Lines

by Gary C. Devilles

Two parallel lines cut by a transversal will have congruent alternate interior angles.

I’m not so sure why such a statement got stuck with me since high school geometry. Whether I am autistic or am just having a case of déjà-vu, such a statement is called an axiom or theorem - to be demonstrated as true and irrefutable. In Mrs. Maralit’s class, believe it or not, we deal with truths and logical reasoning, some things I did not see then as evident as today.

It was in the middle of the school year of 1986 when my father told us that he was among those retrenched from work. Whatever money he would get as separation compensation would be deposited in Banco Filipino since he planned to work abroad. Things went awry when Banco Filipino had a bank run and we could not withdraw our money. Worse, my father could not find any work.

Due to this financial constraint, I was going to have to stop schooling. I was so down that particular afternoon because, deep inside, I didn’t want to stop. Of all people, it was the taciturn Dennis Calinao who would approach me and ask what happened. I told him my problem and he suggested that I talk directly to the principal, something I did not expect from Dennis since talking to the principal was just not within my capability. But he prodded and told me that he would stay with me until class was over as long as I talked to Mr. Antonio B. Cruz. It was around 7:00 pm, I think, that I braved the office and asked the secretary if I could talk to the principal. Mr. Cruz accommodated me and told me that he might know someone who could help. I asked Mr. Cruz, if it’s possible that he talked to my parents so that he could verify whether I was telling the truth. He just said there’s no need. He asked me if I ever lied and of course I told him no, at least not about our financial situation.

The following day, Mrs. Maralit, our Algebra teacher, approached me about my problem. She was asked by Mr. Cruz to help me draft a letter to the benefactors who could support me with my education. That afternoon, Mrs. Maralit edited the letter I made, took it, sealed it in an envelope, and promised that she would deliver it personally. A month would pass and I would receive a letter from the Knights of Columbus, telling me that they could help me only for a year since, technically, I do not qualify because they only provided scholarships for Pasig residents, and I was officially a resident of Taguig.

Mrs. Maralit talked to me that afternoon and told me that I should be thankful even if they were only supporting me for one year. The only way I could have another scholarship in PCC is if I made it to the top three of the batch. The first honor usually gets a full scholarship. Mrs. Maralit promised that she would tutor me for free and that I would have to do extra lessons in math which meant staying late during weekdays and on Saturdays. She was indeed very patient with me. At first, I couldn’t get to solve word problems. But then, eventually, I would get the hang of it. It was not only me then that Mrs. Maralit would give extra lessons to. There was also Armand Fabia who was a senior, I think, who was with me doing calculus and trigonometry. It was Fabia who later said that I should do advanced reading in geometry and in the sciences to prepare me for a quiz bee competition in Don Bosco. Our adviser then was Mrs. Reyes but she was on leave. Ms. Santos, a student teacher, helped me locate the books in the library that I could use. That was when I found a copy of our biology workbook that I photocopied and reviewed.

However, things did not go well with that biology workbook. It found its way to some classmates and before we knew it, people were already complaining about some wise-asses who photocopied the workbook, answered it, and then used it as crib notes. I was one of those implicated. Mrs. Reyes talked to me one afternoon and I told her that although I did photocopy the workbook, I was doing it for advance lessons since I had a month to go for the competition. She understood me. But I was down and mad at my classmates for making a heap out of the situation. I just told myself that I would have my revenge soon.

It was the summer of 1987, while doing geometry problems, when Mrs. Maralit told me that she would be our adviser for the coming school year and that a major re-sectioning of students would take place. She told me that almost half of the students of Cardinal would go to other sections, and there would be only one honors class, Robin. And she was tasked to do the re-sectioning. I volunteered to help her by typing the list of students. When she was not around I would actually exact my revenge to my classmates by placing their names in other sections. There was one particular classmate that I placed in Lark, knowing that he knew no one in that class, and that would be the death of him. Of course it was silly of me to do that, but I was a kid then, having my day.

Junior year would be tough for me, not only for my family, but also for my studies. Although I was a scholar, the pressure to be no.1 was almost killing me. We didn’t have any money and my dad already started selling our appliances one by one. Almost everyday I would go to the nearby sari-sari store and ask for a credit loan for whatever we needed. But there was also a time when we were rejected a credit line since we failed to settle our mounting debts. Mom was really devastated that day that she only gave us our allowance enough only for our jeepney fare. My sister was studying in CBC across our school. That afternoon, she was so thirsty and asked me if I could give her water since the nun who was tending the store in her school refused to give her any more water and she was told to buy soft drinks! That was so cruel of that nun in CBC. I told her we could go to Mrs. Maralit’s house and there we could get a drink. Later then, I told Mrs. Maralit about my problem, and she told me that I could actually work as a tutor for some of her tutees and get paid in return. My sister, on the other hand, would eventually work for my cousin and sell confectioneries to classmates so that she would also have extra money. Months would pass, and we would somehow survive. Dad would eventually find a work in Saudi Arabia. Junior year would end and I would get the scholarship I needed for my senior year.

Euclid must really be dazed in imagining an ideal world where parallel lines can be extended without meeting at any point. In reality, my geometry teacher, Mrs. Maralit, would teach me instead that in life, lines are not just parallel; they do intersect and sometimes converge. My classmate whom I exacted revenge by placing him in the section unfamiliar to him, would later be a successful architect for which lines would be a preoccupation for him. He would also be one of my closest and most respected friends. In time, when all accounting is done, we learn to forgive as well - true and irrefutable.