Sometime in 1968 when Gil was then a third year high school student of La Carlota City High School, one afternoon, he had just finished attending his music class in the study hall when the rain began to fall. While all of his classmates rushed to the Science Hall building to take shelter for the study hall is open, no walls and only improvised board and benches were there, he was left all alone. In this solicitude, he noticed a girl of his age took shelter in the same place where he was stranded. He took a glimpse of the girl who was carrying some notebooks, books, and a magazine. To break the silence and being curious, he attempted to borrow the magazine from her. But before doing that, he took momentarily a deep, long breath while turning back from her to get rid of his nervousness. Just on time to get back to her, he found her gone unnoticed.
Many days and months passed. When he was about to attend their Mathematics class in the extension building just across the back of the main building of the school, he saw the girl, whom he guessed the same girl he had seen lately in the study hall. She was heading toward him where he was standing. He spotted a magazine from her hand and what a coincidence the same magazine she had last time he first met her. Meeting her again brightened him up for she was with his neighbor, Mila Tapales. He greeted Mila hello with a little shame. He bargained with Mila if she could request her companion to let him borrow her magazine. Assured by Mila that they were neighbors and nothing will happen to her magazine, the girl lent it to him. Alas! They were not introduced to each other for both of them were in a hurry to catch with their classes.
