quarternotes

A couple months ago, my sister asked me to get a mass card for her student. She passed away at a very young age. You see, this particular student has special needs. But she's always been sweet and bubbly according to my sister. She told me how sad they were during her wake. She and her friends got a chance to talk to her brother who narrated how she moved on. Ali told me he went to our college as well. His name was familiar. I searched for him on Facebook and when I found him, I recognized him at once. We weren't exactly friends back in college. We're more acquaintances. He didn't even make a mark in my life... until now.

He was a few batches younger than me. He belonged to a another department. He lived college so differently from myself. I was in the nerdy-geeky world and he was with this group who ruled the hallway, the canteen, the basketball courts, and this famous place we call bilog. Since our population is lesser compared to other colleges, we might have bumped into each other more than a few times without saying a word to the other. We weren't exactly friends back in college. We're more acquaintances. He didn't even make a mark in my life... until now.

Ali described him so differently. She said he loves her sister so much. He brought her to school and fetched her home without missing a single day. They were really close. He was gentle to her and her sister loved him dearly - as much as she could. His affection to his little sister was just too painful when she left him. I was introduced to a different person with the same face. Reality hit me that I didn't really know him... We weren't exactly friends back in college. We're more acquaintances. He didn't even make a mark in my life... until now.

Everyday, I see him online on Facebook. Everyday, I see his shout-outs how much he misses her sister, how much he loves her, how much he's in pain and mourning, how much he is longing for her. Everyday, I make an attempt to talk to him. Everyday, I fail to do so. I don't exactly how to start an actual conversation with him for the first time. We weren't exactly friends back in college. We're more acquaintances. He didn't even make a mark in my life... until now.

It's very hard to explain but I can feel his pain. I know how it is to lose someone you love dearly to death. Not that my opinion matters, but I would really love to talk to him... take away his pain... make him feel that there's still a bright tomorrow waiting ahead; and his sister would like him to be better... she would like him to bring back his smiles. It saddens me because I myself wouldn't know how to recover from such loss. But I've been strong and somehow, I just wish I could do something, no matter how little, for him. All I can do now is pray for him and ask God to grant him a miracle for himself. If I could only cry for him, I would. My heart goes to you. We weren't exactly friends back in college. We're more acquaintances. You didn't even make a mark in my life... until now.