This is a story shared to me by Rodel Mayol during his recent visit to Z Gorres at the hospital…
Tungod, Inabanga, Bohol – I was halfway through my article about Pacquiao, when I noticed a popup on my yahoo messenger saying that I received a friend invite from no less than newly-crowned WBC light flyweight king Rodel “Batang Mandaue” Mayol on my facebook account. I immediately logged on to Facebook so that I could catch him online and extend my congratulations first hand… and lucky me, he was indeed online. And so, we had our conversation and I told him how we used to sneak out of our dormitory and climb the fences of the University of San Carlos – Techonological Center (our dormitory was inside the school premises) just to get a glimpse of him strut his stuff at the parking lot of Gaisano Country Mall.
During the course of our conversation, one thing, however, struck me most – his visit to his dear friend and former fellow ALA boy Z “The Dream” Gorres. I won’t do any more flowery remarks or however you might call it in sharing the story he shared to me. Instead, I will just copy and paste his exact words below. For the Cebuano-speaking public, here’s what Rodel told me…
“lipay kaayo ko bai kay naka kita ko ni z na responsive na kaayo nya ang nurse na nag bantay niya kay nahibong ngano kalit lang na responsive kuno kaayo ron si z, mao to nag sugod nako ug pangutana ni z kung ok raba cya nya mo tan do man nya kung kaaila ba siya nako nya tando sad, pila kabuok iya anak ingon cya 4 piro iya ra gi sinyas sa iya kamot kay maglisod paman cya ug sulti kay daghan man mga hose naka butang niya nya human nananghid mi niya nga magpa picture with the belt nya sugot cya human kay iya gyod gi gakus ang belt nya ni posing sya ug boxer pose so naka hilak ko sa kalipay bai kay kay kahibaw ko sunod fight unta ni z champion nasad cya pariha nako.”
For the non-Cebuano-speaking public, hereunder is the translation of what Rodel had to say…
“I was so glad to see that Z was already so responsive. The attending nurse even wondered why all of a sudden Z was becoming so responsive lately. That’s why I started asking Z if he’s okay and he would nod. I then asked him if he knows who I was, then he would once again nod in affirmation. Then I followed it up by asking him how many children does he have. He answered four, but he just signaled using his four fingers because he still has difficulty speaking due to the numerous hoses connected to him. By then, we requested for a photo op with the belt then he agreed. Then Z embraced the belt and he posed in a boxer’s pose. I cried out of happiness, my friend, because I know his next fight would have been his chance to finally become a champion like me.”
My eyes immediately turned watery after reading this message. Actually, I was earlier told by Bliss about this very touching story then I went on to ask Faye Basquenas who was also present during Mayol’s visit and she said that Z was hugging the belt tightly.
All throughout his life, Z had a dream that we all shared. He wanted to be a champion… he still does. But now that that lifelong dream has become practically out of reach, let us at least try to console him with heartfelt gratitude for making us all proud of his unparalleled class. In my eyes, and I’m sure also in the eyes of many, Z Gorres is already a champion.
Get well soon, Z Gorres, my friend and don’t fret… you are a champion!
