“Why don’t you come and visit me sometime?”
The invitation came from my Filipino-American friend, Gregory C. Ira, who was then living in Tallahassee, the capital of the state of Florida. In an e-mail, he wrote, “If you have the time, I will bring you to the Wakulla Springs.”
It was very tempting. But what’s so special about Wakulla Springs? Actually, Greg sent me the invitation when he learned that I was already in the United States. At that time, I was staying with my uncle Carl and aunt Aida in Columbus, Ohio.
When I learned that they were going to Alpharetta, Georgia to visit their son, Chris, I told them the idea of going to Florida. My uncle agreed – “if and when we still have time,” he stressed. The words of William Ward came into my mind: “We use time, or time uses us.”
Although I was excited, I did not inform Greg about it. I didn’t want them to be disappointed if we weren’t able to come. Then, the day came when we went to Alpharetta. It was a long, exhausting trip. I was able to meet my cousin and his Mexican wife.
On the last day, my uncle came to me and said, “Okay, Henry, we will be going to your friend’s place.” Those were music to my ears. After all, the last time Greg and I saw each other was almost a decade ago when he visited me in Davao. Actually, he was there for a water project in General Santos City. He paid me a visit at our home and stayed for the night.
It was already dark when we arrived at Tallahassee. Since we didn’t know the place, we called Greg and he gave us directions to get to his place. To make a long story short, we found our way to the place.
Greg welcomed us. After a few introductions, we went straight inside the house, where we met Joy, Greg’s wife, who was busy preparing for our dinner. As I had a great time with the Ira kids, my uncle Carl and aunt Aida were also talking with Greg, trying to know each other.
