Memoirs of a Dreamy Summer

I spent a week at home recovering from a viral infection in my throat and a minor case of sore eyes. Whenever I would spend time to rest in my room, I would reminisce about the old days when summer was all about having fun and being care-free. It almost felt like I was having a brief summer vacation. What felt really nostalgic was every moment that I would wake up in the morning with the sun shining on my face. I feel like I'm being transported to the summer of '97 when I was just a teenager trying to escape the heavy realities I carry on my young shoulder. I can still clearly remember those days...

That year was the time when my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. We only learned about it early that year when he was already on the fourth stage, a very serious and incurable state. I was about to finish my third year in high school and I shut myself from the whole world. I was angry about the whole situation. I was angry at everything. Summer came and my parents spent weeks, even to a month in the hospital. Since my mom can't bring all of us to the hospital, we were always left at home. She sensed that the whole situation was a real burden on me since I was the daddy's girl and the unica hija. I felt that the world had suddenly crumbled down when my mom talked to us and told us the bad news. So, she enrolled me to the tennis clinic. I didn't wanna go at first since I didn't know anyone in the village who would join such activity. Plus, I didn't feel like meeting new people. I wanted my mom to teach me, not some other person who trains a bunch of people all together. But since my mom doesn't have time for that anymore, I went half-heartedly.

I was late the first day. I didn't care. I enjoyed my walk under the beautiful 7am morning sun. As I was nearing the tennis courts, there was a group of kids being taught the right way to hold a racket on one court and another group having rally warm-ups. I had a stony face when I approached the beginners group. I wasn't planning on having friends. I was thinking, "Darn it, why do I have to be in this group? I know my stuff already!" Little did I know that God has other plans for me. The coach gave me a stern look that says, "You're late." But he softened up and told me that if I arrive late again I'll have to run 5 laps around the whole tennis club. I just nodded solemnly and took my place in the line of beginners. I attended on time and concentrated hard on the lessons. Once it was done, I went straight home. I still shut myself to the world around me. I was beginning to enjoy the lessons when we were asked to hit some balls because I hit them so hard. I think I threw all of my anger in tennis. When we were asked to do some rally with the advanced group, I hit the hardest among the beginners. I remember this one boy from the advanced group and he was watching me from the high chair, he was surprised at how hard I hit the ball and I overheard him say, "Beginner lang yan?!" I wanted to tell him, "No, deary. That's RAGE!"

A week passed, still I wasn't talking to anyone. A girl from the group approached me and started a little conversation. I responded politely and the others started talking to me and asking me how I hit the balls so hard. I just said that my racket is heavy. I didn't wanna talk about my anger. But the racket IS heavy, I was using my mom's old racket which was made of heavy graphite, the first of it's kind in the new line of modern rackets. Even my close guy friend, whom I first met that summer, gave up on it after he borrowed it for a few minutes. My mom couldn't afford to buy me the lighter new ones because they were really expensive. After that conversation, the rest was history.

After that first two weeks of tennis clinic, that's when I got to meet my-so-called miracle friends. Why call them miracle friends? Because they saved me from shutting myself from the world forever and they made me realize that life goes on. They were the friends I had that lonely summer. If I hadn't tried to open myself up to that small conversation, I wouldn't be talking anything about hope, love, and faith today. I met one of my best friends in life that summer whom I constantly keep in touch through the years. My dad may never have been physically there to take care of me, but God gave me angels. :)

I can still remember the early mornings when I woke up with the warm sun kissing my face and the birds singing outside my bay window. The smell of the grass, the smell of Coppertone at the tennis courts and the youthful sweat after. I can still remember special moments with the group, the laughter, the card tricks, and games we played. It was the most memorable summer I've ever experienced. I learned so much that time. I always look back to those days whenever summer would come around, wondering when I'll have that kind of moment again. I'll always remember those days because that memory will always be close to my heart. :)