Sa Las Flores sa McKinley napiling makipagkita ni Elton. Dahil siya naman ang nag-aya ng date na ito ay siya na rin ang pinapili ko kung saan kami kakain kahit pa nga ba tinanong niya ako kung saan ko gusto. Hindi naman ako maarte, kung sasabihin nga niyang sa Jollijeep ay sasama naman ako. Rance and I had tried Jollijeeping once, pareho kasi kaming na-curious nang minsang mapanuod namin iyon sa isang vlog sa YouTube. Marami sa Makati kaya agad naming napuntahan, masarap at mura, mababait pa 'yung mga nagtitinda sa nakainan namin.
Elton had already reserved a table for us, kaya naman doon na ako iginiya ng maître d' nang sabihin ko ang pangalan niya rito. Lumibot ang aking tingin sa paligid, kahit itong Las Flores ay nakainan na namin ni Rance. Hilig rin kasi talaga naming dalawa ang mag-food trip lalo kapag wala kaming magawa.
"Summer," Elton exclaimed as he stood up from his seat, a warm smile spreading across his face.
I thanked the maître d' before taking in Elton's appearance. Hindi siya nagpasalamat rito o tinapunan man lang ito ng tingin, perhaps he was just too absorbed in seeing me after what felt like forever. Ang huli kong kita sa kaniya ay college graduation pa namin.
He pulled out a chair for me, his eyes lingering on me appreciatively. "You look so pretty,"
Tipid ko lang siyang nginitian dahil alam kong charot lang 'yun. Hindi naman ako maganda, sakto lang. Pero syempre, baka ganito talaga pag-date. Required niyong purihin ang isa't isa. Sandali kong nilingon si Elton bago maupo. "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself,"
Sa totoo lang, hindi ko na masyadong tanda ang itsura niya nung college kami kaya hindi ko rin masabi kung may nagbago ba rito. Although, looking at him now I could tell he was doing well for himself. He had a polished appearance and his attire was neat and stylish. Hindi rin nakatakas sa akin ang pasimple ngunit disimulado niyang paghawi ng suot na longsleeves, revealing a glimpse of his wristwatch. A Rolex.
I was never one to be impressed by material possessions, but perhaps he didn't mean to show it off. Who knows? It could have just been a subconscious gesture. Regardless, I made a mental note of it and focused on the conversation at hand. After all, there was more to a person than just the things they owned.
"Kumusta ka na? Ang tagal rin nating hindi nagkita, ah." Sabi niya pagkatapos naming umorder.
Medyo nahiya pa nga ako dahil alam kong hindi naman mura sa restaurant na ito, so talagang 'yung pinakamura lang ang inorder ko. But he insisted that I should try the steak, hindi ko na sinabing na-try ko na iyon dahil paborito ni Rance ang steak, kaya sa lahat ng pagdadalhan sa akin nito'y hindi 'yon mawawala sa meal. Hindi bale, mamaya kapag nag bill out ay sasabihan ko itong makikipag-split ako. Wala namang problema, sana lang ay hindi siya ma-offend.
"Ayos naman. Ganoon pa rin," sagot ko sa kaniya. "Ikaw? Kumusta ka? Sa totoo lang wala na akong balita sa iba nating mga kaklase at ka-batch maliban sa mga napopost niyo sa Facebook. Hindi rin naman ako masyadong tutok sa social media, kaya kung ano lang ang makita ko sa feed sa libreng oras ay iyon lang nasasagap ko."
Elton nodded, sipping his drink before launching a series of updates about our college batchmates. He seemed to know an awful lot about who married who, where they ended up after college, and how their lives were at the moment.
"Remember Jane? She's married now, moved to New York with her husband. They just had their first baby a few months ago," kuwento niya.
Tumango ako. I remember her, but we weren't friends. Kahit nga ata sa Facebook ay hindi kami connected. Nagpanggap na lang akong interesado sa sinasabi ni Elton para hindi naman siya mapahiya.
"Si Mark, natatandaan mo pa? He's doing really well for himself. Got a job at a big firm right out of college. Last I heard, he's engaged to his longtime girlfriend," he continued, his tone animated as he recounted the details. "Baka nga kinasal na."
