For
most young professionals, the Halloween weekend could only mean one thing:
partying in costumes you spent about three months deciding on. While others
choose to let loose, there are also people who are choosing to reflect the year
that was and loved ones who have gone before us.
As
I write this entry, my mind travels back to my first ever soul sister, KC De
Venecia. I was about to turn eleven when I first met her in the halls of
Colegio San Agustin. A new student from an exclusive girls’ school, I found the
co-ed environment quite jarring and found solace in the quiet girl at the back
of the classroom who always had her nose buried in a book. We quickly bonded
over our love for Sweet Valley books, Full House reruns, movies we weren’t
allowed to watch yet, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sixpence None the Richer, and good
food.
KC
was the epitome of the girl who was humble to the core. It took me months to
figure out that KC was indeed part of a popular, influential clan. She never
spoke about it and even had a phase where she refused to wear anything but
three shirts that included a grey Beauty and the Beast shirt. KC was always on
the lookout for “fun” things to do although as dorky fifth graders the boldest
thing we have ever done was riding a taxi unsupervised from school to Glorietta
to play in Timezone (shocking, I know). Hanging out usually meant binging on
Full House marathons while trying to find new ways to diet (in our eleven year
old minds, we needed to look like Britney Spears). One of my favorite memories
of her was when we carved our names (along with our large group of friends)
into one of the side tables in her room. KC was boisterous and wasn’t afraid to
laugh and be silly. At eleven years old, she had a strong sense of self and was
unafraid to be herself. She was strong willed and often reminded me to not
sweat the small stuff.
To
this day, I recall her telling me in her trademark KC face, “Bianx, it’s not a
big deal” whenever I mentioned dramatic stories about our “clique.” KC also
largely influenced my love for caffeine, being the first person to introduce me
to Starbucks and often reminded me to live life to the fullest during the times
we passed autograph books in class.
It
has been fifteen years since I met KC and almost ten years since the fire that
took her away too soon.
A
lot has happened since then and yet I still find myself smiling over the
memories of the friend who stayed loyal till the very end. In one of our last
text conversations, KC was giddy about prom and even sent me this message, “Lots of people want to ride
with you in the limo, but what
you want is someone
who will take the bus with
you when the limo breaks down.” It was the perfect example of our friendship.
Today, I remember KC and celebrate
her life. It has been ten years and yet her impact in my life hasn’t lessened.
Wherever you are Kace, I hope you know that you are still in my heart and
everyday I thank God for allowing me to know someone like you. You continue to
inspire me to live life to the fullest and most importantly, not take myself
too seriously. You are still missed and never forgotten.
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