A Girl Named Andrea…
Sometime in someone’s life, something never fades even throughout the span of time.
I would like to share one of my treasured memory, this is when I was 10 years old, I think the year is 1998, I was still a 4th grader school back then, Every Christmas break, my mother along with my big brother always spent our holidays in my Aunt in Manila, in Valle Verde Homes, Pasig, it was a small villa, My Aunt,(my mothers close cousin) we call her “Tita Ne” was a Public High School teacher, all I can remember was a abbreviation of the school “REPSI”. She never had a husband, One theory that we (including all my cousin in the mother side) was once upon her love life, she loved this one guy, and somehow died, ever since she never looked for anyone else and remained single until she got old, well but that old but “aged”. She’s a very religious person, devoted Catholic and have a very nice voice, she used to sing in the bathroom, (mostly religious song) I think she can be a opera singer if she wanted to. So, we accompany her in this special occasion, she was like my moms big sister or “Ate”, It’s not only us who often came to visit her, sometimes its like a tradition that we spent a family reunion, almost like it at her place. In the midst of the holiday spirit after a long exhilarating travel from Baguio to Manila, I always make sure that I’ll enjoy every bit of our stay in Manila.
But that Christmas break was not like any other.
The first Morning in Manila, my cousin named “Abigail” who apparently lived with my aunt, introduced me to her playmates and friends in the villa, Her “best friend” Andrea was on of the prettiest among the group, she was taller than me (back then I was this little kid) a mestiza, with a fair pinkish white skin, a very sweet smile, accompanied by a cherry lips, her hair was this long beautiful silky black, and she has this “chinita”( Chinese like eyes) hazel brown eyes. We just newly acquainted but we easily got along, we played “Hide and Seek” and we often hide together, she grabbed my hand while running along hiding in the bushes or in the back of the parked car, I was like older that her but just a year I think, she was still iin 3rd Grade, but she apparently look older than me.
Her family just moved in, and they are having there first Christmas in there new apartment. She’s good at sketching and drawing, she showed me the skectch of her annoying little brother named Nico, and she also has her big sister name “Luwen” a very attractive teen back then. Her mother was very sweet and easy to talk to, and they had this nanny, who always cuts the fun. It was a short week of vacation, and we need to go back here in Baguio, but I promised that I’ll return on the upcoming summer break.
That was the most fun I ever had, when my teacher told us to write about our vacation in class I did write the same essay, “A girl named Andrea”. I always want to speed up time so it could be summer already, I anticipate meeting her up again.
Summer, at last! I encourage my mom that we spent it in Manila, I always wanted to go down, I can’t wait! Once were in the bus, my mind was all about her, what are the things will do and all the stuff that we will play and all the things that might happen.
We arrived at Manila past the hour of 8pm, I was the most happiest Kid in the world, being able to step again in valle verde, I hurried to pay my respect to my aunt and hurried down at Andrea’s house, they seem to went out or something, nobody’s home, only they’re nanny who’s doing a night cleaning, I knocked and I ask her
“Is Andrea around?
“They went to the mall” she said in a hurry.
“Oh! Okay, thanks anyway” I said in gloomy voice.
I waited in the racking chair sitting outside they’re door, playing with it and waiting for her, but my mom broke the silence and wanted me to eat diner, change clothes and sleep, Dang! After Diner, I fell asleep, tired from the long ride
On the next day, I went cleaning my self up, grooming my self, applying a hair gel and powder in my face to look whiter than normal, my brother teased me but I don’t care.
Well she’s still asleep, they watched a movie or some sort and stayed up way too late last night, it’s okay, I can wait I got the whole summer. A bit disappointed I went back up and killed some time with my cousins, then after lunch I heard her calling my name her nanny told her that I was looking for her all this morning, I went out and greeted her with a warm smile.
We played and played, from jumping ropes, “ten-twenty” “Chinese Garter” to running along the villa, Hide and Seek, including “Heaven and Earth” “Prisoners Base” or simply watch our favourite daily cartoon show while eating snacks, we bonded and had the most fun ever.
Fast, It was the end of summer, we need to go again back home, It was heartbreaking to leave, I don’t wanna leave, I want to stay, and even study in Manila, I want to spend the time with her, but I never had the chance. We left.
If only communication is so easy back then, Manila and Baguio was like two separate worlds! Unlike today.
Uncertain circumstances happened; I didn’t quite make one Christmas of 1999 and New Year of 2000, I was living in my Dad in Tarlac, and my mom and my brother was the only one who went in Manila, As I recalled it right, Andrea approached my mom and asked If I was with them. But unfortunately I was not.
The next summer of 2000 I found out that they moved out already.
I never said goodbye to her.
Since then, I’m not that enthusiast in coming to Manila, it’s like half of the fun was gone, and everything was never the same, I got lonely, I cherish the time we spent together, I was lucky to have known such great angel, I always dream about her though back then, Every time I went to Pasig, I always look for the places we often hide, walk around the villa remembering all those time we spent together. And I really miss her so much, and then time passed so quickly.
Now, I guess she has her own life now, we’re grown up and I wonder what she looked like, I really wanted to see her again, if I got another chance.
I confess, I liked her and I think as a kid she’s my first crush, my first love.
It may sound crazy but writing this made me ponder, what if I look for her, I’m happy just to see her picture, with all the social networking sites, maybe just maybe I could find her in one of our common friends.
NEXT STOP: FINDING ANDREA
I would like to share one of my treasured memory, this is when I was 10 years old, I think the year is 1998, I was still a 4th grader school back then, Every Christmas break, my mother along with my big brother always spent our holidays in my Aunt in Manila, in Valle Verde Homes, Pasig, it was a small villa, My Aunt,(my mothers close cousin) we call her “Tita Ne” was a Public High School teacher, all I can remember was a abbreviation of the school “REPSI”. She never had a husband, One theory that we (including all my cousin in the mother side) was once upon her love life, she loved this one guy, and somehow died, ever since she never looked for anyone else and remained single until she got old, well but that old but “aged”. She’s a very religious person, devoted Catholic and have a very nice voice, she used to sing in the bathroom, (mostly religious song) I think she can be a opera singer if she wanted to. So, we accompany her in this special occasion, she was like my moms big sister or “Ate”, It’s not only us who often came to visit her, sometimes its like a tradition that we spent a family reunion, almost like it at her place. In the midst of the holiday spirit after a long exhilarating travel from Baguio to Manila, I always make sure that I’ll enjoy every bit of our stay in Manila.
But that Christmas break was not like any other.
The first Morning in Manila, my cousin named “Abigail” who apparently lived with my aunt, introduced me to her playmates and friends in the villa, Her “best friend” Andrea was on of the prettiest among the group, she was taller than me (back then I was this little kid) a mestiza, with a fair pinkish white skin, a very sweet smile, accompanied by a cherry lips, her hair was this long beautiful silky black, and she has this “chinita”( Chinese like eyes) hazel brown eyes. We just newly acquainted but we easily got along, we played “Hide and Seek” and we often hide together, she grabbed my hand while running along hiding in the bushes or in the back of the parked car, I was like older that her but just a year I think, she was still iin 3rd Grade, but she apparently look older than me.
Her family just moved in, and they are having there first Christmas in there new apartment. She’s good at sketching and drawing, she showed me the skectch of her annoying little brother named Nico, and she also has her big sister name “Luwen” a very attractive teen back then. Her mother was very sweet and easy to talk to, and they had this nanny, who always cuts the fun. It was a short week of vacation, and we need to go back here in Baguio, but I promised that I’ll return on the upcoming summer break.
That was the most fun I ever had, when my teacher told us to write about our vacation in class I did write the same essay, “A girl named Andrea”. I always want to speed up time so it could be summer already, I anticipate meeting her up again.
Summer, at last! I encourage my mom that we spent it in Manila, I always wanted to go down, I can’t wait! Once were in the bus, my mind was all about her, what are the things will do and all the stuff that we will play and all the things that might happen.
We arrived at Manila past the hour of 8pm, I was the most happiest Kid in the world, being able to step again in valle verde, I hurried to pay my respect to my aunt and hurried down at Andrea’s house, they seem to went out or something, nobody’s home, only they’re nanny who’s doing a night cleaning, I knocked and I ask her
“Is Andrea around?
“They went to the mall” she said in a hurry.
“Oh! Okay, thanks anyway” I said in gloomy voice.
I waited in the racking chair sitting outside they’re door, playing with it and waiting for her, but my mom broke the silence and wanted me to eat diner, change clothes and sleep, Dang! After Diner, I fell asleep, tired from the long ride
On the next day, I went cleaning my self up, grooming my self, applying a hair gel and powder in my face to look whiter than normal, my brother teased me but I don’t care.
Well she’s still asleep, they watched a movie or some sort and stayed up way too late last night, it’s okay, I can wait I got the whole summer. A bit disappointed I went back up and killed some time with my cousins, then after lunch I heard her calling my name her nanny told her that I was looking for her all this morning, I went out and greeted her with a warm smile.
We played and played, from jumping ropes, “ten-twenty” “Chinese Garter” to running along the villa, Hide and Seek, including “Heaven and Earth” “Prisoners Base” or simply watch our favourite daily cartoon show while eating snacks, we bonded and had the most fun ever.
Fast, It was the end of summer, we need to go again back home, It was heartbreaking to leave, I don’t wanna leave, I want to stay, and even study in Manila, I want to spend the time with her, but I never had the chance. We left.
If only communication is so easy back then, Manila and Baguio was like two separate worlds! Unlike today.
Uncertain circumstances happened; I didn’t quite make one Christmas of 1999 and New Year of 2000, I was living in my Dad in Tarlac, and my mom and my brother was the only one who went in Manila, As I recalled it right, Andrea approached my mom and asked If I was with them. But unfortunately I was not.
The next summer of 2000 I found out that they moved out already.
I never said goodbye to her.
Since then, I’m not that enthusiast in coming to Manila, it’s like half of the fun was gone, and everything was never the same, I got lonely, I cherish the time we spent together, I was lucky to have known such great angel, I always dream about her though back then, Every time I went to Pasig, I always look for the places we often hide, walk around the villa remembering all those time we spent together. And I really miss her so much, and then time passed so quickly.
Now, I guess she has her own life now, we’re grown up and I wonder what she looked like, I really wanted to see her again, if I got another chance.
I confess, I liked her and I think as a kid she’s my first crush, my first love.
It may sound crazy but writing this made me ponder, what if I look for her, I’m happy just to see her picture, with all the social networking sites, maybe just maybe I could find her in one of our common friends.
NEXT STOP: FINDING ANDREA
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