The bridge of our Childhood

After so many years of being away from home, I finally had the time to go home in our hometown in bicol south of the Philippine archipelago. The changes and signs of progress were very evident, from the new structures to faces of people that I never knew and people that never knew me as someone who used to live and spent wonderful childhood days in a little house by the side of the river.

The neighborhood in the vicinity of our old house hasn't changed except for a house in our back which were turned into a rented home and occupied by a family from some faraway place. Except for a very few of our childhood friends who chose to not leave the place and spent the last 40 years in the neighborhood, everyone else were either in Manila and scattered across the Globe as OFW's (Overseas Foreign Workers). I surely missed the gang and I was imagining that they were also here having some drinks and spending late nights chatting at the railings of the bridge.

That bridge was a silent witness to our growing up and if it can only speak, it can tell every detail of our childhood and secrets that we friends shared during those years. The bridge was the first thing that  I have noticed upon arrival and I took no time to stand right there and be transported in a flurry of memories. How time flies. I wish someday everyone will be home and together reminisce the laughter and yes, some tears for those growing up stuff like being scolded by parents, dumped by a girl and school problems.

 In the river below the bridge, we use to share the once pristine waters with the carabaos. While they huddle and keep cool at the shallow waters at the side, we little boys and girls are having a blast trying to swim. We learned swimming at the river all on our own without the aid of instructors and we also had our own shares of some life threatening situations by trying to swim without supervision. Those situations though very dangerous have made us strong and we learned to value life at a very early age.

It is my dream that someday, we childhood buddies will group together at the bridge and do a reminiscing of the wonderful past and on a broader context give our share in restoring the river to its glory days and to have a name for the bridge which until now is unknown to us.