The Anticipated Arrival

Greetings! My dear reader! I hope you are having the time of your life because mine is just starting to go bad. A testpaper, an arrival, a beach, a restaurant and a website are just the few bad things that will welcome you in this recollection of mine. I hope that you can still sleep after you have read this and just a caution: before you sleep, wear a "dreamcatcher" so that it could siphon those gruesome dreams that would suck all your happiness in you after you read this recollection. Two words only: "Sweet Dreams".

It was Jan. 19, a day of abominable surprises greeted me with most enthusiasm. The day started with preparing for my coming test on English and Calculus. After such "preparation", I went to school hurriedly and again, studied for English, which is the next test for that day. After the rang bell, we all sat in our seats, ready to embrace the lurid testpaper. After such, we received our testpapers and to the 4th years' surprise, the test was very short and easy. I ended the test in only 30 minutes. I went to sleep but was awaken with a booming voice telling us that there was still an essay for us to answer. The test required a short story copy on the "Summer Solstice" by Nick Joaquin but to my grim luck, I left my copy in my house. So, after they gave the essay questions, I just stared at it because I couldn't do anything about it because my stupid copy was left lying on my bed. After 45 minutes of patient waiting, Aj, a very close friend, lent me her copy of the short story. She was like an angel, a guardian that always looks after me. I was half-thankful and half-devastated. I only had 20 minutes to write my short answers on the essay test, which was worth 100 points, 20 points each! It even came to a point that I cursed my English teacher because he did not said that we were to bring that wretched copy. After the bell rang, it was like as if I was sent a wave of electric shocks to travel in my narrow veins. I was done! After that wretched test, the next scourge arrived. It was the test on the most trepid subject of mine, Calculus! After those horrendous tests, I decided to go home early and waited for my most expected arrival. The arrival of my relatives from Batangas!

My relatives who are supposed to come on friday were composed of 5 people: My uncle, my aunt and my 3 cousins. They were relatives on the side of my father, which are the Veloso's. I arrived in my house very late, yet they were still not there. So, I braced myself for the inescapable arrival and busied myself with my project for our computer subject. After an hour or so, my dad came with only one person with him. It was my uncle Junior! I waited for signs of loud voices from the outside, hoping to hear my cousins' boisterous laughter, yet there was none but only the voices of chirping crickets besides my dad and my uncle's voices. It was as if my happiness was drained from me and I was crestfallen with the thought that they'd canceled the thought of visiting Cebu and visiting me. So, I continued to busy myself with my Computer project and erased the thought of my cousins here, greeting me with huge smiles and hugs. After a while, I was taken aback when foreign voices entered my ear and when I looked at the main door, there I saw all of them, greeting all of us in the house with warm smiles just as I imagined it would be. I exchanged their warm smiles with a satisfied smile on my face.

Tomorrow came with a warm weather, everyone were excited to see my aunt an my uncle from the states. I also had the opportunity to mingle with my cousins, who were as amicable as myself. I had trouble talking to them in the tagalog language with an accent. Yet, it was quite fun talking to them. Our aunt arrived on 11:30 AM and we all had fun. Days passed with laughter, shopping, strolling and prying for women until it was the time that my cousins had to go. I was happy and at the same time a little bit murky because it will still be a long time before we could all see each . Another year of rapid felicity. Another year of waiting. Another year of recollections. Another year of a Monsieur Aronnax.