beam large alex is dying. he has tumors in three places in his brain. doctors have deemed it terminal. friends in the philippines are waiting for each other to visit him. everyone is praying for him.

alex liked to tag along high school classes older than him. i never knew him. but i know what it's like to hang out people older than you. it's a lot of fun, you have two worlds at the same time. your thoughts are with another set of friends as you hang around your other friends during classtime. there's always someone to hang out with in the off-hours because not all classes dismiss all at the same time.

alex is dying. in his class picture, his smile is bright and worry-free. how things must have changed for him in college, at work. his family thought he was suffering an eating disorder, so they consulted the wrong doctors. too late, they discovered his true illness.

alex is only a couple years younger than the rest of us. his home address is 5 Magiting St., UP Village; his mom is asking friends to visit him. surely his visitors can coax his usual large smile to dissolve graceless boulders blocking the way.

[ u.p.i.s. batch 96 ]  ¶ 10/21/2005 04:44:00 AM