Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

This one's a no-brainer. Of course that person's no other than the best cousin in the world,

Ate Pants!

The photo was taken on my 23rd birthday when she and J were my only guests! Haha! And you got it right, she's expecting! In a month's time, my epic friend will be venturing into the lovely world of motherhood and I'm just so happy for her :D

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I said I like the challenge because it doesn't need a lot of words but as I was looking for a picture of me and Ate Pants, I found out that my write-up about our friendship (which is our official entry to the Toblerone contest) is no longer in their Facebook page. I'm putting it here, just so I have a copy online. It's a little lengthy so please read at your own risk ;-)

I and Millicent (or Ate Pants as I call her because she used to be as thin as a strand of "pansit") have known each other for 22 years, technically. We are cousins living in the same neighborhood so we spent our entire happy childhood together. I could still remember how relatives teased us back then that we are like the number 10 when we're side by side. That's because she was stick-thin and I was, and still am, the full-figured one. But we don't mind because just like their teasing, our relationship as cousins, friends and almost-sisters is nothing short of a "Perfect 10"! :)

Every day after elementary school Ate Pants would break into our house and we'd spend the rest of the afternoon playing house, paper dolls and Polly Pockets. And come summer break, we transform into young entrepreneurs selling ice candy, sago't gulaman and Indian mangoes with bagoong to match! That's summer twice the fun because not only do we get an excuse to stay outdoors all-day, we also learn little lessons on business first-hand and earn a few hundred bucks for ourselves.

However, in the span of more than two decades, of course it isn't all high time for me and my soul sister. There was a time when she ran to me crying because she dreamt that I died, or there are issues in their family. There were nights when we locked ourselves in their room because I had to confide to her my kilig moments or my high-school heartbreaks. But we were able to overcome all those petty problems until November of 2004 when our friendship was put to test. After years and years of being a few meters away from each other, her parents decided to move into a new home, in Cavite that is! :( The first few days I found myself missing her so bad that I cry myself to sleep. It was a pretty hard period for both of us but we found a way! Bestfriends always do! :) Since she's going to the same university as I am, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, and the everyday commute is a struggle, she lived with us! :D It was the happiest, even if it meant sharing a single-sized bed every single day. *wink*

Living under the same roof meant tons of girl talk and bonding moments. There were nights when we'd stay up till the wee hours just because we can't stop the kwentuhan. There were days when we'd be a few minutes late to school because we'd like to talk some more. But there was this one faithful day when Ate Pants and I fought big time. It was so bad that we didn't even say a single word to each other for weeks until the household noticed. Our aunt decided to interfere and help us reconcile. We said sorry but we both know things will not be the same again. She moved out of the house and we seldom saw each other after that.

We would meet at family gatherings but we would just say hi and hello. It was really sad to see her and just want to hug her tight and catch up on a lot of things. But you know how they say that time heals all wounds? It did for us. I can't remember exactly how it happened but after a few months, we started talking again. We didn't rush things; we took baby steps to becoming the best of friends again. And we succeeded. We were able to put the past behind us and face what's ahead as better persons.

Now that we both have jobs and life partners, we cannot anymore spend as much time together. But when we get the chance - long weekends and vacations and sick leaves (LOL) - we make the most out of it. So much have changed in us through the years. Ate Pants no longer lives up to being "pansit" as she seems to be keeping up with my physique. We are no longer Barbie and Polly Pocket playmates because we already play bigger roles in the field of real estate and I.T. The stories that we share have evolved from crushes and childish fantasies to marriage and realistic goals but the epic friendship that we have, one that we nurtured for more than 20 years, will remain and last a lifetime.