THE SUMMER OF MY 17TH YEAR
by H.O. Santos
Source: http://sushidog.com/bpss/stories_staff/summer.htm
The story was all about a girl, who was having a hard time expressing and living her own life. She live a life, where she do what other people expect her to do. It's like a life in prison, you are not free to commit mistakes, because if you do, the whole world will turn up side down.
The story goes like this. Minda is a 16 years old girl who live a life where everybody dictates her, what to do and what not do. It was summer of April 5,2002 when her cousin asked her to come with him at Masbate pier to meet a long lost friend, a very special friend. John pointed him out to Minda when he came down the gangplank off the ferry from Lucena. Although he did not look too unlike the other passengers, there was something uncommon about him. Maybe it was the high backpack and small bamboo suitcase he carried that made him look out of the ordinary. Tim and John exchanged greeting and talked for a while before he acknowledge Minda's presence and introduced himself to Minda.
It was the the following day when Minda stepped out the front door and saw Tim. They staretd talking and exchanged morning greetings. Tim asked Minda if there's a supermarket where they sell cooked food. Minda told him that it was about a kilometer away from where he is standing right now. Tim asked if Minda could come because he wanted to try eating in a public market, which he haven't done in his entire life. Minda hesitates for a moment, because if her cousin John knows about this, he will get mad but later on she agreed in going to the supermarket with Tim. Tim promised that she will not be in trouble.
Days comes fast and Minda started to like Tim. It was then she decided to dressed pretty for the party for Tim. she wanted to be in the avenue as early as possible, so she could still talk to Tim. There she asked silly questions to Tim, if he had any girlfriend. Minda find out that he never had any girl friend and wanted to have one like Minda , but Minda was too young for him.
After that night they never got a chance to meet each other because John and Tim went busy going to different places in Masbate while Minda got busy helping her mother with their business. One night when Minda came home, she found a package waiting for her. It was from time. She took the package to her room and found a book of poems and his sunglasses inside. With them was a note from Tim.
Minda really felt sad because she wasn't able to say goodbye to Tim and wasn't able to say how she feels for him. It was then she suddenly realized that she don't want to mope and feel sorry for her self. She tried to make it a normal day for self and hid how she really feels.
Comment:
When we want to say something to a person, we have let him know. If we didn't learn to take risks we will never achieve what we wanted to achieve. Life is all bout taking risk, you will loose if you don't take risk. I can somewhat relate to the story, I once live a life where I am afraid to commit mistakes because I don't want to disappoint my parents and the people around me, but this is my life and will live my life according to what God has panned it to be. Living your own life doesn't always mean to be a rebel one but to live expressig yourself and telling them who you really are.
