Eeehh..I didn't go home to Iloilo this Christmas. But yes, I did have a good time. Though not all of these are worth bragging. No families, no friends, no one to hug or kiss, to greet or kid around. Feels like a cold cruel world. Nonetheless. .this.is.reality.

Past nine. Christmas Eve. And I was lost, d*mmit. Eventhough Maydee gave me instructions for the directions to her house I found my ass stranded in the middle of nowhere after I got off on the second jeepney I had taken.

With my backpack in tow, I fumbled hurriedly on my phone to text Maydee. The network was busy this holiday making it impossible to make calls. $#!+

Alongside the highway where the second jeep I took was making its final rounds, I could feel the stares of strangers behind my back as I walk past them. Earlier I had waited behind the shed for another jeep to ask for directions when some stranger showed up behind me. A moment ago he was sitting on the shed. I squinted hard, trying to see his expression masked by the shadows.

Not good.

Then I ran away.

Okay, it was more like fast-walking actually. To show that I was not scared of him.

When I got to the other side of the curb I saw a car approaching. Quickly, I hailed and inquired on where I was exactly and how could I get to my destination. The driver gave me a free lift realizing I was lost, and what a total fool I was to go out alone at night. Yeah. I realized that now. I mean, I could stay at the boarding house and sleep the holiday off. Or hook up with someone like one of my boardmates did on the 25th of December. Or just order a bilao of spaghetti and eat it all by myself, letting the loneliness wash over me till the pasta tasted like earthworms and death. Anyway..Driver Dude, whoever you are..I can't thank you enough :)

A couple of minutes after I got off the car my phone rang. It was Maydee. Thankgod. I asked for proper directions, searched the proper street.

"Second street," she instructed "may motorcycle diyan. Diyan ka sumakay. But don't go for Special."

"Got it!"

So I hunted down the streets of Inviernes, got lost twice, but finally found the place lined up with motorcycle cabs. I approached the nearest ride. The cab drivers were talking gibberish. It's either they were drunk or my vocabulary hasn't improved to understand what they were saying.

"San tayo Bossiiinng..?" smirked the driver.

Eeeeh?

"Uhmm..Sorry," I started to walk away.

He followed me. "Saan ka ba pupunta? Korean dormitory?"

I didn't bother to reply. But he kept on pestering me with questions like ,"do you understand me?", " do u speak English? Tagalog?", " where do you want to go? I'll take you there!"

Finally I turned. "Nakakaintindi po ako ng Tagalog. Pwede po magtanong?" I asked if they know the directions to the basketball court.

Sure enough. They bloody know. They know every nook and cranny of a certain place. The basketball court is located in this street alright, but it's too far for walking distance.

"Halika na."

"Wait. Ako lang?" I inquired. I realized what was coming. I'm riding Special!

"Eh, ikaw lang naman ang pasahero dito eh."

"Ah."

I don't want to ride Special with a drunk driver.

"Wait lang po," I gestured to my phone. I dialled Maydee's number. Again. Again and again. And again. No luck. Network was pretty busy. Finally a woman came and got into the cab. Since I now had a company for a ride, I got inside as well.

Maydee was with her hubby was waiting on the basketball court. I guessed the driver know them since he got sobered up upon knowing na ako ang hinihintay nila.

"Mabuti na lang sa 'kin sumakay ang batang ito kundi naligaw na ata."

I turned towards the driver. The nerve of this guy. The stupid grin was still plastered on his face. Well, I'm not gonna give you a tip, Merry Christmas!

I paid him the ugliest, most deformed coins I could find inside my wallet. Then I stuck out my tongue (behind his back).
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Maydee's hubby is a tall, big guy with glasses. They live in a house na magkakatabi lang, resided by three families - the center is theirs.

Well, this is the first time I spent a Christmas on someone else's place. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by everybody and was introduced to her family.

"Oh by the way," I said before I forget about my little gift, " Merry Christmas!" I handed her something wrapped up by a bunch of old newspapers and magazines.

This was the reason why I was late actually. I had gone to SM to look for cold sweets but the shoppers were still going gaga with all that last-minute holiday blues, so I went to the nearest 7/11 and scourged the freezer. A cute clerk was on duty.

"Anong Flavor of the Month niyo ngayon?" I had asked. He showed me a dozen of plain looking ice-cremes when my eyes found a label stamped on one of the galloons. Limited Edition. Yes!

Double Dutch and Almonds, Vanilla whatever, and Ube and Pastillas.

"Wala na kayong Halo-Halo or Buko flovored?" I remembered my mom and other grown-ups like Halo-Halo or Buko..

Sadly, wala na daw.

I wanted to pick Double Dutch with Almonds but I reconsidered. Double Dutch would be too sweet for their taste. And Vanilla's too plain and bland..

"Ube na lang bibilhin ko," I made a decision. He took the Ube flavored galloon above the stacks of ice-cremes and went to the counter.

"Hey, palitan mo naman yan oh! 'Yong sa pinakailalim lang ng freezer..yong pinakamalamig lang yong bibilhin ko." I requested.

So we unloaded the freezer and took out another Ube and Pastillas flavored, Limited Edition (hah!) ice-creme from the bottom of the freezer. He led the search while I did the choosing, inspecting all galloons like a dessert connossuier-slash-Quality Product-inspector.

Once satisfied, I handed him my galloon like a prize trophy, careful about the ice still stucked at the cover and at the sides.

"Wait." I called again as he started off. "May iba pa ba kayong supply? For this month lang ba yan?" I needed to make sure I was really buying a Limited Edition flavored ice creme. What if natikman na nila 'to? What if all year round pala ito available?

Then there's no point in calling it Limited Edition, isn't it? Exactly.

"Sir, bibilhin niyo ba to o hindi?"

"Syempre naman!" I took out my wallet and grabbed some bills. But heck, wala na pala akong pera. Naglaro pa kasi ako kanina sa computer cafe. .eheheh

And since I don't have enough cash, I went to the nearest ATM. Tapos nang pabalik na ko may nakita akong Ministop. Pumasok ako at tumingin kung may ice-creme na binibenta. Nakabili nga ako, yep. But wala silang newspaper na pambalot. Plastic lang. So I demanded one. Unfortunately wala daw talaga. bwohuhu. Maski yong diyaryo nila sa rack ayaw ipagamit. .which is understandable naman dahil bago pa yun. At ayaw ko rin bilhin ang newspaper. I mean, hello, bibili ako ng newspaper para pambalot sa ice creme? Kung gift wrapper na lang siguro para hindi naman masayang ang pera ko? Eh wala din silang gift wrapper. So nainis na ako, pag mainis ako suplado na ako. I told the clerk na I want my money back $#!. Kaya ayon, ni-refund.

I got out into the cold hot-headed.

$#! ice creme yan. Sana wine na lang binili ko. Or cake. Or Christmas cards.

The guy in 7/11 was waiting for me with the ice-creme already wrapped up in a bunch of old papers. Thankgod! I gave him the payment without a word. Ni hindi ko na siya napasalamatan or binati ng Merry Christmas dahil bad mood na ako. I now feel guilty.

Anyway, let's forget about that. Maydee's house is small (and she warned me about that many times) but at least I'm comfortable being with her, and her uber kulit son Jarren who kinda looked like this..



If you could see the look of his face when he got a 6 foot long cylindrical gift! I wish I had a camera, he was totally in a state of bliss when he got 20 Hot Wheels in various models which I had helped his mom buy two months ago at some penthouse sale on our company. Nakarelate din naman ako when Maydee gave me a seven incher cylinder wrapped in checkered cover.

"Ooh! Thank you!", I was surprised. I shook the box and squeezed it. I hope this is a vibrator, not a big ballpen or some perfume. LOL. "Uhmmm..nakalimutan ko po bumili ng pang-exchange gift..hehe."

"Okay lang 'yan. Halika sa labas."

Sa labas kasi kakain, nandoon yung food. Tsaka may videoke din. And drinks!

We waited for the countdown first. After that greetings and prayer and..kainan na!

Maydee made some chicken and potato casserole which tasted totally delicious! Man, it has been almost two months since I haven'y tasted home-cooked meals. I crammed my plate with tuna pasta, embutido, chiken meat, and ham and bread. The dessert, Ube and Pastillas, was consumed within five minutes. Limited Edition indeed.

I sent a text greeting to Mom and my family. Also to my friends back in Iloilo. I missed a call from Achi. I could tell she was concerned about her big brother. I called her but then she hasn't answered. Maybe it was past one in the morning and she's already asleep or maybe she had been drinking (again) and zonked out at her stupid boyfriend's place or maybe they were still celebrating Christmas. I assured her thru text that I was doing fine.

And I am doing fine. I'm a big boy now, aren't I? :)

*Sigh*

Happy Holidays everyone. I hope you're okay too. And I mean it. :)

★ Some spins for the holiday:★

Here, Here and Here - Meg & Dia

Where Are You Now? - The Summer Set ft Dia Frampton

Labels: bumpy, event, holiday, jumpy, ken chua, lifestyle, stuffs