Gabriel's Checklist (or, How To Survive Your First Christmas in Manila)

□ Always be open to trying something new.

□ Always be open to trying something new.

Gabriel was awake for the entire Simbang Gabi.

(Perhaps not for all the right reasons, but he could at least say he didn't doze off in the middle of it.)

While neither of his parents were devout Catholics, Gabriel recalled coming to church and hearing mass as a child. It wasn't frequent, but he also remembered being either so restless or sleepy. He never complained, though. He knew his mother would smack him on the head if he expressed his honest thoughts about mass being boring. Then again, this was the same woman who told him that being a decent person was enough to make God happy.

It was the pomp, he decided, that kept him interested and on his toes today.

The parish near Fi's house was small and unassuming, but the string of lights that outlined its facade created a vision against the dim Manila skyline. Inside, the walls were beautifully adorned with more lights and star-shaped lanterns. From where they were seated, Gabriel could see a nativity scene by the altar, and on the opposite side stood the choir in their white-and-gold robes. Everything looked so festive and put together, it was difficult to feel bored. Good thing too, that the mass was in English.

Fi holding his hand during the Lord's Prayer and kissing him on the cheek as greetings of peace were exchanged jolted him awake as well. The fact that Fi's mother, Diana, was one seat away from him when it happened made him panic for a second, though.

"Would you like some bibingka and puto bumbong?" Diana asked after the mass ended, her gaze flitting between Fi and Gabriel.

Fi answered before he could ask, "They're rice cakes. You should try them."

"Sure." He wasn't very picky with food; he had tried isaw and balut before, after all.

"I'll light the candles, Ma. You go ahead and buy. Pakisabi kay Aling Mercy, damihan naman 'yung niyog..."

Diana only laughed and went ahead of them, and Gabriel watched her get lost in the sea of people (who knew this small structure could fit so many?) leaving the church. Meanwhile, he followed Fi to the back of the church and watched her light prayer candles.

A soft tap on his shoulder made Gabriel turn his head. A familiar face greeted him with a smile.

"Hey, man. When did you arrive?"

"Carlos." Out of habit, Gabriel bowed to Fi's friend and smiled. "I flew in yesterday afternoon."

"Awesome. You're spending Christmas and New Year in Manila?"

"Just Christmas. I have a lot of work cut out for me before the year ends."

Carlos clicked his tongue. "Ah, that's too bad."

"Yeah, I would've wanted to spend more time with Fi."

A pleased grin appeared on Carlos' face. "I'm sure she'd love that."

"Really?" Gabriel glanced at Fi who was still standing in front of the wrought-iron candle stand, hands clasped together in prayer. "Doesn't seem like she's too happy about me being here, though."

Carlos laughed and gave him a sympathetic pat on the back. "Filipina's just not used to this kind of attention," he said. "Why don't you try, uh—we have this thing in the Philippines called panliligaw."

"Panli—what?"

"Panliligaw. Courtship," Carlos said. "Ligawan mo si Fi."

Gabriel jerked an eyebrow. Courtship. Huh. In all the years he'd spent in the dating scene, Gabriel never really thought of proper courtship and what it entailed. His past relationships usually followed the "I like you, you like me, let's date" cycle, affairs that ended almost as quickly as they began. His friends in New York, while not conservative in any way, used to lecture him about the difference between serial dating and being an asshole.

You're one hookup away from being a jerk, one of them said. Watch it.

Maybe he became that guy, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he dated more than one girl after that, and then he just sort of walked away from it all, weary of the flirting over drinks, the one-night stands, the "putting your best foot forward" during the first date.

But now Carlos was suggesting he pursue Fi through courtship, and he wasn't really sure he was wired for that.

"Is that... necessary?"

"Well..." Carlos pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side. He appeared to consider Gabriel's words, nodding before he spoke. "It was only a suggestion."

As Gabriel mulled over the idea, Carlos continued speaking. "I know I might have sounded like I'm trying to meddle in your affairs when I shouldn't, but... Filipina is one of my best friends. She's never had a boyfriend before—not because Tita Diana was strict about it, but because she felt like she had to be as good, as smart, and as diligent as her sister. So she studied as hard as Ate Yumi did and barely had time to think about boys and relationships... things like that.

"Knowing you're here because of her makes me happy," Carlos added, the smile on his face sincere. "If there's anyone in the world who deserves to be loved just as much as she loves, it would be Fi. And if I could help in any way..."

Fi appeared beside Carlos all of a sudden, cutting his sentence short. Her arm quickly found a spot over his shoulder. "What are the two of you talking about, hm?" she asked, knocking her head gently against Carlos' before looking up at Gabriel.

Carlos cleared his throat and trained his eyes on Gabriel as well. "Oh, nothing much. I only asked him if he's tried Aling Mercy's puto bumbong yet."

"Oh right! Mama already went to buy some—let's go outside and meet her!" Fi let go of Carlos and led the way out.

Gabriel spoke in a hushed tone as soon as Fi was a safe distance away. "So can you tell me more about this... courtship thing?"

"Is this your way of accepting my suggestion?"

Gabriel caught sight of Fi glancing over her shoulder and beckoning them to move faster. He only nodded at her, then turned to Carlos with a smile.

"You can say I'm always willing to try anything once."