Remembering Bubba Nocom

“I have the body of a god.”

That, and a picture of Buddha were printed on Bubba’s shirt when I last saw him in Promenade for Ateneo Law’s Night of the Arts in February. The shirt was a conversation piece, but he didn’t need one. For anyone who knows Bubba, he is not a man of few words. He was, in fact, the opposite. He can out talk a lot of people I know and believe me, that’s quite an achievement. It could be why we clicked. I don’t remember why and how we got introduced, what I do remember is that we became friends immediately after. We weren’t close friends but I’d like to think that we really were friends. We were two people who would always bump into each other just because we both happen to be at the same place at the same time. Those haphazard meet-ups used to always turn out to be entertaining, interesting, and really funny. He would always have stories that could elicit reactions from me like, “What?” and “No way!” and “Yeah, I agree.” More importantly, Bubba has the capability to make people smile. Not a lot of people have that talent.

He had the most outrageous questions, most radical points of view… without even trying. He was a natural thinker. In the not so many times that we got to hangout, he never failed to ask me how I have been, what I have been doing with my life and he never hesitated to share his own take on things. That’s just who he was, he thinks and has no problems with telling you what he thinks. I’d always joke about his not being able to fully concentrate on his studying; he’d always brush it off as my attempt to start a conversation. I never really complained. Now I know why.

Bubba had to talk a lot because maybe, he had a tiny inkling that his life won’t be as long as the others. He had a lot of questions so we can reflect on them long before he’s gone. Maybe Bubba had to make people smile just so we can look back and remember how he managed to make a mark in our hearts. For me, Bubba had to wear that shirt the last time I’d see him so I can have a first line to this entry.

So, now it could be true. He officially has “the body of a god.” It wasn’t just a witty one-liner but a prophecy. And true to his form, when I found out last night that he had “moved on” to a world where he can have the best conversations he could ever imagine, I gave the same reaction…. I did say, “What?” and “No way!” Only this time, I was alone, shaking, crying, and not really thinking straight. Ironically, I felt his presence because well, I couldn’t concentrate on studying anymore. Gumaganti yata. :) Then I smiled because it was the only logical thing to do. I walked away from Starbucks and nearing the spot where I hail cabs, with teary eyes, messed up hair and panting like crazy, I looked up and whispered, “Bubba, I agree.”

‘Til our next conversation dude. Ipunin mo na lahat ng tanong mo. Magpapakatalino muna ako dito.