Lost and Found

You can never tell what can come your way these days. Today for me, it was like finding a long lost gem. 

This guy disappeared from my sight - as I did from his, 42 distant years ago (that’s 8 years short of half a century).

The last time I saw him he was a tall and skinny bloke with his mind set on trying out anything that his adventurous spirit fancied. He had curly-to-kinky hair (kept him in front of the mirror hours on end), which he obviously detested. But his handsome mestizo features suitably made up for it and kept the girls blushing uneasily at his gaze.

We happened to grow up together for some odd number of years, because of our parents’ similar assignments and island of origin.

We went to the same boarding school about 68 km from home and we shared the same dormitory room and dining facility. Vacations found us experimenting on some adult stuff/vice and hanging around places that our parents deemed off-limits.

The last time we teamed up for an adventure was a swim at some resort in Baclaran. The other guys in this group were Jomy Layson, Nonoy Barizo, Bitoy Umali, etc. It was after the swim that we almost got into a fight with the local street guys on our trek to San Juan Street.

With my memory at the verge of oblivion, a reunion with Conrad “boy” Legaspi would come handy to add more of the adolescent memories to this page.

12609

Twelve-six-o-nine.

A set of numbers can mean anything under the sun. It could be the winning combination of a lottery or a convict’s number to the gallows.

12609 is a number that has remained in my memory - four to five decades notwithstanding. I used to see it on the mail with United States postal stamps. Sometimes I witnessed my mom open the envelopes and I was almost always sure that a bank check for a few hundred dollars would be hid inside a greeting card.

Oftentimes 12609 was the sender’s address on a package that would arrive in time for the Christmas season. My mom too, sent a lot of mail with the number as addressee. This activity practically took much of her time as it came with other related tasks like making payments with the money that came from 12609 and checking on the recipients of the same.

Anyone can now see that 12609 was something like a fountain of funds and blessings, but what was the reason for this steady stream of money and who was behind this effort?  

The term that I would like to use for this money is “the scholarship fund.” This was not just for any school. It was specifically intended for Seventh-day Adventist education, which is much more expensive than what is offered by other schools. I am quite sure that with the funds was the hope that the recipients would turn out to be degree holders that kept the SDA faith. Basic in this endeavor was for the recipients to get the diploma, which is considered one’s security in the future.

12609 is actually the number of a house at Lucas Street in Cerritos, California, USA. It was home to my mom’s older sister - Esther, her husband – Robert Sr. and her daughter – Irma and husband. They actually conspired to make money to be used to support about a dozen or so relatives in the Philippines through school.

In a time when the personal computer and internet were non-existent and when it would take weeks for mail to make it across the Pacific Ocean, these guys made sure that the money arrived in time for enrollment and the periodic exams when payments were due. I’m sure they had to work overtime and make some sacrifices so that the guys in the Philippines got their diplomas.

I don’t know the number of recipients of this fund and exactly how much money was channeled for this purpose. One thing that I know is that I too was a direct recipient while in medical school. My mother told me that it was my cousin – Irma at 12609, who was sending money for my tuition.

12609 may just be a house number, but the spirit of selflessness, benevolence and love that emanated from this home has multiplied and is even reaching far into the mountain ranges of Thailand and Burma. I am also sure that this generosity shines out from the home of every scholar that was blessed by this fund.

To the Myape Family, the whole Jimenez clan would like to say thank you. Your sacrifice is actually what brought us to where we are now.