brother, friend, surrogate dad to rauf, driver, mechanic, errand boy, default drinking buddy - name it, you'd do it, for me :) i never knew you would turn out to be the most responsible and most reliable man i would have in my life. i swear.
i was always proud of how you embraced college life in diliman. there were times when i thought that i had to put my foot down and ask you to control your extra-curriculars and just focus on your academics, but i could see that you basked in the enjoyment (and challenge!) of taking on a lot of things at any one time and still thrive. so i let you be, and even fueled your campus political ambitions by donating to your campaign fund. hehehe.
it was a slow and looooong journey, but the sacrifices - yours, mine, ours - now just all seem to be worth it. (this was a sure thing anyway. i knew it. the only question was when.)
how i wish mommy were here now to celebrate with us. this was her dream for you as much as it has been your own.
i remember we (mom & i) were talking about you one time and she was getting worried about you. she asked me, "how long before he graduates? and doesn't he have to clock in hours before he gets to take his boards?" i just told her to relax, and to leave all the strategizing and planning to you. our rules were clear anyway: the important thing was to never get kicked-out or go on MRR. of course all of that became moot and academic when you graduated (finally!) last summer.
another nikko moment with mom that i distinctly remember was about your lack of a lovelife -
mom: "he's such a nice guy, in fact i think he's my kindest son. so why doesn't he have a girlfriend?" (laughter)
me: "hay naku. let's just be happy we haven't met anyone yet. that poor girl might not be able to handle you and me together as protectors of our beloved niccolo."
(imagine... when bullet was about to introduce a girl to her, she was rushed to the hospital and went into a coma. hmmmmm. what more if it were you? maybe she would've had a heart attack instead! hehehe. just kidding, mommy. i digress.)
so now i am trying to make myself laugh. and you laugh. and dwan-who-is-far-away-in-japan laugh. because while i am bursting with pride and joy, i am crying as i write this, knowing how proud-er mommy would have been of you passing your boards, playing stage mother to the hilt as compared to my attempts at being stage Ate. (lousy, sometimes, but i think i'm doing okay, right? hehehe.)
you better come back from your raket soon because this calls for a really happy celebration, one that mommy would have pulled out all the stops for. and when we do, i'm sure she'll be with us. just here, hanging around.
i love you, niccolo. thank you for being you. congratulations and fly high. embrace your destiny. it's time :)
