Sunday, July 17, 2011

Vitamin B - An excerpt from a diary

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This is a story of an unsure familiar face who turned out to be a great friend. At least for me.
First day of work is always a fuzz, but not to me. This is not my first time to step into the halls of Bicol Room. I’ve been here for five months but I was younger. Going back here somehow reminded me of two years ago.

Twenty people seated in a U-shaped arrangement of tables. Two familiar faces, the rest a meet-and-greet acquaintance. At the corner of my eye, I saw yet again, an unsure familiar face. I think I saw him a month ago at an event for the intelligent and the lucky graduates. Right! It was indeed him! The one my friend was telling me about.

He had a friend with him. A lean, very masculine and neat guy. He, on the other hand, was normal, silent, but he had a smiling face I thought. I was very curious of his name.

Then the introductions. At last! A name that matched the face! But I can’t seem to remember which is which between him and his friend. So I called them ‘kambal’. Every time I talk about them, I address them as kambal. They come in pair.

I was outright loud, because I knew I wasn’t new. So it’s okay to be loud. Having to understand different dialects was an advantage when mingling with the nineteen new people I would have to be with every single day for the next few months. It was easy.

But getting to know the guy I was curious about was a little difficult. The other guys were teasing me about it. But with the advent of technology, I finally got to talk to him. Amazing how we talk using our fingers!

And so I found a new friend. He’s funny but sensible. He’s sensitive but curses at practically anything! Imagine, he doesn’t finish a statement without cursing. He’s the one I got all the cursing from.

He says he’s shy and quiet, but I think being with us, he started to enjoy and be carefree.

He seems picky when it comes to befriending someone, but I’m happy he’s not like that with me.

When I started texting him, I didn’t know what to expect. It thought he would shut me down, and think I was a creep or weirdo or something like that. But he didn’t. It was great getting to know him.

We talked about anything we could come up with. Movies, books, tv shows, the people we know, our opinions about things. Basically a conversation you would normally have with someone you know for a long time. But I think we only knew each other for just a month or so.

We shared some things in common. The love for software and programming, love for our grandmothers, being not so close with our parents, and some random values I didn’t know I would share with someone.

We were with someone back then, I was with my then boyfriend, he was with his special friend. We talked about that. Yes we talked about each other’s personal lives.

But my relationship crashed and ended. Surprisingly, he was there to comfort me, and talk me out of the rock bottom I had. I was very touched with the effort, although we barely know each other. He helped me get back on my feet and be happy for being single.

After that, he told me his story. Of the girl he wasn’t sure where her place was in his heart. He wouldn’t admit it. But I knew otherwise. It was very comforting to feel somebody finding it in their will to trust me with the stories they rarely share.

Since then, he became, and will always be, a friend I will treasure for as long as I can remember my own name.
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But he decided to leave and take on a different path. I was hurt. I was losing a good friend, and I might not see him for a long time. He might forget me.

But eventually, I felt happy for him. He seemed happy with his decision, and so should I.
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He’s sweet caring, funny, spoiled, hard-headed.. as in rock hard. He says he’s secretive but always shares his thoughts. He’s easily touched with simple gestures. He’s noisy; he’s even noisier than me! He can take being alone, well he spent his life with no siblings so it’s not new to him. He’s obnoxious but in a cute and funny way! There’s a lot more he doesn’t know about, that when I tell him the explanation, he speaks in awe… those are the things I would remember of him.

I learned a lot from him. He’s like a brother to me now.