how we met

Life’s surprises indeed shows up when we least expect them.

I was in Tawi-Tawi and the flight to Zamboanga was cancelled that day. I did not want to ride the ship because I was so freaking afraid of the big waves, so we decided to wait for the next day’s flight. During the afternoon, my officemate told me that there is no guarantee for the flight tomorrow since the aircraft is still busted, “so we really have to take the ship leaving tonight,” ordered this officemate of mine. Remember, I am from Luzon, used to land travel and doesn’t know how to “claw-kick” (read: ice age 2). So after much prodding, he was able to “coerce” me to take the damned ship. I imagined myself being tortured by sinking thoughts from 6pm to 10am the following day. That is sixteen hours of riding this monster of steel in open sea.

When we were on our way to our cabin, a guy in red polo shirt said in an excited voice, “Ui, nandito din pala kayo!” Close tayo?, i thought to myself। But of course I did not say that loud so I just ignored him. My officemate recognized him and told me he is one of the supposed seair passengers that day. So?

We reached our teeny-weeny, cramped and claustrophobia-inducing cabin and started to make ourselves comfortable. I saw this trolley bag placed on top of the bed I wanted since it’s near the power outlet. Hmmm..must be an old lady, naka-trolley eh,” I thought to myself. Then I realized, where the hell is the old lady? Gumagala na agad? Whew.

Surprise!

The old lady turned out to be the feeling-close-guy-in-the-red-polo-shirt.

Naku, patay na. Andito na si filingero. He started making friends with my officemate, and within seconds they were laughing their lungs out like some old neighbors sharing a private joke. Their laughter was so infectious that I later joined them in their conversation.

He turned out to be a funny yet sensitive guy. He loves his mother so much. Dun ako natuwa. He has this framed picture of himself and his mom, and both of them were smiling but with eyes closed. I asked him why and he said, “Sabi ko sa mama ko, pikit tayo ma ha? Pumikit naman!” Haha.

He is so funny you wouldn’t realize you’re laughing your lungs out hanggang kita na ngalangala mo! And he made sense, not the kind of pagpapatawa from bastos jokes or making fun of people. He has this engaging personality that would really make you listen to him when he talks. And he knows how to listen when its your time to talk. He would listen intently, and lets you finish your drama first before making any comments. And comments he made! He is brutally honest but also makes sure that when he let it out, no one’s gonna feel hurt. He would let you know of his comments in a calculated, funny way that tells you something like “yeah, you have such a big mouth but hey, that’s not a big deal.”

Surprise!Surprise!

I did not realize it but I started to really enjoy his presence. His voice, the way his dimples would show up every time he would smile, his booming laughter, and the way he stared when he wanted to make a point. And he is sweet! Akalain mo yun? He invited me to go down the lower deck for coffee, and while we were out talking while sitting near the railings, he made kwento all the time so I would not get freaked out with the waves. I even enjoyed the sight of fishing boats which were out in the cold night. They looked like fireflies with their lights on, it seemed like a fiesta in the open sea!

We talked about almost everything, never running out of ideas. His work, how he was such an ass in ateneo during college, his ex-girlfriend and her father, his mom, his dogs… I also told him about my work, my family, and my less-than-popular opinions on marriage and kids. We realized there have been a lot of similarities in our lives that we started to call each other copier! whenever there is something related between us.

He loved my toes, I enjoyed watching him sleep, hearing him snore. He calls me shark, I call him roach. I am afraid of the water and therefore the sharks, and he with cockroaches.

It felt so damn right. Like we were a pair of your old, comfortable shoes.

Finally, the ship docked in Zambo at around 10am. He was like a child when he said, “basta ha, text text ha?Pag hindi ka nag-reply I’ll cut your head!”

“Sir, yes sir!”

My officemate and I proceeded to the airport to reimburse our tickets in Seair. When we were inside the jeepney on our way back to where we were staying in Zambo, I received a text from him,

From <+63917…> at 11:59 AM 7/11/2008 via Windows XP with SP2
Hay tumibok c btman

He calls his heart batman.