event in Daanbantayan in the midst of the calamity brought by typhoon Haiyan. We went to Oslob together with our officemate to swim with the Whale Shark and went straight to Sumilon Island. We went back to Oslob to visit Tumalog Falls. We were even together during our company’s summer outing – island hopping. We experienced these things together, we shared moments no one can take away from us. Together we made both our lives fun-filled and purposeful.

Final Draft : May 17, 2015

I did mention a year too late, right? I’m not only talking about figuratively, but also in the truest meaning of the word “too late.” Too late because, as much as I am ashamed to admit it, we had indeed gone our separate ways. And this letter won’t mean a thing anymore. Nevertheless, I am publishing this letter to put all my cards down on the table and cleanse my conscience. After this, I can move on and start anew. And in the years to come, as I get older, I would look back at this article and reminisce about all our memories together. Because what really matters to me are the memories we spent together, the experiences, the laughter, the moments.

Never too late to post this article, I suppose. Now I am feeling lazy to proofread this.