Last night I was playing chess near 7 Eleven store at Jones Avenue here in Cebu. I lost 3 games straight so I quit and went inside a nearby videoki to relax and sing a song or two for a while. As I went inside, I saw this girl in one table drinking a soft drink. She was alone. She looked a bit mistiza but I just ignored her thinking she's waiting for some friends for a Saturday barkada videoki night which is normal in that place as a hang out.
Then she held the microphone for a Barbara Striesand song "Someone that I used to love" one of my fovorite. As she went on, my skin literally crawled as she uttered the first two lines of the song with a firm melodious voice I thought I was hearing an MP3 of Barbara Striesand. I had to look at her in the face as if to confirm if it was her who really sing or just lipsing a "live" videoki play, ... ... ... then to my surprise, I saw the face of a younger version of beautiul actress Alice Dixson with the voice of Striesand!
I had to actually hold my breath as I gazed at this Angel singing near me for a good few very long seconds! I was star strucked I lost sense of time staring this beauty with the voice of a diva. Then she glanced at me aimlessly for a fraction of a second that gave the chills as if I was caught staring at here naked inside her own room and I felt so guilty getting caught by her!
I was about to stand up and bolt to run outside as she looked at me again aimlessly, this time with a faint smile in her face. Whew! That was very comforting and forgiving, I thought. So, I had to abort my escape and stayed in my chair as she sang my favorite song that sends me electric volts inside me every second in that angelic voice.
PART 2
Then she looked at me again and...as she finished my favorite song with ease and confidence, she stared at me long enough I knew she was flirting! I was shocked! I was ecstatic! I felt like a hearthrob once again after many long, long, long lonely years of my miserable love life. She must be my Cinderella I ask from a fairy in my long forgotten childhood days! Wow!
Then I recovered instantly. She's just too good to be true, I realized. Something is very wrong, I felt. No girl of her age in her right mind will flirt with a man my age. "Di kaha ni bayot?!!!" My conscience shouted at me. So I have to know the answer of that question by instantly becoming like a Field Agent of Home Land Security sizing up a potential terrorist. I stared at "her" from head to toe with eyes like x-ray and laser beams as if searching for weapons of mass destruction. "She" felt awkward, conscious and violayed with my James Bonds stares. I didn't mind. I have to know if shes a girl or a lady boy.
I was wrong! She's in every inch and every gram a girl after all! Her skin smooth and transluscent. Her hieght barely 5'1". Her body structure lean and frail. No trace of muscles. No square jaw. And most of all, no adams apple! She's a girl 110 percent! I felt sorry for her by suspecting her perfect womanhood. I was cruel and felt like a maniac for staring at her head to toe for my wrong impression!
Suddenly, it was my turn to sing! And sing I did like any flat-nosed Barry Manillow wannabes trying to impress every girl in the room with bisayan english accent. I sang "Somewhere down the road" and failed to reach the high notes misserably! I need a ten feet ladder to get it right. I finished the song totally embarassed, humiliated and defeated.
Then I heard someone clapping in the next table. It was "Alice Dixson"! She's like a girlfriend giving me moral support as if telling me "its okay darling. You sing bad but you're still hadsome! Cheer up! I love you, Mwahh!" I didn't know how to react for her clapping. All I know is that, I want to grab her curve hips and give her a wet, long, french kiss never seen in any romance movie.
PART 3
Then she stood up, walked towards me and said, "Sir Jun, wa naka kaila nako?" She asked me this with her sweetest smile so intoxicating that I barely heard what she said. Her face barely 1 foot from mine begging me to recognize her like a pretty wife asking his most handsome hubby who got an amnesia. Her perfume smelled so fragrant I feel like a bee about to attack a fresh rose. But I'm not a bee, I'm not her husband and definitely I don't have an amnesia. I am just a jobless, wifeless, homeless 40 year old loser who wants to sing after losing some chess games out there. Who is this angel? Or who is this devil? I don't know! But she hung in there in front me still beatiful, still smiling, still fragrant, still begiging me to recognize her but this time she went a little farther by holding my hands shaking it like a child asking her father a favor.
I didn't know how long she begged me to recognize her but I saw her frustration a few seconds later. She finally said: "ako si Nelia sir! nag OJT bitaw ko sa inyo office sir!" Then just like that, I travelled back in time 4 years back where I had this Accountancy graduating students as OJT under me. Nelia was pretty, formal and most of all, very intelligent. I remember teasing her playfully that she looked like my dream girl and its partly true. She also playfully told me I'm her ideal man and I prayed hard its partly true. She told me it was her dream to become a CPA like me and I'm her idol. I was happily married that time and Nelia had her bright future ahead of her. I was certain she'll pass the board exam and will marry a man many times greater than me in terms of looks and achievement. But we were friends, very close, I must say.
Nelia?!!! I almost shouted. There was unexplanable joy inside me I wanted to hug and kiss her for a long while, not as my dream girl but as a friend, of course. But I chose to stay a bit casual which made her frown. I know she wanted a hug, at least that's what I thought. The last time I saw her was in our company's Christmas party in a hotel. I was a bit drunk in that party when I gave her a surprise hug and kiss in her check as we bid final goodbye. The next day I texted her an apology when an office mate told me I kissed Nelia 3 times in front of other office mates. I felt embarassed with my 'drunken master' stunt by kissing Nelia. Luckily, Nelia texted back by joking: "It was alright sir. I regret not kissing you back 3 times! Ha ha ha!" I almost choked reading that text message and "saved" it in my celfone as long as I could.
Nelia was all smile and did not let go of my hand as she sit in my table uninvited. She looked so excited like a little girl reunited with a long lost BFF with so much news, stories and updates to talk. Me, I was like an unwilling suspect held by a police woman for interrogation uncertain what to do. I was not ready for this unexpected meeting with this pretty woman. She immediately sensed that my excitement was not that high and said: "murag ni gwapo lagi ka karon samot sir!". I almost fell out my chair hearing it! I know it was a joke but it illecited a wide gunuine smile in my weary and wrinkled faced.
PART 4
Then she said: "giadto man tika inyo office sir. Ni resign na daw ka. Tapos single na daw ka karon. He he. Ako sab single gihapon! He he"... and she added "ako'y bangka nimo karon ug mag-inom ta. Ayaw balibad ha!." She casually said it as if I'm a little boy whose about to drink his first bottle of beer. I wanted to asked her many questions and start a lively conversation but all my wits and courage to charm a lady where gone, perhaps still on vacation. I kept smiling, still in disbelief that Nelia has become so pretty it made me totally uncomfortable. I'm still speechless feeling dumb, so I pretended to look at my celfon for message while ordered our drinks. Did I hear the word 'redhorse'? Oh my God! She ordered redhorse beer.
This will be a long night, I feared. I almost felt hypocrite knowing I had this fantasy for a long long time to be "alone" with her. "This is your chance! Grab it!" The devil inside me whispered. "You're an idiot! this sweet girl just missed you as a friend. Dream on!" Her angel shouted at me mockingly. I began to feel conscious of my appearance as if we're on a date. This devil inside me kept telling me that "I'm still handsome", "I'm still young enough" and this "girl liked me". I had to smile and wanted to tell the devil that he is the only honest devil in the whole universe for his last statements.
The 4 bottles of cold redhorse beer arrived with some pulutan as Nelia ordered. This time I regained my composure and became the gentleman as I poured her beer in a glass and said "cheers" as we drink the first batch of alcohol that will help me strengthen my weak knees and find my lost confidence. "So, abogado na ka karon sir?" She asked, still wearing that toxic smile. I was not ready for that question. I failed the bar exam twice already that it pains me to be reminded. So, I just smiled and countered by asking her "ikaw CPA na ka?" Expecting her to proudly say "yes". But she looked down, shallowed hard and said "nahagbong man ko first attempt, wa na ko mi usab, he he". I saw the pain in her eyes, I wished, again, I could hug her for a comfort.
So I decided to change the subject and said "Asa na man diay imo uyab? Nganong nag inusara ra man ka dire?" But deep inside me, I want to asked her "Can I hug you and kiss you nelia?" I know the alcohol from redhorse is now streaming in my blood ready to push me to do some stupid things that might put me in situation. Nelia looked at me, this time with no smile in her face. "Abi nako ulitawo, minyo man diay to ang buang. Sus, nailad gyud ko niya sir" her eyes almost tearful.
PART 5 (last part)
Almost instantly, I grabbed Nelia's hand in genuine sympathy. Rubbing her hands, I smiled and said "sus, bata pa kaayo ka, daghan pa ka chance to find your prince charming." Shelet me rubbed her hands for a very long while until we both feel awkward and I have to let go. I must admit it was our most intimate moments together ever. She smiled and drink again saying cheers for the second time. We talked for a while about our memories with her as my OJT. We laughed a lot until the topic went back to the kissing issue in our last Christmas party together. We both feel awkward. I was almost tempted to remind her og her regreat of not kissing me back 3 times on that very memorable night.
As the redhorse were almost drained, I found myself laughing and talking aloud already sitting close next to her. We have become the old close friends again, instantly, with the help and magic of redhorse. I heard her many times telling me I look "mas gwapo" now coz I lost some weight. I made sure I told her I had some fantasies of her before and she took it well. Nelia slowly turned to become the old Nelia I knew. The intelligent, funny and sensible friend of mine. The same Nelia I once jokingly told as my dream girl, in fact, almost my soulmate.
Her well maked up pretty face, her perfume and her sexy figure that I lustfully crave hours ago have become irrelevant. I found again the more beautiful Nelia inside her whom I can talk and be with all day without getting bored even in a single moment. We connected. This must be the feeling that everyone in the world is looking for. We can now look at each other in the eyes while talking without any sense of hesitation. Our smiles and laughs were becoming more genuine and heart felt. Our touch were more casual though I want to feel her warmth more. I thought she felt the same. I'm in love.
It was 2 a.m in the morning when we rode a taxi to her apartment. We were both silent during the ride,perhaps recollecting what really happened in the last previous hours. Me, I was contented finding her. I hope she felt the same. I noticed her holding my hand saying "ayaw na lang naug sa taxi, mao na amo balay". And she told the driver to stop right front of their gate. Then a miracle happened. She stole a kiss in my lips and said "bye". (By: Jun Abines)
...THE END
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