Lloyd Vincent
I met Annie a year ago at a bar where she was obviously dared by her mates to ask for my number. With her eyes looking intently at mine, I could tell she robbed the alcohol's ability to give confidence and wear it with her red dress that matched her flushed face.
We ended up outside the bar where we talked about shallow things; how she wanted to go home but her friends didn't want to leave; to deep conversations like how life brought her here in LA. Nagkagulatan pa kaming dalawa nang malaman naming pareho kaming Pinoy, namiss daw niya na may kausap na Tagalog na kaharap nya. Stephannie Lagman is a 26 year old Filipina whose family back in Quezon City owned a photography studio na mas matanda pa sa kanya. She has been in every photo advertisement of their studio since she was a kid but grew up with a passion in photography.
Her dad died from colon cancer when she was eleven. Good thing her brother was eight years older than her and was knowledgeable and skilled enough to help co-manage the business together with their mother.
Life pushed her to migrate to LA, setting up her own studio from scratch. Her family and friends swayed on her decision but she wanted to be independent and to find what she really wanted to do.
"Ano ba'ng hinahanap mo?"
"Ewan ko."
"How can you find something that doesn't exist?"
"That's why I'm here."
She said she was doing well and was stable after six years of migrating to the US but sometimes she missed her mother's sinigang na baboy. And I really struggled when she asked about me.
"Call me a voyager."
"Well, Mr. Voyager, what do you do in life?"
"A resident doctor."
"Wow."
"Orphaned. Thriving to live."
"Then that's impressive. Naging resident doctor ka ng walang tumutulong sa'yo."
Sakto may dumating na isa pang friend nila. Habit na pala niyang tumambay sa labas ng bar kaya madaling niya itong nakita.
From then on, we started seeing each other frequently, going on dates and movie nights. She was just a woman in her mid twenties, exploring life as it should be.
☙☀♚☀❧
I spent two years of residency in Germany before transferring to LA for my third year, bought a house that suited my lifestyle and currently considering a permanent residence once and for all. Especially after meeting Annie.
The house was not bad, a loft type with white walls, black furniture and wooden accents all over the place. It had an open second floor room where I can see my living room from my bed, enough space for a personal office, gym, walk-in closet, and bathroom adjacent to my bed.
"Does this dress look good on me?" tanong niya sa'kin habang hawak ang ang pulang dress na hanggang hita niya. She swayed from left to right, making the dress move. Bukas na ang alis namin papunta ng Paris and I'm honestly looking forward to sleeping on the plane all the way.
"Lagi ka namang maganda." I've always had an affinity for forests and mountains but Annie always dreamed of going to the most romantic place in the world. Besides, she doesn't like running, hiking or anything to do with our legs doing rigorous upward climbing.
