“…The 1998 Lao babies flag will continue to fly, while she watches and guides me from above…”

Habagat Coffee, Kapitolyo, Pasig, Philippines (Feb 2, 2025) - Didn’t think that café mirror photo would be one of our last. I’m not even the type to take photos, but that moment felt too rare not to save for the Marianing GC. We laughed about how our titos and titas always ask for group pics, so she compromised by peeking through the mirror just so we’d both be in frame. Now I wish we should’ve just listened and took a hundred more instead. Even though this is the only tangible thing that I could hold on to, I still remember everything from this moment so clearly. We talked about everything—from lactose intolerance struggles to our next big moves: law school, living abroad. We were sipping our coffees (which unfortunately had dairy, what happened next is left for interpretation 🚽) and yapping like we’ve got our lives figured out. Born the same year, dreaming the same dreams… sometimes I think our moms plotted this from the start 😂 Now that I’m doing this solo, I’ll carry her dreams with me. The 1998 Lao babies flag will continue to fly, while she watches and guides me from above. Rest in peace, Jomarie. From your cousin and your life classmate, Beau.