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...)