Admiring Doc Olan
By: Edwin G Gonzales
For the first time I will tell my secret about my kind and ever jolly friend, Doc Olan, whom I considered a brother. With much regret as I failed to tell him about this in his lifetime, I believe he would hear me better now that he is gone.
If he only knew…I have long admired him, his sense of humor and his being natural. But not only that…I still have others to admire him.
The first time I admired Doc was when we were in our grade school. I had known him then only for quite sometime because he was from other section under Mrs. Diamante while we were under Mrs. Guysayko. Olan was just so cute a boy then but considering his size, he could already operate their bike bigger than him. Challenged by his feat, as we had a bike then also, I did everything so I, too could ride our bike which I finally did during our vacation after grade two. Thanks to the buddies of my good father, whom I requested to help me learn our bike by asking out some moments for me while they were having light moments over few bottles of ginebra, the ever favorite drink of my beloved father. And then happy biking days with Doc followed, reaching places outside the town proper.
When were in grade six, Doc whom we still called by his full name, “Rolando,” struck me in awe when he was chosen to be the representative of our school for a Mathematics contest to be held in Sorsogon, not yet a city then. For quite sometimes he had not shown his mathematical prowess as it was Lani Belleza our class valedictorian, who was our class mathematician, but for whatever reasons he surpassed himself to beat all of us who were pre-selected for the elimination.
The next time my friend Doc amazed me was during some of our visits at Murungburungan way back in early high school days. For some weekends we frequented the place, a 3-kilometer hike from the town proper, to get the refreshing shower of majestic bayugin falls, taste the teeth-challenging palawan of Inoy Abang and as we prepare for our laughter-filled home bound walk, bring anything we could such as pako and hagnaya picked-up around and along the way, bagul or any dried twigs for firewood. But for Doc Olan, he usually brings a big bundle of firewood for their consumption in Madlawon which was sometimes prepared by Inoy Abang, the farm caretaker. Again, almost bigger than his size, he could easily lift and carry that bundle, while I could not even raise it onto my shoulder. I was really looking for an answer on how and where my diminutive friend, Doc got his energy and strength to carry that heavy bundle on his head with ease. I have not yet found the answer till now.
But of all the things I really admired Doc is that whenever he was courting lady, he would easily befriend the parents enroute to befriending the daughter then finally winning the girl’s heart. This was his style in some of his many “not-so-so” girlfriends. If you don’t know, that’s another thing I admired for Doc, he could easily captivate a lady probably with his charming sense of humor.
He may have left us but the things he shared remains
Farewell my friend! Akay baya atabon ka man masyado padi?
