by FRANZ ZOE STOELZL BAROÑA
THE LEAST of all things Andre asked for was a last supper. “Anong balak niyo?” he asked his two friends.
They sat on an elevated sidewalk near St. Raymund’s Building, sharing what seemed to be a calm meal beneath all the passersby who painted the canvas of the campus in the dead of night.
“Law school,” Cesar responded, chewing on a chicken wing, “o kaya deretso trabaho, kung saan man palarin.”
“Paskong pasko, inaabala niyo yung kinabukasan?” Javier interrupted before realizing that he had already emptied his tupperware.
Andre shifted his view to his beige, leather watch, and saw the hand point a quarter past the sixth hour.
Cesar set aside the bottle of Sprite he had been drinking and leered towards Javier. “Magsalita ka ‘pag nakakuha ka na ng internship, ha?”
Andre burst into laughter, catching the attention of the other Thomasians who were engaged in their own conversations. They were graduating students, after all, and planning ahead was customary among them.
The subtle murmurs of the passersby gradually transfigured into a collective chattering. This resonated across the Quezon Drive as excitement further escalated at the Plaza Mayor.
“Masyado kasi kayong babad sa buhay,” Andre removed the tape of his food box. “Agape ngayon. Kumain at magpakabusog kayo.”
The dark hue of the twilight took refuge in the lanterns and lamp posts that graced each region of the university. Eventually, a series of dazzling fireworks governed the skies of España— the opening of lights. F
