Longest Phone Call

“Bunso, I miss you … I love you … I love you so much. I miss you, bunso.

Miss na miss ka na ni Ate Divine. Magkikita tayo in 2 days. Basta magkikita tayo. I love you bunso. I miss you.”

These were the last words I’ve heard last night from Ate Divine. After months of not talking and a year of not seeing each other, she surprisingly called me. I can’t even butt in ‘cuz she kept on whispering “I love you … I miss you” during that 3-min call. I can sense the sincerity of her words. Much more when her voice started to crack before she bid her last goodbye.

We usually talk for hours that it became a challenge for us to end our conversation. We talk about almost everything … anything under the sun. Our friendship is too strong that it endures long distances and quiet moments. We always make it a point to stay in touch and should we fail, we understand the silence. Though we rarely see each other, our friendship grows in time … even better.

“I miss you, Bunso. I love you” Love ka ni Ate Divine.” Who would ever think that this is going to be her last words? She never said “Goodbye”. That manifests how well she knows me. I hate Goodbyes ‘cuz there’s really no good in it. And of all words, this hurts the most. But in the absence of this, after she left, it doesn’t only hurt … it kills me.

“I miss you, Ate Divine” … the last message she might have heard from me. But this time, it’s different … now it’s forever. She promised she’s not going anywhere … but she did. And there’s no way for me to get her back. All I was left now are memories to look back. It will take me a lifetime to miss Ate Divine.