leaving 'home' to go home

i just got home from a quiet dinner with a long time friend. it's christmas and there's nothing better than catching up with very good friends, people we consider 'family' in this place being far from the real family that we have.  what's more, this could be the last dinner i'll ever have with this friend dahil in a few days time, aalis na sya at uuwi na for good.

i worked with patrick in hadeed back in the early 90's.  and now, after 18 long years, he is saying bye-bye for good.  nong dumating sya sa office namin, he was a new father to a baby boy.  now that baby boy is a second-year college big guy.  ganon na katagal.  18 long years.

first thing you'll probably say is that ang laki na ng esb nya.  oo naman.  sabi ko nga pwede na syang bumili ng hasyenda sa ilo-ilo.  but he has to buy a horse too para maikot nya ang hasyendang yon.  lalo na at isa si patrick sa mga taong nakita kong walang bisyo.  maximized ang monthly net pay.  hindi tulad kong kung ano-ano ang pinagkaka-waldasan ng kinikita.  so financially, he'll be able to retire comfortably if he choose to at this point of his life.

but i can see retirement is still far from his mind.  bata pa naman sya.  in fact, he's already talking to prospective employers kahit hindi pa sya nakaka-uwi ng pinas.  a sign that he's still very much on the go, kayang-kaya pang bumuno ng ilang taong contract kahit sa middle-east o sa ibang lugar ng mundo.

i will definitely miss you pat.  wala na akong koneksyon at insider pagdating sa mga kung ano-anong kwento tungkol sa dati nating office at mga kasamahan.  wala na akong ipagmamalaking 'kaibigan' na talagang matagal nang kaibigan in the truest sense of the word.

saan ka man mapunta, saan ka man dalhin ng trabaho, i know jubail will hold a special place in your memory.  18 years kang resident ng lugar na ito.  almost half of your life, you've considered this place as your home.  now that you're heading to your real home, i'm happy for you.  and wish you better opportunities as you start a new chapter in your life.  embrace this opportunity to enjoy more quality time with your family.  and give yourself a very much deserved break. 

God bless you my dear friend.