Entente

"Bakit naman?! Ikaw pa? I took your advice to the core and I'm glad I did: Fencer and I are very, very good friends. Siguro, he just doesn't want to label it romantic, but I couldn't be happier."

"Ako I learned to backdown kasi napapansin ko sa kanya when I was in my usual stiff self. Sabi mo nga, take my time. Three days kong tiniis na di tinawagan at tinext then on the 4th day nagbago ako ng tactic."

"I played by ear kung ano gusto niya which is to just be calm, relax and breezy. I have learned to wait, to listen to him, to be coboy; to eat sa mga kanto, to appreciate his likes, ganun."

"Nung Monday pinakilala niya ako sa anak niya. Pumunta kami sa Makati Cinema Square kasi bumili ako ng cd. Dinala ko sila sa Booksale. Looking at a hindsight, nakita kong bumili ng playboy. Hehehehe."

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Let us go back to my friend's dilemma which I wrote in the entry "Carrot and Stick" last month. For those of you who remembers, my friend fell for a gym-buddy whose real sexuality remains at large. My friend doesn't know whether the guy is straight or gay, and despite his open expression of romantic feelings, this guy still sticks to his company.

One downside of their closeness is that my friend saw his continued presence as a green light to pursue his gym buddy. Who wouldn't fall for his trap - the guy would insist that they eat lunch together, or accompany him in his workout most of the time. Smitten by his charms, my friend would follow him without raising any question.

The cycle went on until complacency brood between them. I cannot recall what triggered his attachment but confusion began to shake my friend's perception of their friendship. I told him some guys would like to be chased until the pursuer breaks off. Depending on how prolonged their carrot-and-stick or cat-and-mouse game lasts, sometimes, the one being chased becomes alarmed when the pursuer stops chasing.

The friend followed my advice. He stops chasing. The guy becomes alarmed. He was never prepared to lose a companion. Their relationship was overhauled. Friendship overwhelmed my friend's romantic attraction. In return, the gym buddy opens up to my friend and allows him to enter his world. The last time I've heard, he's already the guardian of his gym buddy's son who is studying in Ateneo.

Do I sense a happy ending?

My wish is for theirs to be a lifetime bond.

And so one good outcome smiles at someone while one hopeful romantic is beset by tragedy. In my circle alone, I've heard a friend break up with his partner of six months only to patch their broken bond two days ago; another friend, who became entangled in a three-way relationship last month decides to call it quits despite his wish to find a happier resolution to their doomed union; while another friend, who claims to be a late-bloomer suddenly wishes to be in a relationship. I told him to remember the failings of those around him so he would slow down a little in his quest to find the one.

Let us see in the future blog entries how each of their stories end.