His name was Chad

Last night, I heard a disturbing news, my childhood sweetheart died of a heart failure. His name was Chad, he was my neighbor when I was around 3-4 years old, when I’d misbehaved my yaya/mom/titas would say “Hala Chad si Claire nagminaldita (Chad, Claire is misbehaving)” and I would immediately stop whatever mischief and tantrum I was doing. It happens vice versa too, he misbehaves and they threaten to call me and like magic his mood changes.

We moved to a different village when I turned 5 or 6 and I didn’t see him again but loved hearing stories of our past romance if you can call it that. It wasn’t until I was in college when I met him again, I was vacationing at my Lola’s place in Negros. My cousin reintroduced us and we hit it off  it helped that he was cutie, charming smile, those killer dimples and eyes that seem to shine. That night we went to a disco house and we were inseparable, call it weird but we jet off to a graveyard riding his motorcycle (maybe because it was all soul’s day). It was a magical night, he’d hold my hand and I’d feel electrified.

I had to go home to Cebu the next day and that was our one and only rendezvous, he’d sometimes call me at home and we’d talk for hours. I liked him and I know he likes me back but something from his past held me off and we remained just friends.

I can’t recall the last time I talked to him, it’s just sad that I can never see him again, never recall how we used to be foolish. Life is short, I wish I’d known him better.