Connections Are In

A funny thing happened to me today. It made me put things in perspective. I’m glad that it happened. Anyway, here it goes.

I just wanted to go to the mall today. So, I did. It was a perfect day to go to the mall. The sun was high so A/C is well appreciated. I wanted to buy some more things for Boracay, just some toiletries and similar things. I made prior arrangements with Chris for this. We met up at the mall.

We met up in Robinson's Metro East since he went to the gym. I was able to go to several shops trying to find things to bring for Boracay. I didn't find anything I liked. After a floor and a half of looking around, Chris sent me a message saying he's finished and we could already meet up. I met him at F&H while I was trying on a cute pair of sunglasses. We were both in shorts and flip-flops. Chris was just wearing his usual cap and I just had my belt bag on since my board shorts didn't have any pockets on it. I couldn't help noticing that since my mind is so immersed with summer that moment. A couple of shops after, we decided to try out the new movie theater in Sta. Lucia. We agreed to bring the car there so we wouldn't walk back to Metro East after the movie.

In Sta. Lucia, we got ourselves movie tickets first before shopping again. We were going to see “Tristan and Isolde”. After confirming the screening time, we went to all the “summer-y” shops trying to find a good buy. Unfortunately, we were not able to see anything we liked. So, we just went to buy toiletries. After buying a whole lot of “necessities”, we decided to get some coffee over at Figaro. On our way there, I remembered I wanted to get myself a pair of sunglasses. I saw some cute ones in F&H yesterday in Glorietta that I tried on earlier, so, I lugged Chris to F&H to get the pair. Happy with my new sunglasses, we went straight to Figaro for our well-deserved refreshments.

It was nice talking to Chris again. I mean just him and me. We were just chatting the time away with what we can do in the next couple of years, like taking a trip to Singapore this October, him recalling the night before with Czar and friends, and him pursuing a business of his own. There was this serenity in our conversation. I didn’t feel rushed, solemn even.

Before we even knew it, time has passed and it was time for our “oh-so-ever-romantic” movie. There we were, sitting in the newly setup cinema, watching the previews of the must-seen movies this May, when it suddenly hit me, my newly-purchased, über-cute sunglasses have been left somewhere. The worst part of it is I didn’t know where I left it. I told Chris that it must have been in the wash room. That was the most logical place I've left the damn glasses. I was sad for like 5 seconds then I decided to let the thought go since they were not that expensive. At the back of my mind, I kept on thinking how I could’ve spent those couple of hundred pesos.

The movie was great. It was quite similar to LOTR but shorter and smaller in scope. We were walking to the car when I noticed Chris’ hair flying around. It him me that he was wearing his cap earlier. I immediately checked his hands to see if he was carrying them. No cap in his hands. “Asan ang sumbrero mo?” (Where's your cap?), I said. He started feeling his head and realized that he took it off in the movie theater. He unusually placed it on the left seat when he always puts it on his right side. Fact of the matter is, his one-of-the-most-beloved caps is gone and we don't know if we can still get it back. I suggested calling the cinemas to give them a heads up of the situation. He really wanted to get it back because of sentiments. After around 5 minutes of thinking hard and laughing ourselves off about what the day had been (I lost my new pair of sunglasses and he lost his cap, and thinking that lady luck was so against us), we decided to just let it go and kiss his cap goodbye.

He saw a security guard and decided to give it one last try. He asked the security person if he could give the cinema authorities a heads up about his cap and if he could just pick it up tomorrow if ever they do find it. He was instructed to go to their small booth since there was a radio there to get instant results. He went down the car and went straight to their booth. I was left sitting in the car. After a couple of minutes, Chris told he me that he was instructed to go back to the cinema. He did and I was left in the car again. I just called up Ron to tell him how unlucky that day was going for us and how things should not turn worse. Anyway, there I was, sitting alone in the car, when I saw Chris going out the door with a big grin. I saw his hands clutching his valued cap. It was a happy moment when he was telling me how it all happened. He was so happy that he wanted to treat me to a light snack. He remembered how he liked this pasta in Figaro and he decided he wanted that for a snack before we headed home.

We drove to Brick Road and sat down at the other side of Figaro. We ordered and talked about how fortunate he was to find the cap. I told him that it seemed that our luck was changing and how funny things were going. Of course, we talked about my lost sunglasses and how he will try to look for it tomorrow when he goes back to the mall. I really appreciated Chris offering to still look for it even if it wasn't necessary. So, our food and beverage was served. Just out of curiosity, we asked the waiter about the sunglasses. I had to describe it in detail to prove that it was indeed mine if ever it was there. I believe we were wishful thinking then. So he left and said he’ll check.

We went back to talking about the history of his cap, how his brother gave it to him and how it made Chris remember his brother. I think Chris was currently taking a bite of his pesto when his eyes grew wide. He started staring at something behind me. I turned around and there was the waiter holding a tray, carrying my lost sunglasses. We started laughing uncontrollably at our fate. I didn’t think about the worth of the sunglasses. I just thought about how everything seemed to be a prank by someone. I was not ready to believe it.

I immediately thought about how everything was intertwined. All the events that had happened that day were for a purpose. From the shopping, to getting exhausted from shopping, to having refreshments at Figaro, to the movie, to Chris’ cap, it was all connected. Come to think of it, it’s not that funny anymore. It’s awesome and comforting. The way the day unfolded was like a chapter from a book. Everything was planned, some questions were answered, and yet the ending hasn’t been told yet.

It was indeed funny at that time. Now it just makes me realize that all the events that I experience also affects others who I know or don’t know. A sense of belonging still surrounds me till this moment. I’m glad that I’m not alone.

Starting Fresh

Summer's here. Birthday is nearer than ever. The beach is just a few days away. The well deserved vacation is inches away. This will be the fresh start I am looking for.

Welcome back to blogging. =)