The Whole 9 Yards

An old photo popped up on my phone the other day. It was a photo of Mark and I, taken back in 2013. We were sophomores in high school. It was PALARO (sportsfest) season. The most awaited event in our school. So as classmates we were on the same team. He was the captain for the volleyball boys, while I was captain for the girls. Our teams were both champions that year!! He and I also won individual awards in the volleyball division that year, “Most Promising Player”. It was amazing. At that time, it meant the world.

Sophomore year was the year Mark and I became close. It was definitely one of my favorite years of high school. We had so much fun memories in the classroom, fieldtrip, programs. I remember how much he loved Kelly Clarkson. Then when our friend Mild bought him an album for Christmas, he was so shy that he didn’t know how to react.

On the weekends, we played volleyball with our other friends. Those were good days. Not worrying about anything but grades, friends, and hobbies. I’m just lucky that the people who had the same hobbies as me, were also the best people to surround myself with.

In our senior year, Mark and I were classmates again! It was a bit different though because our priorities changed. It was not all volleyball anymore. Our focus shifted to college applications.

In the Philippines, there is what we call the “Big 4”. These are the top universities in the Philippines. UP, Ateneo, DLSU and UST. There is an ongoing debate to this day about the ranking of these four universities but I’ll toot my own horn and say De La Salle University (“DLSU”) is number one…. even though everyone knows it’s UP….and I really just subconsciously listed the universities in the order of my personal ranking.

Cute little story, Mark and I took the UPCAT together. My dad drove us to UP. UP’s test is known to be the hardest entrance exam, so there is a break mid way. I remember we were making fun of each other because we brought too many snacks. It was like we were going on a field trip. HAHA!

After the test, my dad took us to Shakey’s to calm the nerves. That day felt different. Change was coming, and we could definitely feel it.

I didn’t pass the UPCAT, but Mark did. In fact, Mark was one of the very, very few people to pass all Big 4 schools. 4/4. Prolific.

One of the things Mark and I had in common was our dream of becoming lawyers. He wanted to become a CPA lawyer, so he decided to take up Accounting in UST. I went to DLSU. Although our schools were both in Manila, it was still pretty far, and of course college is a whole new world.

We didn’t see each other often when college started BUT- there was this one time that he and I caught the same bus going to school. His school was in Espana while mine was in Taft and we caught the same bus… I know… what are the chances!!!

It was fate. When I saw him I immediately sat beside him and we were just chatting away the whole ride. We were both so excited to see each other. He was glowing. Giddy. Different.I remember thinking how much Mark changed. He seemed more confident and so much happier. He just had a spark in him that I’ve never seen before. I was so proud of him.

I had to leave for the States shortly after that. I moved away for a year. When I came back from the U.S., he and I started to hang out again with our friends Mica and Vedeo.

The last time we hung out was when Mark, Mica, and Vedeo came over to my house to bake cupcakes. Our house had just been renovated, and I wanted my friends to come and try our new oven. We spent all afternoon baking, laughing, and exchanging stories. Mark was telling us about his drunk adventures with his college friends. The one where he had to go to Bulacan and come right back home an hour later. In that one hour, he was able to get himself drunk. Haha!

Mark had to go home early that night so we walked him to the gate of our village. When we were saying our goodbyes, I’ll never forget the urge to hug him. We had a great day together and I was happy that we were close again, but I remember that Mark didn’t like to be hugged, so I held back.

If there is one thing I regret not doing in this life, it would probably be not hugging him that night.

Mark was one of the smartest people I know. Academically he was excellent. His achievements spoke for him. Yet, he was also naturally wise. I always admired the way he carried himself with such grace and humility. Despite his soft spoken shell, he is actually the type of person who commanded everyone’s attention when he would speak. He was an athlete. He was funny without ever trying to be. He was honest without ever being mean. He was ambitious. He was headstrong. He was sincere. He was kind. I remember in high school he didn’t liked being hugged because he was just awkward like that but that’s what we loved about him.

I dreamt about Mark two years ago. I’ll never forget that dream. The details were vivid but he was clear. We were back in high school. In class chatting away. I asked him how he was, and he said he was okay. It was like he was reassuring me. And finally, I was able to hug him.

Thank you for that.. we miss you and we love you forever!!!

I’m so lucky to have known you in this lifetime, Mark. It’s an honor to call you my friend.