Straps

Ilocos. The place to be, especially Pagudpud beach.

My friends went there once. I didn't come with them since it was very last minute.

We met at school Monday after they arrived, and I noticed that three of them were wearing identical ID straps (they're not really important, so I won't name them). It was a very cute indigenous looking strap, made of black stones and beads. Ilocos is famous for souvenirs like that, so I knew right then they bought it there.

Apparently, one of our friends also didn't come with them. It was only then that I found out, cause *Mary (name changed) gave her a strap that looks exactly like theirs, saying they bought it for her.

"Thanks." My friend said, eying me carefully.

Of course I wouldn't admit it, but deep inside, I was wondering where mine was, since they bought one for our friend, I was assuming I had one,too, but I was wrong. The day passed quickly and no strap showed up for me.I was feeling very hurt and sad, and betrayed that they have forgotten about me.

The next day,I went to school and still talked with them all like nothing happened. They wore their straps loud and proud, and everytime I see them, I feel like those straps were shouting to me, "Hey, look, you don't have one, you don't belong!" I felt like a freak; the odd one out.

Then came Karen. Karen was the closest to me in our group. We were inseparable, if I may say so.She was my best friend. It was lunch break, and only then did I realize that she was not wearing any strap. She was wearing the simple ID band that I gave her on our first day of the semester.

"Why don't you have one like that?" I asked her timidly, afraid that I might hurt her pride. Karen is not rich, she only has enough money so I was pretty sure that she wasn't able to buy everything the others bought in Ilocos.

She smiled a little at me, taking a sip of her iced tea. "I have no enough money."

"I'm sorry." I looked down, feeling bad for her.

I felt bad that I did not have a strap like my other friends, and yet there was Karen, she wanted to, but she couldn't buy one for herself. How selfish of me to feel bitter over such trivial thing.

"Hey, don't be." She patted my arm, I looked up. "At least we still have the same strap. I like this better." She gestured towards the identical straps we were wearing. They were very simple, plain pink bands with rubber butterflies on one end. They didn't cost us that much, while the Ilocos straps cost Php180.00 each. I smiled.

So needless to say, our lives went on after that incident. We still hung out with our friends like nothing really happened, but there will always be a deep wound in my heart for what they did. Only this one day changed my views on things.

Days later, I found out the truth: Karen had enough money to buy a strap for herself, but not for the two of us.

...So instead of buying one for herself and making me feel left out and odd, she decided not to, and be different with me.

I will never forget that day, It changed my life.