June 4, 2012

• Sillypore meet-up part 2/2.

  Soon after, a slim ang-moh (white guy) with facial hair and canvas bag walked slowly toward me and said “Rudy?”. “Nick!” I replied. We shook hands, with smiles. We chatted a bit as an icebreaker while waiting for Gene. Nothing heavy, just this and that. I found him friendlier than I expected. He did inform me previously how unsocial he can be. To me, he seemed normal, decent, and an all around nice guy. Basically, harmless.

  After a while, Nick decided to give Gene a call to make sure he’s not lost. As he hung up his phone, he assured me that Gene was getting off from MRT as we spoke, which meant he’ll be in full view in few short minutes. We kept gazing to the direction where the exit of the Somerset MRT Station was, right opposite from where we were standing, the lobby front entrance. We did that for quite sometime. Yet we still didn’t see Gene came out from that exit. We began to get worried. Did he get lost? Did he go to a different exit? Nick said the lateness was to be expected and something about Gene following a Filipino time. I nodded. Not sure what I was agreeing with.

  It was about half hour after I met Nick that we finally saw Gene, entering the building from the lobby front entrance instead of from the MRT station exit. He was wearing black and smiling with embarassment. He was a bit out of breath, and wet from sweat. Apparently, he got off at the wrong station. One station after, to be exact. And then had to quickly walk all the way to the mall, outdoor, under the heat of the sun, while worrying about him already making a bad first impression. Poor guy. He apologized as he approached us. I extended my hand and said “Gene? Hi, I’m Rudy”. We shook hands, with smiles.

  Since neither Gene nor I could decide what to have for lunch, Nick recommended German food instead. We quickly agreed, as we all probably were hungry and just wanted to sit down somewhere. Naturally, both Gene and I let the Austrian picked and chose what to order, since he would know best. But realizing that he didn’t order anything green, I jumped in to suggest a salad. I’m glad I did. I was hot and in need to eat something refreshing. And it was good. Mixed fresh mesclun greens with sun-dried tomatoes, green olives, and fresh mozzarella cheese, all tossed together in tangy vinaigrette.

  Nick ordered a sausage platter for us to share, and German apple soda to wash them down. It tasted more like ginger ale, which I liked. I noticed Nick and Gene hardly touched the salad. Both went straight for the sausage platter. Nick went for a second helping before I knew it, but Gene barely touched both foods. I kept thinking, “please, please eat the damn salad”. They eventually had some, but very little. Realizing them not a fan of the salad, I decided to finish it myself and let them have the rest of the sausage platter. Well, after I had my share of the sausages, of course. There were 4 kinds of sausages, complete with a generous helping of sauerkraut. The slimmer ones with cheese filling were my favorite. They were the most flavorful. Nick didn’t recommend us consuming the skin of them sausages. He peeled them off and consumed the inner filling only, with a dab of mustard sauce. I started to do the same but thought “ah, what the heck” and ate them all. I was hungry.

  Gene and I sat next to each other, right opposite from Nick. I quickly noticed how young Gene was. I never asked about his age but I can safely assume that both Nick and I are at least a decade older than him. Easily. I also noticed how dark his tan skin was. I haven’t met many Filipinos before but he looked darker than most Asians I know. And I know plenty. Maybe this is why Nick thought I was so pale. Sitting right next to Gene made me look even paler than I already am. I even wore a white shirt that day, hoping the whiteness of my shirt would make my pale skin looked less pale. Guess that didn’t worked.

  The lunch went well. We chatted. We ate. We laughed a bit. We chatted some more. Well, I chatted more than they did. I don’t know. I always find myself talk a lot when I’m happy or when I’m trying to avoid awkwardness. Nick had no problem chipping in to the conversation. He kept trying to convince Gene that the good old Sillypore is not the best place to stay and find work. Gene, on the other hand, was rather quiet. But easily befriended the waitress that waited on us. She was a Filipino, after all. Maybe he was shy. Or maybe he thought we were a couple of old weirdoes. I didn’t know which. I didn’t care much either. I wanted my first xangan meet-up to be a happy one and so I made myself happy. By talking too much.

  When we finished the salad and sausage platter, Nick and I were considering ordering something else to fill our not-yet-full stomach. Two dishes, after all, are hardly enough for three guys. After collaborating among ourselves on what to order next, we found that Gene actually preferred something sweet, as he has a sweet tooth. And so we opted for a dessert instead. Nick ordered a dish that consisted of lightly sweetened fried-sponge-like cake pieces accompanied with chunky plum chutney-like jam to dip into. It was good, but Nick assured us that it was not as good as the real stuff back home. Gene, however, digged into the dish with much happiness and satisfaction. He probably ate more pieces than Nick and I combined.

  I then got a text message from my friends indicating that they were on their way to see me. I was supposed to meet up with them at 2pm. And it was around 1.45pm. They were on their way straight from the airport to meet me, as I had the keys to the apartment that we rented for our stay in Sillypore, and I had to show them how to get to the place as well. I explained to both Nick and Gene that I won’t be able to stay long. And so we asked for the check. Nick surprised both Gene and I by paying for the lunch. Nick, THANK YOU.

  As I was about to get up from my sit, Nick surprised me one more time – he brought out a fountain pen, a Nakaya no less, for me to try. Knowing my huge obsession for fountain pens, he took the trouble of bringing out his three beloved fountain pens, a Nakaya and two Montblanc, for his new friend to play with. Once again, I felt sorry for Gene, who sat there watching us and probably wondered what on earth so great about pens. I had only wished Nick would informed me beforehand that he was going to have me try his Nakaya with flexible nib. I would gladly bring my very own Nakaya with soft nib for him to play with in return. Ah, next time. It was also a pleasant surprise to learn that his two Montblancs were far lighter than any Montblanc you’ll find in store. Just like Japanese pens. They were probably the vintage kind. Hard to find these days.

  I must say it was the prefect way to end our gathering. Once again, I have to thank both Nick and Gene for putting up with me. Even only for an hour and a half. Hope to see them again in the near future. The next time, I’ll make sure to devote more time for the gathering, bring my own fountain pens for Nick to try and let Gene do all the talking. But I would still order salad

  • 5:04 am
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