eight boys and a girl

It was around this time almost two decades ago when I was watching a group of boys as they stand up to a group of girls for one. I can still remember the details—what happened, how it started, and why.

It was unforgettable. It was a day I did not expect, a kind of day I never imagined. It was that day that one of the boys stood up and spoke in vernacular, about that one girl to the other girls, “mula ngayon, sa’min na yan!” (from this day on, she’s with us).

All those years that girl only wanted to belong. She never thought that day would ever come. 17 years after, I never thought they’d still mean what they said 17 years ago.

I have always remembered that day, when that group of 8 boys stood up for that girl. The boys don’t probably remember it but I do (and clearly).. because that girl was me.