[Dedication 1/2]: In a Small Bedroom

Good friends definitely come once in a lifetime, and I was fortunate enough to meet them during my schooling days.

From where I come from, we have a term for a group of friends who are as close and as misfitted as Ed, Ed, and Eddy of Cartoon Network… err… Okay, like Harry, Germoine, and Ron in the HP series. You get the idea.

In Filipino, we call it Barkada, and maybe you have already heard it. I’m not sure how the term came into existence, but in Manila, you would frequently hear Barkada being addressed to a group of friends who would do everything together: go to the mall, eat out, or even prank another Barkada and cause an uproar of laughter and crispy* swearing.

I was one of those weird kids you usually find by themselves, either reading a book or observing the other kids play and shout. This changed when I entered college, because I was fortunate enough to find my own group of peers. Our barkada initially consisted of seven people, but the years passed, people came and went, and by the time we graduated, we were down to five. My friends found my name so intriguing, so different that they unofficially named our group as the Lyberianz. I disapproved, of course, but their persistence was too much that I was literally outnumbered, four to one. So whenever we would have group activities, you would already have an idea what our group name would be, no matter how much I detested.

By the time we graduated, all remaining four of us, I decided to write a short story as a parting gift. I’m not really sure if they got to read it when I posted it on social media, so I figured I’d share it here, after almost five years.

Here’s a takeaway for you fellow writers out there: have you ever dedicated a finished work to a loved one? What inspired you to write it? I’d like to hear from you.

Without further delay, here’s my story:

In a small bedroom stood a small study table, where five odd objects are seen. The owner of the bedroom is out, probably studying overtime, or just eating dinner.

Each of these objects, though they look simple, their appearances meaningless to those who glance at them, has a story to tell.

First is the small stuffed monkey, which belonged to Ysabel. Of all animals that nature has given, the primate was what Ysabel favored the most. Why? She finds them cute. Her love for monkeys was so severe that she once tried to own one herself. Her dad ran a local zoo, and after a series of “Please”-s and “Can I”-s, her father finally allowed her to adopt one. Miraculously, the baby chimpanzee was able to survive Ysabel’s bear hugs for three years, and is now living a normal life inside Ysabel’s father’s zoo.

Next to the small monkey is a stunning Utah Jazz keychain. This one came from Winston. A few weeks ago, Winston watched the NBA finals. It was the final face-off between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz. Winston’s blood was pumping because his favorite team had made it in the finals. It was the last five seconds, with the Bulls leading the Jazzes by two points. The Utah-center caught the ball, attempted to shoot a three pointer, but missed. One of the Bull-forwards rebounded, but the center stole the ball in mid-air. With three seconds remaining in the clock, he made another shot. He succeeds. Winston jumps to his seat and shouts for victory. Other fans join him as blue-colored confetti fell from the ceiling.

On top of the keychain is a used ticket held down by a small arcade token. The silver token had an engraving which read out: Gleeco’s Karaoke. This was Dray’s — well, stolen by Dray — who enjoyed singing so much. He likes to go out and visit every karaoke bar his feet would be able to take him. He loves to invite Winston, Isabel, Fanuel, and Stuart out for a karaoke break. He considers singing as a catalyst for euphoria, a drug for ecstasy, and all other things that make him feel “high”. Some said that he has lost it, but some would just consider him a fool who loves the notes.

The ticket was there when Fanuel attended a revival concert of Michael Learns to Rock. Like Dray, he too liked music, but prefers listening rather than singing. Fanuel’s taste for music is quite different from the other teens. Instead of the ear-splitting screams, he prefers the ballad, the slow, and the soul. He knows the songs our parents listen to during their time, like One More Night, Summer of ’69, and 25 or 6 to 4. He’s quite a romancer at his age, considering that most of his favorite songs are much older than him.

Lastly there’s the open notebook. This one was Stuart’s. He enjoys the company of Fanuel, Dray, Winston, and Ysabel a lot. He likes to read and draw pictures. Most of the time, he reads adventure novels. Other times he draws portraits. Stuart has one big secret he has never told anyone: In his small bedroom at his small study table, where five odd objects are seen, he has just finished writing a story about his four friends entitled, “In a Small Bedroom”.

To the Ally, Gerwin, Raf, and Lloyd who stayed with me thru thick and thin, taught me how to value myself more, and gave me more or less 20 different names: Thank you very much… I hope you like this.

*Swearing is not uncommon in a barkada. There’s an expression, “Ang lutong ng mura mo ah!” (roughly translated as “Your swear’s crispy ah!”) to denote a swear has been said with emphasis and conviction.