Adna’s classmates are having a reunion with different itineraries, including dinners in the place of some classmates who live in the city nearby. Many also of Adna’s classmates worked in another countries, and now they are here just to spend bonding time with their classmates in high school. Adna studied in an exclusive school for girls which students only belonged to the upper class of the society, but despite its cost, Papa Mar and Mom Rona was providing Adna the best education offered in their city which was run by nuns. The nuns were very strict, the gates were closed in the entire school hours and no one was allowed to went out from the classroom except going to the bathroom but with the permission of the teacher. Their uniform was really formal with a necktie and the skirt must be below the knees. When classes were finished, some students would practice volleyball and since the gates were already open, there were classmates of Adna who would agree to go to an afternoon disco in the next city. They would bring another skirt in order not to be identified and then one classmate would ask Adna to keep her uniform, and warn Adna not to tell her Dad in case he would ask. Her father was somewhat strict being a judge. Adna just kept quiet, she never joined the group, Adna went straight home and she never spend extra time outside school. Al told Adna, ‘’you can join them so that you can also enjoy their company.’’ Adna answered, ‘’i don’t see any significance in joining them, why leave the family at home on their own and spend time with classmates whose family is not complete, they escape from their family and find another joy with the former classmates. We had been together five days in a week with the same seatmate all throughout the academic year and that was for four years, wouldn’t that be enough?’’ Besides, the different trips are not for free and you have to pay for yourself. I should have spend that money having outing with my family, that would be the money’s worth.’’ Few years back, when they offered a Thanksgiving mass, it was also in time when Adna and Al went to attend the Holy mass at the same time. When they saw Adna, the leader of the batch group immediately came near to Adna and also told Al, it had been long time that we had been looking for her, almost all our classmates are looking for Adna, can you spend time with us now just for a simple dinner? Her house was just a walking distance from the church but she permanently lived in the U.S. Adna saw many classmates in her house those who did not attend the Holy Mass. Adna saw, some were already somewhat old, some gained weight and then they saw only Adna was with her husband. Al was asked by one of Adna’s classmate who is a distant relative to take pictures. Adna had a short talk with different classmates and they told Adna that every year they would meet and have reunion, aside from the yearly alumni reunion in school. Adna was only familiar with the life of her classmate, a doctor because she helped Adna whenever she distributes hand down clothes in the church before Christmas. For her other classmates, it is their first time to share with Adna about their lives. One had separated with her husband and she travels most of the time outside the country just being a tourist. Another classmate whose daughter is a flight attendant had a beautiful life, but her husband would hurt her physically so she decided to separate with him. Another classmate, her husband died in America, one classmate, her husband died in Hawaii. They are all financially stable. One classmate is making good income but her husband suddenly got sick and could no longer work. Adna noticed why her face always looked serious and she could hardly smile, She is very pretty but really she looked unhappy. Adna asked her, ‘’you are very rich with such a big income, but why are you not happy?’’ She answered, ‘’in America, if you do not work, you cannot eat.’’

One if Adna’s classmate told her, ‘’Adna, we will have a beach party tomorrow, come with us.’’ Adna answered, ‘’if i could bring my husband and my three children, then i will join the beach party.’’ Adna then told Lex, Azia, and Al the second that they would go to the beach the next day. Adna was told by her classmate that she could bring her family as they would also bring their family. It was announced that the family can join them. Many families attended there, the children of Adna’s classmates had come to know Lex, Azia, and Al the second. They also had bonding as they shared the resort’s room while Adna and her classmates were just using the two cottages of the resort. Suddenly there was a commotion in the next cottage. There was a snake that they wanted to catch but the snake was not a slow moving, it was fast. It reached the cottage of Adna and her classmates and the snake was heading to the travel bag of Adna which contains their towels and clothes. Adna wanted to get her bag but Lex stopped her mom. Al was also just a little far from the cottage and he had fun talking with his son Al the second. Then the snake went up to the cottage post and then it headed outside and the people there were not able to catch. Adna told Lex, we would leave early in order to be safe, we could still see clearly the path going to the car of Adna’s classmate, a dentist who would also go home earlier than the others. She would drive home Adna, Al, Lex, Azia, and Al the second. She lives just near the church and Adna’s family would just be dropped by there. Before going home, they all went back inside the cottage and there were lots of foods. One classmate of Adna has a catering business and she brought plenty of foods. Adna had the chance to talk with their batch leader and she was just joking saying, ‘’let me go to your place in America.’’ Adna was told by her, ‘’do you think it is like heaven working and living there? Would we come home if that is so. Life there is not as easy as other people would think, in fact one of our classmates who is a doctor had financial struggle there and asked my help.’’ We always want to come home and enjoy because there it is all the time, work, work and work to catch up with our bills.’’

Many would think that to work abroad whose currency is of great value, their life is full of bliss. It is not, because their pay per hour is only little and their obligations in paying the house, the car, education, insurances and the airfare when they travel is normally through a credit card which interest would be a compound interest. Their lifeline is credit and they become black listed when they fail to pay on time. It was in April of 2015, when the husband of Adna’s aunt came all alone by himself to visit Adna. His wife, died because of cancer. Adna thought that he would be visiting because Al the second’s graduation in the course of Bachelor of Science in Psychology. The graduation of Al the second was on the very same date of Adna’s birthday, so it was joint celebration. The American husband of Adna’s aunt came a week after the celebration. Adna had reserved the restaurant for a good dinner for him in the same restaurant where the joint celebration of Al the second and Adna was held. He told Adna, ‘’i will be staying here in your house for four days.’’ Adna answered, ‘’i hope you would be comfortable in your stay with us, because when you both came here before in 2001, you stayed in the hotel with your wife.’’ He answered, ‘’i am okay, it would be nice to spend time with your children.’’ Adna and her family all transferred to sleep upstairs as he would be staying downstairs. They had a talk at Adna’’s garden before dinner, and he just suddenly mentioned, that he would marry someone else. The sister of the wife of his brother in law, the younger brother of his wife. Adna knew in 2001 when they also came and stayed at the house of Papa Mar, the wife was so clever. She borrowed the beautiful pair of sandals bought by Adna for Lex and she brought it to the island where Adna had visited, but when she came back she did not come to Adna’s house anymore. She stayed at the house of a relative. Adna’s aunt said, ‘’she is already back’’ Adna send someone to get the new pair of sandals of Lex which has not been used yet, but instead she sent another pair of cheap sandals. Adna went straight to her and asked to return the sandals of her daughter. Adna did not leave until such time the pair of sandals was returned to her. If she would marry the younger sister, Adna preempted her aunt’s husband would be like a dressed chicken. She already asked for a huge amount to buy a property and he was willing to give. She told Adna, ‘’i love your aunt so much..’’ Adna answered, ‘’if you truly love her then no one could replace her.’’ Adna suggested, ‘’if you want to marry just for companionship, you can choose a good woman, i can introduce you to a doctor who is my friend, not because of money as a reason to marry you but for the sake of companionship.’’ Adna strongly disagreed with his choice. As conversation continued, he then shared to Adna that when his wife was hospitalized, he missed to pay the monthly installment of the house. The bank already notified him that his house be foreclosed. Adna remembered that when she was in the University, they were already living in that house and for the longest time, he had not completely paid it yet. He then said, that he would just walk away from that house and would rent a small place which would be paid from his monthly pension. He was a merchant seaman before he retired, but the house obligation is really that big that he was not able to pay in full for the many years in his life. He did not marry and it was true that he moved out from his house and rented a small place. Two years later, Adna was informed that he died due to cancer. Adna told Al, ‘’his wife is now happy that he joined her.’’