My Valentine Stories

This has been the most meaningful Valentine week that I have ever experienced to date.  Since I am single, a concerned friend taught me to make my own plans and take the cruelties of being single head on.

So, I booked a promo flight to Cebu (not entirely random), took a three day leave from the office, packed my violet sky traveller back pack and hopped on the Sunday bus that will take me to the airport. I did this is just to escape all the things that are bothering me in the rat race that I am living in. Little did I know that this vacation will change me…

 Spending Valentine’s with Maria

I was thinking of how to surprise my lola Maria/Maring as soon as I boarded the cramped 11-seater turned 16-seater van that will bring me 77 km away from Bohol’s capital. When I finally went down at my designated stop, I immediately called her and told her to get out of the house to see me coming. She did not understand what I was saying, until I was at her front door. Her delight and elation from my surprise visit could not be mistaken from her embrace and smiles.

So I spent the rest of the day following her and asking her things, not thinking whether it is mundane or profound just as long as I we could keep the conversations going and use the time to catch up with our lives. I do not know how it happened; but as our conversations went on, I ended up teaching her how to send a text message.

My lola has been using her cellular phone for several years now; but she only uses it for calls. Now that she’s learning how to text, I kept on reassuring her that we would be text mates as soon as I go home to Manila. Her reactions when the messages are sent and received are amusing and priceless, she looked like a child who first discovered that bubbles can come out of soap suds. And I felt like a mom or a grown up marvelling at her reactions.

I love her dearly, and I think I would always get out of my schedules to visit her and see how she’s doing. This visit has made me realize that I do not want to leave my parents alone, because their life would be so much lonelier without me. So, I might consider moving back to LB, I sort of do not want to make the same mistakes they did.

Clichés and Pasalubongs

My Bohol visit was short lived. After spending one whole day, a night and a half day at my lola’s, I needed to go back to Cebu. So I boarded another cramped van, waited at the boat terminal, rode a ferry and went to SM Cebu. I was originally planning to buy and go-see the famous market where they sell danggit and other dried stuff, but my boat arrived a little late so I decided to buy my pasalubongs in SM Cebu instead. It was a little expensive-er but I was able to get the task done with it anyway.

The mall was packed with people; cake shops were just finishing their stocks and the flower shops had their products de-flowered already. Albeit the normalcy of the situation, I felt surreal with everything that is surrounding me. Albeit the fact that everybody is supposed to be celebrating their love or whatever it is that they are celebrating, I could not help but pity everything that is going on around me. Everything was a cliché, it felt like I was walking inside a cliché movie. It felt like everything was pretentious and fake.

I refuse to believe that I am bitter because I do not have someone to spend Valentine’s with or something. It’s just that it sucks that most of us succumb to the cliché of Valentine’s Day. Why not just make each other feel as if its valentine’s day every day or something? Why is it that society calls for bitterness when single people are roaming the streets on Valentine’s Day as if they are zombies or something?

I would like to reiterate that I am not bitter, I was actually looking around for the sweetest couple to envy, but I could not find any. I therefore conclude that I have just realized that I do not envy any of them—them celebrating Valentines this year. Because, I am happy and content with what I currently have. I’d be honest to say that I am hoping to spend Valentines with some special guy someday, but not to join the mob of the cliché there is. I’d like us to do meaningful things together, not just things to fill the lower level of our senses, but do things that make an impact, things that create change and things that not only us but others together with us will remember as well.

The Problem with Surprises

After shopping, I went to an old family friend. I’ve figured why not make another surprise before this journey ends. So, I rode the cab, told the driver my destination and got down at the said place. It was easy to find the place, the woman inside the place I found hard to.

This family friend that I went to was once a very distinguished woman. She used to travel the world, talk to important people, rub elbows with the who’s who, etc. she used to do a lot of important things. I was expecting to see her the way that she was, and was expecting to be a little intimidated. However, I was more surprised to see her than she was to see me.

I immediately recognized that there was something wrong with her when I came closer to her gaunt figure. The woman was weak, bed ridden, could barely hold a conversation and she is definitely not feeling well; but, she did not show it. She was sitting up straight when I entered, I was even able to give her Beso and the box of brownies that I bought for her.  However, it was I who gave up on our conversations because I can see that the simple task of listening to my stories is tiring her.

It was sad to see her the way that she is now. But, I am happy because I have great memories to remember her with—memories that still make me admire her. I am thankful for the God given opportunity to visit her and tell her stories about how her old friends are doing, an opportunity to say happy things to a despairing soul.

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It’s already the day after Valentines, I am alone at Mactan International Airport waiting for my 0345H flight to Manila with midnight black (my laptop) in front of me and my fingers tick tacking his keys. I am tempted to say “lunkgot” because I am alone, a member of SMVD (Samahang Malalamig ang Valentines Day) and it might have been nicer if someone else would be here stranded at the airport together with me. But, I am shunning that thought away; because I know that my Valentine escapade has been more worthwhile than the cliché kilig moments most people are after. I hope to spend it like this and make it even better every year from now on; with that, that some special guy to spend it with will just be extra.