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FEATURES
Stumbling Down I hurriedly ran toward our school’s entrance with my heart beating so fast as I managed to look at my watch. It was obviously supposed to be on my wrist. If only I knocked some sense into myself. I was too busy constantly refreshing my email last night, expecting something from DOST. So much for being “financially stable.” My eyebrows furrowed as I noticed how unusually quiet it was, while my sweat kept dripping. I immediately proceeded, eyeing every yellow tape-arrow in my path. “Ineng kailangan muna i-fill out ang contact tracing form bago pumasok. Pacheck din po ng temperature at makikiiwan dito ng permit.” My eyes widened as I took a few steps backward without looking back, and I did as our manong guard suggested. Although, I did kind of panic when he mentioned the word “permit.” If only I had managed my sleep. Without making any eye contact, I handed over the contact tracing form and went inside. My heart was still beating quite fast, even though quite some time had already passed since that marathon. My eyes darted from corner to corner, processing the quiet scene before me—a far cry from the busy hallway I used to squeeze through. Well, it was, not until I felt a light tap on my shoulder. Then suddenly, I missed the peaceful scenery of before. “Hi, excuse me. Alam mo ba kung nasaan ang canteen?” I hesitantly pointed my fingers towards where the canteen is and instantly lowered it down.Eventually, I stood admiring the now dusty old trophies from before, which had significantly symbolized Teresian pride. Maybe, just maybe, the worn-out color and the faded text embedded in each one of these indicate what we have left behind. When I arrived at the canteen, it seemed like it would have been impossible to find my classmates in this crowd, had our class president, Joyce, not waved her hand. It felt like a reunion, with almost every student present talking non-stop. They had certainly waited for this day to come. After all, we have endured two years of settling with meetings and chit-chats over our screens due to the pandemic.
Staring blankly at my noisy friends, I began to fidget my hands. “...kaya ayun, nahulog sa kisame yung shorts ko.” “Sooooo, balik sa pinag-uusapan natin kanina, may plano na ba kayo after nito? Ikaw, Teresa?” “...” “Teresa? Ayos ka lang?” “Ha? Naglag, sorry, I mean—” An unstable internet connection would be really useful right now. But, hey, at least we had a good laugh about it and honestly, I missed being part of “the noisiest class” our former teachers have entitled us.
