When the going gets rough, friends smoothen out life’s rough edges. This Small Laude knows for sure.
By JOANNE RAE M. RAMIREZ
Small, who has 2.3 million followers on YouTube and about a million on Instagram, says “blind loyalty” is what she values most in a friendship.
“It’s loyalty that comes first for me. Then, someone who is very honest with me no matter how certain truths may hurt. Also, someone who is a secret keeper,” says the porcelain-skinned Small, who, however, is anything but onion-skinned.
In a true friendship, Small, a mother of four, says, “We can discuss anything without walking on eggshells.”
These days, Small is one of the corners of a besties triangle that includes Karen Davila and Tootsy Angara.
“It’s good to be surrounded by women of strength,” Small shares, explaining why the three sides of their triumvirate are anything but wobbly.
“We just clicked,” Small, who used to run a preschool, says of Karen and Tootsy. Karen, who has known Small since 2000, credits the latter as the first to notice that her son David has autism.
“Tootsy was at first just an acquaintance. But when we did the Botswana trip, oh my gosh, I loved her instantly.” The three ladies, their husbands and children have a chat group named, “The Botswana Gang.”
“Trips are usually a make-or-break in friendship, this just made us solidify ours,” Small avers.
Both Karen, a mother of two, and Tootsy, a mother of three, chorus when the trio is asked who among them is the “funny” one, “Small!”
It isn’t easy forming tight bonds with non-family members, admits Small, who belongs to the closely knit Eduardo family with her Ate Alice as her rock.
Thus, Small expects her closest friends to be like family to her and vice versa. “I have gotten pickier and more discerning. Quality always over quantity,” says Small, who is big with her candor. She speaks her mind, what you see is what you get. This authenticity and lack of pretense have endeared Small to millions.
“My friendship with Karen and Tootsy is one of mutual respect, admiration and like-mindedness. It’s light, pure and very positive,” adds Small.
What does Tootsy admire most in Small?
“She’s small, but she has a big heart. Her joy and her kindness are infectious,” says Tootsy, by consensus the “coolest tita” in the Botswana gang.
“Small loves fiercely is the word,” declares Karen. “Small is loyal. She will fight for you. She will go to the ends of the earth for you. And I have seen it in my life so many times. I won’t go into details, but when I was very down and I felt left out, isolated and betrayed in my own way, I have to say the one who was there for me that made me stand tall was Small. So, you know what I tell Small? You’re not seeing it, but you know why you’re a gift to your family? Because you will not quit.”
Karen calls up Small every morning at nine, to ask how she’s feeling.
“Yes, and then after that, we’re just laughing. We end up laughing after the conversation, the phone call. And with Tootsy, anytime I need her, she’s always there. And I can feel the sincerity,” says Small who faces challenges as well as triumphs just like the rest of us.
Envy has no room in their tight triangle. They show their genuine support for the other, “By simply cheering for one another, in the highs and lows. Dependability and trust are very much part of our dynamic.”
They’ve had their share of bashers, and being in the limelight perhaps gives Small a larger piece of the pie of bashers.
“We honestly just laugh about it or become naughty and study our bashers back. It’s part of life — we know we can’t please everyone. Bashers are seriously nothing to us,” she confides.
There are tampuhans, to be sure. How do the three of them resolve conflicts or misunderstandings?
“Because of our mutual respect, little misunderstandings just solve themselves on their own. We forget about them easily and just call each other up and talk or laugh about it,” Small reveals.
As a friend herself, Small dispenses love and loyalty in no small measure. “I think my closest friends can attest that as long as I can help, I do all that I can,” she says.
