Sunday, May 27, 2007

TriNoma (First Part)

He had been waiting across the street when I got out of the office after our shift.

Wearing a faded jeans, a white hooded shirt and a cap, it is one of the very rare moments when somebody picks me up and patiently waits for me to finish my duties.

Usually, it's the other way around.

The guy is as tall as me. He must be a 5'9er. At first glance, he looks stocky to me. However his big arms and broad shoulders will tell that he's into gym as well. He has a tanned skin which is slightly lighter than mine and small droopy eyes that always look sleepy when you gaze at them. Not bad, especially if you would consider his overall projection which is, by all accounts, twice as masculine as me.

I think he's a good catch.

"So how was your day dude?" He asked me.

"I'm good, a little lazy today." I replied.

We started walking towards the jeepney stop, unsure of a place to go. When we reached the intersection where P and I used to walk together, my impulse told me to turn right and still walk the long broken road going to Shaw Boulevard. I knew my companion was observing me. Obviously, he felt my sadness. For he walked faster to get ahead of me, only to turn back so that he could get my full attention.

"Gusto mo try natin sa Epitome? Let's have fun there," he said.

I just smiled and continued walking. Lately, I'm in no mood to get naughty - except if it was my buddy I am with. With a slight sign of disappointment, his mood became serious again and for the rest of our journey towards the main road, we were not talking.

He never asked where we would be heading. All I know was that he just followed me quietly. In front of the jeep where we had chosen to sit, I saw him glanced at me when I looked at the side mirror. Maybe he was assessing his strategy to reach out to me. Perhaps, he was scanning my hotness factor considering that he's one of the horniest guys that I know.

At the MRT, we remained non-communicative to one other. No one wants to talk and being a guy that does not really talk - a lot, I did not expect him to make the first moves. But I knew he was trying to get close, he just don't know how. There were times he would put his elbow on my shoulder and since it was cool with me, I leaned closer - to let him know that I feel good to what he was doing.

When we arrived at TriNoma, the newest super mall in the city, the first thing we did was to look for an ATM booth. He said it will be his treat, no matter how I insisted to pay our bills. I told him that it was me who invited him to go out, but my pleas only fell to his deaf ears.

Since it was already past 3 pm and both of us had not eaten our lunch yet, we immediately went to the food court. Craving for pasta, I suggested that we should try World's Chicken since they serve the best Fettuccine Alfredo that I know of. He complied immediately since his hunger won't let him complain any longer.

When our order was served, we ate our late-lunch at a table nearby.

Halfway towards finishing our lunch, he suddenly broke the silence by asking me a cryptic question:

"So why did you leave me Joms, I thought I would always be around for you?"

"But I thought you're the one who abandoned me. You left me alone defending myself and my emotions from that last guy I've been attached with," I said, while slicing a large chunk of grilled chicken on my plate.

"Did I? I tried to reach out to you dude, but your emotions were too messed up for me to get close to you. Maybe you didn't want me to intervene in your affairs after your fall-out? Maybe you were enjoying in your own pain, that you never sought me to pull you out so that I could help you move on much easier."

"Yeah I did... I just don't want to get hurt by others anymore. Don't you see that it's useless...?"

"Useless what?" From the tone of his voice, I knew that he was a bit agitated already.

"Nothing... Let's not talk about it right now. What's important is that you're here again," I said.

My companion did not reply after I told him how vital his presence is to me. He just briefly looked into my tired eyes, smiled and went back to emptying his plate full of pasta. He must have sensed that I was too self-absorbed with my own pain to take his suggestions.

After our meal, we didn't stay long at the food court since there were many diners waiting for their turn at the table. We went to the top floor, hoping to see a scenic view at the open-air park over there. Unfortunately, the clouds hung heavy around us so there was nothing really to see. Besides, the landscaping staff were still busy applying finishing touches to the pond and the viewing deck across from where we were standing. So we decided to go back and wander around the mall instead.

"Let's go see a movie," I suggested.

"And what movie do you want to see, Joms?" He asked.

"Anything that is feel-good. I need to laugh," I said.

"Then let's watch Shrek 3. Im sure you will find the movie a laugh trip."

So we went to watch that movie. Fortunately it was just about to start and there were still many seats available inside the theater. We picked an isolated area near the screen because we were both nearsighted. I also don't want the other moviegoers to get annoyed the moment I start laughing my heart out.

And Shrek 3 was indeed a laughing trip - especially the part where Snow White was making a freakish dance move in order to get the tree-soldiers' attention, while singing in her all-original 1920's voice. Imagine the classic Snow White Disney movie where she sang in the woods and attracted all the furry animals to approach her. Remember the small blue and white birds perching on her shoulders while the squirrels and deers wander around her feet. That was how the scene was like at Shrek 3. Indeed, every critter in the forest and the two tree-soldiers (which looks exactly like the Ents in Lord Of The Rings) suddenly got fascinated at the innocent-looking Snow White.

However, the pleasant mood changes suddenly the moment Snow White's singing voice became raging and powerful. Suddenly, all the furry animals around her became blood-lusty and simultaneously attacked the tree guards by gnawing at their trunks and leaves. For some reasons, that part made me laugh so loud, that even the moviegoers several seats from us suddenly looked at me.

It doesn't matter though, I had fun. For all I know, I rarely laugh that loud. The only other thing that could make me do so is Wanda Ilusyonada's blog.

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