"Do you remember when we jumped over the school fence?", someone asked.
A laughter so hard to contain exploded in the air. They were all laughing as if the crazy things they did happened just yesterday. I could vividly picture out how those days filled their hearts with joy and excitement as they relieve those memories of youth.
"You were there, right?", someone look at me and asked.
I shook my head. But Hershey insisted that I was with them.
"You forgot how Ma was very protective and strict back in highschool", I reasoned out.
This is just one of the many things we've conversed during a recent a get-together with my highschool friends. My classmates for four (4) freaking years.
Now that I think about it, I sort of missed my teenage years, my youth, not entirely but most of it. If you asked what I'd mostly recall from highschool, that would be studying, falling madly in love with my first love, writing letters to strangers as if it's the 50s and fulfilling other people's dreams.
In short, highschool wasn't as fun as it should be. I wouldn't want my kid to experience the same pressure as early as thirteen (13).
I graduated as Salutatorian in grade school. It was only in my last year in grade school that I came out of my shell and made it in the Top 2 of the Graduating class. I've always been Top 3 so to me, landing at the 2nd rank was everything. But not my mother, she was happy with my achievement but she's not satisfied. Or maybe she knew I could do better.
"You should always land first place in every grading period! Else, I won't come to school during your recognition day!" That was her mandate during my first year in highschool.
Back then, I was the most obedient kid whose only goal was to do what she asked of me. So I did just that but in turn, I missed a lot of things. No social life, no TV shows for four years, no events other than those that will affect my grade. I wonder how my closest friends managed to keep me despite the fact that I couldn't even attend a single birthday celebration. Their houses are not even that far!
I could clearly remember that while my classmates are playing I'd be in the library reading, researching and doing my projects and homeworks ahead of time. Well, I don't have power to turn back time, but if I do, I would spend more time with them and be able to say:
"Yes, I was there when the river overflowed and we were running for our lives before the water will get to us!"
"Oh, I remember when we were called to the Principal's office for violating school guidelines!"
[They climbed a tree in our school backyard and everyone was called to the Principal's office except yours truly haha]
I wished I could relate to their stories now. I don't regret anything; I don't resent my mother for doing what she did. I turned out great because of her and Pa.
Luckily, despite missing all of the big events back then, here we are, great friends setting aside a few hours of our busy schedule just to catch up, talk over lunch, go around our little hometown, relive memories as we sing songs we jammed in the past.
I couldn't really change anything in the past. But I could make new and better memories with them.