The Guy From St. Ezekiel

        I am staring at the billions of fictional wish granting dots that are shimmering in the sky and seemingly laughing at me because I am foolish enough to still make a wish out of a fire ball. Well, if you are that hopeless romantic 7^th grader who happens to be enamored, enchanted and allured to an 8^th grader , whose name should not be mentioned for fear that the test- takers might laugh, you would do fatuous things. I am not proud admitting to anyone that I fell so hard but it is better to be stupid than to never had felt love ever.

          It was the first day of school and I was freaking late.  I remembered waking up so early that day but choosing the perfect OOTD consumed all my time. When I arrived, the flag ceremony had started and I had to wait for the whole rite to end. Fortunately, the latecomers were allowed to join the line when the patriotic pledge was recited. I ran and joined the line along with the other newbies. Already soaked with sweat, I aimed for my hankie and clumsily dropped it to the floor. I tried to use my peripheral vision to see who’s adjacent to me and my two eyes landed on an ethereal sight of a gorgeous creature.  I couldn’t stop staring, it is as if my eyes were designed to stare at this creation to feast, to appreciate and to LOVE? “Ohh, my God! You freaking idiot! What are you doing?” I said to myself admitting that it was a preposterous thing to do. “Instead of feasting that guy, why don’t you pick that hankie of yours and compose yourself” my logical self told me again.

After the morning activity, I picked up my hankie slowly so that I could have a better view to the guy adjacent to me. The teacher with a long straight hair held the microphone and said something that didn’t register to my senses because I was staring at him. Everything went mute. Time stopped. Heavy breathing. Everything felt right. I tried to smile. He ignored me.  It was not the most ideal way to start a school year but I thought it was the perfect opening for me to have something to hope for every day.

        Weeks past, I started to get some minor information about him. His friends are Jebu, Mark and Patrick and that he is close with Hannah, Shinley, Cheska and Alayne from St. Rita. Even though I couldn’t get near to him because we don’t have common friends. I can still access some details about him through Ate Riza who happens to be a walking encyclopedia about him. I also suspect that she likes him. She seems insecure whenever I start talking about him.  Well, we can never tell.

         Acquaintance party came and I thought it was the suited moment for introductions. When Ate Rica from ARSC let us play the “Bagay, Tao, Bagyo” I thought it was my chance.  The mechanics of the game was simple. It is just like playing Open the Basket except that when the host says “Bagyo”, we need to scamper and look for open homes. I tried to navigate him through my infallible eyes and located his position with a devastating confirmation that he is with Ate Danica Nicole. The hosts said “Bagyo” which was the cue for us to scatter. I ran fast as I could to be in his arms but a large build body bumped me and made me tripped down butt first.

        “Excuse me Miss! Are you okay” that panira moment guy said.

        “ Yeah, I’m fine.” I said pithily.

        “ I’m Clint by the way”, he said.

         “ Sure! Thanks for bumping me” I said sarcastically.

        “No problemus! It was nice bumping you anyway” he smiled playfully and left.

I tried to look again for my guy and can’t seem to find him so I carelessly walked backwards and bumped to something solid again. I was about to nag but when I looked up it was him. Everything went mute. Time stopped. Heavy breathing. Everything felt right. I tried to smile. And he smiled at me too. I tried to regain my strength so I can get up but my knees were trembling and my heart exploded into thousands of butterflies. The night, though was imperfect, felt magical because I had my encounter with the guy from St. Ezekiel.

After that night, I spent the entire month of the school year dreaming and day dreaming of a gazillion of what-if’s. I scribbled his name in the pages of my favorite books. I ordered countless Starbucks coffee using his name. I attended his basketball games. I even planned already our future wedding. But then, one day, the guy from St. Ezekiel stopped attending his classes. The guy from St. Ezekiel no longer walked in the corridors of our school. The guy from St. Ezekiel has stopped bringing sunshine to everyone he knew. The guy from St. Ezekiel is gone forever.

My heart breaks into pieces and the butterflies in my chest have not departed yet. Tragic is the most appropriate word to describe how it ended. But the tragedy should not overlooked the eternal sunshine he has given not only to me but to everyone. Though his death was clouded with confusion and everyone has their version of truth as to why he ended it. But I choose to believe that he just picked his wings and went on an endless adventure somewhere. Someday, we might meet in a place where I could finally him Emmanuel, the guy from St. Ezekiel.