The Christmas Proposal
Thursday, December 10, 2009 4:44 PM /
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So now my senses were torn between hearing him out or devouring the dish of spaghetti in front of me. Every now and then I would nod my head, look into his eyes, smile in acknowledgement of what he was saying, or say something like "uh-huh" to not appear impolite while paying my attention to my dish of delight (spaghetti and lumpia, anyone? I'm famished!). This resulted to an extended time to finish eating my snack which brought to a longer time spent with him and the cycle went on and on.
"Hanggang kelan ka nga uli dito, Ken?" he asked.
"Uh. . Till Feb pa po"
"That's good. Kasi kung one month ka lang eh wala kang matutunan, hindi mo ma-oobserbahang mabuti ang cycle dito sa kompanya. Parang naghihintay ka na lang kung kelan matapos ang oras mo."
No worries, I'm busy with blogging anyway. LOL
I couldn't help but agree.
"So saan ka magpapasko?"
"Dito po," I managed to say, "I was expecting kasi na yong last 2 weeks eh, Christmas break, hindi pala." I feigned a sigh.
"Sinong kasama mo mag pasko?"
"Wala." And to add a bit of drama and loneliness I couldn't help but say, "'Yong mga kaklase ko kasi uuwi sila dahil meron silang break. ."
I know, I know. I was quite pushy. But I really really WANT a two weeks Christmas break with my family back in Iloilo. Hindi naman sa madami ang pagkain at regalo dun (which are all so true) samantalang kung dito ako magpapasko eh, magugutom lang ako at mag-isang pang kakain.
And speaking of food, I haven't figured out what my Christmas menu would be.
Maybe. .SPAGHETTI?! whehehhe.
Yep. I know a bit how to cook pasta. It's just more complicated than cooking noodles. By this, I'm not implying that I cook bad. Or that I have little knowledge on cooking. You see, my cooking skills vary. Depende na rin yon sa utensils di ba? tsaka ingredients. Like, if Spag A is composed of hotdogs, meat, cheese (and I could set aside some to make cheese sticks!), then definitely it'll be much more worth devouring than Spag B which is composed of sausages, corned beef, carrots and spring onions. But if yong pasta sa Spag A eh, soggy. .tiis na lang me sa Spag B. But (again) since this is just a hypothetical menu, if Spag A gets soggy, wasted na. Either cheese sticks or carrot stick na lang ang matitirang kainin ko.
Uhmm..mas mabuti pa siguro mag-take out na lang me.
Back to Sir T. .
I could tell that Sir T was concerned on how I would spend my mini-Christmas break. He thought for a moment just like we're having a serious conversation over a business matter. After a slight pause, he said, "Punta ka sa Star City."
"Actually, I'm going this Saturday," I told him.
He suggested another one: Ocean World.
"San 'yon?"
"Wag na lang, 'di pala maganda dun," bawi niya.
"Oh."
"How about at my house?" He casually offered. "Christmas lunch?"
Everyone was silent - Anna, Maydee, Edmund, and especially yours truly.
I did not know how to react. My boss was inviting me for a Chrismas lunch and I was just looking at him mouth agape. It's like being invited by Alfred Ty. Or Henry Ty (?) or Henry Sy. Whatever. Quick! I need something to say! I figured, thinking fast.
"UH."
I was really that speechless. Just "uh".
I looked around the table to see my colleagues' reaction. A and M were teasing Sir T asking if he was really serious. Meanwhile, E was just silent but I could tell he was also amused by our boss' behaviour.
I mean, Sir Tim is not that bad. He's 5'9" ft tall and he's in his late thirties. Workaholic, responsible, serious, loner. He's intelligent and business-minded and he's focused. He'll bore me. Seriously. And I, being also a freakin' boring person who is 5'7" ft tall, in my early twenties, slightly workaholic, also responsible, serious, and loner, intelligent smart and business-minded but easily distracted, have nothing much to talk about except trivial stuffs over a cup of hot coffee choco..We'll bore each other's company.
"Now this is not a joke," he kept on saying. "You can go with me para hindi ka naman mag-isa."
"San po kayo nakatira?" I asked him.
He thought for a couple of moments.
"Nililigaw niyo ata ang bata, sir," snickered Maydee which illicited some laughs from all of us.
"Hindi naman. Iniisip ko lang kung saang landmark siya pupunta para mas madali sa kanya"
Maybe I should go. And have lunch with him?! More like a luncheon meeting siguro ang ending nun. He said maybe his in-laws would drop by at his house. That means he's married. I don't know kung may anak siya. I hope so. I would prefer talking to someone my age. But then again, Sir T looks very young to have a 20-something kid.
Ohgod, stop it! I told him I have to think about this and changed the topic.
"You know I really liked the food last night, especially 'yong pansit," I hinted for another course of conversation.
"Yeah, Kung Fu Pansit ang ibang tawag diyan." he informed us.
He talked about food, and I could tell he likes eating as much as he likes racing and boxing and wine. He has been to many places. And last year he spent his Christmas holiday abroad, alone at his aunt's place. Experiencing this maybe could be the reason for his offer. He wouldn't want another poor soul to be freezing from cold and loneliness this Christmas.
"Think about it," Sir Tim said before we stood up and left the cafeteria.
And to show his utmost sincerity, he said he would e-mail me the directions to his house.
Labels: holiday, ken chua, what if
2 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
Ken Chua would no longer go underground unless the notorious Martial Law II is declared. He is partly convinced that all his pent-up thoughts are spilled in this account.