Surprise !!!

Seeing NICK after 50+ Years

For those of you who did not get a chance to meet Nick again after 50+ years, you missed that famous sparkle in his smile, he used to flaunt around during high school days.  Nick who??? (as many of us inquired when he got introduced).  I don't know what took over my inner self, but punching him on the arm a few times was what I did, in my excitement to see that he fulfilled his promise of "possible" attendance to the golden jubilee.

As always, Nick Rivera just smiles and not a word from him. I will always remember the day I was able to trace him. I knew he went off to join the US Navy, but where he settled after all these years was a predicament.  I did a US search, using a few navigational search tools, including the US Census (LOL) with no luck. Gali's recommendation of a simple Foo.com  search gave me a narrower search. It does not help much when searching a very popular Spanish name. There were a few Nicanor Riveras listed and 8 in the California area alone.  I left messages for everyone of them, introducing myself and emphasizing the "Baguio" word more than enough.  I was numbering my calls. Luckily, my 4th message was answered.

During our telephone conversation, I learned that he studied at Saint Louis for a year+ until he was called to the Navy. He took the chance in 1963 and has never been back to the Philippines since then.  Nick and his family settled in North Carolina (somewhere).  Plays golf and one golfing partner, Freddie Veraque, who I met during an International Alumni reunion in Washington, DC, belongs to Class62.  Nick retired from the Navy but seems indispensable.  He still works with a military partnered company in San Diego.

We targeted him for the "celebrity roast".  Our prepared spiel now wasted, as he was nowhere to be found after registration day. I have always thought that he will stick around for all the reunion events as he had a week off from work. However, as the mystery carries on for another decade, we wait for another chance.

NB:  Leni Lou ... you should wake up earlier ... (tur-oog ka ngamin!).  Kitam ngay, you missed your "Nick" chance (lol)