AN ENCOUNTER WITH A FAMILIAR FACE

AEC members inspecting Hanjin Condotel in Subic 

On November 22, 2019, at about 2:00 pm, I went to Landbank Subic to make a deposit. 

As I was filling out a deposit slip, a lady, probably in her late 40s, came in and greeted me with a smile as though we had frequently met before.

 

Her face looked familiar but I could not remember her name.

 

As I sat on a chair at the waiting area, I tried to reach back hoping to remember her name.

 

Could she be Gina Agustin, then the Chief of Staff of a former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and whom I approached for help in my desire to be reassigned to another SBMA department?

 

Since the lady sat in front of me at the waiting area, I politely asked her if she was Ma’am Gina.

 

She turned her face to me then replied, “Ako si Karen. Si Gina, nasa McDo.” (“I am Karen. Gina is at McDo.”)

I weighed things. Did I offend her? Was she insulted by my question? Was I wrong? Was the lady a total stranger to me?

 

But why did she greet me with a smile?

 

After some ten or fifteen minutes, the male bank teller called, “Miss Karen…” The lady stood up then went to the male bank teller who called.

 

So, she must really be Miss Karen as she had told me. As her transaction was over, she headed for the door, looked back and smiled at me again.

 

After the lady exited the door, the middle aged man sitting beside me smilingly looked at me then commented, “Parang McDo a!” (Looks like McDo, huh!”) referring to an old McDonald’s commercial.

 

After I had exited the bank I was still thinking who that lady could be and where I had interaction with her. Until I accidentally came across Ying, a former co-employee.

I narrated to Ying my story and asked her where I could have met Karen and she replied, “Could she be Karen Magno of the Business Center? She’s now Officer in Charge of the Manufacturing Group.”

 

“Oh, yes! She’s Karen Magno!” I exclaimed.

I knew Karen. She was then Account Officer and we often met at the Account Evaluation Committee (AEC) meeting when I was our Office’s representative to the AEC. But that was more than five years ago.

 

And my mind was back to peace.