The Bet part 2

The movie was fun.

Emma and I have always been fascinated with movies. May it be the silversceen, DVD's or the cable TV, we both watch movies with interest. Ideally, the purpose of going to movie houses is to watch a movie. Emma is definitely my movie partner. We both know what movies whe like, and the ones we hate. We both hate talking, getting interrupted, and those inconsiderate cellphone users in the cinema. Ever since we started going to movies together, we made sure that inside the cinema, its just us and the screen and no one else. Oh yeah, we never forgot that popcorn is a requirement ever since watching 6th sense with ther friends. Ideally.

In reality though, watching a movie with Emma offers something different. Its difficult to focus on the movie because my attention was being diverted towards Emma. She's sitting on my left, and how the lights shines upon her face as she nibbles on the popcorn and makes subtle reactions to the characters and emotions on the screen- it feels like I'm watching 2 movies at a time.

Truth is, I'd rather stare at her than watch the movie.

Emma was not really familiar with the Xmen characters, and she cant recall the two X-men movies so from time to time she would ask me questions by passing me her cell phone. I tried to answer most of them without annoying those who were watching the movie around us. I think Emma began to understand the movie when the questions stopped.

Erika and Richard, however, was a different story. I don't know if they understood the movie with all the lip action going on betweeen them. I can't think of any other couple who can go at it a scene after a main character just died. After each kiss, Emma and I would pass cellphone messages between us. We would laugh silently because we didnt want Erika to notice that we are keeping count. Towards the end of the movie, Emma counted 6 kisses and I was confident that I've won our little bet already.

I was robbed of sweet victory in a scene by Anna Paquin and Shawn Ashmore a few seconds before the movie ended.

"I won," Emma told me while sticking the tip of her tongue out.

"I know," I told her with my head bowed down.

"I would've still won even if we didnt change the bet," she laughed as we watched the ending credits roll

"Hehe you don't have to rub it in"

"Rub what in?" Emma asked with a grin. "The fact that YOU LOST?"

"Yeah yeah..."

Emma flashed me a sinister smile as we all stood up and exitted the theater. I was beginning to worry about the consequece of the bet. We agreed that the loser does what the winner asks.

The moment we got out, the girls excused themselves to go to the washroom. This gave me some time with Richard for a little man to man talk.

"Musta kayo?"

"Ok lang," I laughed. "Di ko pa rin sinasabi eh"

"Akala ko alam na nya," asked Richard. "Humihirit ka pa nga kanina eh"

"Wala yon"

"Masyado ka kasing nag-iisip," He said. "Ang torpe mo"

"Di ako torpe," I protested. "Just cautious"

"Diba ganun rin yon?"

"Di no. Aamin naman ako eh"

"Kelan"

"Yun ang di ko pa alam"

"Kitam. Torpe ka nga. Di mo nga masabi sa sarili mong mahal mo si Emma eh".

I thought about it... I keep making excuses why I cant be honest with Emma. Di naman ako torpe... But I do really have to tell her? What he said is true though. Whenever I was asked if I love her, I always say I'm not sure.

"I love Emma... I love you Emma," I kept saying to myself over and over again in my head just to imagine how it would sound. "Yup, natotorpe nga ako," I concluded.

"You know," Richard began to talk in a more serious tone. "Emma has been good to you all these years na walang hinihiling na kapalit. You owe it to her to at least tell her how you feel."

I couldn't believe that it was the Richard who was talking. For once, he didn't suggest his usual "knock her up, wala nang magagawa mommy mo" plan.

"Tell her dude," Richard continued. "Emma needs to hear you say it. It doesn't have to be a confession, just an affirmation. You two are practically a couple already." He was actually being mature about this. Recalling how Erika initiated most of the kisses and hugs the couple did tonight, its as if the two of them exchanged personas.

"Wow thats deep. Ayos..." I told Richard in astonishment. "Seryoso ka yata. Xavier? Is that you?" I joked.

"Seryoso p're," Richard replied "You don't have to worry what other people will say". He kept a straight face as he placed an arm on my shoulder. "I won't die for them. I'll die for you".

"Gagu!" I laughed. I couldn't believe I bought his act. I pulled away from him because other people may think we're gay.

We changed the topic and talked about the movie while wating for the girls. As soon as they appeared in the theater lobby, Richard and I began walking towards them. "Sige p're akong bahala sayo," He said before we were close enough to be heard.

"Baby tara yosi tayo," invited Richard. Erika was hesitant first but I could've sworn I saw Richard wink and whisper something at Erika's ear. We said our goodnights and goodbyes, but before the couple walked away, Richard said her'll give me a push.

"Emma, may sasabihin nga pala sayo si Aldrin". OMGWTF! That wasn't a push! It was a outright shove down to the fiery pits of hell! As the couple walked away, I saw them giving me winks and thumbs ups.

It was an awkward situation as we watched the couple walk away. I didn't know what to say... Well... actually I knew exactly what to say, but I couldn't say it. I was nervous and I couldn't even think of how i'll get myself out of this situation.

Then came a surprize. As soon as Erika and Richard turned the corner and disappeared from view, Emma took my right arm and clung to it. Remember the mutant power that Emma has? That happened again, but this time, I was frozen stiff because I'm a nervous wreck already. Why is she holding my arm? I didn't do anything to suggest that she should cling on my right arm. Did I involuntarily extended my elbow? Hmm... She's been prety clingy lately. We've been texting and talking a lot lately. She easily gets angry whenever I tell her that I didn't eat lunch, and she's been waiting for me every night so we can have dinner together at home even if I arrive very late. She's never forgotten to tell me to take care during mornings and she's never missed out on wishing me a good sleep every night.

Can it be? Can this be what I have been dreaming off? Can it be that Emma likes me too?

I looked at Emma's eyes. She was looking at me as well with a smile so pure, I couldn't help but smile back...

"Excuse lang Al," Emma said. She then raised her left foot to fix the strap of her sandals.

T_T False alarm. Pinagkapitan lang pala ako. owgaddemmet. I'm nothing more than a safety hand rail. Amp.

"Thanks," said Emma as she stood up and straightened her skirt. "Ano yung sabi ni Kuya Richard?"

My mind was blank, but for 2 reasons:

First, I didn't know what to say. I was trying to think of an escape route, but to no avail. What can I say at this moment that would merit Richard's comments, and believable enough but not too incriminating? I cant think of anything. I thought hard but nothing registered.

Second, and perhaps the reason why I can't think straight is when Emma finished fixing her sandal strap, she didn't let go of my arm. Emma was still clinging to me. If anything has has changed, its her grip. She's holding me closer and tighter.

We just stood there, while Emma was looking at me. I pulled to the side because I didn't like standing in the middle of the lobby.

"This is it," I told myself. "I'm gonna have to tell her... wait... should I really tell her?". If there was a time for little angel Aldrin and little devil Aldrin to appear beside my head, that would be it. Unfortunately, wla pala akong conscience lol. I was becoming deperate for anything that would stall our converstaion.

"Al, you ok?" Asked Emma with that concerned look on her face. I wish her face was a little less expressive so I can concentrate. She's not clinging to my arm anymore, but her left hand is holding my right wrist. Maybe she can feel my pulse? I'm pretty sure my heart rate jumped a few notches. She is waiting for an answer. C'mon Aldrin! Talk! You can't let her wait forever!

"Yeah... Iniisip ko lang yung mga banat ni Richard," I said.

"Yeah ang kulit nya sobra," she replied along with a soft laugh.

"Aren't you offended na tinutukso nya tayo?"

"Sanay na ko eh," she explained. "...And besides, if I'm not ok with it, you'll be the first to know".

"Oh... so... did you enjoy the movie?" I asked her in an effor to change the topic.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Thank you for taking me out"

"Taking you out?" I asked, "As in a date?"

"Yeah," said Emma with a confused look "Isn't this a date?"

"I dunno... Do you think it is?

"Hay nako," Emma said as she let go of my hand, folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "This IS a date. Yun lang ba yung sinasabi ni Kuya Richard? Kala ko kung ano na"

"No, thats not it," I confessed.

"Eh ano?"

"Well...," I said as I paused. Im my head I was chosing the right words to say and the riwght way to say it. "You know me well enough to tell that I enjoyed the movie, right?"

"Oo naman," answered Emma. I looked at her face and I saw that her eyes were looking up to me. Her eyes looked like a combination of equal parts anticipation, confusion, and puppy dog eyes. I cleared my throat...

"Well I was thinking that since we both enjoy watching movies, maybe... If you or I need some one to go see a movie with then maybe we can go with each other, you know... in sickness or in health... as long we both shall live"

In an instant, Emma began suffering from violent convulsions. Her body shook terribly as she began vomitting blood. "Ang corny mo Al," she spoke between coughs of red fluid. Finally she threw up her still beating heart. She fell lifeless to the ground as I stand above her screaming "What the hell have I done?!"






Ok enough drama.

"Well I was thinking that I really enjoyed the movie-"

"Yeah" Emma interrupted with a laugh. "I think we've established the fact that you, indeed, enjoyed the movie"

"Eh... hear me out. I'm trying to be serious here," I told Emma although she can tell that I found her comment humorous.

"Sige na nga," She folded her arms again, but this time she grinned. "Shoot," she urged me to continue.

"I enjoyed the movie, BUT more than that, I enjoyed the evening as well...," I told Emma while trying to keep my eyes on her.

"...and... I think it would not have been possible if you didn't agree to come with me".

I felt my voice shake and as I smiled, I felt my lips tremble. "Emma, I really enjoyed your company tonight".

I looked at Emma to wait for a reaction, but she just stared right back. "That it," I told her, thinking that maybe she's still expecting more.

Call me dense, but of all the scenarios that played in my head, Emma's reaction is still not the one that I expected.

Her smile disappeared and her eyebrows met. "Tonight lang?," she said in tone that was both surprized and angry. I tried to talk but before I got the chance, she turned her back and started walking away.

I walked beside her and began apologizing. "Did I say anything wrong?"

"No"

"Then why are you angry?"

"I'm not angry"

"You're saying that you don't have any prolems with what I said tonight?"

"OK lang," she added with a stern tone. I sighed. There she goes again with her "ok lang" comments. If there is a book that I can read so I can understand women better, please tell me now.

"Obvious na di ka nakikinig sakin kanina," Emma continued, her voice sounded annoyed. "If I'm not ok with it, you'll be the first to know"

"So you're ok with it?"

Emma stopped walking and turned to me. I felt like I should've just kept my mouth shut. She gave me an angry stare that I only saw what I was teasing her to her male highschool classmates. "uh oh... this can't be good"

"I won the bet right?"

"Yes"

"And you'll do anything I ask you, right?"

"As long as it is not life threatening, yeah," I said with a laugh, but she didn't buy it.

"Tara". She clung to my right arm again, but her annoyed facial expression remains unchanged. She began walking and since she is holding on to me, I couldn't help but follow.

Emma dragged me towards Starbucks and pulled me inside, towards the counter. "You know what to do, I'll get us seats". She then let go of my arm and walked towards a corner of the shop.

"WTF just happened?" I thought that I almost ignored the barrista who was asking me for my order.

"Our order?" I asked myself. Whenever we go to Starbucks, Emma always has the same thing, her favorite blended coffee, and to go with it, either a belgian waffle or a slice of cake that she could never really finish. She always offers the leftovers to me after having less than half of the slice bites.

I talked to the barrista to place our order and I was asked to wait. I could've went to the table where Emma was sitting, but I didn't. I chose to stand beside the counter and just wait there.

"Someone please shoot me now," I whispered to myself as I scanned the packets of straws, sugars and creamers and plastic stirring sticks. I looked at Emma from across the room. She was staring outside, arms folded, with a dishertening frown. When she turned to look at me, I turned away from her. Somehow, I didn't feel like looking at her.

"This is upsetting," I told myself as I made a quick recollection of everything that happened today. "Maybe she doesn't like me after all..."

I fell in line to get our purchase when my phone rang twice for a text message. It was Emma, and the message was a long one.

Sorry al, pls dnt be mad. I rly dnt know how 2 react when u say things lyk that. U treat me lyk im sum1 special but i feel that i dnt deserve it. Im conflicted. Im happy, bliv me, i jst dnt know how 2 tell u. Pls dont be upset.

Her triple ü's are missing so there must be something wrong. I looked at her from the counter and I saw that she was looking at me, only there's something different about her. Emma was sobbing, and she was trying hard to smile. I remember that night when we came back from the party. I knew she got upset when I admitted that I didnt want to leave her alone at the house.

Maybe things are difficult for Emma as it is for me, only, Emma is not really used to getting compliments. She admitted to me once that she has problems with self esteem and maybe that was it. Maybe she gets upset whenever someone appreciates her for who she is because its something that she erally needs but she rarely recieves.

Many people assume that Emma is the prefect woman, but somehow I cant seem to agree with them. Skeptics think that I'm just painting my picture of a perfect lady whenever I talk about Emma but they dont know how wrong they are. If they are with me right here, right know, they'll know that Emma isn't perfect. She has her ups and downs. She can be very sweet and be very bitter. Emma may not be perfect, but she is real. She is as real as the tears that were falling down on her cheeks. Maybe thats why I like her. No illusions, just reality.

I'm not good at hypothesizing about women and what they want. All I know is I want to hurry to the table and comfort her.

I got our stuff and proceeded to the small coffee table. It was a corner table, adequate for a private talk. As a walked towards her, Emma tried to stop crying and smile. When I was a few feet away from her, I stopped and pointed at her face and smiled.

"Haha. Iyaken!"

Emma burst into laughter. "Sira ka talaga," she complained. "Emote na emote ako, tapos patatawanin mo ko"

"I'm sorry ma'am", I apologized I said in a fake British accent that I know she loves to hate... "Tissue ma'am?" I said as I offered her the napkins. Emma began laughing between sniffles.

"Ok ma'am, here's your joe, and your waffle," I told her as I placed her coffee and her plate from the tray to the table.

"'Joe' is an American term", she corrected. "The British term is 'molten'".

"My apologies ma'am," I laughed. "O ayan! kape mo." I watched as Emma's laugh pushed away the sad expression that just moments ago embraced her face. Her smile is back now...

"Will there be anything else ma'am?" I asked her.

"Nothing more thank you," she told me as she spoke in her call centre accent. "Although your company would be nice, sir". She smiled at me as she gestured at the empty chair beside her.

I sat down beside her, and we did what we do best: enjoyed the moment. Its been a weird evening, I thought as I watched Emma forked the corner of the waffle "A very weird and cofusing evening".

I lost the bet, but I felt like I won something... I think... did I?

The Bet part 1

Timezone! Emma loves going to Timezone. We each have our own cards but she's the one who has the premium gold card thing. I gave up reloading my card so she can get the gold card. I'm not much of an arcade gamer anyway. I'm the type of person who stands back to watch her do her thing. We took on the Coop shoot-em ups, including the latest in the House of the Dead series. If anyone heard the scream in G4 around 8pm last Saturday, that was her (with a little startling from me hehe). She is a good gamer. Except for the hoops and Ghost Squad, her scores and lives were ahead of mine.

We had a great time at TimeZone but we weren't really there to play. We we're there to watch a X-men 3 with Richard and Erika, and they were running late (or maybe I was too early when I picked up Emma from work?) We were supposed to wait for them at the food court for dinner, but Emma knows I hate waiting so she suggested that we buy the movie tickets already and try TimeZone to make the time pass. I'll just ask Richard to pay for the two tickets later.

Richard and Erika texted us that they were parked just as we were getting our asses kicked in Cobra, so we decided not to continue and proceeded down to the waiting place at the food court.

"Hehe Bitin ka no?" I teased Emma while heading down the escalator to the foodcourt.

"Oo nga eh," she replied with what I can only describe as a pouting smile. "Kaasar!"

I find it amusing that when it comes to games, particularly computer games/arcade, Emma can be very competetive. She is obsessed with points. It doesnt matter to her that we finished Time Crisis 2, she is still upset because I got higher points at the end of the area. Conversely, she can be very ecstatic if she gets the higher score even if we get a game over. I've learned my lesson not to play against her in fighting games, lest I want to put our friendship in and our PS2 controller in jeopardy.

Soon, Richard and Erika came, arguing as usual. We said our hellos and couple took the seats in front of us. Just as they got seated, Richard pulled one of his atics again.

"Being on double dates is much more fun," said Richard.

As soon as he said that, Erika's palm met the back of Richard's head. I couldn't help but laugh eventhough the blood was rushing to my head because of Richard's words. I was worried how Emma would react, so I took a "pa-simple" glance at her.

She is laughing so I sighed in relief. "Ok lang siguro sa kanya," I thought to myself.

"But then... if Emma is ok with Richard calling this a double date, then does that mean that she considers this as a date as well? Maybe she thinks that this is just a gimik, or a friendly date?" I asked myself and sighed. I'm thinking too much that I was getting confused.

Ekira was apologizing to Richard for hitting the back of his head. "Sorry na... napalakas eh," she said while nursing richard. "Ikaw naman kasi eh".

"Ano ba yan," sid Richard "Nagsosorry ka tapos maninisi ka".

Emma and I were laughing at the couple as they made up, but it was a short lived laughter. Our laugh was changed into a smile, into a downright stare when right then and there Erika started to kiss Richard on the lips.

Erika may be the mature type, but she has no qualms about PDAs when there are no relatives around. This isn't the first we've witnessed this kind of behaviour from Erika and Richard. It can vary from a hug, to kisses on the cheek, to subtle french kissing when they think no one is looking. This time the kisses were small smacks on the lips with the words "I'm sorry baby" snuck in between each kiss. Normally I don't have problems with PDA, but I was with Emma at that time so my first thought was... kissing her. I was playing with the thought in my mind for a bit when Emma held my right arm and gave me a small nod to signal that we should go get food. The forced smile on her lips told me that she was uneasy watching the couple.

"Okay, we'll go first," I said as I stood up. "Can you hold our seats for us?"

"Oh sure," said Erika with a silly smile. I think she was a bit embarassed at what she did.

"Sige Thanks," I replied. Emma just smiled and nodded at the couple when she stood up.

We walked around the food court to look for anything good. I kept glancing at Emma if she's found anything she likes, but it looked as if she was more interested in how the foods were being prepared. (I think I'll take her to Gourdo's some time). She picked out a place and I got our trays.

"Ang sweet nila no?" Emma refered to Richard and Erika as soon as we placed our orders.

"Ok lang"

"...Pero lagi silang nag kiss"

"Hehe Pansin mo rin?

"Medyo, ganun ka rin naman diba?, Emma asked me. I forgot that Emma was my confedant when I was still in college.

"Hey not THAT much. I know the right time and place," I told Emma while I pulled our trays as the line move. ("like right here and now with you," I thought to myself.)

"Yeah me too... I'm not really into PDA," said Emma. I then recalled a problem she had with her ex whom she broke up with because the guy wants to go "overboard".

"Pwera na lang siguro kung malambing yung guy," she added with a laugh. I tried to decipher the meaning behind her concept of "lambing" and why she had to laugh. I resigned that as a fact that a guy will never know by himself even if he thinks about it in his entire lifetime.

"Bagay naman sila eh," I added.

"Thats true," Emma said when she pushed the trays. "I wonder how many times they'll kiss tonight"

I laughed. "Just you wait. Mamaya sa sinehan."

Emma laughed like I was joking but I was being serious.

"Sige, bilangin mo," I suggested. "I bet they'll kiss at least ten times during the movie"

"Ano ka ba, thats too much"

"Nah, its dark, and its a full length movie. I say my chances are good"

"Sige, lets put a wager on it", she said with a grin.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know... the winner decides what the loser will do. Pagusapan na lang natin later pagkatapos ng movie. Basta pag naka 10 and above sila, you win" (If you are a pervert, I can tell you right now that the consequences of the bet is no where near what you are thinking of. lol)

"Walang thrill pag ganun," I said as I paid for our meals and picked up our tray. "Maaga magkakaalaman"

"Bat pano ba dapat?" Emma asked.

"Later," I said. We walked towards our table and I didn't want Richard and Erika to hear about our bet.

"Out turn!," exclaimed Erika as she and Richard stood up to get their dinner. I looked over my shoulder to check if the coast is clear.

"Okay," I said, turning to Emma. "Lets change the bet".

"Ano?" Emma asked ans she leaned over to listen carefully.

"Odd and Even. If they do get an even number of kisses, I win. Pag odd, you win," I began explaining to Emma. "That way, until the credits roll, di natin alam kung sino winner".

Emma set the technicalities of the bet, defining what is considered a kiss and the duration of a kiss bofore its considered a "score". We were laughing and making predictions while waiting for Richard and Erika to return. Counting shall begin the moment richard and Erika return to the table.

Soon, the couple arrived and they noticed that I and Emma were giggling. "What's up?", asked Erika as she was sitting down.

"It's nothing," I said. "It's just a private joke, sorry".

"Yon!" excalimed Richard with a laugh. "Mukang nagkakaigihan kayo ah. May nalalaman pa kayong private jokes ah!"

"Hoy, bumanat ka na naman," scolded Erika, while pinching Richard's arm.

I glanced at Emma and I saw that she was laughing. Maybe she is getting used to Richard's comments. At this point I think she knows already, so I might as well ride with it. I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Oo nga", I told Richard. "Wag mo naman akong sobrang bistuhin". It was a half meant joke that both Richard and Erika didn't expect. Even I didn't expect it. All that mattered to me was how Emma would react so I glanced at her again. She didn't laugh, and she didn't say a word. She didn't even make a sound. All she did was face me, and smiled in a way that I can't even describe. If she was an emoticon, she would look like this: ~^_^~

"Aww... ang cute nyo," teased Erika. I think I may have opened a can of worms. I wanted to explain myself even if there was nothing to explain, but before I could say anything, Erika embraced Richard and gave him a kiss.

Soon after, we started eating. While in the middle of the meal, Emma poked me on the knee and handed me her cell phone from under the table. I took it and read the message that she had written:

thats 1! üüü

Some Changes

I've been checking on the other sites that link to this blog, and compared to them, this blog was a little too plain, (and some say the layout is difficult for reading). I was browsing around for blogger templates and I googled my way to http://blogger-templates.blogspot.com/. Lo and Behold! I finally had the time to apply the changes earlier today. The current layout is not yet final although I'm having second thoughts because I may be adding too many features. I'll stick to whats necessary muna.

Also, I'm seeing a number of sites/blogs have added this blog to their link lists. The least I can do is to return the favor and provide a link back. PM me if you are interested. ^^

Three Years' Worth of Lasagna

I hate waiting. I'm back in the Philippines after 8 months in the US and the first thing I'm forced to do is wait for my ride to pick me up from the airport.

Thirty minutes later, my mom, uncle Guy and their driver arrived in uncle's van to pick me up. As soon as I got in, I immediately started complaing about the heat, the traffic, the noise, and everything. I was irritable. I was excited to return to the Philippines, but it annoyed me because I was just starting to gain friends in Chicago. Returning to the Philippines meant going back to the job I left, returning to the annoyances I used to have, and reliving the memories that I've wanted to forget.

It was a mixed emotion. I didn't want to stay there in the US, but I knew that aside from my family, no one else really waited for me here.

We went straight to my grandparents' place first. It became a standard procedure for us to give away the "pasalubong" and the "padala" to our relatives first. '"Great," I told myself. "Its time to meet the relatives that only remember us whenever someone in my family comes home from overseas".

I helped my mom distribute the contents of the big balikbayan boxes that I had to drag through customs. I didnt talk and I didn't ate because I didn't really want to. My mom noticed this and asked if I was ok, I just said I was tired. That seemed to work because a few minutes later, my mom asked her brother to distribute the rest of the pasalubong to the relatives.

Ten minutes later we were heading home. Another 15 minutes later, we were stuck in traffic. I was ecstatic with sarcastic glee. I want to go home. I want to see my room and lock myself inside.

As we turned the last corner to our house, I could barely hold myself back. I was getting impatient. I wanted to take the wheel from the driver and hit the gas.

"Ma, Antok na ko," I told my mom as we parked at our garage. She OK'ed and she instructed the driver to carry my bags inside the house.

I entered the house, climbed the stairs and walked directly to my room. I took off my shoes and dropped myself on my familiar bed like a falling timber. The clean covers felt soft and nice on my skin. Thats the first good thing I felt since coming back. I planned to change my clothes but sleep got the better of me.

=============

It was already dark outside when I woke up. The air was cold but dry. I looked at my alarm clock and the display read 10:01pm.

I stepped out of my room and looked at the corridor. It seemed everyone is sleeping already. It felt like I had the house all to myself so I got changed and went downstairs to watch some TV.

I sat on the right end of the sofa pulled one of the four cushions from underneath the coffee table and raised my feet. I used to do this a lot when I'm watching tv. I want to be as comfortable as possible. Even after 8 months, it seems old habits die hard.

I got frustrated when I browsed the channels. "Ugh... I need a channel guide," I thought. The cable company changed the channel lineup again.

I was about to close the TV when I heard someone coming from the behind the living room, so I poked my head around the corner to see who it is.

'Hi Emma. Goodevening," I greeted.

"Aaaaaaaaaaldrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiin!" She excitingly called my name. She quickly dragged her slippers and sat right beside me. She folded and rested her right leg on the couch and tucked it underneath her left knee to an almost indain seat position so she can face me. Judging by her damp hair and the familiar scent of her bath soap, I can tell she just finished her evening bath.

"Kumusta ka na?!" she said with a grin. I can tell by the look on her eyes that she's excited. We haven't met since I arrived, so this was the first chance we've had to talk.

"Eto... I just woke up," I answered.

"Ay kumain ka na?" she queried. "We have lasagna sa ref, wait here"

She quickly got up and walked towards the kitchen. I couldnt help but notice that she's a bit taller now. Instead of loose t shirts and baggy shorts, it seems she wears a tight sando and long pajamas when going to bed. Her clothes hugged her body and revealed her figure. Her hair is a lot shorter than how she used to wear it, and I think her skin has more of a rosey tint, and not as pale as it used to be.

I heard the click of the light switch as she disappeared into the kitchen, and I returned to looking for HBO. I heard a soft ding and minutes later, she returned with a tray on her hands which she cafrefully placed on the coffee table. On the tray was a pitcher of iced tea, an empty glass, a small plate with 2 slices of garlic bread, and a delicious looking lasagna on a ceramic heating dish. She went back to the kitchen then returned with some table napkins and a fork.

"Yan, kumain ka na," she said as she sat down beside me.

"Thank you," I said as she handed me a plate. "Ikaw? bat ayaw mo kumain"

"No thanks. I ate already," she refused.

I caught the smell of the warm lasagna, and I remembered that the last meal I had was on the plane. I didn't like eating alone, but hunger got the best of me. As I forked a small potion into my mouth and tasted the pasta, I can see Emma's mouth slowly open and close in anticipation of the first bite.

"I had to microwave it kasi lumamig na. I thought you were going to wake up in time for dinner," she explained. "So... how is it?"

"Its good," I said. "Sino Nagluto?"

She closed her eyes, raised her eyebrows, and smiled proudly. "Sino pa kaya?"

"Di nga, sino?" I asked, pretending that I don't believe her.

"Ako nga"

"Ows, Ikaw gumawa nito?", I asked with a raised eyebrow in an effort to sound skeptic.

"Ay nako... ako nga eh"

"You sure?", I said as I continued to annoy Emma. "This tastes like its store-bought or something."

"Ang kulit mo rin eh"

"Malay ko ba? Di ko naman nakitang ginawa mo to. Bat ako maniniwala-"

"Tama na, " Emma interrupted with a laugh. "Ang corny mo na," she said with a grin and a slight pinch on my left arm.

"Well... Its good," I continued and Emma started to smile. That smile quicky disappeared when I said that its a little TOO good.

She inhaled and took a quick exhale. "Kelan ka babalik ng US?" she asked.

I laughed at her question and grinned to tell her that I wasn't even being serious "Joke lang Emma!".

"Hay nako asar ka pa rin," she complained. "Bumalik ka na nga ron," she said. Her voice sounded genuinely annoyed. "It seems like I haven't lost my touch," I thought to myself.

"Di na nga kita pagluluto," she threatened. "Sabi pa naman ni tita you like pasta thats why I made it for you tapos di mo mang lang ma-appreciate," frowned Emma.

"Wow," I said. I was genuinely surprised that (not only did she cook great, but) she took the time out to ask my mom about what kind of food she should make. Also its weird to hear her say it, but Emma's started calling my mom "Tita" sometime during the last three years. It was an arragement between Emma and my mom I think. Mama didn't like Emma calling her "Ate," similar to how she told Ate Lydia not to call her "Madam".

"Hey I do appreciate this," I told her, as I took another bite. "I really do. Peksman," I swore with a smile.

"Talaga?" she asked. I noticed that her smile was back on.

I apologized for annoying her and to convince her, I had a second helping. I didnt mind proving that to her, because I honestly think that her cooking was great, and I was hungry.

I thought to myself that other than our moms, Emma was the only other person who cooked for me. Penelope made me taste her cooking once or twice, but it she was cooking to impress her friends, but not to impress me alone. Pene didn't even finish the cooking. She would just prepare the ingredients and let their house help finish the rest. When its time to eat, she would say proudly that 'I cooked that'. Emma's cooking was different. It felt special, like when my mom took time out from her very busy schedule to make sure I have a good meal.

(I apologize to all women who do not wish to be compared to their special someone's mothers, but if a guy tells you that your cooking is like their mom's cooking, its actually a good compliment... unless ofcourse your special someone suffered a form of food poisoning or malnutrition during their childhood years)

"So is this what they've been teaching you in Singapore?" I asked while taking another bite. I recalled the last time I saw her- it was more that 3 years ago. Now, I can't help but notice the changes she's been through. It seemed Singapore was a good phase for her. She began talking about the HRM training took with ate Lydia, her "english" lessons her Singaporean boss made her take, and her Pinay tutor. It seems that she also had a job as a personal assistant to a YMCA hotshot who had a very annoying grandmother.

While she was telling her story, Emma took my fork a couple of times to have some of the lasagna she baked, and take a sip from the iced tea she prepared. Some say its unsanitary, but we've been doing it for years. I recall one time my mom saw me and Emma sharing food from a single plate. She wanted to gross us out both out by telling us that we are practically kissing each other, but we never did unlearn that.

"Eh ikaw?" Emma asked. "Kumusta na kayo?"

Uh oh... I knew it. I knew that this topic would eventually come up. "Kami nino?" I asked in a futile effort to stall.

"You know who"

"Sino nga?"

"Kunwari pa to. Edi yung girlfriend mo". Darn. I should've just followed her suggestion and went back to Chicago.

I can't stall anymore. I sighed. I had to tell her. Emma has been hoping to meet Penelope. I was only able to talk about Pene with Emma through YM, so its understandable that Emma is excited. We've always talked to each other's special someones, and we never asked too much, nor kept secrets that need telling. We even promised each other that we must assess each other's crushes and love interests just to make sure that they are up to standard. Emma has high expectations, thats why it was very difficult to tell her about my break-up with Pene.

I was hesitant to tell her not because I'm ashamed of what happened between me and my ex, but because I did'nt know she would react. I took a deep breath and spoke.

"We didn't work out," I finally said, and immediately Emma's barrage of questions expectably came.

I began to tell Emma the details. I didn't mind going through the birth to the eventual demise of my relationship with Pene. I'm over it, but I was chosing my words correctly because I didn't want Emma to feel left out. I want Emma to know everything, but my relationship with Pene was lifechanging, both for good and bad. At first I dint know what to tell Emma, so I had to rely on her questions on what to share, but as the conversation progressed, I felt at ease telling her everything I want to tell her. I was able to put into words the frustration, anger and sadness and the feelings of betrayal and letting go that I was not able to talk with anyone before. We may have been apart for so long, but its still "The Emma" I was talking to after all. I've been with her my entire life, and she's not a person that I just happened to have met along the way. Everything came out very easy. Soon, I was ending my story by narrating the last phone conversation I had with Pene at my despedida party.

"Wala ka pala eh," she laughed. "Dapat yata beer iniinom natin, not iced tea. Gusto mo ng tissue?" Her reaction made me laugh because I never expected it. (I didn't cry lol. She just said that to tease me).

"Naubos mo na nga eh," I pointed to the empty pitcher of Iced tea. "Wait lang, I'll get more"

"Ako na," Emma said. She started to stand, but I refused and told her she shouldn't bother getting up.

"You got the last one," I said. "Its my turn".

"Ikaw bahala," she smiled.

I got up, picked up the empty pitcher and went to the kitchen. A good five minutes later, I returned to the living room.

"Asan na?" Emma asked, curious why I returned empty handed.

"Hehe... where do we keep the Nestea?" I asked with an embarassed laugh. It was the first time I've seen the kitchen since I left. I could barely recognize it.

Emma laughed. "Nasa green na plastic container sa shelf," she said as she was sticking the fork on what remained of the lasagna.

"Yeah I knew that, I was just making sure that it was Nestea," I said. Emma knew I was just making excuses and laughed at me. "Bulag ka talaga," she added as I returned to the kitchen. There, I nuked the remaining lasagna, prepared some iced tea and went back to the living room.

"Ayan. Inubusan mo ko eh," I told Emma as I put down the pitcher and the amber crystal pan containing the lasagna on the coffee table. I also handed her another fork so we can eat straight from the pan. "Lakas mo sa pulutan eh," I grinned.

We started trading questions and stories, and exchanging laughter and comforting words. We had a lot of catching up to do thats why we were up all night, talking and eating (with the ocassional pissbreaks lol).

I didnt realize what time it is until my watch beeped. It was already 6 o'clock and we didnt even realize we've been talking for 8 hours. I apologized for keeping her up all night and suggested that we clean up, but she said she didn't mind. "Ok lang no. Minsan ka na nga lang mamimiss, ayaw mo pa. If I know, miss mo rin ako," she said with a laugh.

Hearing her say that gave me an epiphany of sorts. I may have spent only 8 months in the US, but it has actually been three years since we last saw each other. It dawned on me just how long that time has been, and three years is too long, even for lifelong friends.

I picked up the pitcher and the glass, wiped the coffee table with tissue, then followed Emma to the kitchen. "Thanks for talking to me Emma," I said. "I missed you too"

"Wushuuu... drama mo," she laughed, but I didnt complain. I sat at the counter and thought that our parents and Uncle Guy should be waking up in a few minutes. We're all together in our house in a quiet village in Makati, and for my family, its a rare ocession. (I've forgotten the things that annoyed me when I just got back.)

I saw the familiar sunshine pierce through our kitchen window and gently hit Emma as she was washing the dishes we just used.

Its nice to be back home.

Unspoken Favors

"Sige na nay," begged Emma.

"Wag ka na pumunta," said the woman sitting across her on the kitchen table. "Baka kung mapano ka pa."

"Sabado naman yun eh," Emma pleaded. "Tapos na naman exam namin"

"Sino sino ba kayo?" asked ate Lydia. Ate Lydia is Emma's mom, our maid for as long as I can remember. She was scooping icecream into her favorite yelloow mug.

"Mga classmates ko lang"

"Sino sino nga," insisted her Mom as she sat down next to me at the kitchen table.

"Sila Monica, Rose, at Jen lang," enumerated Emma. "Nakita nyo na po sila"

"E diba may mga boyfriend na yung mga yon?" asked Ate Lydia as she handed me the brass colored half gallon container.

"Oo nga pero di namin kasama yun," excalimed Emma.

"Kaya naman palaaaa," I teased Emma and laughed. "may mga guys na kasama," I sung with an annoying tone as I dug the scooper into the rockyroad ice cream.

"Wala no," Emma complained. She threw a mad look at me before turning back to her mom. "Kami lang talaga."

"Eh ano ba papanuorin nyo?" ate Lydia continued her interrogation.

"6th Sense lang nay"

"Woooooooow," I teased her. "Scary movie. Makakailang yakap ka kaya?" I whispered so Ate Lydia won't hear. Emma retaliated by kicking my foot underneath the table.

"San?" asked Ate Lydia after a spoonfull of icecream.

"Magkikita kita na lang kami sa Megamall"

"Sa Megamall? Hay nako," said Ate Lydia with a skeptic tone. "Nakakapunta ka na dun?"

"Matagal na kong sinasama nila Ate Aileen nun"

"Baka maligaw ka eh hindi mo yata alam pumunta don, bat dun pa kasi kayo pupunta?" continued Ate Lydia with her relentless questioning.

"Baka mag bus na lang kami o FX"

"Kinakabahan ako sayong bata ka"

"Sige na Nay"

"Hanggang anong oras kayo don?"

"Eight po"

"Wag na. Hindi na uwing estudyante yung alas ocho"

"Tsk, oo nga. Masyadong gabi na yung 8," I said smiling. I can tell Emma was really annoyed, but watching them while eating icecreamw as really entertaining.

"Naaay minsan lang to," said Emma. She was almost whining when she got interrupted by someone who just entered the kitchen.

"Hello," a voice from the kitchen enterance said. I looked up and recognize the origin of the voice.

"Hi Ma." My mom stood beside me and placed her hand on my head.

"Good Evening po," Emma greeted my mom. Emma got up from her seat to serve my mom some ice cream.

"Ay Ayen, nag long distance si Guy. Tatawag raw ulit sya mamayang 9," repored Ate Lydia. She got up to offer my mom a seat.

"Hayaan mo yun. Malaki na sya," she laughed to pretend that she didn't care, but knowing her, she's excited to hear from the guy who she is seeing for about 4 years. They've been together for a year before my mom confronted me about him but before that, I already I knew that Uncle Guy is not really an uncle when he began staying at our house for months at a time.

"Thank you," said my mom as she took the cup of icecream from Emma. "Whats with the icecream?"

"Emma is asking Ate Lydia if she can go out this saturday for a date," I answered proudly.

"Eeeeeeeeh! Its not a date," Emma said in a very frustrated tone. "Kuya Aldrin ang kulit." I can tell by her looks that if I teased her a bit more, she'll start crying. I stopped antagonizing her and enjoye the icecream.

"Hay nako," sighed Ate Lydia. "Nagyayaya raw yung mga classmate nya, manunuod raw ng sine"

"I see," said my mom. "Ilan kayo?"

"Apat po kami ng mga classmate kong babae," answered Emma. "Nagkayayaan lang po kasi tapos na exams." She knows that she'll be able to rely on my mom for support.

"There you go," said my mom before she turned to Ate Lydia. "Payagan mo na. Minsan lang naman eh." I can see Emma's cheeks tighten to prevent the smile thats slowly forming on her face.

"Eh ang gusto sa Megamall pa manunuod," argued Emma's mom.

"May kasama ba kayong lalake?" asked my mom as she began to consume the icecream given to her.

"Wala po. Girls lang talaga," clarified Emma.

"I see," said my mom. She seems to be enjoying the Icecream. "I dont think there will be any problems". At the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Emma jump.

"Eh gagabihin raw" said Ate Lydia

"Oh... Edi pasamahan mo," exclaimed my mom in an effort to convince Emma's mom to agree. I saw Emma gringing, but the grin quickly tunred into a frown when she heard what my mom had to say next: "Hey Aldrin, you go with Emma"

"Bat ako? I'll be busy on Saturday"

"Anong busy? Didn't you say your finals are over?"

"Eh Ate wag nyo na ko pasamahan kay kuya Aldrin," complained Emma. "Magpapacute lang yan kasi crush sya si Jen eh"

"Nyek. Feeling naman nung Jen eh," I argued. Jen was her classmate and she's been texting me ever since Emma borrowed my phone to text her. "Bat kasi binigay mo pa number ko sa kanya eh"

"Masasamahan mo ba sya Aldrin?" Ate Lydia turned to me, not wanting the discussion to digress.

"Samahan mo na sweetie. Take the car so you wont have problems commuting"

I sighed, nodded, and shoved a big spoonful of icecream in my mouth. I looked at Emma. She just got her permission, but it seems she didn't like the way things worked out.

=======

"Hey don't blame me for the traffic ok?" I argued. "Alam mong ginagawa yung MRT eh"

"Bilisan mo na lang," Emma said. "Nasa loob na sila eh"

We were almost running to the Cinema. The truth is I want to watch the movie but I didn't want to go with her. Her classmates have the tendency to be very noisy, not to mention very annoying.

"I dont want your friends to see me ok?," I told Emma. "Pag natapos na yung movie, kita na lang tayo sa Wendy's. Text mo na lang ako"

"Ok," she said. She was preoccupied with hurrying so she didn't have the time to argue.

We got our tickets and went inside as soon as possible. We peeked at the screen from the side of the cinema and I saw that the ending credits of the previous screening is still rolling. Emma went on ahead to meet up with her classmates while I fell in line at the consession stand. I got a bit annoyed because we could've taken our time. I didnt like being hurried for nothing.

Confident that I didn't have to deal with Emma's friends, I got myself a large coke and a tub of popcorn for the movie (Hey, I enjoy movies ok?). The theater lights were still on when I entered. Leonardo di Carprio was running in the trailer of "The Beach" when I found a good seat a few rows in front of Emma and her classmates. "This should be far enoughnot to be recognized," I told myself. They were at the top right corner of the cinema.

I slouched and raised a foot. I took a handful of popcorn and watched rest of the movie trailers. Soon the lights went out and last few trailers began to roll. I ws getting comfortable when my cellphone beeped. I forgot to put it on silent mode and I got shushed by stragers around me. I took a peep at my cell phone and saw that It was Emma.

san ka? badtrip. i wna go home.

why? whats wrong?

Cnama pala nla mga bf nila. usapan nmin all girls lng. magisa lng me d2. naka2 op.

I raised my head to take a good look at Emma's party. She was at the left end, and beside her were 3 couples. From the light on the screen, I can see that her classmates were busy talking while Emma was holding her 5110, unable to relate in the couples scene.

u dont hav to hav sum1 2 enjoy d movie. d nman kayo nagbayad para makipagdaldalan db?

eh sila jeff nagya2 mag billards mamaya. nakakailang. dpat kc kmi2 lang

yan ksi sbi ko syo mag bf ka na e hehe

nang aasar k p eh. hay nvm. uwi n tyo mamya after n2.

do u want 2 play billards with them later?

uu pero maiilang lng me. uwi na lng tyo.

Emma looked as if she just got cheated in a game. She was leaning away from her friends, with her hand on her elbow, obviously annoyed and getting bored. Her friends were still chatting so I got up, climbed and moved to the Free seat on Emma's left.

"Sorry," I pretended to apologize."There was a line at the snack bar kaya natagalan ako"

Emma was confused for a bit, but she easily catched on. "Umupo ka na. Magsstart na."

"I got us popcorn and coke," I told Emma. "Dammit, isa lang ang straw!" I told myself, but Emma realized this and casually told me she didnt want to drink.

Her friends started saying "hi" and Emma introduced me to her friends as "anak ng boss ng nanay nya". I just nodded and smiled at them.

So I was sympathetic. Big deal. I had to do what I can. She wasn't such a bad girl and she didn't deserve to get her time out ruined. She is a good student and she deserves some fun.

Soon, the movie started and Emma's fingernails started digging into my right arm. An hour and a half, a swollen right arm and a deaf right ear later, the lights went on. The movie has ended and I suggested we eat dinner at Kenny Rogers' Roasters (when it was still cool lol). After that, we proceeded to play billards. I don't want to discriminate but I was a bit uncomfortable playing with Emma's friends from highschool and she knows that. Nevertheless, I didnt want to embarass her in front of her friends, and being the only one of legal age in the group, I kept myself well behaved. All night, Emma was elbowing me and grinning because we were winning the games. Nagseselos na raw yung mga guys sa mga gfs nila kaya wag daw ako masyadong magpa-cute. I just kept a stiff grin, and from time to time I reminded Emma that she owes me bigtime.

We got home around 10:30 pm with 3 worried grown-ups waiting for us. We got a good scolding and grounding. I wont be able to drive for a semester. We got sent to our rooms soon after that.

"Goodnight," I told Emma when were about to enter each others' rooms.

"Goodnight," she replied. We both got scolded but she was able to flash me a smile. A few minutes later, I got a text from Emma.

sori pti ikaw grounded. pero thnx kanina. ty talaga üüü gnyt.


*Lydia is Emma's mom's name and Aileen is my mom's name (Ayen is her nickname). Both are real names btw.

Leaving

"I'm still having second thoughts"

"You're just saying that," said the other voice on the telephone. "Sayang naman yung nilakad mo".

"I know...," I replied with a sigh. "Baka kasi di na ko makabalik"

I lied. I know I'll be back, I just didn't know when.

"...Ganun ba"

I can tell by her pauses of silence that she was searching for words to say.

"So di ka talaga makakapunta?" I asked. "Hanap ka ni mama"

"Al, you know I can't"

"You cant or you don't want to come?" I asked with a a stress in my voice. I knew the answer but she only remained in silence.

"Al, don't be angry ok" she finally said after what seemed to be minutes of silence.

"I don't want to go," I told her. "I want to stay here"

"... I know, but I can't do anything about that"

"Can't you just come by?" I pleaded "It'll just be for a few minutes. Magpakita ka lang dito, Ihahatid rin kita agad."

"... Aldrin please," she said "If this is about the promise, I'm really sorry ok?"

"Why? " I asked, raising my voice again. "You said you're sure that its just for some time out"

"... I'll really sory Al," she apologized. "Believe me its not like I planned it out"

"You promised you'll still be there"

"... Al, I really can't talk right now. I'm busy"

"You cant be busy right now. I know you. Wala kang pasok ngayon"

"... We agreed that this is for the better diba?"

"No, We agreed to what YOU wanted. I never wanted this." My voice was going louder. I was getting angery and frustrated.

"... Al you need to go"

"All I did was wait but you never really told me whats wrong!" I was shaking and I almost shouted. The speaker on my phone crackled at my voice.

"Al!", she said sternly. "...I'm with Dave right now".

I wanted to scream at her, but I didnt. I wanted to ask for an explanation but I didnt know the words to say. I didn't want this to happen. I didn't do anything to deserve this. I kept telling myself that whtas happening isn't real.

"Hello?... nandyan ka pa?"

My brain kicked in to accept the sad reality. "Sige... I need to go. Tawag na ko sa baba. Bye", I lied and quickly hung up the phone. That would be the last time I heard from her.

I didn't get up from my bed. I just froze there and assimilated what happened.

"We've always been able to talk about everything," I told myself. We've broken up weeks before but she said that she just needed some time alone. It would seem that she broke up with me so she could have some time alone with someone else. "How could I have been so stupid to have things come to this?!" I laid there in my bed for a few more minutes. I couldnt figure out if time passed too quickly or too slowly around me.

"Aldrin?," someone from behind the door called. "Can I come in?"

"Opo," I answered while getting up. I took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. I took a quick look at the mirror to check if everything is ok.

My door opened and in came a woman in her mid 40's. "Ba't ka nandito? They are looking for you downstairs"

"Maingay sa baba eh," I answered. "Gamit ko yung phone kanina"

"Ah, so have you talked to Penelope?" she asked as she sat beside me on my bed. "What time pa sya pupunta dito? Its already getting late."

"Di na sya makakapunta Ma," I said. "Sorry daw. The timing is just bad I guess." I didnt like lying to my mom, but at that time, I didnt want her to ask anymore questions. I let out a small sigh which I thought my mom wouldn't notice.

"I'm sorry sweetie," said my mom in an effort to comfort me. "Kung pwede lang sana we can ask your lolo to wait for another month. Pauwi na rin naman sila Uncle Guy** mo".

My mom doesn't know that Penelope and I have broken up for quite some time. As far she she's concerened, we've only been having problems but we are still together. I didnt even mind what my mom said. All I thought was I needed to find closure by myself.

It was my despedida party. Two days later, I was boarding the plane for the US. I wont be back in Philippines for another 8 months.

* Penelope is not my ex's real name. Penelope is the loyal wife of Odysseus, who had to refuse marriage proposals from several princes while his husband is away. I chose this name just to illustrate irony.
** Guy is not my mom's BF's real name. His chin just closely resembles the chin of Guy Smiley from Sesame Street.

"OK lang"

Sunday was a busy day. The day's activities started with grocery shopping. We do this once every two months, unless there's a special occasion and we are expecting visitors and we have to buy extra stuff. We used to get our groceries at Makro and buy in bulk, but since nanay went to the US and her BF is managing his own business in Singapore together with Emma's mom, buying in bulk isn’t so practical anymore so we just go to The Landmark or to the SM Supermarket.

Emma looks at shopping for grocery items as a science. She has a list of everything we need for the house, and she knows where to get them. She also has a system of grabbing the items in the list. We start with bathroom, hygiene, and cleaning supplies, then the dry goods, to finally the wet edible goods. She also knows where to put each item in the cart, and she can tell if something is misplaced.

I, on the other hand, look at grocery shopping as a fun activity. I have a fairly simple system for grocery shopping. I look at an item- If I think I need it, I'll place it in the cart. Last March, I offered to do the groceries alone, and when I got home and Emma checked on what I bought, naasar sya kasi I didn't buy the things that we needed for the house. We went to redo the groceries the very next day. I guess women think that there are things that men cannot be trusted with. That’s also the reason why she demoted me to driving and pushcart duty. (But in my defense, she didn't give me the list she prepared)

Grocery shopping with Emma can tell you a lot of things about her. I know her preferred brand of toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash, various kinds of soaps, shampoo, conditioner, moisturizing lotion, powder, antiperspirant, and the holy grail, sanitary pads and napkins. The list is a lot longer if Watson's is part of the itinerary. I looked at my pile of personal stuff and compared it to hers: hers outnumber mine 3 to 1 lol.

The number of personal hygiene products she has reflects that she is a neat freak. She is such a neat freak; its bordering with being OC. Her handwriting is so neat, her notebooks look like they were laser-printed. Her cabinets, dresser, study table and shoe rack are always in order. Everything has a place. Misplace something and suffer the consequences. I once pointed that out to her to joke about it, all I got was a "Bakit ba?" said with a raised eyebrow with matching hands on her hips. She's just one of those women that look pretty when they're pretending to be angry and even prettier when they are really angry.

Anyway, back to the grocery~ WE get into a number of awkward situations whenever we go to malls and supermarkets. Sunday's grocery shopping is not an exception. Emma and I were at the spices section because she wanted to check out ingredients for a dish she wants to try. She can really get frustrated if she can’t find one or two things that she needs, especially if its food ingredients. She was a few feet away and looking at some bottles when I accidentally bumped carts with a couple. I apologized because it’s my fault (I was too busy looking at Emma instead of looking where I'm going). The couple smiled at me and said that it’s ok. I smiled back. I secretly laughed because it looked like the guy was on pushcart duty as well.

I pushed forward for a bit and a few seconds later, the lady friend of the guy I bumped carts with came to me to ask where we got the brand of coffee we had on out cart. Naturally, I asked the expert.

"Emma," I called out to her. "San natin na kuha to?" I asked her while I raised a box of San Mig Extra Strong Coffee (Emma and I both prefer brewed coffee but we keep a stock of 3in1 instants for a quick fix).

Emma's eyebrows met as she bit a part of lower lip, which she does when she is thinking. She looked at the over head aisle numbers and she slowly swung her arm to the direction of the aisle the lady was looking for. "The extra strong ones at the upper middle shelf," she told the lady as they went off.

"Emma," I called as Emma walked back to the cart. "Do you think that those two thought that we are a couple?" I asked because I was a bit curious of how she thought.

Her response: "Ok lang"

"Ok lang?" I asked in search for a little more clarity. "Ok lang as in 'ok lang' talaga sayo, or ok lang kasi you don’t mind at all or ok lang kasi you couldn't care less?"

She smiled with a single raised eyebrow- She probably thought that I was being weird for asking that question.

"Oook lang...," she said again. "Bakit?"

I took a deep breath and calmed myself for a bit. "Kasi I really want to know how you felt about it," I answered. My voice shook for a bit when I saw her staring at me. I can't do speak knowing that she is in front of me with that look on her face. I closed my eyes and spoke.

"... I really really want us to be a couple".

She then dropped the bottles of McCormick spices she was holding to run to me and embraced me with tears in her eyes. "Damn Al, I thought you'll never say that!" she cried over my shoulder. Everyone near us saw this and began clapping and cheering us on.

We then went home and lived happily ever after....





...I wish.

Ok this is what really happened:

"Oook lang," she said again. "Bakit?"

"Wala lang," I answered. "I was just wondering what they were thinking." (nagpalusot pa)

"Sus, Wag mong isipin yon," she replied smiling. "Baka akala lang nya na nagtatrabaho ka dito," she grinned at me while she placed the McCormick bottles in the cart.

T_T Ouch. First Blood.

I went on silent mode after her comment. I wanted to torture her by not talking to her, and I think she noticed it when I didn't pay attention to what she's saying until she called my name.

"Al? You ok?" she finally said. I can hear the concern in her voice but I didn't want to talk to her yet so I just nodded with an expressionless face. After that, we continued on with out list in silence and proceeded to the counter to pay for out stuff.

Even at the counter we didn't talk. I took the items out of the cart and placed it on the cold surface of the counter, and Emma would arrange them for the cashier. "Neat freak," I called her in my head. Soon the cart was empty, the cashier was punching in the last items and the bagger was doing his thing and Emma supervised.

I planned on continuing on silent mode but I realized that Emma was on to me. She knows that I'm just faking it simply because she knows me too well. I was curious on how she'll react when its time to pay, so I waited until the cashier told her how much the bill is. I didn't really know what to expect.

"O, Hun, bayaran mo na," she said. She spoke loud enough for the cashier and the bagger 2 counters away from us to hear.

After that, everything fell silent. I was frozen, and yet it left like my brain was burning up. "ANONG SINABI MO?!" I was screaming in my head. Emma used her Information Overload attack on me. I didn't see that coming.

I didn't know what to say. I want to hear her again. I was caught off guard and I was able to recover a little composure when I saw her with her patented Grin™. She stuck the tip of her tongue out for a second and began giggling at me. I had to exert extra effort to take my credit card from my wallet and to hand it to the cashier. I signed the slip and loaded the bags to the cart in silence. I was still feeling the aftershock of what she said, but I tried really hard not make it obvious and kept a straight face.

"Tara Hun, Lets go home," she suggested, and this time, not only did she make sure that other people heard us, she clung on my right arm as well. I think I felt a little more than just her arm on my arm because she clung on it pretty tight. I pushed the thought out of my head because I felt it was inappropriate for a Sunday. I knew I had to make a reaction.

"Hun," I said while trying to imitate her. "... ang panget mo gumanap". I couldn’t hold it in anymore so I finished the sentence with a laugh.

"Ang kapal mo," she replied as she let go of her cling and gave my triceps a pinch that I will never forget. Nang-gigil sya but she was also laughing. "Ikaw kaya. May nalalaman ka pang silent treatment, di naman bagay sayo"

(Bat ba mga babae, pag nang-gigigil, ang hilig manakit?)

I was nursing the pinch she gave me. Masakit eh. Napa-aray ako, but I do admit that I intentionally over-reacted.

"Sorry," she said with a grin™. "Ikaw kasi. Ang kulit mo eh"

I smiled and conceded. "Oo na".

We continued pushing the cart towards the grocery baggage counter so we can get the car. I thought of what happened within the last few minutes and even though we were just joking, it felt really good. I can only hope that it was a preview of things to come. Right then and there, I made a decision to ask her something I thought of asking her all morning.

"Emma,” I said to get her attention as we got near the ramp “Simba tayo later?"

With smile and a gentle nod, she answered.

"Ok lang."

Saturday. Music, Rain and a R18 Movie.

Saturdays mean one thing to me: No work.

Technically, I can spend up to half the day at the office if I feel like sneaking in a few hours but I'm not required to go.

So I didn't. XD

Staying at home at home on a saturday has its perks. I get to stay in bed longer, and just let time fly. Also, if my timing is right, just like what happened around lunch time, I get to catch Emma dancing and lipsyncing to the radio while cooking our lunch (Thank you rx93.1! Thank you!). I wish I had a cam at that time to record her. Her facial expression was priceless when I stood by the fridge and greeted her a good morning.

"ohgodhoyanokabawagmongakongginugulat!," she said in a raised tone. Yep. Gulat nga sya.

"Eh mukang enjoy na enjoy ka eh," I said and I couldn't help but grin. "Pag nahipan ka ng hangin, wala akong pampapagamot..."

"Oh shut up," she interrupted me while laughing. I backed off because the laddle she was holding looked lethal.

Yeah, the tension from thursday morning easily dissipated. We talked about it thursday morning, and she just laughed at me. She said that she really was glad that she I took her along at the party. When I asked her why she was upset, she just told me that I shouldn't be looking into things too much because I tend to lose perspective. I guess I got worried for no reason at all. However, she added that if I want us to go together to events just like last Wednesday's, then she would like to be told everything first. "Works for me, I guess," I told myself.

So... we're back to our old... uh... what do you call our relationship again? XD

I helped out in the kitchen. She didnt want me bringing forth the wrath of god and ruining the food she was cooking so she told me that I should just prepare the dining table. Three plates this time. A laundry woman comes by every Saturday and Wednesday to do our laundry.

At this point, I'd like to clarify (and for the amusement of Richard), that I have no interest in the laundry woman. She is around 30 I think, and she has a great sense of humor. Emma and I are always glad to have her with us.

A few minutes and a near breakage later, the table was set. She was still watching the food at the stove so I sat at the counter top and watcher her. (Hey I'm a man, ok?) She was wearing short denim shorts and a yellow short sleeved blouse underneath the green apron. She is healthy. She is fit. Her body is at a good proportion to her height.

Oh who am I kidding?

She's sexy and I couldn't shake off the image of her dancing while Riana's "SOS" was playing earlier.

"You know, pag nalapit dito yung audition ng Pinoy Idol, you should try for it," I joked.

"Al tikman mo nga kung ok na," she said while holding up the laddle. I jumped down from the counter to give the sinigang a taste.

I took a sip and gave her the thumbs down.

She then proceeded to stabbing me on the chest 21 times with the knife. DONT, as in DONT EVER complain about a girl's cooking if she is within arm's reach of a pointed object.

Lol Kidding. Emma is a great cook. Jillian Cha has nothing on her. She learned from both her mom and my mom, and she's a perfectionist at what she does.

"Ano yung sabi mo tungkol sa Pinoy Idol?" she asked. I guess she didn't hear me.

"AH... wala yon," I said smiling. I decided not to press my luck. She then tucked her lip to one side, and stared at me like she was angry.

"Bat gaganyan- ganyan ka? Halikan kita dyan eh!" I screamed inside my head. "Wala nga promise!" I told her.

A few minutes later, the laundry woman joined us, and we had lunch. You can hear our laughter from outside the house. The laundry woman never ran out of stories to tell.

After eating, I did the dishes because Emma had to prepare for work. Her shift begins after lunch.

Emma was already dressed casually for work when she said she was leaving. I thought of offering her a ride to her work because it was cloudy and it looked like it was going to rain. Its a good thing that I did. :D

Before long, we were taking a left on Jupiter. I thought that if our situations were reversed, I wouldn't mind serving as her driver.

"Emma, napanuod mo na yung 'The Da Vinci code'?" I asked as we turned right to Makati Ave.

"Di pa nga eh," she quickly replied. "Tara Greenbelt mamaya? I get off at 7:30. Susunduin mo naman ako diba?" she asked while looking at me. She had that cute grin again.

"Hay... Sige na nga," I pretended to complain. If Tom Hanks was with us in the car, he would've given me his academy awards. "Take care! See you later," I told her as she got off the car.

"Ok THAT was easy," I thought to myself as I drove home smiling.

(time check: I need to leave na XD)

==============

If you have questions or comments, feel free to add me to your ym buddy list. My Y!Id is aldrin_in_makati

Worth the Wait epilogue

"Al..." I felt someone nudge me by the shoulder. "Dun ka na sa kwarto. Wag ka dyan matulog"

"Hey..." I opened my eyes and recognized that it was Emma.

I looked at the clock on the wall to check the time. It was around 1:30 am. I must've dozed off.

"Narinig kong bukas yung TV," she told me.

Emma looked different now from how she looked back at the party. No hair accessories, no jewelry, no ruffled red top, no black uneven skirt, no perfume, no make up and no red lipstick. She was wearing a light blue sando and loose white pants that brushed the floor when she walks. Hes hair was down, brushed and devoid on any clips and pins. She has washed up and she's ready to sleep. She was her plain self, and even then she was very pleasing to look at. The light scent of her soap wafted the air as the fan swung our way.

"Akala ko matutulog ka na?" I asked her. I blinked at few times so that she wont notice that I was staring at her. I was a bit depressed at that time because the frustration of not being able to to talk to her about the party had sunk in.

"Yung cell phone mo kasi," she explained as she handed me my cell phone. "Nakalimutan kong bigay sayo".

I forgot that she had my cell phone all night. I took the phone and thanked her. If she had read my inbox and my sent folder, then she would've found out everything. I was not too worried however, we both know how to respect each other's privacy.

"Tara akyat na tayo," she suggested and I agreed. I guess there was no point in trying to strike up a conversation right now. We are both tired and sleepy. She waited for me at the livingroom while I checked the locks of the first floor and the kitchen gas.

"Sige akyat na tayo," I said as closed the living room lights. The only light that remained was the one above the stairs. We reached the corridor on top of the stairs. "This is where we part," I thought to myself. Her room is on the left, and mine is on the right. I turned to say my goodnight but Emma suddenly held my shirt from the back.

"Totoo ba yung sinabi ni Ate Erika?" she asked.

"Ha?" I tried to turn but the way she held my shirt suggested that she didnt want me to look at her.

"Sabi nya kasi wala ka raw balak pumunta"

"Ha?" I began to worry. Ano ba sinabi ni Erika? I began to doubt if it was right that I told her everything.

"Sabi nya nakiusap ka pa raw kay Kuya Richard."

"Na ano naman daw?"

"Kasi ayaw mo raw maiwan lang ako dito sa bahay."

I was speechless. I suddenly remembered the time when Richard wrote our names at the invitation envelope. I recalled him saying "Sige, ako bahala sa inyo".

"Totoo ba?" she asked again.

I was hesitant when I nodded my head. I was worried that she may think that she wasn't really invited to the party, and that she was just a tag a long. I wanted to tell her that I too, was a tag along since I barely know the celebrant- but I knew that it wont change anything if she really felt bad.

I wanted to break the silence, but I didn't know what to say. I thought of the conversation we had all day and the advice people sent me and the blog entries i've written so far. Should I tell her everythign now?

"I really needed you to come," I said. My voice sounded hoarse, and I didn't know if she understood me. "If you didn't come, I would've never known that you would look great with that red lipstick". I tried to laugh a little but I hesitated halfway because I felt it was inappropriate.

I reached for her hand from behind my back. She loosened her grip on my shirt and I was able to turn and look at her. Her head was down so I cant see her eyes.

"Hey... are you ok?" I asked and I gently pressed her hand that I was still holding. "Did I say something wrong?"

She raised her head and she looked directly at me for a few seconds before turning away. "Huy..." I tried coaxing her to talk.

"I'm ok. Sige goodnight," she finally said. She looked at me with an expression that I can't read. I cant tell if she's sad or happy, or mad or sleepy. She bit her lip and smiled, but it didn't feel real. I knew she wanted to say something but I didnt want to force it out of her.

"Good night," I said when she was walking towards her room. She disappeared behind her door and soon after, the light from her room disappeared. What remained was the dim yellow glow from the lamp that she keeps beside the bed when she reads.

I entered my own room thinking if I did anything to upset her. "What just happened?" I asked myself. Did everything just went flying off the window? I changed my clothes while thinking of how I am going to deal with the situation if this exploded out of proprotion. Should I stop everything now?

I was startled when my phone rang to signal that I recieved a text message. I picked it up to see who could be texting me at this hour. It was Emma.

"Thnx al. Pls dnt wory. I rly hd a wonderful time. I wanted to thank u personally pro nahihiya me & i didnt knw wat 2 say. Gunyt and thnx agen üüü".

I laid on my bed thinking about of that facial expression and the words in the text message. I ereally have no idew what they meant. its as if her emotions began talking in a language that I can't understand.

I texted her my reply: "Pls dont be upset. Yknow I should be the one thanking you ü Lets sleep na. goodnight ü"

My watched beeped twice. Its already 2am and I decided to sleep. As I looked up, I realized that hours ago, I was thinking that I was hesitant to go because I didnt like waiting for her to dress up.

Is she worth waiting for?

With great uncertainty of her feelings and of things to come, I told myself "Yes, She's worth waiting for and so much more".

Worth the Wait v2

We parked and headed to the function hall where the party is being held. While walking, I tried a little experiment.

"Nervous?" I asked her as we turned the corner to the lobby.

"A bit," she sighed smiling. "Di na nagreply si Richard pero sabi nya dumerecho na raw tayo".

"Ok. Tara?" I told her. I took a deep breath, exhaled, I then offered my left elbow in hopes that she would cling to it...

I felt her hand reach from behind my arm. She took my elbow, she held me close and she did so without hesitation. It felt good that to have her near me. It’s different compared to those times when we watched DVDs together at the sofa, or those times when we shared a meal together. Acting as her escort felt much better. It felt really special.

She has me by the arm. However, not everything was smooth sailing. If Rouge could steal powers with her touch, Emma's mutant powers would be to transfer her nervousness through her touch. I tried to keep myself calm even though I was beginning to feel the pressure of hundreds of strangers looking at us. "Am I too stiff? Am I too lousy?" I kept asking myself ass we walked towards the velvet doors of the function hall.

"Flowers na lang ang kulang, Flores de Mayo na," she giggled a little.

Somewhere in my head, it felt like a big mirror just cracked.

"ehehe, bakit feeling mo Reyna Elena ka?" I replied.

"Sira, Santacruzan yun," she rebutted.

Ok, that big mirror just broke into a million pieces. Technically, I just got owned by the maid, but it made me a lot calmer.

It’s a good thing we didn’t make much of a scene even though we arrived late. Richard called my name as we entered the hall. Beside him were his girlfriend Erika, and 2 vacant chairs. They saved us seats and when we got settled, Richard introduced us to the celebrant and his relatives. He was having a blast. Whenever a relative came, he would introduce me and Emma together and he would give hints that we are a couple, and give me winks and elbow nudges. I had to make things clear by saying that Emma is a good friend, and we grew up together (no, I didn’t mention that she serves our family). Emma spoke a little, using the term "kababata" when she described us. (Hmmm... "kababata"... not to incestuous. I like the term.) Most of the time, though, she just smiled and laughed through Richard's comments.

Did she laugh because she found Richard’s words funny?
Or was she laughing because she was hiding the fact that it’s offending her?
Maybe she just didn’t notice?
Or maybe she wasn't paying attention?
Am I over analyzing things again?

The only thing I'm sure of is Emma didn't let go of my arm until we got back to our table.

When the three of us got seated, Erika scolded Richard and told him to stop making us uncomfortable. Emma and I just laughed at Richard's reaction. They complement each other really- Richard is the loud, brash, happy go lucky type. He has the tendency of going overboard with jokes and stunts so it’s a good thing that Erika is keeping a tight rein. She is older than Richard, and undeniably more mature. She has this inert wisdom that I can only guess could come from being in the HR department of client companies and dealing with the thousands of people that come and go. The two are living together in Erika's condo in Mandaluyong.

Erika knows of my situation with Emma btw. Fact is, she is the one who suggested that I blog everything and see what happens. She told me that to be honest with Emma, I must be honest with myself first. (Uhm... yeah. I'll have to get back to you on that Erika. You are good at giving advice but I blank out every time you get into your Jedi Master mode XD)

It’s a good thing that Erika is a HR for a Call Centre, she can relate to Emma and they hit it off well in the party. Apparently, they share the same interest: they like cooking. The dinner was great, and the girls were trying to figure out how to remake the dishes we had. Emma likes the Lifestyle / Food Network channel, and it’s impressive how much detail she can go through with food. The girls call the food by its actual name, while Richard and I called addressed the dishes as "yung chicken", "yung soup" and "yung parang embutido". Class no? The girls laughed and whispered and engaged in girl talk together. Richard and I agreed that it’s a good sign that our “dates" were getting along fine when they went to the washroom together.

We were having such a great time at the party; we almost didn’t notice that the ceremonies were ending.

Soon, it was time to go home. We were still laughing as we said our goodbyes. Richard was dying for a smoke and Erika was telling him not to smoke. As we walked towards the car, Emma did something unexpected. She held me by the arm again, but the look on her face told me that she was concerned about something.

"Ok ka lang?" she asked me with the worried tone again. Her mood can switch that fast. "Nakainom ka eh. You want me to drive?"

I looked at her and her worried face and realized that even if I was wasted drunk, she would take care of me and we will be able to get home safe. 'Nah I'm ok," I assured her with a smile. It was just one bottle of San Mig Light that the celebrant's father offered us as a nightcap when we retreated to the bar. I was not drunk (note: Do NOT drink and drive).

We drove away and were making good time along EDSA when she asked if she could recline her seat and sleep for a bit.

"Sige,” I nodded. “Gisingin na lang kita pag malapit na tayo”.

I kept glancing at her and I can tell that she is really tired. She is used to waking up very early in the morning so I thought she may not be used to staying up very late. A few minutes later, her eyes were closed. She was sleeping beside me and with the lights of EDSA shining inside our car, I can’t help but feel that this situation a little too familiar.

"Amp. Passenger Seat," I whispered to myself and shook of the lyrics of the song off my head.

I said 12:47 on the dashboard of our car when we made the final turn towards the village. We're nearly there and she woke up just before we reached the house. I parked the car and she closed the gate behind me. We entered the house and I watched her as she went straight to the stairs and climbed slowly. At the last flight of stairs, she let out a groan that sounded like she is very tired yet very happy that we're home.

"Goodnight Emma," I told her from the bottom of the stairs.

"Goodnight," she replied. Her lips tightened to a smile. I wanted to talk to her more. I wanted to tell her that I enjoyed the time I spent with her, but her eyes told me that she's very sleepy. I nodded to acknowledge her so she can rest.

I sat down on the living room sofa. I loosened my shirt and took of my shoes. I laid back and opened the TV. I didn’t mind what channel was on.

"Wow," I told myself. I couldn't believe that the day has ended. I recalled the events that happened the entire day, from the reminders she gave me when I left for the office, to the time when we were at the party, up to a few minutes ago when we got back here. I closed my eyes and bits and pieces of images and sounds flooded my head.

Corrections and Appreciation

I've been editting the previous entries for corrections and its been concluded that I am a bad typer. Most the entries in this blog are written on a text document in notepad. If you guys can notice, blog entries have been getting longer and there are lot of copying and pasting involved in publishing the blog. The number of errors have been increasing as well. If there are corrections or questions you'd like to point out, please feel free to comment.

I'd also like to take this oppurtunity to thank the people who IMed me, emailed me and gave comments on message boards and on this blog. I've never recieved so much support, and I can only hope that I won't let you down. I welcome the criticisms as well.

Thank you so much!

Worth the Wait v1

No offense to women out there, but it takes forever for women to dress up.

I knocked on Emma's door to ask for help with my cuff buttons. "Tapos ka na?" I asked.

"Hindi pa," she replied as I heard her hurried walk towards the door. I heard the click of the door unlocking after which, she said I can go in. I stuck my head into her room to see if she is decent before I entered.

"Patulong naman sa buttons," I said and I took a good look at her when I walked in. Yup. She won't be ready for some time.

I extended my right arm and she began fixing my shirt. I'm not entirely aware of the "make-up" ritual of the female species, but I think I went in while she was just finishing drying her hair. She was still in her bathrobe and bedroom slippers, and the dress and the jacket that she's going to wear for the event was lying on her bed. (Even though she's wearing a bathrobe, it is not revealing as perverts would hope it would be. I say again: she is decent when I entered). On the dresser I can see that her make-up stuff is prepped for some major plastic surgery. I felt guilty that I interrupted her.

"Thank you," I said after she finished with my other wrist. I turned to leave her room to give her privacy but...

"Teka Al," she said as she went to the dresser to pick something up. "Red or pink?" she asked while she raised 2 black cylinders of lipstick for me to see.

I can read complicated blueprints and work with multiple systems designs, but with make-up, I'm a loser. The probability is 50-50. I looked at the 2 lipstick casings and thought which color she would look better at. I had no confidence with my answer but as a man, I had to give my answer. My honor is at stake. An error would only mean death. I thought hard and gave my reply.

"Pink".

Wenk. Wrong Answer.

"Red na lang, dark yung dress eh," she answered with her patented grin.

T_T

Yes, I'll keep that in mind the next time I'll wear lipstick. I picked up the broken pieces of my confidence and left her room.

I went down to the living room and opened the TV. Local News was on and there was much raving about the 1st Filipino to reach Mt. Everest. There were also news about tsunami evacuation drills, and a special about Lea Salongga's baby. I couldn't catch a reply of the NBA, and nothing was good one the movie channels.

I'm impatient and I easily get bored when waiting. Even if I'm at work I always think if what I'm waiting for is worth the wait. The thought of not going to party crossed my mind, but the though of Emma getting excited about the party pacified me. I don’t want her to get disappointed. I remained on the chair and kept browsing the channels for anything good. I just imagined how she would look like in the dress we picked up.

It was almost 7:30 on my watch when I heard her door open. Judging by the sound of footsteps, I can tell that she is in a hurry. She knows na late na kami. "Al, tara na," I heard her say when she was going down the stairs. I closed the TV and turned to pick my coat and waited for her at the door.

And there she is.

Anyone who has watched "She's all That" would be familiar with what happened next. Everything felt like its slow motion, and from nowhere, background music began to play. She was careful on stepping down with her high-heeled sandals. It felt like a slow camera pan, when I scanned her from her toes, up to her face. As she went down, she looked around as if there were other people around, although she knows that’s its just the two of us. I can tell that she is very nervous with her facial expression. The dress hugged her body just right, and the spaghetti straps rested comfortably on her shoulder. For someone who spends a lot of time on make up, I can barely notice it. She wears her make up light, I guess because her skin is already fair that’s why she doesn’t need much of it. The hint of blush and the red lipstick did go well with her red and black dress. Her hair was being held up by an oriental pin which suited her very well. This Exposed more of her neck, making it look longer and thinner. She was wearing the jewelry my mom got her for her 18th birthday.

She saw me waiting at the front door. As she neared her last step, her lips tightened to a smile and she let out an embarrassed giggle.

Nope, she did not trip at the last step.

But she did forget something and she had to run back to her room to get it.

Cut. Take 2. Take 2. Lol.

I watched her black uneven skirt sway as she ran back upstairs. She looked very pretty. I'm not a fashion guru but I know that Emma's look suits her well. I've seen her in many kinds of clothes, and I can say na bagay sa kanya yung mag formal. She owned that dress. Going shopping ith her until the store closes was worth it.

I opened the gate and waited for her at the car, and I thought about the many people who asked how she looked. I'll try to post a picture sometime because I don't know if I can provide an objective answer. But just for comparison, she is no commercial model, but she does look like a cute local pop singer. That's as objective as I can get :D

A few minutes later, we were on the road. We were at the along Kalayaan avenue when Emma decided to open the car radio. I can feel her tension because she kept changing the station. She pulled down the visor mirror to check on her hair and make up. Every now and then she would check if her dress is ok. I smiled at her for being such a nervous wreck.

"Whaaat?" she asked with a complaining tone. I half-expected her lips to pout, and the eyebrows to meet.

"Nothing," I answered laughing. "Di lang ako sanay na makita kang ganyan."

"Ok lang ba?" she asked with that worried tone again.

We were moving so I can't look at her when I said that everything will be ok. "Relax ka lang, you look great". I snuck a smile at her every red light we get to assure her that she doesn't have to worry.

"Sorry. Late na tayo," Emma apologized. "Text kaya natin si Richard?" she suggested. I was driving and the slacks I was wearing had shallow pockets so I handed her my cell phone. "Paki text," I told her. "Sayo na muna yung cell phone baka malaglagan ako". She took my cell phone, and after texting my friend, kept it inside her purse.

We turned left towards EDSA and the traffic is a bit heavy. Looks like we’ll be on the road for quite some time.

I hate waiting, but in that situation, I didn’t mind it at all. ^_^

(to be continued...)

Phone calls and Anxiety

"Sasama si Emma?*," asked Richard** (my friend who invited me to the party) when I met him for lunch at the canteen. Almost everyone at the there looked at us when he yelled "Yon!" when I said that she'll be coming and that we even picked out a dress. I told him not to make a big deal out of it, but I think he didn't listen. He made a humorous comment about "tadhana" and other cheesy remarks while patting my back at the cafeteria queue.

"Kita kits mamaya. 7:30 yon," Richard reminded me before we parted.

I can tell that Emma is very anxious about tonight's party by the number of text messages and phone calls we had all day. She wanted to have enough time to prepare for the party and she was worried that we might arrive late. She was fuzzing over the new dress (and the shoes) that we bought last sunday. I kept replying that she'll look fine and there is nothing to worry. I think that made her worry even more.

We kept texting each other until we came to an agreement that I'll just leave the office early so I can pick her up from work. We agreed that this is the fastest way to get home.

It’s a good thing that I didn't have much to do today. Talking to her while at work is such a healthy distraction. I make every excuse to call her instead of texting because she sometimes carries her call centre accent (or technically according to her, "the lack of accent") in our phone conversations. I make fun of it by imitating a British or Indian accent and she would shush me Lol.

A funny detail about her text messages is she uses the ü character (for a smile) three times at the end of almost every message. It’s like her signature, and I can tell that something is wrong if the üüü is missing. It also makes things easy for me to determine who the sender is if she is just borrowing her officemate's phone. I would equate the üüü to her grin that she wears when:

1) She is excited/happy.
2) She finds something funny; or
3) She wants to ask a favor.

In this case, I think she is grinning for all three reasons.

It's almost 5pm and I'll be able to leave in a few minutes to pick her up. Guess how I feel?

üüü

*Emma is not her real name. I picked it out because Richard (not his real name either) suggested it from the anime (Emma: A Victorian Romance). I won't spoil the anime, but you can just Google it.
**Richard is not his real name either. I chose this for him because his girlfriend's name is Erika. Go figure. XD