Covered By My Own Umbrella

Graduation Yearbook

I heard a loud scream coming from mom's room window, and when I opened it, I was surprised to see Cathy downstairs, jumping and waving her both hands to me in joy.

"Abed, let's go. Cathy is here," I told Abed while seeing him having a confused expression because he does not even know who Cathy is.

I immediately grabbed his hand and we quickly went downstairs.

As I saw Cathy, I asked her, "Why are you here, bestie?"

"Bestie, when I asked your lola if it's fine if I join you here, she agreed and joyfully invited me to stay," Cathy exclaimed happily, as if it were indeed fantastic news.

"Really? Grandma didn't even mention it to me. But I will talk to her later and thank her for allowing you to come here," I enthusiastically replied.

While we are talking, Abed purposefully coughs to draw our attention to his presence.

(Ehem)

"Oh, I nearly forgot. Cathy, this is Abed, my childhood best friend, and Abed, this is Cathy, my best friend in Taguig," as I said to each other as I wanted them to be introduced.

"Oh, Cathy, I thought you would come home tomorrow; I'm surprised you're already here," Grandma suddenly appeared as we were still trying to catch up.

"Yes, grandma. My dad has already given me permission to leave coz' he trusts me," Cathy responded.

"Oh, I see. So Abed bring Cathy's luggage in Cathy and Gabby's room, and then help your uncle Jacob to prepare the tables and chairs in the garden," Grandma instructed Abed.

I told Abed to leave my stuff on the bed that I had not finished putting on the cabinet while he carried Cathy's suitcase into our room. He agreed.

Cathy and I, on the other hand, followed Grandma's instructions. Grandma told us to clean the space that uncle Richard and his family will be using, and afterward instructed us to go to the nearby grocery store to buy the ingredients of the food which aunts will be cooking.

While we are going out of the room we have cleaned...

"Hays, it is so tiring to clean a giant room. I heard my bones were slightly cracking earlier because of lifting the heavy 'balikbayan boxes'," Cathy grumbled as she stretched her limbs.

"Sorry bes ah, I've put you into this, but I don't need to be sorry for you anyhow because you were the one who chose to come here, LOL!" I jokingly told her.

"Jeez, You're such an ungrateful best friend! But hold on..." Cathy suddenly uttered as she observed something different on my wrist.

"Bes, why is that white handkerchief wrapped around your wrist? If I'm not mistaken, that is the handkerchief you are referring to when you talk about the person Z.D., right? So, why do you put it on?" Cathy asked, looking confused.

"Hmmm, that is what I am about to tell you bestie," I responded.

"I have decided to find out who is the person behind this handkerchief. I want to know his name and bring this back to him," I seriously uttered, staring at my wrist.

"Whoever he is and wherever he is at, I want to meet him in person to thank him for saving me that day," I uttered in a desirable manner.

"What are you talking about? Are you sure?" Cathy shouted as she dropped the broom on the floor.

"Oh, why did you respond so o.a? Did I surprise you with what I said? Yes, I am being serious," I confidently answered as I picked the broom she dropped.

"OHHHH! Yes, you have completely taken me by surprise. Wow! I did not realize you had already changed your mind when you arrived here. What transpired? Have you hit your head somewhere?" Cathy jokingly said, still not believing in me.

"No, I never had. It is just that I wanted to thank him for being so gentleman and kind at that time; out of many people who hurt and humiliated me and also contributed to my sense of isolation, I have realized that this might be the right time to find him. He is the only person with whom I felt comforted, even though he did not know me. He made me feel worthy and loved in that short period of time, and looking at this handkerchief urges me to really find him," I sincerely explained.

"Woahhh! You look very serious, but since that is my best friend's decision, I would always go all the way to support her," Cathy remarked.

"So, time for shifting to being NBI members! LOL," I replied, joking.

"But before we do that, I think we should finish all grandma's tasks for us," I added.

"Yes, bestie. You're right." Cathy said, laughing.

After our conversation, Cathy and I go grocery shopping. We go shopping for ingredients for the dishes that my aunts will be cooking later. Due to heavy traffic and throngs in the grocery store, we arrived home past dinner.

"Grandma, we're here," I yelled to call the attention of grandma, who abruptly went to see us through the window.

I spot Abed eventually walking towards me in the staircase and immediately snatched all the bags I am carrying. He startled me, but I am no longer literally surprised 'coz it is something he does all the time.

"Eliah, why didn't you even tell me that you were going to the grocery store with Cathy? It seems like you are not used to telling me things, ha. See, you look exhausted carrying all these since you didn't let me join you." Abed grumbled as he carried the groceries inside.

"Oh my gosh, is he a best friend or a boyfriend? So concerned," Cathy whispered, trying to tease me to Abed.

"Cathy!" I said to her while making my eyes bulge to threaten her simply.

"Yes, I know. Abed is a best friend like me. Just a best friend," Cathy added as she also goes upstairs.

As we have already finished all the tasks that grandma gave us, we decided to start our investigation in my room.

I am curious to find out who is the owner of the white handkerchief. I don't know, I feel that it is the universe that is telling me to do it.

It's 11:32 p.m. when Cathy and I start talking about how we're going to carry out our plans to find him. Gabby decided not to join me in my room and instead move to Leigh's. Leigh is my cousin; he is a 13-year-old boy who is the captain of their school's basketball team.

"Since you told me that Z.D is probably a schoolmate of yours because he was wearing the same uniform as yours, I think we should first ask your previous classmates if they have known someone whose name starts with the letter Z and a surname that starts with the letter D, what do you think?" Cathy suggested while eating some chips.

"I think that is not a good idea, bestie, especially because I no longer have any connection to them. Let us just look into the graduation yearbook of our batch since he told me that day that he is leaving the place eventually. Maybe, when he said it, he was referring to graduation?" I told Cathy while putting the clothes in the cabinet.

Cathy eventually sat down in front of the computer and started searching the web.

"So, what's the name of your school, bestie?" She asked me quickly.

"St. Mary Immaculate School, here in Victoria, Laguna," I slowly answered her, trying to recall.

"What are you trying to do?" I simply asked her.

"I am going to search your school website to find your batch's graduation yearbook," Cathy explained, searching our school website.

"Really? I do not know that," I told her, being amazed.

"Yes, bestie. We live in the Internet era where the mantra is, "one click, then you will find it," Cathy said as she winked at me.

"Yeah, I know, but I'm not sure if the school has published a soft copy of our batch graduation yearbook online," I replied.

"Yes, that's why we are going to look for it," Cathy uttered confidently.

While Cathy is so busy browsing the web, I am just on my bed fixing my clothes. After a few minutes, she said,

"Okay, so I finally found your website, and when I went into the graduation yearbook tab of your batch, I saw your picture, but there are three men with the initials Z.D in their name," Cathy explained as she continued to browse the website.

"Look at these guys I found. Identify them yourself. You probably know who they are," Cathy said as she let me a seat.

"Yeah, I'm familiar with them. This student is Zecky De Roma, my classmate and Gio's cousin, Zaden Dela Cruz, the son of my history teacher, and Zephyr Del Valle, the most introverted student in the class."

"So, which do you think is the person you met?" Cathy inquired as she quickly turned her chair around to face me.

"I don't think Z.D is among them," I told her as I tried to recall Z.D's face the day I encountered him.

"So, he's probably not a schoolmate of yours?" Cathy asked once more, twirling her chair.

"Hmmm, I think he's a student at our school because of the uniform he's wearing, which he can't wear if he's an outsider or anything," I went on to explain.

"Oh, I see," Cathy said, nodding.

"So, how will we find Z.D. if he is not in your graduation yearbook?" Cathy inquired further.

"Wait a minute, let me take a look," I said as I asked Cathy to let me sit in the chair.

As I continued to scroll down the yearbook, I noticed someone at the bottom with no photo, just a name under the black frame.

"Look, I found someone with the initials Z.D as well," I abruptly drew Cathy's attention to what I had seen.

"Zachary Delos Reyes???" Cathy asked, slowly mentioning this name.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"Oh, I see," Cathy said, nodding.

"I am not familiar with his name, but I think he also graduated from our school since he is here. But, he doesn't have a photograph," I muttered as I read his other details.

"If we just have one option left, this mystery guy is the one we will be investigating," Cathy said while resting her right hand on her chin and contemplating.

"Who are you, Zachary Delos Reyes?" I mumbled.