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Dec

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The Yearbook Mystery

Filed Under Books | 8 Comments

Early last month I visited the local Book Sale branch here in San Pablo City to check out what’s new. I’m always on the lookout for bargain stuff like comics, graphic novels, trade books, Star Trek books, Doctor Who books and magazines and so on. Once in a while I would come away with a gem or two, taking home graphic novels that I got for a tenth of how much they’re selling at major bookstores. They’re second hand of course, but I just like to read them and don’t worry about creases and folds.

Well, last month Ilyn and I saw this huge book standing out among the rest. It didn’t look like an ordinary book so we were curious. It turned out to be a High School Yearbook. “They’re selling these things now?” was our initial reaction.

It’s the Yearbook of Saugus High School in California, Batch 2004.

When we opened it, we were stunned at what we saw. The pages were filled with dedications to the person who had owned the yearbook. They were mostly dedications of friendship and love, with a few dedications of lust here and there. The owner of the yearbook wrote her name in huge letters on the side of the book. We saw her high school photo, photos of her activities, and a whole page dedicated to her from her parents.

I felt so sad and puzzled at how this yearbook, which the owner had obviously cherished, found itself so far from where it should be. I mean, the Philippines is probably the furthest in the world this yearbook could ever go from where she is. How in the world did it ever get here?

I knew we couldn’t let it go. The store was selling it for only 25 pesos. That’s just a little over 50 cents in US currency. It was just all so ridiculous. We decided to buy it and keep it. Not for ourselves, but for this person who used to own it. Whatever circumstances led to her getting rid of it, or being separated from it, we didn’t know. But it’s conceivable that no matter what she may be feeling now, she might want it back one day. And we’re here to keep it safe for her.

That is, of course, if she’s still alive. The thought did pass my mind. One reason why this yearbook would be sold off is if the owner had passed away and all her things had to be disposed of.

Curiosity about the yearbook drove me mad. I knew her name. I knew where her High School was. So I went online to look for her, if I can. I worried that something really bad might have happened to her. I kept thinking of what possible reasons there could be for this yearbook to be separated from her.

I finally found her on Facebook. I felt relieved to know that she’s still alive, at the very least. I knew it was her because I saw her in the list of friends from the profile of another girl who had written a three-page dedication to her. It was apparently her best friend. I only have access to her profile photo and name. That’s it. I could add her as a friend to find out more, but I don’t make it a habit to add people on Facebook I don’t really know. And specially not in this case when I don’t know the circumstances surrounding the yearbook.

So I didn’t add her as a friend. I simply wrote her a message that I got her yearbook, and that I would be keeping it for her in case she wanted it back. I also told her that if the loss of the yearbook is intentional, then she didn’t have to reply.

It’s been a month but there has been no reply. However, the day after I sent the message, she changed her profile photo. To me that is a hint that she got the message, but is telling me that she won’t reply back. And that’s just all right. I will respect her wishes. I guess I’ll just have to live with the mystery.

I will not divulge her name of course, even to batchmates of hers who may stumble upon this blog entry searching for “Saugus High School”. Sorry guys.

I know that somehow, someway, all this will be filtered into one of the stories I write one day.

Comments

8 Responses to “The Yearbook Mystery”

  1. Jonas Diego on December 1st, 2009 9:08 am

    Parang Hardy Boys mystery ‘yan, ah. I’ll get my thinking cap! :D

  2. jzhunagev on December 1st, 2009 10:10 am

    Maybe something bad happened during her high school year…
    So sad…
    And disposing of that yearbook is one way not to remind her of what happened…
    Just my speculation sir Gerry… :)
    Hope your having a great day!

  3. Jose Mari Lee on December 1st, 2009 12:23 pm

    Gerry:

    These year books always end up being donated to places such as: VALUE VILLAGE, THE SALVATION ARMY, and other charitable places where they re-sale them so that the money can be used for charitable causes.

    I think in the provinces of the Philippines, people call them “relief goods.” When I was a child in the Bicol region, the town has this some kind of SWAP MEET or FLEA MARKET locations where goods from north America are being sold. Unfortunately, these items should be given free to the needy, yet in the provinces, they are being sold to the needy. Mostly clothes, shoes, and believe it not, even underwears! He-he.

    Many things such as year books usually come from someone who died and whose earthly belongings are all donated to charitable groups, who, in turn, would re-sale them for collectors or what not. If you visit some swap meet areas here in north America, you’ll be surprised at the selections of period pieces you’ll find. There are even paintings being sold for pittance, yet the moment the buyer goes to an antique assessment, he finds out later that he’s lucky enough that the painting he had paid for $2 is actually worth thousands of dollars.

    Film companies usually goes to swap meets to find things for props, especially if the movie being made is a period film.

  4. Ariel on December 1st, 2009 1:03 pm

    cool! i also got two yearbooks from booksale din, one from 2001(?), nakatago na kasi, and another from 1928. parehong di ko na binitawan nung nakuha ko sa shelf. :D

  5. Reno on December 1st, 2009 3:29 pm

    Book Sale buys their books in bulk, usually from libraries disposing of old books and also books which have been marked for recycling. This yearbook might be from a library disposing some of their stuff.

    Whatever happened to her that made her decide not to keep her yearbook must still be fresh in her mind and/or heart, since she graduated 2004. Still very young.

  6. frbarba on December 1st, 2009 7:17 pm

    thats quite an idea gerry! you can make up a story based on your experience about yearbooks!

    a one-shot love story about a girl and her yearbook perhaps? =]

  7. Pinoy Comics USA on December 1st, 2009 11:18 pm

    Gerry,
    Saugus is not too far from where I live. That’s the home of the Saugus Speedway, a 30 acre auto race track, but on weekends they turn it into the biggest Swap Meet. We used to go there on weekends. The year book might have ended up there or sold inadvertently in a garage sale. Indeed treasures can be found in these places. When I started reading this, I thought you had found something signed by Brad Pitt or some other famous celebrity. Now that would be something.

    But anyway, if somebody out there has a 1964 UST yearbook for Fine Arts, that’s my year book, and I don’t have one.

  8. c hummy on December 2nd, 2009 9:44 pm

    wow, what a haunting tale that is sir. ive lost all my yearbooks except for the college one. now im beginning to miss them