Finding Me

If you can spot me in the picture above, well try again. Because no matter how you look at it, you’ll never find me in there. This photo was taken during my Kindergarten 2 graduation back in 1977.

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Backstory: Earlier during the school year, our adviser, Sr. Lina taught us how to answer discreetly the inevitable call of nature by letting us wear a whistle instead of raising our hand and announce it to the whole class when the need arises.

After our graduation rites, all K2 graduates were called back to assemble inside the classroom for the required class picture taking. It was also at this point that the so-called call of nature indiscreetly invited me. And so as we’ve been trained the whole school year, I went on to get the whistle from its usual place, wore it securely on my neck and ran inside the comfort room to relieve myself. When I got out, my classmates were already scrambling to get back to their waiting parents outside while I still have to rush back inside the classroom to put back the whistle before I myself could run back to my waiting parents too.

When the pictures were distributed, I was so excited to show it to my mother who kept on asking, “Where are you? How come you’re not in the picture?” It was only then I realized what had happened earlier. See that blank space somewhere in the middle row? That’s where I’m supposed to be at.

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Fastforward to 10 years later: It almost happened again during my 4th year in high school. We were scheduled for a class pictorial a few days before graduation and have already been told of our designated places beforehand. On that particular day and time, I wonder what got into my teacher’s head that she still had to make me run an errand for her. I could no longer remember what it was. The only thing I had in mind then was how to get at the pictorial on time. I kept telling myself I had to be in that picture! What happened in K2 shouldn’t happen ever again! So I ran back as fast as I could and found the whole class all set for the camera. I had to shout at the photographer: “Wait! Please wait for me!” He waited all right, but directed me instead to stand at the farthest end to the right behind our teacher. I was still breathing heavily when I heard the camera click.

Take a peek at the picture below and look for that blank space somewhere in the 3rd row. That’s where I’m supposed to be at, again.