FINDING CHANCE

Chapter 2

"Rafael Gabrielle San Diego. " - I said after ko lunukin yung puffs.

"Okay...since you're enjoying your puffs, ako na mauna."

"Sure, just keep talking, I'll listen. I'll ask questions pag naguluhan ako, deal?"

"Deal...

So as I was saying, this restaurant is named after me.  And I was named naman after my paternal grandfather."

Sa UST pala nag-aaral ang bipolar na toh, he's taking Commerce and Business Administration, no surprise kasi siya nga magma-manage ng resto nila.  May twin sister siya na nasa France studying Fashion Designing naman, dahil fashionista daw kasi yun kaya ang gusto is to create her own line of clothing.  Come to think of it, ang clever lang diba?  You have your own business and at the same time you're enjoying it.

He's into drag racing and almost every week may sinasalihan siya, sa White Plains...hmp!!! Pang-mayaman. Dun din daw niya nakilala yung iba niyang naging ex, yung iba naman, sa clubs, yung iba sa school, yung iba sa mall, or sa restaurants, but not here.  Ang dame!!!! Ilan na kaya napaiyak nito? Actually yung iba naman daw sa mg ex niya hindi rin serious, kumbaga the girl is clever enough to know na Gero is not after  serious relationships.  That he's just playing around and would jump to numerous relationships. Naku po,  kung ganito lahat ng mga lalaki e ayoko na ulet magka-boyfriend.  Nakaka-stressssssss.

Pero siyempre,  mas lamang pa rin yung mga umiyak, naghabol, at na-depress tulad nalang nung girl kanina.  Tsk tsk tsk...salbahe talaga toh.

"How come you're doing that? I mean, bakit hindi mo kaya maging serious?" - naintriga lang ako, gusto ko lang maintindihan. 

"I don't know. Eh ganon eh, I can't explain why. Siguro mabilis ako magsawa? Kumbaga, I always want different flavor for my ice cream. Ayoko ng same thing, nakakaumay."

"You don't feel pitty for them? Like the girl na inaway ko kanina?" - kahit ang stupid much nung girl na yun, naawa pa rin naman ako sakanya. Babae din ako noh, hindi naman ako pusong-bato.

"That's why I hired you as my girlfriend, to make it easy on them.  Siyempre they will still get hurt, pero mas mabilis sila makaka-move on pag nalamang may girlfriend na ako for 5 years."

"Hired???? Kung maka-hired ka diyan akala mo naman pinapasahod moko!" - lecheng toh.  Oo usapan namen magpapanggap akong girlfriend niya when he needs me to, pero hindi naman ako nag-apply sa position na yan noh!  Kusang binigay saken yan!!!

"If you want me to pay you eh di sige, name your price."

Aba! Talaga naman!!!

"Oi Gero,  halos one week palang tayo magkakilala, anong palagay mo saken?? Bayaran??? Umayos ka ha, baka gusto mong hampasin na naman kita diyan."

" Hahahahaha....sorry Raffy, that wasn't my intention.  Pero saan nanggaling yung 5 years? Mag pinaghuhugutan ka? Hahaha."

Binato ko siya ng crumpled tissue...

"Wala noh. Ikaw ang topic ngayon, mamaya nalang ako."

"Now na.  Baka makalimutan ko na mamaya tapos hindi mo na rin ikkwento."

Aiyah!!!! Ayoko nga yung topic na yan eh.  Ewan ko naman kasi kung bakit ko pa nasabi yang 5 years na yan!

"I'm waiting....."

"Fine!!!! May naging boyfriend kasi ako nung 1st year highschool...."

"What first year highschool? Ang aga mo naman lumandi."

"Bwiset!!!! Malandi agad? Di pwedeng puppy love lang yun??? Ano magkkwento ba ako o ikaw na ulet?"

"Hahaha okay continue."

"Si Paxton yung naging boyfriend ko nun. Pero mas nauna kasi ako naging close kay Chance."

Si Chance, I can say na naging bestfriend ko siya at that time.  Summer palang when I saw him, akala ko nga noon nagbabakasyon lang siya kasi first time ko siya makita sa village namen.  Nagulat nalang ako nung pasukan na naging ka-service ko siya.  Sa Miriam ako nag-aaral then siya naman sa Ateneo.

Naging super close kame, as in.  Palage kame magkatabi sa school service, minsan binibigyan niya ako ng foods na baon niya.  Nagkkwentuhan kame about what we did sa school, about my friends, mga projects, school events...kahit ano.  Lage siya nagpapatawa kaya gusto ko siyang kasama at kausap.

"Then, he introduced me to his friend, si Paxton nga.  After few weeks, he courted me, pero siyempre yung tipong ligaw-bata, 13 palang kame nun eh.  Nung pumayag ako maging girlfriend niya, I did so kasi iniisip ko si Chance,  baka kasi pag binasted ko si Paxton, magalit si Chance tapos hindi na niya ako bestfriend."

"Then what happened?" - ay interesado? Bading!!! Hahaha

"Nag-drift away yung friendship namen ni Chance, unti-unti, hanggang sa nawala na."

At dahil naalala ko na naman si Chance, binalutan ako ng sad aura....engot ko naman kasi.

"Raffy are you okay?"

Aiyah!!! Eto na sinasabi ko eh, natulala na naman ako with Chance's memories...

"Gero...sincere ka ba kanina nung sinabi mong you want me to be your friend? Or joke time lang yun?"

"Hahaha alam mo, natuwa ako sayo kanina, ang galing mo umakting.  Kaya I want to know you more.  So I guess, sincere ako sa sinabi kong I want you to be my friend."

"Hindi ka naman siguro papalit-palit ng friend diba?"

"Of course not, I have a lot of friends...nasa kanila yun if they want me around. But for me, I never left a friend before."

Dahil curious ako sa  buhay ni bipolar, gusto ko maging close kame. And besides, mukhang on-call ako lage as his "girlfriend " so malamang sa malamang makakasama ko siya ng madalas.

I extended my hands to him,

"Friends????" - I asked

Kinamayan din niya ako,

"Friends."

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