If there's a place where I can hear the sound of water hitting stone, watch fish dancing with the current, listen to birds chirping, and breathe in the fresh scent of the air—far away from people—I think that place would be a small river. A small river is where I want to be, where I can share my jokes, my rants, and stories about life and friendship.
If the small river were a person, I think it would be you, Cambria. In Spanish, "Ría" means small river—just like your nickname, which I've always used to call you.
How did we meet?
Honestly, I didn't even think we'd end up being friends at first. You were so pretty and always surrounded by people. I first noticed you when you and Ina went to the center of the Welcome Freshmen event back in Grade 11. You were both dancing so confidently and effortlessly—like, from my point of view, it felt like you had a glowing light around you guys! Hahaha That moment made me realize how cool and talented our classmates were—and you especially stood out.
Time passed, and our first school event came: Pistang Bayan. You and Ina were dancing again, and every time I saw you practice, I thought it was so cool. I've always loved watching people dance—it used to be my passion too back in Grade 5, but I gave it up. Seeing you perform, though, was something different.
When the festival ended, I could tell you were exhausted. You guys had been practicing long before the event, and performing while joining a parade must've taken so much energy. We were all expecting a fun after-party, but then you suddenly collapsed. I didn't get the full details because I was sleeping at the time, but I know our classmates were all really worried. That was when I realized you had a serious condition.
Time passed again, and we didn't really talk that much—until another school event came: Singkafil. If you remember, you and Ina were part of the instrumental group. Someone pushed me to play the guitar for the performance, and I guess… that's where our friendship really began.
The first time you actually spoke to me was during one of our practices for that event.
"What was the beat again?" — that was the first sentence you said to me. At that moment, I felt that you were really close to me, and I never even thought we would become friends back then.
HAHAHA, it was super unexpected! I guess you're one of the plot twists in my life. But anyway, I'm really glad I accepted the role of being the instrumentalist in that event. If I hadn't taken it, would we still have become friends?
Did you know that, according to Greek mythology, humans originally had four legs, four arms, and two heads? Zeus became afraid of their strength and power, so he divided each human into two and cursed them to spend their entire lives searching for their other half.
So, do you believe in this story? Personally, I do. I'm not entirely sure why, but it sparks my curiosity. What if your other half is also searching for you at the same time? What if, despite both of you looking, you still haven't met yet? What if that's how life works—two incomplete selves moving through the world, unknowingly crossing paths but never truly meeting?
This is mostly a reflection, and I just wanted to share this story with you. Maybe one day, when you're searching or feeling incomplete, you might remember this and find meaning in it.