It was, by far, the grooviest cab I have ever taken. It was bright orange and white on the outside, with a huge ad for something--fabric freshener, maybe--instead of a taxi light. Inside, the roof was dotted with stickers--of Jesus, cats, flowers, anime girls in short skirts--and glow-in-the-dark stars.
There was a big Chinese good luck decor hanging from the rear-view mirror, dangling in front of a statue of the Holy Family that stood beside a little statue of a spotty open-mouthed giraffe head that was presently home to a plastic black ballpoint pen.
The driver was in aviator shades and a brown flowery silk shirt. He had a leather cellphone case strapped on his belt. He was wearing a Saudi gold bracelet, a wedding ring, and shiny leather shoes.
"Neat stickers!" I told him, after I gave him my destination.
"The kids had a brilliant idea," he replied in the vernacular, instantly giving me a once over in the mirror.
"Your kids?" I asked.
He laughed in reply. "How many kids do you have?"
"None," I said.
And then, an exchange on whether I lived near where he had picked me up, if I was working where he was bringing me to. I never give any details. I just say no, I'm from a farther place and, no, I'm just looking for work, life being hard as it is nowadays. I add that last bit for some drama, so as not to sound haughty or too abrupt.
"Aren't you married?" he asked.
"No. I need to save up for it." Part lie. I'm saving up, but not for that. Or, not for just that.
"You should get married. The two of you can both save up," he said. "Then, have children."
My standard reply is that kids are expensive. I need to work harder. And that someone I know only has one kid, and she and her husband are both working, but they're still having problems making ends meet. I don't really believe that either, but that's the reply with least resistance.
"How many kids do you have?" I asked him again.
"None," he lied.
"Who put the stickers then?" I asked.
"My nephews, nieces."
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
"Are you going to work here?" he asked me, as the cab turned to my stop.
"Maybe," I said. "I might have to move to Pasig."
"Live in Taguig! The rent is cheap!"
"Yeah, but I'd have to take cabs all the time."
"I'll pick you up all the time."
Yeah, right, Romeo. Mrs. Romeo would sure like that.
I gave him my fare, with a fairly generous tip. But only because I had no change and I had no interest in quibbling.
"So, should I pick you up later?" he asked, with a sly grin.
I see you, fool. I see your ring.
Throughout the entire trip, on the radio, Dr. Margarita Holmes was being interviewed by Arnold Clavio and his co-anchor on the topic of Tiger Woods' supposed sex addiction, the state of sex addiction in the Philippines, and support groups for sex addicts in the country.
"Men are polygamous by nature," she had said three times, one of those times mistakenly saying, "Men are promiscuous by nature" before correcting herself.
Clavio insisted, "There are a few good men."
I'd like to think so. But count Mr. Basta Driver Sweet Lover out.
Quick notes
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Commuter Chronicles: Taxi driver, sweet lover
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Hello, 2010!
Hello, 2010!
I'm spending more time in Libis now, than I am in Las Piñas. I'm spending more time on Twitter (well, ping.fm, actually) now, than on this blog.
But after giving microblogging a try, I've realized that blogging really isn't dead just yet. Microblogging is a conversation you have with others in real time; blogging is a dialogue you have with yourself after some reflection.
I love microblogging--I'd been waiting for this service since I started making my perenially Under Construction website on Geocities, which died last year, BTW--but my long-term relationship is with this blog.
***
So, how was 2009 for me?
It had more ups than downs, and I'm blessed to have lived through it and ended up with more than what I had at its beginning.
It sped by really fast, though, and most of the time, it was all about chasing deadlines.
***
So, what do I plan for 2010?
There's new responsibilities at work to look forward to. There's independent living. There's grad school to finish. Stories to have published. Contests to join. Articles to write. Old friends to get reacquainted with. New people to get to know better. True love to find. Deadlines to meet. Time to manage. Money to make. Gadgets to buy. Plays to watch. Places to visit.
The list is long and exciting.
The theme for 2009 was beauty. I tried to make (and do) beautiful things, and, if memories of 2009 are to be the basis, I succeeded.
The theme for 2010 is excitement.
And why should it be exciting?
The answer, in a poem.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Commuter Chronicles: Taxi driver on love
Just some updates: I only teach one hour a day now, and I've moved to Libis. I'm looking for my own place, but for now, I stay with my cousin and get reacquainted with the city and its long commutes and its strange, and sometimes chatty, people.
Love, to a taxi driver
I could see his dimple from where I sat. He was tall, chinky-eyed, and chatty. He told me about how he had had a relationship with a former boss, which ended five years later, because her teenage son found out and threw a fit.
He confessed he had intended not to take the relationship seriously--as she was separated with kids, four years older, and not exactly a looker--but ended up making her his whole world.
In Caviteño Tagalog, he told me about how he would just stay in his dorm when she was away, because if he would go out, she would accuse him of having somebody else.
He told me about the time he asked her why she had gone for him, despite his being a driver, and she replied, "Well, you don't look like a driver anyway."
She had two children, a girl and a boy. Her husband had left her. She called him, "My driver, my lover, my bodyguard."
He told me how he had decided to stay away and quit his job when they broke up. "That's the problem with having a relationship with your boss," he said, "when it's over, you end up with nothing."
He told me, "When you fall in love, don't make it your everything or else you'll end up empty-handed when it ends."
Before I got off, he said, "Next time, I'll just fall in love with a maid."
"Why?" I asked, as I handed him my fare, hoping for more of his wisdom, a sign, something--
"Well, to begin with, at least I'm sure she takes a bath three times a day."
Um, okay.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Pacman rules!
Congrats, Manny Pacquiao! May you inspire the Filipinos to think bigger and go for the win. 
Friday, October 30, 2009
32
If I could assign a song for yesterday's birthday, it would be, hands down, Jason Mraz's The Remedy. I know, I know, this blog is starting to look like one long love letter for J but can you blame me? ;-) There is simple wisdom in his lines and there's love in his words. I resonate with that, because that is what I aim for.
***
When I hit 30, life woke me up.
I became more aware of my weaknesses and my power. I faced the question, "What do you want?" and survived with an answer.
I stepped out of my comfort zone and found myself quivering in fear, went back, and stepped out again. I've been playing this game for some time now, but at least I'm stepping out! And the places I have been!
I opened my heart to strangers and realized there is no other reason to love but love itself. I closed my heart to people I thought I knew and understood that saying no to others is, indeed, saying yes to yourself.
When I hit 31, life shook me up.
I realized that even the most trusted people and situations can be risky. But that trust is not something you give to others; it is something you give to yourself so you can allow yourself to be others, no matter what that brings in your life, and still be whole.
I understood that people change, and that relationships are ever-shifting.
I put a face to attachment and I learned to say goodbye to things and people.
I learned that there is such a thing as too much when it comes to helping, but not when it comes to loving, and that the two are entirely different things.
I continued to learn to say no, but I also discovered there is always much hesitation in my yes.
Now, I am 32, and life is looking up.
I'm in a good space, with a blank page.
I'm up for new changes--a new job in the same company in a new place, which would mean new people and new experiences and, well, a new place of residence.
I wouldn't be me if I said some part of me isn't sad or scared. Those are my standard, predictable responses to change. And how do I deal with those feelings?
Which brings us back to J's The Remedy:
The remedy is the experience!
I trust. Read more [+]
Friday, October 23, 2009
Collecting hearts
I've long been planning to blog about the hearts that I've found accidentally, but the time has never been right. But here's one heart that made my day today!
Marry me! ♥ LOL
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Thought for the day
Has it been two years since LEAP 32? Our theme was "The Power of Now" and I still find myself having to pull myself back to the present from time to time. I always get clarity from thinking and rethinking the past, but the danger there is dwelling on it far too longer than necessary. As for the future, I've been battling so many fears for so long now, and that's a danger in itself. I have to remember that all I have and all I will always have is now.
"It is eternity now; I am in the midst of it. It is about me in the sunshine; I am in it, as the butterfly in the light-laden air. Nothing has to come; it is now. Now is eternity; now is immortal life." - Richard Jefferies
***
P.S.
Last night, I dreamt I was catching dragonflies in my bedroom and setting them free through the window. They didn't hesitate to fly away and I was grateful.
