Rain, Rain

#86: Go Away


 

I went out and played under the pouring rain today.

My brother was configuring his new Apple Powerbook and I was working on this travel piece I promised my friend. It was raining outside. Out of nowhere, my brother "hopped" over to where I was and proposed the concept of running outside and getting wet in the rain... like we used to do when we were kids. Ye!!!

Without giving it a second thought, I dashed outside with him and rushed to meet the rain. Our dad saw us fly past him giggling but he had no idea what we were up to. It was liberating. It was pure joy.

The rain wasn't as strong as we thought. It didn't help that we had a huge mango tree in the yard filtering the raindrops and we couldn't go to the roof or out to the street like little kids because we were a bit too big (and already around 20 years too old) for that. I got the hose to help the rain out. More hopping. More giggling. This moment I will keep until I'm old.

You see, my brother is leaving for the US in two months. He'll be taking up his Masters in San Francisco and will be there for at least two years - at most, for good. I do not know when I will see him next since we're at that point wherein we're supposed to be building our own lives already. I just know that I will no longer have someone to watch ETC with at night when the rest of the house is already fast asleep. I will no longer have someone who knows the history of the song "Hoi" or the greeting "Mmmbye." It will be rare to have someone say out loud the same thoughts you have in your head at the same time they need to be said. Just today, we had two of those: "Wag lang pizza!" and "Uy. Parang Pinay!" which sent us both bursting into laughter and instantaneously getting freaked out.

When he leaves, no one will work on my Photoshop-needy projects for free anymore. No one will rave about the coolest music artists or the newest songs or the hottest cars or the funniest movies in the middle of something else you'd rather do or listen to. Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien late at night will no longer be as hilarious. There will be no more shared stories of Adam and Helene, Trista and Ryan, Erin and Chad.

I will probably be forced to add him to my Friendster network... or invite him one of these days to actually view my blog... maybe even chat over YM - things we never found much use for since we were no more than an arm's reach from each other.

In two months, he'll be 7,000 miles and US$700 away. And that is why hopping in the rain with him today needed no second thoughts. Let me hoard memories with him while they're still free.