18 YEARS AGO, when a rare lull in our usual afterclass conversation presented itself, Maw broke it with a seemingly random musing. “Parang ang saya mag-travel sa US and Canada, ano? Gawin kaya natin.”
And the only thing I could say to that was, “Hindi ko afford.”
“Tange, hindi agad,” she said. “Years from now pa. ‘Pag marami na tayong pera.” She then went on to say how she had relatives in North America.
I answered, “Yes, sige, gawin natin”, thinking surely, we’d forget about this conversation.
By this time, ang dami na naming napag-usapan about life. Nakatambay lang kasi kami kapag wala ang Editing instructor namin. Eh parang 3 days lang yata pumasok ‘yung instructor naming ‘yun buong sem, so chika galore lang kami lagi. 😆
She may have not realized it then, but Maw was my confidant. She was the very first person I came out to, and I remember how excited she was for me. And at my lowest college moment, she was my shoulder to cry on.
Yet, for some reason, that US/Canada conversation became so vivid and engrained in my memory. Perhaps because it came out of nowhere and without any context at all? Regardless, from that moment on, I’ve always associated Maw with Canada.
It was no surprise that just 2 years later, Maw decided to move to Vancouver for good. And in the years to come, I would become a travel blogger. But our paths never crossed again.
Until today.
After TBEX Summit in Alaska, I did a quick detour to Vancouver for no other reason than to see her again.
Yes, it took me 18 years, but here we are. 💙