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The pinnacle of the night has passed, the caterers are packing up their trays; the janitor is sweeping the remnants of great memories and new born experiences of the homecoming of DBTI-batch of 2000. Isaiah sits on the middle of the grade 10 bleachers staring blankly into the glaring lights that still continues to emanate several festive colors that can be mistaken for a grandiose street party. The celebration was indeed grand; acquaintances, long lost friends, barkadas, and past lovers met in the gymnasium. Hugs were exchanged, laughter encompassed every table filled with friends. Surely, the bond of every person who was in that gymnasium was revived, remembered. “Kagamo noh?” A dark eyed man sporting a crew cut hairstyle that made him look as if he was going to take someone home sat beside Isaiah. “Ha? Ang ano toh?” Isaiah replied, his trance-like state was broken by the man’s soft voice. “Ka ano pa? Kundi ang gym.””Hahaha, kaya nana ni manong ah. Misan may klase daw amo man ni ang sitwasyon ka gym.” Isaiah told the alumnus sitting beside him.“It’s nice to know nga may mga bagay nga constant gihapon.” The alumnus uttered. “Ha? Ano gina-mean mo toh?””You see; Isaiah, right?” The guy sitting beside Isaiah uttered as he glanced at his name tag pinned on his red polo shirt. Isaiah nodded at the man.”It’s good to have some constant things in life, mga bagay bala nga makapitan mo sa oras nga naga baha na ang mga inconsistencies sa imo nga kabuhi.””Na notice mo man? Misan dugay na kamo wala kakit-anay sang imo mga migo kag miga, may something gid ya nga daw wala naga lain? Mga nicknames nyo sa isa kag isa, mga sunlog niyo, misan ang mga suya ninyo sa inyo nga mga teachers wala naga lain.” The man laughed as he continued.”Oo noh?!” Isaiah replied to the almunus, his brows raised, his eyes glistening; clearly, he was in awe. “See kid, some things never actually change, yet some constants are not worth holding on to.””Ha? Ti kung ang constants buy an mo ti inde na siya diba constant?””Well, that constant is still there, whether gakapit kapa or wala na. You can still choose to hold on because it is always there, and that is why some constants are dangerous.””Ah, Big brain ba.””Kabalo ka, kung may isa ka leksyon nga nag tatak sa akon sang time ko di sa DB, amo na sya nga dapat ready ka man nga ih manage ang inconsistencies sa imo nga kabuhi, dapat paminsaron mo man kung ang pinanghuhugutan mo inde na dapat panindigan because instead nga gina buligan niya ka maka tindog tarong samtang ga kapit ka, gina pakapuyan niya nalang ka kay naging pabigat na siya.””I’ll keep that in mind, graduating nako daan toh. Salamat.””You don’t need to thank me, Bosconian ta. Don Bosco wanted us to take care of our own, and so we have to.” The man smiled as he stood and patted Isaiah on his right shoulder. The man then left the gymnasium. A woman was waiting for him by the gate carrying a baby. The guy kissed her and then the baby on the forehead.”Isaiah was bothered, no–enlightened by the man’s words. Isaiah thought to himself, Sino to siya man? Daw ka familiar ka chura ya, daw— AH! Nakita ko ni siya sa news, siya toh ang doctor nag-daog sang award sa Europe kay nag patindog siya mga hospital kag health center sa mga barrio nga layo sa city.”Una kami tol!” The man called out to him, then the man together with his wife and his baby smirked and waved farewell at Isaiah. Isaiah was still dumbfounded by the man’s true identity, yet he managed to let out a smile that reflected the warmth in the man’s eyes. Finally, he waved farewell and replied to the man, “Halong!” By: Jose Adreanne Pineda, Lyndzee Dawn Reyes, Althea Gwyneth, Arabella Panaligan, Ken Sianson