Ebb and Tide 2014 | Page 55

WHY CANDY IS STILL SWEET 12 years ago, she graduated as a Summa Cum Laude in a prestigious university. Attached to her diploma were five more awards; recognitions for journalism, leadership, service, music, and arts. All of us would look up to her wishing to at least have a minute of her stardom. Our crushes were chasing after her while we, as silly as we were and still are, were at the corner, sneaking to see if our dream guy had a chance on the campus queen bee. We would often burst into laughter as we hear her say “Sorry, I think you’re just too perfect for me” to ABSOLUTELY ANY GUY who courted her. We can’t hate her. She’s not only beautiful and gifted, she was also wise, humble, and absolutely harmless. Her name is Candy. I saw her a few days ago. She was still beautiful as ever. We brought our little toddlers during the homecoming. She brought her car. Ironically, the crush ng bayan was the ONLY one who was still single, not by lack of chance, but by choice. “So Candy, who almost made it?” asked Glenda, our captain cheerleader back in college. “Aww. They were too perfect for me” answered Candy. And so we laughed hard. None of her lines changed after all. “But I did meet my soul mate.” And there was silence.