Sunday, May 23, 2004
aboutagirl
I was able to retrieve this in a mailing list. It seemed funny to me then because I wrote this while Serendipity was being shown in the theaters; and almost everybody believed—in a somewhat Romeo-and-Juliet fashion—that you can actually tell who your future long-term partner will be in extremely foolish ways.
Oh well…
*****
Although not much of a chatter, I tagged along with two of my friends from a mailing list, Jong and Deo, to a chatters’ eyeball last Saturday. I thought it would be as smooth as my first eb in the list, but it wasn't in any way similar to that. The term OP got a whole new meaning as I sat there for more than an hour with no familiar face to start with (except for Marissa—who also happened to be a lister—but she was at the other end of the table). Good thing though, there was this girl beside me who was sharing my resentment. Her chatter brother asked her to attend the eb with him.
Probably bored and left without a choice, she forced an almost inaudible "hello."
"Oh? I'm not a chatter. Jong and Deo brought me here,” I replied in a rather surprised manner while pointing to the guys on the extreme right of the table to make my claim credible.
"Ako rin… My kuya brought me here… I had nothing to do for tonight… That's how I got here. Uhm... are they your officemates?” she said in bits, paused within phrases.
"Nah. I’ve just met them at the list. You see, I'm a member of the RX mailing list. I work somewhere in Greenhills. Ikaw?"
"Sa Unionbank... I’m a teller," she answered, beaming her pearly white teeth, now showing more confidence.
"Talaga? Saan?" I asked—exerting an effort to look more pleasant.
"Sa West Avenue, malapit sa SM North," she spoke in a tone that somehow gave me an impression that she finally found herself in our conversation.
"Ows? Malapit lang yun, a?" I asked, pretending to have doubts... trying to fish.
And we talked for the next 45 minutes before the group decided to transfer to Famous Mike’s. As much as I wanted to go home, I stayed with them because there was still one thing I haven't asked—her contact number.
On to Famous Mike’s... Ten minutes for travel, another ten for washroom rituals. I didn't know what happened next, but suddenly, her brother just decided to go home.
I would have wanted to approach her but her brother was on guard. Maybe he already smelled something, well, fishy.
I pretended not to notice them leave... I pretended not to see her walk behind me. My left eye saw her move closer.
She lightly tapped my shoulder, pinched it, and said, "Kramer, alis na kami."
Again, she flashed her now familiar sweet smile.
"O sige. Ingat na lang kayo."
I didn’t bother to stand up, just so I didn’t want to be obvious with what I was after at that moment.
Ten minutes after they left, I took a cab and went home.
LSGH
(2001)
*****
Unlike what happened to John Cusack in Serendipity, I didn’t need to wait for years just to get her number. An hour after I posted this story, I received an email from one of our listers who happened to be an HR officer at Unionbank. She gave me the number of their branch along West Ave, and even offered both the teller’s landline and cell number. I declined. It might kill the challenge and thrill of the situation. It’s not everyday that I get to play a role good enough for the movies.
I called up the branch once, but she was in a meeting. I didn’t bother to call up again.
Chicken.