The Time That Never Went By
She was a young student then at an exclusive college in Manila. I knew from the moment she walked in that I liked her. Not since 1993 have I ever met anyone that I've liked at the onset. My fondness for her grew by the minute as I listened intently to her while never taking my eyes off her.
We talked, a whole, helluva lot! We met at around 8PM the night before and ended at around 2AM the following day!
She said she lived close by so I asked if I could walk her home and she agreed. It was drizzling that night and I offered an umbrella but she refused and slipped on her hoodie and just kept on walking until we got to her place.
"This is me," she said as she pointed to the gate of her house. I simply shook her hand and walked the opposite direction. We would meet one more time a few weeks after that coffee date. That would be the last I would see of her in a very long time.
So, life came and went. I got married, had kids, lost my marriage, drifted for a while, fell in love a few more times, got hurt an equal number of times and moved roughly according to where my inner compass pointed.
She was abroad when I reconnected with her the first time. Through the miracle of social media, we found each other again but we just sort of passed each other by on our "timelines" and "newsfeeds".
When she came back home, I got a call from her. One of the first questions she asked was, "Do you still smoke?" Of course, I still do and I told her that she was my best ever smoking buddy. "You were my best smoke buddy, too," she said. She was also the best conversationalist I've had the pleasure of knowing. I tried to make a date with her but our schedules wouldn't synchronize so again, we sort of drifted apart until recently, while I was going through a really bad break up.
I was pulling ambulance duty that day and I knew I had a few hours to spare. I took a chance and sent a text message asking her if she'd be anywhere near the Manila area. She was in fact, in Malate which was a manageable distance away from where I was and I thought I could swing by and just have a coffee with her until I had to go back to work and pick up the patient we were serving.
She agreed to meet and I was quite nervous, naturally. 15 years went by prior to that day and I wasn't sure how I would handle myself around her. More than a decade had passed and still, I felt the same fondness for her as though it was 2005 still.
There was a mix up with the directions but I managed to find the meet up place. She had her back turned to me when I approached. I was unsure if that was her but I saw her "tats" and I knew this was the same lady who blew me away that balmy October night. I called her name and she turned to face me. That was all it took and I was back in time!
It was as if the years had taken a break. She was a little more mature but her beauty had ripened. To me, she looked better now than she did then. We didn't have much time that afternoon so I kept my gaze at her, savored her presence and let her voice carry into the deepest crevices of my heart. Suddenly, I was no longer in pain! At that moment, I knew the bad relationship wasn't worth keeping and if she was the prize for all those years I spent in agony, it would all be worth it!
As we parted ways she asked, "Have we ever gone out to drink?" I said we never did and she said, "We should do that, and go to Ifugao and have Apo Wang-od ink us!" I was saying to myself that this was my chance to go on an adventure with her and if at all, she was the right person to take with me!
After that meeting, I began to feel better and a little more hopeful. I wasn't putting any labels on "us" but somehow, I knew which direction my life would go from here on in. But although we promised to stay in touch, our phones kept silent and we would go about our lives as it were. I would only send one text message to her, asking her to go with me to Baguio for the Yuletide break. She turned me down, though but that didn't matter. She had a good reason. That was the last I would hear from her in a while until after New Year's Eve.
I started the year literally, with a bang! I was part of the task force that battled a big fire in Sta. Ana, Manila and I also pulled medic duty during the yearly, "Traslacion" which was part of the rituals during the Feast of the Black Nazarene. That day started with a beautiful sunrise but I never even imagined how the night would turn out.
I had been up for over 36 hours when I received a text message from her which simply read, "Help!" I asked her where she was and she said she was in her old Malate place and I told her I would go to her if she wanted me to. Her reply to that message took an eternity that I was almost on my way home when she texted me her address.
Of course, I rushed to meet her. As soon as I walked in the door, she threw herself at me and held me tight and cried while she was in my arms. She was carrying a huge load on her shoulders and all she really wanted was someone to talk to and luckily, that guy was me!
So, we were finally going to have a drink together! We went to the store to grab some smokes and a few beers. As soon as we went out the gate, she crooked her arm on my elbow and pulled herself really close to me. While at the store, she had her arms around me, so much so, that the couple who ran the store thought we were married!
After downing a couple of bottles, she said she was hungry so we went out again. This time, she held my hand as we walked from her house to the fastfood place at the corner. While was in the queue, she said she wasn't craving for a cheeseburger and that all she wanted was to pee.
When she emerged from the restroom, she took my hand again and dragged me to the street food vendor at the corner and she just gobbled up those greasy, deep fried fishballs while giggling and just plain being like a little kid who snuck out to cut a class!
We went home after that and chugged a few more and I decided to take a "selfie" of us in honor of the momentous occasion. As I set up the smartphone for a shot, she got behind me and gave me the warmest, tightest hug I ever got in years! When I reviewed and edited the shot, I jokingly asked if I could post the photo, what with the very compromising pose we were in. To my surprise she said, "POST IT!" I asked her again to be sure and she practically hit the "post" button and in an instant, my wall hosted what seemingly is a romantic shot of me with a woman holding me tightly!
It goes without saying that news spreads fast and I've been skirting the issue of me being involved with someone again, so soon after a bitter break-up. But the world will think what it will and history has been made.
I stayed the night, not wanting to leave her. She wouldn't let me leave either. It was the beginning of a series of visits that would change me in a major way!
In another visit, we were talking about her tattoos and I asked her that if I gave her the free hand to decide what kind of "tat" I was going to get, what would it be and where would she put it? Her answer was one I never expected!
No, I will not say what it is or where it will be until I get inked!
This is where I will leave this story, for now. I honestly hope that I will never get to write the ending but instead, add to this narrative as events unfold. Presently, we are friends and really tight at that! There is no label as to what we have. Much as I hope there will be, I am more interested to see how this story plays out.
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