Chapter 4 - A New World

[Previous: Chapter 3 - On Faith ]

Earl jumped at a job offer. It had been nagging for months.

On his first day, he stared at the gloomy building that received him and imagined himself leaping off a cliff.

Instead, he stepped inside the elevator.

Anxiety came with him.

--

On the far end of Earl's new office, where gray-blue walls surround busy computer-tapping drones, was exile island. Here, newbies (the term for new office hires) were stationed for their short probationary duration. Others would argue this was a hell hole. To Earl, it was merely a test of patience.

Earl was somewhat an expert on patience. He had waited five years to formally commit to a relationship (with a wedding proposal to his long-time girl friend). He's now waiting again for her as she trotted halfway around the world to see her mother.

Meanwhile, Earl dove in a a sea of new faces. He made the introductory rounds. It was an effort to remember all the names but there were some who seemed to just stick.

He would definitely know the other managers. That was a must. He already knew some of them even before he joined up - like Pink (a friend he corresponded regularly with).

When he saw Pink, he gave her a very public kiss on the cheek then saw the odd faces thinking, "Who's this guy kissing Pink on the cheek?"

Earl wondered if it was a bad first impression.

May, the manager of the of the data and analytics team, smiled warmly and indicated that she read his website journal.

This made Earl smile. The blog was his small claim to fame. He drew humorous comic strips which was posted there. It was a tactic that drew the attention of some online marketing rockstars.

A little later Guy, the resident tour-guide, brought him to the different teams.

"These are the spammers." he joked "The email marketing team."

"Over there are the affiliate marketers. Think of them as the banner-ads team. Over here are the designers. They basically work on anything graphic. The people over there are the content team. They write marketing copy for all our websites..." Guy pointed to people in various areas of the room.

He paused and asked. "And what will you be working on?"

The question stopped Earl.

"Uhm... the boss says I'll be something of a project manager for now. For odd projects here and there."

In truth, Earl didn't know what that meant. He frowned quietly upon this predicament. Guy hardly noticed as he started on another area of the office.

By the end of the tour Guy said. "Just approach me or the admin folks if you have any other questions."

"Thanks." Earl said.

Guy nodded and politely left.

As Earl sat in his chair at the little corner of exile island, the chill of the air-conditioner crept to his face. He looked around and saw the nearest workers engrossed in their little worlds. Most had earphones and bobbed heads to unheard music. Others were in deep thought with agonized or concentrated looks upon their faces.

Earl sighed.

"I'm a castaway."

The Lady Bug

I snuck a glimpse

At this meek gentle creature

Under the orange flower

Wrapped in green leaves

Walking and tapping

Blissfully unaware

of me admiring her.

She still bugs me.

Bye Santa Claus

My red cheeks

Beside your dark dress

Frozen in a happy, cheerful snapshot

Amidst the sea of partygoers

Accelerates my hearbeat

Before I browse another

And force myself to amnesia.

Chapter 3 - On Faith

[Previous: Chapter 2 - Ask Me Again]

Faith was this morning's coffee. It brewed in Earl's dreams as he popped one eye open to look at the time. It was just before 8AM.

He reminisced a bit.

Before Elise, he would have been entrenched within piles of pillows up to noon. These days, his bed's loving embraces were forgotten.

He had breakfast and then mulled over the previous day's event.

The memories stirred him fully awake.

Earl showered quickly and hopped to the next cab of to Katipunan, (a good 40 KM away).

He was off to a church, to meet a princess who just said "ask me again tomorrow" to a wedding proposal.

In church, the choir was singing a wonderful tune. It evoked emotions within Earl and made him wonder - "Am I really ready for this?"

They sat and quietly listened to the sermon.

By the end of it, they rode in her car. Before she started the engines, she held up her hand with fingers outstretched. On it shone a silver ring - Earl's proposal ring.

She smiled and said "Yes."

Earl took a picture of the scene with a digital camera.

--

Two months later, after visits to wedding fairs, venues and caterers, Elise said goodbye.

She was off to Florida to visit her mother.

The whole event bore a lengthy conversation between the couple.

"I need to see her one last time before I get married." She explained to Earl.

"Okay..." Earl replied. Frowning a bit.

"It's just for a few months. My US Visa was extended so I want to use it. I also want to prepare my Mom for the wedding." Elise said.

"Hmmm." Earl smiled half-heartedly.

"Anyway, my passport and tickets are all ready." Elise continued.

Earl looked at her and sighed.

"Just come back."


On the night before her flight, he stayed over and helped pack her bags.

He carried the heavy bags over and on a weighing scale to ensure it was within luggage regulations. Her grandmother was with them presenting items to bring to the States - a blouse for Elise' mom, some Filipino canned food items, and other family trinkets. These didn't help trim down the bag's weight.

Earl fell asleep. A little after 3AM, Elise woke him up. There was one last lift of the bag on the weighing scale.

When that was done, she gave him a light kiss.

And then she flew away.

Earl went home emotionally exhausted.

[Next: Chapter 4 - A New World]

Chapter 2 - Ask Me Again

[Previous: Chapter 1 - A Cake and A Ring]

Spaghetti bolognese was affordably delicious, with a small hint of sweetness the lingered only for a moment. It was enough to savory fill the tongue with flavor. In an ordinary day, it would be worth a conversation or two. Maybe even a recommendation to other friends.

Today, it was utterly ignored.

A nagging panic in Earl's mind seemed to relegate his speech processes to grunts and short sentences. Elise, the lady before him, hardly noticed. She was oblivious as she mumbled a squabble with her grandmother that ruined her morning. It was over some small matter with the family business. Earl looked at he lips that parted back and forth. Occasionally, it would bite some pasta.

He was almost hypnotized.

Earl's mind felt like it was stung by a thousand narcotic bees. Everything seemed dreamlike and unreal. Earl either ate baked bread or arroz ala cubana - a ground beefy mix with rice. He wasn't really sure. He didn't care.

He was more interested in dessert.

He looked at the lovely figure before him. Elise, the princess of her own dorm kingom, was frustrated by the controls enforced on her. She craved her freedom. Earl found her was cute that way. As she blabbered on, Earl calmed her. In truth, he himself was boiling inside. His heartbeat seemed erratic and his head was warm.

"Just do it." He kept telling himself.

This went on for a few minutes or so. As she finished the remaining bolognese sauce, Earl casually signaled the waiter and asked for the dessert menu.

It was all pretend. The waiter already knew what he wanted - a cherry topped brown cake inscribed with the chocolaty wedding proposal.

A table away, Ardy pretended to be busy constantly flipping the menu. In truth, a camera was aimed at the couple from behind the cardboard facade. He was filming the whole event.

Ardy recorded it real-time in video, but Earl swears that everything was going slow motion when it happened. He saw this:

A waiter casually nodding.

Elise driftly looking the other way.

The kitchen door swinging to and fro.

A cake on a plate with the words "Marry me."

Him knelling down on one knee.

And a ring that came from somewhere.


Ardy would comment later that - "Well that's really how it is." In disbelief, Earl played it over and over. Ardy was right.


Presently, Elise cried a billion tears.

"Can I think about it?" In her shock she smiled but blurted the odd words in response to the gesture.

The whole restaurant crashed down upon Earl in mocking laughter. Or so it seemed.

Still, he smiled a very congressional face. He was, after all, an actor playing the part of a prince that would be whisking away her princess.

Earl became dearly aware of this. Awkwardly, he signaled Ardy to stop recording.

Minutes later, as Elise calmed down, she explained herself. Her mother warned her not to make snap emotional decisions.

She was influenced with the notion that a whole week must pass before a proper response be made on marriage proposals. Elise claimed she didn't completely agree.

"Still, there was a bit of wisdom in thinking it over." she said.

Earl wore a very rubber smile.

Elise must have noticed.

"Ask me again tomorrow." She suddenly said.

Earl's reverie seemed to pass. He remembered a visit to church scheduled the next day. She was a practicing Roman Catholic. They have become church regulars since they dated. Earl had grown accustomed to the ritual.


"But to ask again... " He thought. "I might as well been an atheist."

He looked at her and simply smiled.

[Next: Chapter 3 - On Faith]

Chapter 1 - A Cake and A Ring

A small brown chocolate cake sat on the "Cravings" display shelf. It had been there all morning waiting for its customer -- a fidgety, stout fellow named Earl whose brow was sweating a bead. Cravings, renowned for delightful feasts and its culinary school, would be host to a brief but memorable affair.

This brown cake would be married, albeit briefly, to a wedding ring. The ring would lay on top of the pastry in their honeymoon in the fridge. The sad red cherry, normally with the cake, would be elsewhere.

They'd be hidden for a while as the ring's true recipient, a woman named Elise, ate spaghetti Bolognese.

Earl, who concocted the whole scenario, felt suddenly unsure.

Earl knew that Elise was fond of pasta. She loved Italian food and European culture. He could see her influences in the designs at the dormitory she managed for her family. It was also prominent on custom-designed charms she sold through the Internet. He knew all that from five years of mostly merry traipsing and occasional tear jerks with her.

Earl's anxiety was on the delivery of the proposal itself.

The words "Will you marry me?" would not fit the tiny pastry, nor would it fit the plate. "Marry me." Two words - that seemed like a dire command was inscribed in chocolate ink instead.

Earl changed his mind. He held the ring, frowned, and decided he'd keep it on his pocket. He preferred to hold onto it as he proposed. Enough of this drama, he thought. Just let me do it.

And so the cherry remained stuck on top of the brown cake who seemed to sigh at his predicament.

Earl sighed at his predicament as well. Today, on the seventh of July, 2007, he would utter words of uncertainty mixed with conviction. In certain religious sectors the date, a 777 on Roman calendar, was supposed to be good luck. To Earl it seemed ominous.

He had pushed off thinking about how he'd do this. He only knew he'd do it on this date. The details fell to chance.

Fortunately, Earl had a videographer friend named Ardy who also just proposed to his fiancee. Ardy threw scenarios at him. He even described how he had proposed under water, in a beach off Bohol Province. He found it awkward to hold a wedding ring, then hidden in his swimming trunks, while snorkling.

Earl cried at his friend's creativity and wondered if he could emulate it.

So, a day before 777, Earl had Ardy prepare a video cam. It was to be hidden somewhere in Cravings. Then as Earl prompted Elise to lunch, he'd pop the question. All would be documented in moving color.

The cake was ready.

The ring was on his pocket.

The camera was hidden.

"How would this day end?" Earl wondered.

[Next: Chapter 2 Ask Me Again]

Twitter Haikus 1

summer's drizzle drops
needles from above.
humid tropical weather.


lonely moments drove
this man thirsty for meaning.
loved and missing you.


someone save this soul.
borne from a devils bargain.
cursed amorous sin!


rain's teardrops glisten
on cracked window and dour moods.
a sad melody.


cold air between us
warms heartily as you pass.
world's tiniest smile.


romantic gestures
ignored to oblivion.
sad reverie sings.

Twoday

Two restless nights

Haunted dreams

Heart pounding

Brow sweating

Was with you

Amongst Friends

Eyes darting

Teeth Laughing

Now sitting alone

Typing words

Finding meaning

Seeing nothing

Trek For One

It pains me
Like little needles prickling my skin

To see
Evading eyes that want to question me

I hurt you
By sharing pointless moments with you

I'm sorry
For slicing emotions in two


I took the other road
Laden with a baggage of memories.

Realization

While listening to Merlin Mann, I realized why I wrote here.

Truth is, there is now an obsession I have. I write for someone I respect.

I'd like to believe, I'm getting better because of it.