Over Vietnamese food and Riesling

I’m heading to NJ to meet up with my high school classmates from good old St. Paul. While we went to St. Paul College (now University) in Quezon City, we actually all met in grade school while at St. Paul College of Pasig. I was there from Nursery to 7th grade, then four years of high school in the other school. (They started building a high school year to year after we left.)

There are around a half dozen of us who try to meet up occasionally right here in the tristate area, although there are probably more than twice that number in reality. It takes effort to actually find the time and make it whenever we start planning one of these. Being the lone New Yorker joining the girls from NJ, I volunteered to commute.

So I’m not really used to the Jersey commute. I made my way to the waiting area by the tracks themselves, which was crowded by the time I got there. While most people carrying luggage headed for the nearest cars, I went further closer to the front and found my seat on the upper level of the two-story car.

I’m excited.

I hopped on the train, double checking that I was on the right one— the last time was a bit of an adventure because I wasn’t, but I managed to switch in time.

I get picked up at the train station by one of the girls. Another one from another part of Jersey joins us. We’re actually surprising her with a birthday cupcake celebration as she turned a year older the Friday before.

We sit. We order. We laugh. We eat. We laugh some more.

Although we really get to connect only during these usually once yearly luncheons, or when someone from outside the area or even the Philippines happens to visit, we never miss a beat and pick up from where we left off. There is just a different connection.

The laughter is easy, and we can’t wait to be together again. There is always something to go back to and at the same time, something to plan for.

We all have a shared childhood and we each find ourselves in the same plane at this stage in our lives. It’s literally like being with your sisters. And sisters, we are.