About three hours earlier, I sat with my butt freezing to numbness inside my second floor classroom. I hate this classroom because the aircon vent (and I am NOT a big fan of aircon) is aimed straight at my face so I usually have my jacket zipped up to my neck as if I were in the Andes whereas my other classmates complain about the room being a bit too warm.
But today I did not seem to mind as I sat on my usual spot, unmindful of the fact that in lieu of my "real lunch" with an occasional extra helping of rice was a hotdog sandwich, tortillas and a few helpings of chichacorn courtesy of Marge. I was CHEERFULLY reading case after case after case and I swear I felt alert. I guess I was just having a good day. Despite three hours of sleep.
Marge and Lora then went into teasing mode. "Kaw ha. Is there something you're not telling us?"
I knotted my forehead. "Uh...my cousins are here?"
Last night, I had dinner with a bunch of relatives from my dad's side of the family, one of his brothers and his sisters and some of my cousins. I see Denise almost yearly (which is cool!) but Jennifer and Stephanie I have not seen in about ten years! Stephanie I barely recognized because she had grown so tall although she was still skinny and gorgeous. Steph is now 22 and is about to earn her degree in music education, I think, whereas Jenn is 24 and now working. Jenn no longer had curly hair but was still as pretty as ever. She's getting married next year to her longtime boyfriend Jonathan, the thought of which has yet to sink in. My cousin's actually getting married?!
After dinner, we sort of overstayed...taking picture after picture after picture. I think we had one taken with just us cousins - Denise, Jenn, Steph, Michael, Joanna, Dorothy and me.
I decided to spend the night with them in my aunt's house in Fairview. We somehow settled spontaneously into the living room like fireflies in the dark - Denise, Jenn, Steph, Michael (who did opted not to go home just yet) and me and we just sat there talking and giggling, talking and laughing, talking and eating "one-year old Pringles." I would glance on my watch every so often, knowing I had cases to pore through upstairs but I could not resist their company. Who could? The thing about my cousins and me is that we do not see each other everyday and we live miles apart but once we're together, it would seem as if we were next-door neighbors. Michael said he was willing to bet I would not be able to study then Steph volunteered that she could help. "I know what mens rea is," she said with her eyebrows raised mischeviously. Denise, who was hearing impaired that night for a reason I would rather not mention (ask Tita Val), thought she heard something else and looked at Steph with disbelief, saying "You did not just say that." Jenn then let out the loudest laugh in the world which got the rest of us snickering...and snickering...and snickering.
Later I had to excuse myself because I really had to study. I heard Michael and Denise fiddling with the gate padlock so I went downstairs to say goodbye. The house was finally quiet so I settled back into reading the last few cases before I was to get some shut eye. Steph walked in to my room to say good night and told me not to study too hard. A little bit later, when I was meditating, Jenn dropped by and gave me a hug. Later, when I had turned down the light, I thought I heard Denise open the door of the room.
Maybe that is why distance does not matter when it comes to my family. We somehow always manage to stay in touch.
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