RIP

Yesterday brought the safe return of my Kuya, my best friend and brother. Junior and I have been travelling and working together for the last 10 months. The last three weeks were the first time we had been apart through out my time here. It felt strange not having him around to laugh endlessly with watch old kung fu movies with followed by conversations of how he is going to become Bruce lee and frequent talks about our hopeful yet failing love lives. He stayed in manila for the election and reading stories of rioting and death from previous elections i opted a safer option. Though my head still full of worry for his safety which he would wave away with texts saying; “Dont worry I always look after myself Im your big brother that’s my job.” It was true, he had very quickly become protective over me and I appreciated it to no end. Besides who am i to argue with someone who thinks they are going to be like Bruce Lee?

The excitement of being reunited soon passed. He came bearing sad news from home. Our friend had been shot down five minutes from our house, two nights before for pocket change. He lived in one of the narrow streets that ran behind our house. He would often come and sit out on the stoop with us, on the nights he was not working. He was riddled with bullets walking home from work. The saddest thing is he will get no special mention, I doubt if he will make the news. It is also doubtful the men who did this would even be caught. He will just become another statistic of wasted life in the town that no one dares go. Another reason for the rich too look down from their large houses and say “oh isn’t poverty terrible.” Junior graphically explained how Raymar stood up for himself but was ended by a shot to the neck, a shot to the head and a shotgun to the back all for less than bus fare. The police never came, deemed it a lost cause. His younger brother only a year younger than me went out after the men who shot down his brother but it was already too late. I dread to think what would have happened if his brother had found them. His wirey 17 year old frame being far from bullet proof and only in his mind was he invincible, wrought with thoughts of vengeance. I sat shaking, tears streaming down my cheek. Knowing that when I returned to Payatas the place I called home and I went around to see how everyone was. There would be one less person receiving me with a smile and one less person to fill me in with stories of our time apart. One less person to school me in basketball and one less person to welcome me home. As i think on it now i don’t even remember saying goodbye. Missing the chance, not possibly knowing it could be the last. So here it is; Goodbye Raymar our memories shall forever live on.