Sweeter Vengeance

November 19, 2008. It’s almost 5pm, few more minutes and we’ll be closing the shop for the day. I bought a black forest cake. I like black forest and today is a good reason for me to have a piece. Today is Mayette’s birthday. Everybody is having a piece right now. I looked at my surroundings and saw my staff all smiling. Some are still working while the others are dancing happily to the disco music playing in the background. Then I laid my back on my seat, swiveled my chair a bit. I was thinking of the nice things that happened to me and of course also the “not so nice things”.

When I was younger, I saw myself as a very weak person. My classmates used to tease me, “Iyakin! Parang papaya!” (Cry baby! Like a papaya!). Then I would in one corner just cry feeling ultra sorry for myself. I was a nobody, a second-rate, ugly student in my class. That was my elementary years.

My high school years were no different. My rich and beautiful classmates were still there. My teachers never noticed whether I excelled or not. Not until that day that I was really humiliated. After being scolded by a teacher, and laughed at by my classmates, I became very rebellious. Luckily I took it in a positive way, a challenge. I made sure this teacher will feel ashamed of herself for calling me names. I made sure she won’t forget me. I “burned my eyebrows” days and nights. I had to show her, she was wrong about accusing me. I didn’t give her a chance to even say any negative word about me after the incident. I made it difficult for her not to recognize me. I made sure all my quizzes, my exams, my home works and recitation were all perfect. I made sure she will be looking at me as somebody with capabilities and qualities she thought I never had. I was very annoyed by her, not realizing, in the end I will be thankful for that painful incident in my high school life. Now that memory still lingers in my mind. That teacher’s negative comment made a positive me. I found out I can push myself an extra inch, then an extra yard… I can push myself until I saw there was no limit. I can do it if I want.

I am now seated in my office. If I just sulked myself in one corner that time, I will never know what I am capable of doing. I would be the same cry baby as they used to tease me. My vengeance was of a different sort. My ego was hurt but I saw that pain was an opportunity, an opportunity to prove myself, an opportunity to stand up not hurting anybody but inspiring myself more. Opportunity to live life the way I am living it now.