yes… almost…

Saturday, November 11, 2006

A certain quiz that I took several months ago told me that I was – or am- “almost ready to date again.” I’ve never really been out on a date since the whole “Spark” fiasco and right now, I’m kind of stuck in a situation that I can’t get out of.

 

Four days before payday and as expected, I owe more money compared to what I actually have. All that’s left is a certain transportation allowance enough to get me to work and send me back home. In other words, I’M BROKE! No money at all to satisfy even the simplest craving – no money for Chicken Mc Rice Burger, no money for Chicken Nuggets and, most importantly, no money for a Venti Valencia Basic Black Iced Milked Tea. But things started to take a quick turn when Little Miss Rocker and I were on our way home.

 

Trying to escape from some sort of a family “thing”, LMR realized that she can’t be home until her aunt is gone and decided to hangout at Starbucks. With no money to spare, we decided to charge everything to “THE MAN.” Now, don’t get me wrong, I’d rather hang out with just her anytime on a tedious day but considering where we were, we decided to invite someone else to accompany us during our alone time together. Enter Junior Mc Trainee.

 

Not a lot of people know JMT that much. He’s new and more so, he’s a nurse so he doesn’t really hangout with my crowd. Only two other people know of his existence and that would be LMR and her boss, Madame Voltaire. And not only do they know him but they also know that I have been crushing on JMT for quite some time now. I haven’t really been showing much interest in people for the past couple of months so these two couldn't be happier that I actually found someone that I could like. So, to the best of their efforts, they tried to make ends meet.

 

So there we were, chilling at Starbucks, talking about stuff (people we know) when LMR, out of the blue, suggested that we take the conversation someplace else. And without batting an eyelash, she invited me and JMT to hang out at her pad and to our surprise, he actually wanted to go. I didn’t even expect him to say yes when we invited him over at Starbucks and saying yes to us when we asked him to go to LMR’s place was an even bigger surprise! And then I suddenly realized, it’s time to prepare for Phase 2.

 

When we got to LMR’s, the very first item on our list was BUY BOOZE. It may have been, what, 4 in the afternoon but considering our biological clocks being in reverse, it was way past midnight for us. Normally, when we hangout there, we drink the infamous “Emperador-Bailey’s Mix” and watch DVDs. I had LMR put Rent on the player because I know how much he enjoys good music and it seems like a Tony award winning play would be the way to go. It seems like he really enjoyed it and it looked like he was having fun. I found it hard to start a conversation at first because he was into the movie and I didn’t feel like talking during first act but when LMR went out during Intermission and we were left alone, we started to have a conversation.

 

I can’t remember how it started. I don’t even recall who spoke first. I remember him asking about Madame Voltaire and for some weird reason, we got to talking about religion. And as much as I hate to admit it, he’s funny and he can really strike up a conversation. No dull moments at all. Even when we were on our way home, he would just ask questions or tell stories about where he used to live, where he used to work – minor details, so to speak. And at that moment, I realized that I can do this everyday for the rest of my life.

 

I really owe Madame Voltaire and Little Miss Rocker (note to self: Buy gifts for Little Miss Rocker and Madame Voltaire. They deserve it). They know when to strike and they know how to execute. They always get the job done! So, the quiz proved to be right – I AM READY TO DATE AGAIN. Okay, so it was a non-date but the thing is, I came, I saw, I conquered! I was comfortable with the whole situation and now, I know that I can be alone with someone without making a complete fool of myself. I’m not saying that something will happen and I really don’t know where this might lead (Well, I pray it would) but I don’t really have any expectations whatsoever. But what if it does lead somewhere? I know I’m ready for casual dating, but an EVEN bigger question springs from the series of events that happened these past few days - - - Am I ready for what comes after that?!

 

If you think about it, no one really knows. I’d like to believe that it’s all about timing. When the time is right, I’ll know. But for now, I’d just like to sit back, relax and fasten my seatbelt real quick because if one thing’s for sure, this is going to be one hell of a bumpy ride.