The Escort

I was told two weeks ahead to clear up my Sunday schedule. Mom has been invited to a lunch date by her college friends.  

The weekend was hers. I have nothing else to do anyway.

So off we go to Greenbelt despite not getting enough sleep the night before. An insomnia attack left me wakeful until 5 this morning. Only the promise of a sumptuous meal held my crankiness at bay.

Meeting place is at Contis. Baabaa's birthday treat last December is still fresh in my head.

And here I am, returning, this time to rub elbows with mom's life-long companions.



I can't remember the dish I ordered. Was it Chicken Ballotine or was it the Roulade? Never mind.  The serving was small - like in most high-end restaurants - but it was enough to make the wigglers inside my  tummy very happy.

The meat aftertaste was watered down by bottomless lemonade. And as for dessert, mom received  a box of carrot cake from her friend who is Jacklyn Jose and Cherry Pie Picache's talent manager.

Having a showbiz insider around allows you to have a glimpse behind the intrigues surrounding the local celebrities.

And while most things I've heard were good words - especially for Coco Martin, (who is not only charming but thoughtful as well)  hints were dropped as to why Andi Eigenmann got pregnant or why Maricel Soriano started slapping her maids.

Of course I'm not allowed to share what I've heard, but suffice to say, these people are humans too. Behind the characters they portray on television is a real person with frustrations and dreams.



Feeling  a bit restless and out of place, I decided to take a stroll and check if the Datablitz store at Greenbelt 1 has the Sims 3 add-on pack I've been looking.

Browsing the display racks, I found it.

Fast Lane Stuff.  Check.

I bought the add-on without thinking how it would affect my budget for the next weeks. I'm hoping to snatch some writing projects from Bentusi, but with my attention now focus here after neglecting this blog last month, I doubt if the extra funds will come.  

Returning to Contis, I was hoping the lunch date was about to wrap up. They were, after an hour of reminiscing the old days while keeping tabs of the people not present at the table.

When the bill came, the most well-off  (who is actually my Ninong, whose property is being rented by a gay dance club in Cubao) paid for all the food. This is what I love about these lunch dates with my mom's friends.

Someone will always shoulder the bill. Lol.

But instead of calling it a day, the party decided to move to a cozy coffee shop to continue swapping stories. By then I knew that I'd be spending the rest of the day at Greenbelt - alone, and desperate to come up with my own activity to keep me from getting bored. Meanwhile, mom and her friends can enjoy their coffeetalk elsewhere.

I'm just a companion after all.



But I really wanted to go home. To install in my hard drive the new add-on - or better yet - get some sleep. The next trip to slumberville will be at seven in the morning the next day.

As the elders staggered from one coffee shop to another, I was subtly discouraging them not to go any further.

"Naku nagpunta po kami ni Mama sa Starbucks!"

It was the killjoy in me speaking. After we left the restaurant, Mom and I went ahead to find a toilet for the disabled. The rest had to make a detour at Gourdo's to check the kitchenware offered at discount prices. On our way back, we passed by the coffee shops and they were packed with people.

"Puno na po sa loob."  

Manipulation aside, the feelings of guilt were overwhelming my selfish motives. Yes, I was sleepy. I was itching to play my new game. I could even say that I'm beginning to show my temper knowing that my time is not mine anymore .

But here they are, a group of  senior citizens hobbling from one place to another. Never giving up until they find a coffee shop with a table that could sit around 7 people. Racing against time, beating ahead of the closing days just to enjoy every chance to be together - and reinforcing timeless bonds that stayed solid throughout the ages.

And there I was, stupid enough to take that moment away from my mom.  With reason restored, I backed off.



The slow procession from one end of Greenbelt to another paid off. They found a table at Cafe Breton.  It was a small table - enough - for six people to squeeze their chairs and huddle together. Since we are seven, one must let go.

I volunteered without being asked.

So my mom was left with her friends, while I set course to Pasay Road where the side vendors sell their cigarettes. After finishing a stick, (thank God for nicotine) I crossed the street again and walked towards Greenbelt 5.  It's time to occupy one of the toilet seats on the top floor, for the food I've eaten were ready to come out. When my tummy got better, it was my head that started spinning, I lurched back to Cafe Breton to check on the elders - hoping they've changed their mind.

What I saw were merry folks with still so much catching up to do.

Resigning to the fact that we will be staying way past 4 pm. I left their table to look for a resting spot outside the coffee shop. I settled into one of the slightly wet tables near the arbour. Plugging my earbuds, Jam 88.3's acoustic music lulled me to sleep.

And then it happened. My eyes did shut down. Ignoring the people who might catch me off-guard, I spent a good hour dozing off in my chair. In my dreams, all I could see was my mom laughing - pleased that I gave in to her request to stay, despite my earlier suggestion to go home and leave everyone behind.