occupation: SAHM

I admit, I had no more intentions of going to the get-together last Thursday if not for the phone call I received from Beth, our friend from Canada. The last time I drove through EDSA was about 2 years ago. With a driving instructor. Most of all, I dreaded the idea of having to deal with my son who easily gets bored now and is sooo full of energy. Anyway, I went, with my whole troop: a baby, a preschooler and my help. And oh, EDSA wasn’t so bad.

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We were to meet at National Bookstore. Good, I thought, because my son likes that place. We arrived an hour early so my whole gang went to Kidz’ Station first. When Sunshine called to tell me she was already there, it took me forever to get my son from the 4th floor to the 3rd floor, and an even longer time from the 3rd floor to the 2nd floor…. Until we finally arrived at the bookstore. By the time I met Sunshine and Beth, I was so disoriented. It’s kind of hard shifting my emotions from exasperation to happiness. So when they gushed and told me how lucky I must be to have my “angels,” I wasn’t able to agree immediately. It was hard imagining my son who is now trying to assert his own agenda in e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g as an angel after the arguments we just had… in each floor.

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Beth had not changed. She lost maybe a couple of pounds. She still talks the some way. She still listens to us with the same facial expression and tilt of the head that means we have her complete attention. She still closes her eyes, purses her lips and nods when she approves of something we have said.

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Oh my gosh,…. I cannot remember what we talked about during our first hour together. I was so busy making sure that my son ate and was busy with puzzles and Ninang’s gifts. Then my contact lens got stuck at the back of my eyes (eeew! I know..). But oh, I remember thinking… gone are the days when I can enjoy a good conversation and a good meal with friends. It was hard focusing on what they were talking about while holding my baby and making sure my motor-driven son has not been picked up by a stranger.

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Peace finally came when my help took my son on an “escapade” around the mall. I was all ears when Beth gave advice on how to migrate to Canada, her and her hubby’s stories of hardship during their first year there. Of course, there was talk about where our old friends are, how some have changed but most of them have not. We cheered at our successful friends and shook our heads over a lost one. We laughed when we remembered our old “immature” selves and finally declared that we are no longer the same girls. We talked about our plans (a wedding after finishing graduate studies for Sunshine, no coming back to the Philippines for Beth, and no more children for me!). We talked about the loves of our lives, at which point the words being used were God-given, gifts, soul mates…. It got me thinking that my son may have overdosed on vitamins, but how I love him. And my cute baby girl. And their father. Na-miss ko tuloy ang asawa ko.

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It was a tiring day for me. After creating a minor traffic jam while I maneuvered my small car out of the parking space we all went straight to hubby’s office so I would no longer drive back home. I talked nonstop about my friends, while thanking God for this family. It saddens me that it will take another long time before we can meet again. Who knows when Beth will come back for a visit. Ninang is at the opposite end of metro manila.

So… yeah…. it was fun. Because if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be wishing for another one