Couple's Corner - The Day We Met/Dined Out

Breathe. I don't exactly remember the date but it was the month of September 2002. Evening, I was in a small pasta bar watching Kylie Minogue's concert.

He walked in wearing a simple white shirt, tucked in black jeans. He asked for a  cup of coffee. He was the only other customer. We shared the only table pushed against a wall. And we were only a seat apart. I indulged him in a small talk.

You are new in town.

Yes.

Where do you work?

DepEd.

I see. I smiled and spoke no further.

He must be the driver for TEEP, I thought. I was on-leave but before that, I heard a new driver from the mainland was coming for the Nissan Frontier service. I turned my back on him and proceeded to watch Kylie strut her stuff. I thought he was cute. It was dark though but I could tell he had a very fair complexion. A pin light and the blue ray from the tiny screen were the only stuffs to brighten the shop.

I could feel he was watching me but I ignored since I just started to date the owner of the pasta bar.

Then I heard he asked for pasta carbonara. Sosyal na driver, I thought.

After two weeks, I was back in the office and I heard this sexy, loud laugh coming from the other room - the TEEP Department. At that moment, I was dealing with another TEEP employee. I asked the owner of the laugh.

Ceasar. He is the new Lead Engineer for Batanes.

Major red alert. I raised my brow in disapproval but made no further comment. Engineers from the mainland are notorious for being a womanizer.

Lunch time and I saw a guy passed by our window. The one who went to the pasta bar.There's the driver i thought! He was wearing the same shirt and jeans. I smiled at him and he stared for awhile before returning a wide smile. I thought he was really cute. I bet ladies will be all over him in no time.

Soon, I learned that the guy was the Engineer. And that he is not married but he has a girlfriend. I didn't know which part made my heart sank because I should not be affected at all. Heck, i was in a relationship. And I don't even speak to him!

I decided to simply avoid him. He must have sensed my indifference and he ignored me as well. Apart from my dialogue "Sir, the Superintendent wants you in her office." and his "Your Enya CD is great," -- we kept out of each other's way.

But somehow fate has his way of doing things. After a year, I wanted out of the current relationship. Suddenly, i was not sure of myself. Maybe i was bored, maybe I miss having that nerdy conversations, and maybe i was tired of being told what i cannot do or what i cannot wear.

Late November evening. Rain was pouring hard. I just had his number and I decided to text him. I knew it was beyond stupidity but I needed to talk to somebody. And sometimes, it is much easier to talk to a stranger.

I asked what's keeping him busy.

He replied he is enjoying himself listening to the raindrops. Crash. Boom. Bang. It hit me he was the perfect guy to talk to. If he has that sensitivity to the rain then he would understand how i feel.

From then on, I called him Rain. We texted every night talking about our families, relationships, work, and everything else trivial. He was smart and decent and funny and he made me feel very comfortable. I confided in him things that I never told anybody. He was my virtual best friend.

I say virtual because in the office we continued to act as if we both did not exist. We manage to sneak out a snack date one afternoon. And one of those nights, we met at Shanedels where he showed me how to drink San Mig Light. Yeah, he gave me my first taste of alcohol.

I was finally free in 2004. But i chose to stay out of the dating world. By then, Batanes was his oversight so most of the time he was out of the province. In one of those trips, he asked to have dinner. We met again at Shanedels. I knew this was some sort of a goodbye. I hear rumours that his contract was about to end so this was probably the last time i would see him.

I wore my favorite red blouse,with my favorite Old Navy jeans. I slipped on a cute red and white ballet flats. When I arrived at the place, he was still wearing his office attire - jeans and long sleeves (now untucked) except that he replaced his shoes with rubber slippers. He made no effort to be presentable but i thought he still looked cute.

We talked over a bottle of beer. We talked about our favorite read Angela's Ashes. We talked about politics and relationships and how i was coping up with the break-up. I wanted to ask him why we are having these conversations but maybe it was best not to.

He walked me home.

I could not tell him how happy I was to meet him, or how much I appreciate having him in my life without breaking down in tears. So to cut the drama, I said goodnight and kissed him on the cheek.

I knew he was meant to go further and i did not want to hold him back. I want him in my arms yet i love him enough to know he has yet to fulfill his goals.

Little did i know that the innocent kiss meant to him a lot. He was now working in Saudi but he would call and e-mail once in awhile. I was falling for him further. I would be freaking and shouting in excitement talking to him on the phone. But still has his girlfriend. I need to respect that he gave his word to another woman.

So i decided to end my insanity by changing numbers and e-mails. I needed the feeling to go away. Maybe i will never forget him. Maybe a part of me will always love him but my grandmother is freaking out I am turning into an old maid. Sooner or later, they are going to set me up for a blind date if i don't pull myself together. I need to choose a guy to date. Rather than enduring the guy they picked for me.

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