I had been elected as an officer of the local Pilipino student organization on campus and became bound to their every event. I was a spearhead of a few things, and for others it was mandatory for me to come and participate. That October 2003, we were once again preparing for the annual “Friendship Games” to be held at California State University of Fullerton. It was an event where all of the Filipino college organizations would come together and compete in picnic games while networking with each other. As was custom, each organization would practice the games before arriving on the day of the event.
It was on a Saturday when I exchanged my first words with her. That morning, members of the organization met at our university’s student recreation center to begin practice for the games and the opening routine that each school would do for the “Roll Call.” While waiting outside for more people to arrive, a small group had already gathered on the steps of the gymnasium. Those who already knew each other could be seen in their little cliques talking amongst themselves. Because I was still new to the whole group, I stuck with the closest person I knew—a fellow cabinet member.
Just in front of me, I noticed a beautiful young woman sitting on the steps next to another cabinet member. They were talking as if they had known each other for quite some time. After a second glance, I realized that the mystery girl was the same as the one whom I had an eye on for the past year. It turned out that she was Filipina—not Chinese as I had originally assumed from her previous involvement with the dance group the year before. I immediately resolved that I would make my move when I had the chance. There was no better time than the present.
As more and more people came that morning, the time neared when we finally decided to begin. We had reserved a multipurpose room within the recreational center, so the spearhead of the event began moving people inside. I let a few people move ahead of me, trying to stay back long as I could to steal a moment with the mystery woman; however, she was engulfed in conversation with a female friend of mine, so I began to walk in front of them so that I could hold the doors open like a gentleman.
We were the last of the pack to enter the recreational center. I followed the last of the people who walked into the multipurpose room after having swiped our ID cards at the door, and then I waited for a moment for the two young women to catch up. I decided that I would say hello at the moment she passed me and finally introduce myself. As she walked in front of me while I held the door open, however, I could not say a single word because she had taken the opportunity to act before me.
“I have a picture of you,” were the first words out of her mouth directed towards me. At that moment, I was taken aback, surprised by the facts that just hit my face. My shock and surprise could be seen as I searched for the right words to respond, having been caught off-guard at that precise moment. She kept her smile as she passed me, turning her body to keep it in line with mine.
The only words that I could think of using as a response came out as, “What? How?” I could not understand how she could have possibly had a picture of me especially when I barely ever took pictures of myself during that time.
She answered my question and said, “You went to a dance with my friend.” Immediately it hit me that I did go to a dance with someone before, and the only person that could have been was Jackie. I never went to any other dance during my high school years. So putting two and two together, I concluded that this mystery girl was one of Jackie’s friends who I had yet to meet.
I learned that her name was Kyleen. I also learned that the world was smaller than I thought. I remembered at that moment that during one stint of online chatting, my friend Christian had encountered Lysette, one of Jackie’s best friends. Lysette had asked Christian if he had known whom I was after finding out where he had gone to school. With Kyleen, I realized that more people knew me than I could imagine.
I quickly forgot what I had originally intended to say to Kyleen at that moment. I knew that I was trying to introduce myself, but she had already known me. From that point on, all I could think about was how I could possibly get in touch with Jackie again—possibly through Kyleen.
Although I still was a little attracted to Kyleen, I resolved that I would first contact Jackie, even if I had already told myself to never call her again the year before. I said to myself that I would befriend Kyleen so that maybe she could lead me to the girl whom I had lost a long time before. After all, she had a picture of me that even I had never seen before even though I helped pay for it.
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