Friend as anger translator
by Jasmine Cruz
There was a time in my life when I was going through a terrible thing, and life was just getting worse and worse. When something really bad happened again, I had already cried so much that I already felt numb, and I couldn’t get angry anymore. That’s why it was so great when my friend expressed the anger that I could no longer muster to feel. She was like, “Fuck them! Fuck them!” I was so amused by her reaction, and it comforted me to have someone who was willing to be angry for me when I couldn’t anymore.
I never told her this, how much her reaction meant to me, so I decided to write this, send it to her, and tell her that she’s the subject of this piece. Anyway, to my friend, thank you for being angry, thank you for being there for me.
(Note: This piece originally appeared as a blog post in Jasmine Cruz’s blog.)
About the author
Jasmine Cruz is a member of Time’s Up Ateneo. She graduated with a BFA in Creative Writing from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), and she is a former lecturer in the English Department of ADMU.
Jasmine Cruz’s piece is part of a series of stories from survivors and advocates being published by Time’s Up Ateneo for its second anniversary, with the theme “From Complicity to Care” and the goal of promoting more caring communities for survivors and advocates. Our call for stories is open until October 31, 2021.
Please join our anniversary events—a feminist community night entitled “Conspiring against the Patriarchy” on October 23, 2021 and a public lecture and discussion entitled “Confronting GBV in Pop Culture” on October 30, 2021 both at 8pm PHT.
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