Our second meeting

I saw Merkel when we came in. You received me at the foyer. You held on to your dog, Frodo. You were wearing a dark blue long sleeved shirt, jeans and brown shoes. Your hair was at its usual mess. You wanted to bring me around but ended up just showing me the gallery of pictures explaining to me that it was the oldest club in the Philippines. There wasn’t much lighting so you decided to just offer me a seat outside where we could talk. You offered me water. So as usual, I was a klutz in opening it, getting wet in the process. But no matter. You wanted to know more about me. I noticed that you didn’t seem to look at me straight. But ai had the same dilemma. I could not really look at you straight in the eye. And so you rambled on about the little you knew about in terms of my relationship with Elbert and Rubie. You did recall it was related to Singapore and that I worked in HSBC. I corrected you by saying it was CS. And then I told the rest of the story. You asked me what I finished in London and how much was the exchange rate at that time. And then we talked more on Baguio, your job, your writer’s cottage in Adams, etc. I asked a lot of questions with regards to your solar products. We also talked about the Pasig river, Baguio’s current state, Mankayan, Sagada, etc. You obviously knew your way around. How I wish I could show you around the city. How I wish I could know you more.

I spotted you

You arrived. I saw you from the corner of my eye. I suddenly became so chatty. But you were with a girl. I could feel myself feeling downcast. The night wore on. The host thought of an ingenious way to bring you near me - a selfie with his wife who was beside me. And suddenly you were beside me. I could feel my heart thump. I could hear a pin drop in my head. I could not really recall what words were uttered but we were finally introduced. I was sitting down on a chair. And you approached me extended your hand and made beso. I couldn’t really think straight. I suddenly muttered you should congratulate him. He won an award. He corrected me by saying the book won. He was right. And that ended the convo. I ended up talking to his companion who was quite nice while he talked to Elbert. The evening ended with them rushing out since he needed to catch the MRT to go to the studio. He had to pinch hit for someone who was sick. He picked up his bag which was so full of stuff and told him Buong buhay mo ata nandyan. And he laughed. He got some of kutsinta on a plate and put it before us. Before they left, we talked about a Japanese bank and the controls they had on my company. And so they left. I sent him an FB message saying I was glad to finally meet up with him and hope he gets to the studio on time. He said likewise and hopefully longer next time. How I wish that would come true. November 9, 2018