My Best Friend, Francisca

I was in my third grade when Francisca became my seatmate. She was a very active and cheerful girl. She got two younger brothers and a one year old sister. I always went to her house on Saturday after school and played there. Her mother was a nice lady. She would cook special meal for us on Saturdays. But I never met her father. Francisca said that her father always came home late because he had to travel out of town. What he exactly did, I didn't know.

Francisca loved to go to a daycare close to our school and played with the babies. When we were Grade Four we became closer and I considered her as my sister. She still constantly went to the daycare center. Sometimes, she offered help to the workers there that she would keep an eye on the babies or help feeding them. I could never refuse every time she asked me to go with her because she was my best friend. I always observed her face when she was playing with the babies. There was an angelic look on her face. Like a magnetic force, some babies just enjoyed playing with her. They would not cry nor get tired. I never understood why. Day by day, I started to learn to like these creatures too although not as much as Francisca did.

Then came the Graduation Day. I was so sad when I found out that my best friend would move out because her father was assigned to another city.

" No matter where you go, we'll be friends forever, right?" I asked her with an uncontrollable tone of voice and felt tear in my eyes.

"Of course! Why should distance change our friendship? I'll give you my new address so that we can write letters to each other"

"I got a feeling that we won't be seeing each other again"

"Don't say that...."

Then we hugged each other very tight as if we really didn't want to be separated.

"Well, I just want to ask you a question..."

"What is it?"

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Oh, I want to be a nun, I want to travel around the world and work for little children, the unfortunate one like orphans" she then continued..."I want to help them to feel how it feels to be in a family"

"Does it mean you want to be a missionary?" I asked her curiously.

"Somewhat...hmmm like Mother Teresa. I have a big dream like her" she smiled.

At that point, I really didn't understand where she got an idea to be a missionary where there are a lot of other choices in life like scientists, doctors, engineers, cops, politicians, lawyers, economists, journalists, etc. But that was what she wanted to be.

We had to say goodbye to each other and I really never saw her again since then.

Twenty years later.

I got up of my bed ready for a new day. As usual, I grabbed the newspaper and a cup of tea before I took a shower. I stunned when I read the headline news.

"Ten sisters from The Samaritan Convent were killed today by separatist movement in Southern part of the Philippines. The newspaper showed the pictures of the 10 sisters. As I looked one by one, I found that one of the names sounded familiar to me, Francisca de la Cruz. She still carried that last name with her showing that she never got married. I started crying when I believed that she was my best friend from the past. Then I remembered the day of our last conversation that she had wanted to become like Mother Teresa. Now, she probably would not be remembered as Mother Teresa will be, but for me she deserved a Nobel Prize as her childhood dream was as noble as what had happened to her today.

In Memory of Mother Teresa, born August 27, 1910.