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| Source: http://www.stanford.edu |
It was Friday at 3:45 PM, the weather and the sky alike were repulsive as Lean, a 3rd year Psychology student, tried to widen his lip sideward to manufacture a smile, and hid the hostility the world had brought him since the day began. He was passing XU’s Social Science (SS) building, the street was empty the way he sees it, and the trees within his sight are moving gently as the cold wind blow their leaves off. Pulled by gravity, every leaf glides into the cold air presenting a sad epic scene.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” He asked himself as he remembered something that gave him a chill - the memories of an old friendship, a love affair that could have lasted although bittersweet, but had lost its way into the oblivion of nothingness. As the lineaments of a girl occupied his thoughts, the world around him began to lose meaning. He recalled her name without constraints, it was Dibay. The name was two Filipino words patched together - “Digma” and “Bayan” or “Digmang Bayan.”
Their story began nothing like the normal gorgeous-prince-saves-the-helpless-cinderella we usually see in movies, and so as their relationship. They both started with fire, not with their feelings though but with their undying defiance against tyranny and injustices, against the widespread poverty and inequality, and against state terrorism as a normal requite of a government that is afraid of the people’s clamor claiming for what is rightfully theirs in the parliamentary of the street. In other words, both of them were activists, they share the same political views that brought about their basis of unity that had soon become one of the cornerstones of their relationship. And they met in the streets where a poor man’s justice could be found.
Dibay and Lean are best friends since they set foot in MSU-IIT. For almost two years they managed to mix activism, schooling, heavy drinking, and any other activities a youth would want to do but didn’t because of parental supervision. Their case was different. They are like free birds that had been caged for 18 years in places called house and school.
One day, Lean is nowhere to be found in a march-rally against the commercialization of the Philippine Educational System. That rally has had a direct hit to them since they are state university students, or what they called iskolar ng bayan. As it was about to start; almost 300 students started afoot from the street fronting MSU-IIT to Iligan City’s post office – the place where peaceful demonstrators usually set their rendezvous.
Dibay was one of the protestors, alone, wondering where Lean could be. As the march advanced, she keeps on wandering around and scanning every face her eyesight could permit but her boy could not be found. As the fervor of the youth-activists’ escalate, the airwaves in where the protest is nearing were conquered by their battle cry. Dusts turned to smog as it rose from the ground fogging the streets where they passed. Soaked with sweat, she found herself a good place in the picket line where she could have a chance to see the whole of the demonstration. She was then hoping to find Lean. Her dress stick to her skin making her body-shape visibly detailed from the outside. Although it wasn’t sexy but sure it was beautiful enough to catch the attention of a guy named Sander.
On the other hand, Lean was busy searching for a flower shop. Specifically, he is looking for a while tulip that made him circle around the city, delaying his participation on the protest. That day, for him, isn’t just about fighting for student’s rights. Aside from it was their first anniversary as lovers, it was also the third-year anniversary of their never ceasing friendship. Also, as their “rule of the thumb,” every rally is considered as a date. And Lean, with a sure feeling of love, never failed to bring something surprising every anniversary that they had. (to be continued...)
