Love Found (Part 4 - The Beginning from an End)

His reply to my first attempt at telling him that I love him?

“I didn’t even get a kiss from you when you left. :-( I’m here at the bus already. Get some more sleep, I’ll see you later.”

Hummm ... Didn’t he realize I’ve just said the “L” word? Maybe I received part 1 of his 25-part reply and his “I Love You Too” was still floating around wherever it is text messages float around before we receive it on our cellphones. Or maybe, he did read it and was just diverting the topic because he didn’t have a polite reply to my message.

This last thought, I thought, was the most probable.

IF I texted him the same message, I might come off as desperate (though it was the perfect word to describe me). With 3 years past the quarter-of-a-century-mark spent it in this dimension, I’ve learned one thing - nobody is interested in desperate people, except maybe if you’re either a housewife from Wisteria Lane or an heir-less billionaire.

I decided that I should keep my fake cool and play nonchalant like Mariah Carrey.

Raymond went to Manila to do something during this time. I mustered all the self-control I had NOT to text him. Thank heavens I read from Robert Green’s “The Art of Seduction”, that playing “hard to get” is better than being a raging cannibal who’s ready to pounce on Bambi. Instead of staring at my cellphone while thinking of what to text him, I busied myself in downloading some more apps from iTunes.

Night came and and we had the following text conversation:

RAYMOND: I’m here in Olongapo already. What are your plans for the evening?

ME: Nothing special, will probably just watch some DVD’s. You?

RAYMOND: Will watch TV. What are you watching?

ME: Queer as Folk. Then will play Restaurant CIty on Facebook when I start getting bored.

RAYMOND: Which season of QAF are you watching?

ME: Season 4. Go ahead watching your TV show, I won’t disturb you anymore. Just text me before you go to sleep.

The next day ... or 3 hours later ....

RAYMOND: I’ll sleep now. Go to sleep as well. You and your dad are going to Pampanga later. Right? Goodnight. Muah!

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One score for the Driedfish! I got my first “text kiss” from him!
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ME: Muah!

RAYMOND: Just wish you were here so that I can hug you while sleeping. :-( I’m sorry if I’m not sweet.

ME: You never really hug me when we sleep together. I’m the one who always hugs you hahahah And you already told me you’re not sweet by nature so I guess I have to get used to it. :-) Cheer up already

RAYMOND: I have my own ways of showing my feelings. It’s just how I want to sleep, to feel somebody hugging me. Is that selfish? hehehe

ME: A little? hahaha I know you’re a brat, so it comes with the package. I think I already told you I’m still learning your full character spectrum. I’ll just ask something - Where do you think our dating is headed? Or better put, where do you want it to go?

I waited.

... Then waited some more ...

... Then waited even some more ....

... Then woke up as my iPhone went vibrating as the Tomato Girls belted out “Choopeta”.

It was 7am already. My dad and I had a 10am schedule so I’ve put an extra early alarm (yes, I consider waking up at 7am extra early).

I checked my phone for his reply.

Nothing!

I thought then that my last question might have been too much. Maybe this guy was just enjoying my company and didn’t want it to go any further. If I have become pushy and clingy at the same time, should I resort to shoving the “L” word down his throat and using Super-Glue to permanently affix us? Or should I just follow his lead and neither think nor talk about “commitment” while we’re dating?

I decided that shoving would be best. If he didn’t want a relationship, my texting him again would irritate him enough to drop me like a hot potato instead of leading me on like the white rabbit, sans the rabbit hole to my future wonderland.

ME: Good Morning!

RAYMOND: I just woke up. I’m sorry I fell asleep on you last night. Regarding your question, can we date exclusively as of the moment, and see where it leads us? Let’s make the most of what we do, enjoy each moment we’re together. I know you are going to leave me next week. :-(

And I felt a bucket of water, one fahrenheit shy of being ice, was dumped on me and my morning woody.

I’m 7 years older than Raymond and he was more mature at handling what we have. Some people might have taken offense at what he said but as usual, I took it differently. I thought then that he was taking this pensively, because if he didn’t, he would have just said “I love you too” right away without batting a false eyelash to just go along the ride. The phrase “date exclusively” is a big deal. That would mean he is considering me for a real relationship as he won’t see other people while we’re dating and he doesn’t want me to see other people either. It was then I concluded that “This guy is really serious because it looks like he is seriously thinking about it ... seriously!”

After a couple of more dates, the day that I was waiting for came ...

...

I was sleeping when he woke me up with a kiss; saying “Good Morning, I have a bad news, Michael Jackson just died.”

He looked really sad. I didn’t want to burst his EMO bubble so I feigned I was also affected by the King of Pop’s early demise. He then said he was going off to cook lunch for us.

I sat up so fast I thought I slipped a disc. This was the first time anybody I dated was actually going to cook something for dainty old me that wasn’t from a can rich in preservatives.

“What are you going to cook?” I asked.

He said “Do you like pasta?”

Ok, this guy is my soulmate. I love pasta! Especially any type that has Pesto in it.

I nodded and concentrated on keeping myself from drooling like a starved street dog.

“Go back to sleep, I know you’re a sleepy-head. I’ll wake you up when lunch is ready, and I hope you like Pesto with grilled chicken breast on Angel Hair.” was what he said before closing his room’s door behind him.

Was he psychic? Or was he an alien who picked on my brains while I was asleep to get the info he needed? Whichever he was, I wasn’t able to sleep again because of the excitement. Out of the thousands of ways to cook pasta, why did he choose Pesto when fresh basil isn’t an easy find in the Philippines? Especially here in Olongapo! This is a sign from San Rio saying ... “MARRY HIM FOR MORE PESTO!!!”.

Eating his pasta was like eating Ambrosia prepared by Aphrodite while in the dining halls of a Gay-Themed Olympus in gold and periwinkle curtains.

It was perfect!

It wasn’t just because he cooked it perfectly, but it was cooked for me! I felt like smothering him with pesto-cum-parmesan-kisses, but knew better not to, because his nanny, brother and friend (Ivory) were there.

I finished 3 hefty servings and retired back to Raymond’s room for a nap (yes, I do sleep a lot).

Before closing my eyes, it was then that Raymond said the words that would change everything around me. The words that would put back the colors on my sepia world. The words that would put back the myriad flavors of chocolate in my empty heart-shaped chocolate box. The words that I will remember coming from him for the rest of our lives (hopefully) together.

He said “I Love You” and kissed me.

.....

... June 26, 2009 ... 2:47 P.M. ...

.....

... With the King of Pop’s death ...

.....

... came my new and wonderful life in Wonderland ....

.....


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EPILOGUE: I know the end didn’t come with the “big bang” you were expecting (like a meteor falling down on Olongapo to annihilate us as we held each other tight and pledged our eternal love until the after-life). But, hey! Though I exaggerate things a bit and rearrange the chronological order of events to maintain the continuity of my work’s tempo - I still base MOST (like 97%) of what I write on what really happened. The text messages here, for example, are the real messages we’ve sent to each other. Thanks to iPhone’s threaded SMS, I still have all his texts and my replies. All of you know that I have written this blog to chronicle my life and my search around the globe for my “this is it”. It looks like it has been cut short as I feel that I have already found him. Don’t worry though, the blog won’t stop as long as all of you keep on reading and commenting on my posts. So wish us luck, because if not, I curse you with 7 years of bad luck.

(Next .... When you’ve just found the Love you’ve been looking for, how do you say goodbye?)

(Header Pic: Love is Like a Heart-shaped-Box of Chocolates - made by no other than moi!)