Virginally Yours, Tristan

The other day, my friend, K, and I had dinner somewhere in the metro. It was great to see K again after so many months. Since I wanted Japanese that night, I invited K to go to this nice restaurant which I used to frequent when I was still based in Manila. Apart from the nice food they serve, the waiters there were cute.

We were seated the moment we got there. Dinner was not about to start until after an hour so there were very few people in the restaurant. We placed our orders and started chatting about life, love and everything in between. O was our waiter for the night and he was cute - but he was not as cute as my usual wait staff, J. I looked around the restaurant - J was not there. I wanted to ask O where J was but I hesitated. Pa-virgin ako e.

Dinner was served and we started partaking the delicious Japanese meal before us. In between sips of tea and mouthfuls of sushi, I still wondered where J was. Had he been laid off? If so, where is he? You see, J and I shared a special connection. Every single time I would eat at that restaurant, J would always be there. He would always have this special smile just for me - even my friends whom I have invited there before had noticed. J was a flirt and I had always flirted back. But, I had made it a point not to mess around with him - probably dahil pa-virgin talaga ako.

While I was just about to start on my tempura, out of the blue, J appeared. He looked my way and immediately recognized who I was. I, of course, had forgotten his name. All I remember was that he was my cute wait staff whom I have always flirted with. J greeted me and flashed that oh-so-wonderful smile. I smiled back. My friend K could not believe what he saw.

"Tris, ano yun?", he asked.

I grinned.

"Wala lang..."

And then I giggled.

I could see J throwing glances at our table while we struggled to finish what was left on our table. K was so intrigued by what he had seen that he started to pry.

"So may nangyari na senyo?", he asked.

"Wala no!", I replied.

"Weh..."

"Oo nga, malinis ako no!"

After dinner, K and I left the restaurant. J was not around. I knew where to find him - he was by the escalator handing out brochures and inviting people to come and eat at their restaurant. I had a plan. That night, I was to finally book J. Bakit ba, bakasyonista na lang ako no! I started walking ahead of K. Hindi naman ako masyadong excited ano?

I was right. J was at the exact place where I first met him. The moment he saw me, he nodded and threw a series of smiles. Nanginig na naman ang tumbong ko. This is it. I approached J and asked him how he was.

"Buti, andito ka pa..."

"Oo sir, tagal mo di nagpakita ah..."

He noticed pala. I giggled. Lumakas lalo ang loob ko.

"Uy, ano number mo?", I asked casually.

He scratched his head and smiled. He hesitated. I felt it. But, he was still smiling. I had already lost interest. You see, I rarely go after those who do not want to be chased. Sayang lang ang efforts ko.

"O sige, nevermind. See you around...", I finally told him.

Talunan ang lolo nyo. I can feel my confidence level drop a notch. There's no more point in living. Haha.

"Shit, puta*&*(&+^%*&%$na!!!"

It was my first epic failure in my two weeks in Manila.

***

The following day, I was back at the same mall. I had planned to get my hair cut from B, my wonderful "hair stylish" when I saw him again at his regular spot. Lunch was just about to start so I knew that he was gonna be there. I planned to ignore him. And I did.

After the hair cut, I passed by J again on my way to the escalators. He saw me as I was just about to get off the escalator. He smiled. Hindi ko kayang mandedma ng cute so I smiled back. But, I passed by him. Instead, I went inside the store where I bought my professor a nice tie as a pasalubong. After buying the freakin' tie, I passed by J again. He started the conversation.

"Sir, kamusta?"

"Ok naman... ikaw?"

" Ok lang... pasensya na kahapon ah... nagulat kasi ko..."

"Weh... mahina lang talaga ko sa yo...", I retorted.

"Hindi naman sir, wala kasi akong cellphone. Nanakaw."

"Style mo...", I replied.

"Hindi nga sir, kung may calling card ka dyan, tawagan na lang kita mamaya...", he suggested.

"Wala akong card..."

"Eh hingin ko na lang number mo, tapos tawagan kita..."

I flipped my long blonde curly hair and batted my long eyelashes. Tumagilid ako ng konti at nag-pose before I flashed my close up smile. I gave him my number and he wrote it down.

"Ano nga ulit name mo, sir?", J asked.

"Tristan."

***

I was having my usual latte at the cafe just outside the gym when my phone beeped. I took out my phone from my pocket and read the message. It was there when I finally let out a giggle.

"Tristan, si J to... kita tayo..."