MEDIUM RARE 

We were classmates a hundred years ago, i.e., during the last century, in a class of 20, 25 journalism majors, of whom less than a handful actually ended up as journalists. Strangely or not, the ones who became my closest friends after college were/are the nonjournalists.

They are Milagros, whose passion is gardening, in particular succulents (which I kept referring to as cacti); Socorro, whose family once owned a hospital so she’s our go-to doctor-adviser; and Belen, who makes sure she has sweets for us whenever we meet. Finding a convenient date for the four of us to hold another lunch isn’t all that hard to do as there’s just us two widows, Socorro and myself, and two wives, Mila and Belen. Simply put, we’re not all that busy, not socially.

We met up again last week after a frustrated reunion with Teodosia, the visiting New Jersey balikbayan who had urgent business to attend to in Bulacan and Manila. A sixth member of the group was Marsha, but we lost her some years ago.

So it was lunch for Belen, Mila, Socorro, myself, at Belen’s expense, being so quick with her credit card. Belen and her husband live in a huge condo whose pride of place is a swimming pool designed for swimmers of all ages. Beside the pool, separated by a wall of glass, is the restaurant where we were wowed by the variety of dishes set up for lunch and a dessert station with its endless temptations of everything sweet, cold, sweeter, colder.

What we had was not a reunion – reunions happen rarely – but a catching up. It was good just to see everybody looking hale and hearty. No sign of a white hair sticking out of place, and unbelievable as it may seem, no one complained of aches and pains, no one talked about pills and capsules.

Remarkable, how old friends do not change, how over the years their likability has not wavered; their vocabulary, interests, likes and dislikes as predictable as ever. Socorro’s humongous sense of humor. Mila’s point of view as a helpful, if unlicensed, psychologist. How Belen can be so practical while being devoutly prayerful. Being in their company is a blessing, as it has always been.