When I moved to a new school for high school, I only knew one other friend who had gone to the same elementary school I did. Puchay was new to the school too, but she was instantly popular. I didn't imagine we'd be good friends, but thanks to Girl Scouts, we spent the next four years on a lot of adventures.
Since our freshman year, we were all rooting for Puchay to be our Student Council president by senior year. As fate would have it, I'd be asked to run against her.
It may seem insignificant now, but back then, it was a big deal. And like anything, I took it seriously. As immature as it sounds, there was propaganda against me and the platform I ran on, which was innovative leadership -- funny how that sounds so cliché now.
Our friendship was much stronger than that, because while they were counting votes, we were hanging out and laughing over something I don't even remember. She won, by the way, as she should have.
Decades later, she and her family have been my London regulars, and a visit to the city would not be complete without time spent with them.
The first time I met her husband, Andoy, he had a bag full of chocolates for me that he'd carried around for a day while we were running around London.
On my first trip to London post-pandemic, I stayed with them for a few days and was welcomed with a feast for dinner. Late last year, Puchay, the kids and I went to Canterbury for a weekend. Andoy couldn't join us but he cooked and carefully wrapped adobo so we had something to eat after the train ride. It's little things like this, and their company, that somehow make London feel a little more like home.
These days, we're planning a big Iceland trip to mark Puchay's 40th. And when we talk about it, we're just in awe and mostly grateful that we still get to have adventures – after all these years.