TUESDAY morning, I woke up to almost a liter of tuba, maybe 900 ml.
The day before, I paid a woman in the market P20 for a “bol/ ball” of tuba.
Her sister works at my brother’s restaurant.
Obviously, it came with free delivery, and with more than 100% extra.
Why the extra?
“Because you are loved!”
Oh, to wake up with that.
***
I finished all the tuba.
Nobody in the family drinks it.
And the servants won’t dare.
I went back to bed to finish a Jackie Collins novel that I started reading.
I ended up dozing off.
I woke up hungry in the afternoon.
***
Food was sold out at my brother’s restaurant.
I’m tired of batchoy and chicken barbecue.
I went to the neighboring restaurant where I had fish and ampalaya.
The owner gave me a special plate of arroz valenciana that was not on the menu.
Looks like he ordered it specially for a family party, and he’s giving me a small serving of it.
Why? What is this for?
“Because you are loved!”
***
While having lunch at the restaurant, three elderly people came up to me to say hi.
Two students asked to have selfies with me.
For dessert, I picked up an ube bar in the neighborhood bakery.
I paid P5 for one piece.
The attendant gave me an extra one.
I said, I don’t need it; I can pay for two if I want it.
She said, “You needed it because you have been running.”
And I should just say thank you because “you are loved”.
***
Back to my book until my carpenter needed a ladder to paint my cabinets.
My car is not available.
I’m afraid the e-bike won’t do it.
I asked the grocery store renting in our building.
The owner volunteered his worker with a tricycle.
***
A tricycle would cost me P150, maybe P200.
But the worker is okay with P100.
I don’t want to take him away from his job.
But the owner said, it wouldn’t take long.
And I should just be grateful because I am loved, and well liked.
So, I was grateful.
***
An hour after I returned home, a student from UP came to buy my book.
She needed it for her research, perhaps the first steps for her thesis.
We had a short interview.
I asked my she made me and my works the subject of her project.
She said because she is ever so proud of me.
***
In the afternoon, I felt like having coffee at my favorite cafe.
I took out my yellow bike.
On my way, the traffic enforcers all waved and said hi.
A few people honked from their cars to say hi.
Some pedestrians waved at me, called out to say hi.
I’m thinking, I could get into an accident if I minded them all.
So, I just screamed my hello.
Oh, but to be loved!
***
At the cafe, the table of three gays waiting for their friends called out to say hi.
The students from the local college nodded their recognition.
I smile big when I’m on my bike, and smile even bigger when I’m in the cafe.
The barista smiled, and asked if it would be barako or excelsa this afternoon.
I usually have the barako in the morning, and I take the milder excelsa in the afternoons.
But occasionally, I change my orders because some days, I feel that I don’t get enough caffeine.
***
For the hour I spent at the coffee shop, no less than 10 girls kissed to greet me, at least 15 people waved or said hi to me.
Of course, I flirted some.
Because to love without flirting is a lame kind of loving./PN
