Memoirs Of A Pen Pal 4
Reconnecting...For Good? Philippines, a span of 8 months
About 2 months after I came back from my designing stint in China, I found Mr. Chicago's email sitting in my inbox. Looked like he still didn't find anyone. Either. So our correspondence continued - "as if it wasn't interrupted at all" to use Tom's words. A month later Tom asked for my number and gave me his because he didn't want for us to lose contact like we did the last time. Naks! But a couple of weeks came and went still there was no call. I didn't like it, I was never one for suspense. So on my way back to my hometown from Cebu on a boat night trip, I called his number but I timed it so that he will be at work and I can just leave a message on his answering machine. I was thrilled to hear his recorded voice. Put the phone down, rehearsed a few lines (after all I had to say it in English) and dialled the number again. Later Tom told me getting that call was the most exotic thing, with me explaining the loud sound of the boat's engine in the background and the idea of travelling from one island to another riding a sea vessel. Not something you'd normally do in the midwest.
So this jumpstarted our weekly phone calls aside from the regular emails. Unlike my experience with Mr. Scotland, Tom was in command of our conversation, he made me very comfortable, rescuing the initial lulls with questions that didn't send me panicking for answers.
A couple of months later he mentioned he might be visiting me in the Philippines, the possibility thrilled me to no end. When he asked what's a good date to visit, I suggested, "why don't you come on your birthday this August?" A slight pause, "wow," he said "I am amazed you even remembered my birthday, I doubt it if anybody in my family does." Well, I had an advantage, he had the same birthday as my father. But of course I didn't give away my secret weapon right there and then.
I couldn't sleep that night. It was the first of the many that followed.
The Unlikely Tourist
We both agreed and understood that the purpose of his visit was a test to see if we were ready to take our "relationship" to the next level. Sure we were obviously attracted to each other in the internet but meeting in person could go either way.
When the plane landed in Mactan airport and the first time I saw a glimpse of his silhouette through the glass windows in the dim interiors of the arrival area, although I had initially dreaded meeting him because of the one bad photo he sent a few weeks before his trip, I was swept with a tide of fondness just seeing his dark outline, his brisk walk, his stance as he lugged this big baggage over one shoulder. It's the same feeling we get seeing our long lost best friend again. But when we came face to face and I saw his friendly, open blue eyes - I just knew that this man was going to change my life. As soon as we got into the taxi, although both of us introverts, we were chatting and laughing up a storm. Up until he left we never had those awkward silences.
While waiting for our boat that will take us to my hometown, we decided to spend the extra time at SM and have our first movie date. We intially planned through emails to watch "Unfaithful" (Richard Gere and Diane Lane) but due to time constraints ended up with Disney's "Lilo And Stitch". How's that for wholesome?
A few days of paying a courtesy call to my parents and family, I took him to Bantayan where I first saw *him close to losing his temper. We were stuck on a stuffy boat since 10:00 in the morning, after barely sleeping a wink the night before from another boatride (what with the bright light on and radio music in the background), and enduring 3-hour ride in the bus with wooden chairs travelling through rough roads. People were telling us that the boat leaves at 11am, but 11 'o clock came and went there was no sign of us going anywhere. Finally we talked to one of the crews and was informed that we had to wait until 12:30. I could see that Tom was mad and with an edge to his voice he told me he wanted to get off pronto. We sat under the makeshift tarpauline roof on the pier and I offered to get him a coke and crackers. We were both starving. He smiled gratefully. A second before I had sworn, one more cross word from him I would leave and get a ride back to Cebu. Hah! I had a temper too. The diet coke did the trick and his good mood returned. Once again he gamely endured the suffocating and cramped insides of the rickety vessel and as we were cruising he tried to cool me down by using his newly bought rubber flip-flops as a fan much to the amusement of the other passengers. One lady generously gave him 2 pages of her tabloid as an alternative, of course he didn't know what to do with it.
He loved Bantayan, he would later tell me that it was there that he really felt that he was in a foreign country. I then saw him walking around the beach with just his socks on. I asked him why he wasn't using his slippers, he said that it rubbed the in-between of his toes raw. I could only shake my head and smile, this guy is the unwillingest tourist I've ever encountered. He would have never braved a trip to a country so very different from his if not for me. Just for me.
click to continue reading...
*his side of the story = as I was recounting to him this incident last night, Tom said at that time he was feeling lightheaded and was about to pass out from lack of sleep and hunger. Aside from us not having a proper breakfast the food portions he had been eating the past few days has been considerably less than his usual intake in the US. When he got back from his trip he lost 10 pounds.
The Four Hour Project
Putting up this crib that we inherited from my sister-in-law took Tom and I four hours last Saturday. We couldn't figure out a couple of the metal bars that had a handlebarlike device attached to it. It turned out to be a footlatch. Cribs I saw in the Philippines didn't have those. I have always voiced constant amazement on how the internet is a lifeline especially in the day-to-day living here in the US. Well, it came to the rescue again. When we were on the verge of giving up I told Tom, I'm going to google for assembly instructions. Sure 'nuff, it lead me to the manufacturer of the same crib and asked for the model number inscribed in one of the wooden rails. In 5 minutes we had our answer.
About 2 months after I came back from my designing stint in China, I found Mr. Chicago's email sitting in my inbox. Looked like he still didn't find anyone. Either. So our correspondence continued - "as if it wasn't interrupted at all" to use Tom's words. A month later Tom asked for my number and gave me his because he didn't want for us to lose contact like we did the last time. Naks! But a couple of weeks came and went still there was no call. I didn't like it, I was never one for suspense. So on my way back to my hometown from Cebu on a boat night trip, I called his number but I timed it so that he will be at work and I can just leave a message on his answering machine. I was thrilled to hear his recorded voice. Put the phone down, rehearsed a few lines (after all I had to say it in English) and dialled the number again. Later Tom told me getting that call was the most exotic thing, with me explaining the loud sound of the boat's engine in the background and the idea of travelling from one island to another riding a sea vessel. Not something you'd normally do in the midwest.
So this jumpstarted our weekly phone calls aside from the regular emails. Unlike my experience with Mr. Scotland, Tom was in command of our conversation, he made me very comfortable, rescuing the initial lulls with questions that didn't send me panicking for answers.
A couple of months later he mentioned he might be visiting me in the Philippines, the possibility thrilled me to no end. When he asked what's a good date to visit, I suggested, "why don't you come on your birthday this August?" A slight pause, "wow," he said "I am amazed you even remembered my birthday, I doubt it if anybody in my family does." Well, I had an advantage, he had the same birthday as my father. But of course I didn't give away my secret weapon right there and then.
I couldn't sleep that night. It was the first of the many that followed.
The Unlikely Tourist
We both agreed and understood that the purpose of his visit was a test to see if we were ready to take our "relationship" to the next level. Sure we were obviously attracted to each other in the internet but meeting in person could go either way.
When the plane landed in Mactan airport and the first time I saw a glimpse of his silhouette through the glass windows in the dim interiors of the arrival area, although I had initially dreaded meeting him because of the one bad photo he sent a few weeks before his trip, I was swept with a tide of fondness just seeing his dark outline, his brisk walk, his stance as he lugged this big baggage over one shoulder. It's the same feeling we get seeing our long lost best friend again. But when we came face to face and I saw his friendly, open blue eyes - I just knew that this man was going to change my life. As soon as we got into the taxi, although both of us introverts, we were chatting and laughing up a storm. Up until he left we never had those awkward silences.
While waiting for our boat that will take us to my hometown, we decided to spend the extra time at SM and have our first movie date. We intially planned through emails to watch "Unfaithful" (Richard Gere and Diane Lane) but due to time constraints ended up with Disney's "Lilo And Stitch". How's that for wholesome?
A few days of paying a courtesy call to my parents and family, I took him to Bantayan where I first saw *him close to losing his temper. We were stuck on a stuffy boat since 10:00 in the morning, after barely sleeping a wink the night before from another boatride (what with the bright light on and radio music in the background), and enduring 3-hour ride in the bus with wooden chairs travelling through rough roads. People were telling us that the boat leaves at 11am, but 11 'o clock came and went there was no sign of us going anywhere. Finally we talked to one of the crews and was informed that we had to wait until 12:30. I could see that Tom was mad and with an edge to his voice he told me he wanted to get off pronto. We sat under the makeshift tarpauline roof on the pier and I offered to get him a coke and crackers. We were both starving. He smiled gratefully. A second before I had sworn, one more cross word from him I would leave and get a ride back to Cebu. Hah! I had a temper too. The diet coke did the trick and his good mood returned. Once again he gamely endured the suffocating and cramped insides of the rickety vessel and as we were cruising he tried to cool me down by using his newly bought rubber flip-flops as a fan much to the amusement of the other passengers. One lady generously gave him 2 pages of her tabloid as an alternative, of course he didn't know what to do with it.
He loved Bantayan, he would later tell me that it was there that he really felt that he was in a foreign country. I then saw him walking around the beach with just his socks on. I asked him why he wasn't using his slippers, he said that it rubbed the in-between of his toes raw. I could only shake my head and smile, this guy is the unwillingest tourist I've ever encountered. He would have never braved a trip to a country so very different from his if not for me. Just for me.
click to continue reading...
*his side of the story = as I was recounting to him this incident last night, Tom said at that time he was feeling lightheaded and was about to pass out from lack of sleep and hunger. Aside from us not having a proper breakfast the food portions he had been eating the past few days has been considerably less than his usual intake in the US. When he got back from his trip he lost 10 pounds.
The Four Hour Project
Putting up this crib that we inherited from my sister-in-law took Tom and I four hours last Saturday. We couldn't figure out a couple of the metal bars that had a handlebarlike device attached to it. It turned out to be a footlatch. Cribs I saw in the Philippines didn't have those. I have always voiced constant amazement on how the internet is a lifeline especially in the day-to-day living here in the US. Well, it came to the rescue again. When we were on the verge of giving up I told Tom, I'm going to google for assembly instructions. Sure 'nuff, it lead me to the manufacturer of the same crib and asked for the model number inscribed in one of the wooden rails. In 5 minutes we had our answer.
Currently listening to: Sarah Mclachlan's "Surfacing"
Currently reading: Frank McCourt's Teacher Man
Currently watching: American Idol
Posted by geri at 10:39 PM | 5 thought balloons
geri
Lan, that should be fun for you, having the Quisumbing over for visitors. I can just imagine all the stories.
Kim, 8 months? I could just imagine how hard it is to bend and twist your body this and that way. Not easy with a big tummy getting in the way all the time :)
Amy, totoo yan. I was telling time that that time at the airport was the most painful part of our relationship. Sabu nga nya, why do I want to write about it. hehe
Francesca (guest)
Oy, kakalungkot nga yong visit lng muna sa hubby sa Pinas, and maiwan ka muna. Nakupo, nangyari sa amin yan ni Michel, 3X pa, kasi di pa ako pede punta France noon. And super lungkot nga after na mag enjoy kayo being together. Ahhh, those were the days... buti na survive natin ang hirap ano? Okey, kisses to baby, muah!
Kim (guest)
Lanie Pfeiffer (guest)
Ed Abbey (guest)
I haven't started setting up our stuff yet. I have refinished a room for the nursery but the carpet doesn't arrive until April 3rd. I have a lot to assemble so I hope it doesn't take nearly as long.