I woke up seeing the sunlight coming in through the gaps of my window curtain on the morning of July 14, 2009 which brought me a bit of hope that I won't be seeing rain.I wasn't even out my bed yet when I got a text message from Ate Josie asking me if I have any U.S. Dollar bills around (that I don't ) that I was willing to sell. That was when (like a hard blow on my chest) it reminded me that Ate Josie and Angie were bound to go to the U.S. that day!
My thought for a bright, sunny day almost melted in an instant. Even if I was literally being drenched at that moment by the fully risen sun, it felt like all its warmth just suddenly faded away. My mind was racing. I kept thinking of what the choir would be without them around, the Kerygma Papuri Music Ministry and simply but most importantly... their presence.
Tatay Boyet and I picked Ate Josie and Angie, along with other significant companions from their place. After a nice, hearty lunch at Kenny Roger's in SM, Sta. Mesa, we talked and talked, joked around and even sung a couple of songs in the van, but deep inside I know that tension was growing on each and everyone as we neared our destination. Even the sky went dark all of a sudden as if on cue. So much for my hope for a sunny day, I thought.
Just seeing the airport facade from afar made my heart beat a little faster. I then tried to psych myself, "You've done this before, it's going to be a blur once we get there." And there it was! Right after spotting a perfect space to park on, we all scrambled to get the luggage, looked for the right entrance and embraced each other so hard that I didn't even care if their backs would break.
Then we said our "goodbyes". It was swift as expected, hard and sad. I felt a lump in my throat. I hid my eyes behind my camera and called on them for one last capture through my lens... And they were gone...
