Chance Encounter

Chapter 4: Flight MH-709

"Okey ka lang?" Napansin nyang malalim ang iniisip ko habang magkatabi kami.

"Uhm, yeah. I was just thinking about something."

"Like?"

Nilingon ko sya at tinitigan ng matagal. Tinitimbang ang mga susunod na salitang bibitawan.

"Naisip ko lang kasi..."

"Na?"

".. Na yung cactus na tapeworm. What if gamitin syang capital punishment para sa mga rapist sa Pinas, palagay mo mababawasan ang rape incident?"

"Grr. Ewan ko sayo!"

Tingin ko mababaliw na siya sa kakulitan ko.

"Hehe. I'm just kidding." Nagpormal na ako ulit. "Iniisip ko yung tanong kanina. If I believe in coincidence."

"Do you believe in coincidence?"

"No, I don't believe in coincidence." I looked at her eyes and paused. "But, I believe in serendipity." This time I spoke with sincerity.

"What's the difference?" she asked back.

"Coincidence is merely a product of random chance. Serendipity follows a pattern. It follows a design. Naniniwala ako na lahat ng bagay na nangyayari sa buhay natin ay "mensahe" mula sa Diyos. Walang coincidence. God speaks in different ways. Even through chance encounters like this."

"That's deep". Tumango-tango siya.

"Oops. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound mystic."

"No, ok lang."

Hindi ko alam anong naisip nya pagkatapos. Tumahimik na sya eh.

Siguro nawe-weirduhan na siya sa akin. In a short span of time naman kasi, nakita nya how my persona can change at random. One moment para akong batang ambabaw ng kaligayahan, the next moment para akong si Pilosopong Tasyo. Pero, that's actually how unpredictable I can be, ganun na talaga ako ever since, and alam ko rin na sometimes I'm hard to be with. Kaya I know I need someone na may mahabang pasensya at malawak na pangunawa who can handle all of my quirks. (Maybe that's why most of my past relationships that actually worked were either with teachers/nurses/psychologists.)

Ito minsan yung upside at thrill when you meet total strangers at random: Since there's a big chance you won't see each other again, you can comfortably show them who you really are without any pretensions, or the opposite, you can take on a totally different identity and pretend to be someone you are not.

Naputol ang usapan namin ng dumating na ang eroplano ng Flight MH-709.

Tinignan ko sa Internet ang Flight Information pati na rin ang seat layout at emergency exits.

"Boeing 737 ang eroplano natin. It's a narrow-body aircraft. Sa buntot ng eroplano ang dalawang lavatory, pagkatapos ng 30th row. Medyo masikip ang center aisle. So mas maganda umihi na tayo dito bago lumipad. 3 hours and 40 minutes travel time. Meal will be served once the plane reaches it's cruising altitude." pago-orient ko sa kanya na kala mo new hire sa isang company.

"OK."

"Maganda yung puwesto natin kasi malapit tayo sa business class. Pagkatapos ma-serve ang food ng business class, tayo agad ang sunod bibigyan ng pagkain. Hehe."