I got an SMS while sleeping late at the Renaissance Hotel, “Do you want to meet for lunch? My customer appointment cancelled.”
I punched back, “Sure. What time?”
“An early lunch. 11:30.”
I looked at the hotel clock it was already 11. “Sure.” And I jumped up and hurried to the shower.
Going as fast I could, I still arrived at Greenbelt 3 late. She was waiting in front of Nuvo. She looked a little impatient. “Why are you late? What were you doing?”
I smiled, “I was sleeping in late. It is your birthday but I am the one on holiday.”
Just then her phone rang. “Yes?” Pause. And then she looked at me and motioned with her eyes that we should start walking to find a restaurant. Because it was Friday lunch time – the restaurants were starting to fill up quickly. “No.” She answered back as we started moving forward in unison. “I am with another customer right now, I can’t.” And she winked at me. “Tourism Board.” She answered and then she started speaking in Tagalog.
Suddenly, she just hung up her mobile and she was quiet as if she was mad.
“What’s wrong?”
“I got a technical consultant who is lazy. I have asked him to do a proof of concept for me – and he is refusing. But he is the one who can do it. He says he won’t do it if I am not there.”
“You should be flattered.”
She stopped and looked me in the face. “I don’t date Filipino.”
“I am not saying date him – just consider it a compliment.”
She blew out a breath. Then she just stopped. “Where do you want to eat?”
“How about the Italian restaurant?”
She didn’t say no or yes – she just started walking again. I followed quickly. And as we approached outside – one of the tables was being vacated – Sophia just sat down at it as the bus boy ran forward and started cleaning it off. Sophia then stuck her hand up to flag down a waitress. When one got eye contact, she mouthed, “Menu please?”
And then she went back to looking at her mobile phone. Without looking up she added, “I got two sales this week. One of them is not even mine, but my co-worker but the customer’s CFO won’t sign it unless it’s under my name. So my co-worker made a deal – I will put it under my name if he will give me small percentage of the sale.”
She then looked up and saw the passion of her job in her eyes. I smiled and laughed.
Sophia – the old Sophia – returned. “What?” And she smiled too. “What are you laughing about?”
“You.” And just then the waitress showed up and apologized. She then gave us the menus – giving me my menu first. She then told me about the specials – never looking at Sophia. Sophia didn’t look at the waitress either.
When the waitress went quiet, Sophia gave her selection in a monotone voice. “Spaghetti bolognaise and ice tea.” The waitress wrote it down quickly.
The waitress then looked up and smiled sweetly at me. “I will take the Ravioli.” I said.
“Very good, sir.” And she wrote it down.
“And also an ice tea.”
Then Sophia spoke up, “And can you give us our orders quickly – I have another appointment in forty-five minutes.”
The waitress answered, “Yes, ma’m.” And hurried off.
Then Sophia and I sat there staring at each other. “So? Why were you laughing at me?”
“You are a woman me.”
“Huh?”
“Usually I am the one on the mobile phone. I am the one on the phone – complaining about my job. We have switched roles. You are a woman version of me.”
“No, that’s not true. You just never paid any attention or gave me credit for my job. You were too wrapped up in your own world.”
I digested what she said as they brought bread to the table for us to snack on.
She watched my eyes. “Are you going to write this on soulparking?”
“Maybe.” I smiled.
“Well if you do – can you stop writing about me as if I was a bitch. You compliment everyone else when you write about them – except me.”
I was shocked. “What are you talking about? Some of the most beautiful stuff I have written has been about you.”
“Well, recently though, you have been writing about me in a negative way. I don’t want people to think there is something wrong with us.”
I was quiet. “Look, I promise I am not doing that intentionally. Or maybe you are wrongly reading into what I am writing.”
“I read it. I know what you are saying. I am just asking you to write something nice about me.”
Just then the sun peeked through and highlighted her – as if she suddenly became a beautiful angel. But just as quickly, a cloud passed and the sun was gone – and she returned to just being a woman who was menstruating.
I laughed at myself and my thoughts. “Okay, fair enough. But remember – when we started dating – I told you that I would write about you.”
“But you don’t even use my real name.”
“I am trying to protect your identity.”
“You sure you not ashamed of me?”
I blew out a breath. “Of course not.” And then the ice teas arrived and she and we took a long sip through our straws.
We stared each other down. “You never told me what the Hindu priest said about your destiny and our future.”
I went back to my straw and pulled more tea through it. “Well, he said it was my destiny. My future to decide.”
“So what he told you was that bad?”
I shook my head. “No of course not.”
Her phone chirped as if an SMS arrived. But she didn’t look down. “So tell me. What did he say?”
“Look I didn’t have to tell you that I met with him.”
“But you did – so you opened that door yourself. And I want to know what he said.”
Just then her phone rang – and she kept watching me – ignoring it ringing. Then she looked down and saw who it was and answered. “I told you I am at another customer site – I can’t come back to the office right now!” Sophia said impatiently. She then started listening and rolling her eyes.
I let out a relieved breath. The door to that conversation had closed at the right time.
But then suddenly, the sun was back behind where she was sitting and the way it projected against her - she now looked like an angel – in business woman’s clothes.
I punched back, “Sure. What time?”
“An early lunch. 11:30.”
I looked at the hotel clock it was already 11. “Sure.” And I jumped up and hurried to the shower.
Going as fast I could, I still arrived at Greenbelt 3 late. She was waiting in front of Nuvo. She looked a little impatient. “Why are you late? What were you doing?”
I smiled, “I was sleeping in late. It is your birthday but I am the one on holiday.”
Just then her phone rang. “Yes?” Pause. And then she looked at me and motioned with her eyes that we should start walking to find a restaurant. Because it was Friday lunch time – the restaurants were starting to fill up quickly. “No.” She answered back as we started moving forward in unison. “I am with another customer right now, I can’t.” And she winked at me. “Tourism Board.” She answered and then she started speaking in Tagalog.
Suddenly, she just hung up her mobile and she was quiet as if she was mad.
“What’s wrong?”
“I got a technical consultant who is lazy. I have asked him to do a proof of concept for me – and he is refusing. But he is the one who can do it. He says he won’t do it if I am not there.”
“You should be flattered.”
She stopped and looked me in the face. “I don’t date Filipino.”
“I am not saying date him – just consider it a compliment.”
She blew out a breath. Then she just stopped. “Where do you want to eat?”
“How about the Italian restaurant?”
She didn’t say no or yes – she just started walking again. I followed quickly. And as we approached outside – one of the tables was being vacated – Sophia just sat down at it as the bus boy ran forward and started cleaning it off. Sophia then stuck her hand up to flag down a waitress. When one got eye contact, she mouthed, “Menu please?”
And then she went back to looking at her mobile phone. Without looking up she added, “I got two sales this week. One of them is not even mine, but my co-worker but the customer’s CFO won’t sign it unless it’s under my name. So my co-worker made a deal – I will put it under my name if he will give me small percentage of the sale.”
She then looked up and saw the passion of her job in her eyes. I smiled and laughed.
Sophia – the old Sophia – returned. “What?” And she smiled too. “What are you laughing about?”
“You.” And just then the waitress showed up and apologized. She then gave us the menus – giving me my menu first. She then told me about the specials – never looking at Sophia. Sophia didn’t look at the waitress either.
When the waitress went quiet, Sophia gave her selection in a monotone voice. “Spaghetti bolognaise and ice tea.” The waitress wrote it down quickly.
The waitress then looked up and smiled sweetly at me. “I will take the Ravioli.” I said.
“Very good, sir.” And she wrote it down.
“And also an ice tea.”
Then Sophia spoke up, “And can you give us our orders quickly – I have another appointment in forty-five minutes.”
The waitress answered, “Yes, ma’m.” And hurried off.
Then Sophia and I sat there staring at each other. “So? Why were you laughing at me?”
“You are a woman me.”
“Huh?”
“Usually I am the one on the mobile phone. I am the one on the phone – complaining about my job. We have switched roles. You are a woman version of me.”
“No, that’s not true. You just never paid any attention or gave me credit for my job. You were too wrapped up in your own world.”
I digested what she said as they brought bread to the table for us to snack on.
She watched my eyes. “Are you going to write this on soulparking?”
“Maybe.” I smiled.
“Well if you do – can you stop writing about me as if I was a bitch. You compliment everyone else when you write about them – except me.”
I was shocked. “What are you talking about? Some of the most beautiful stuff I have written has been about you.”
“Well, recently though, you have been writing about me in a negative way. I don’t want people to think there is something wrong with us.”
I was quiet. “Look, I promise I am not doing that intentionally. Or maybe you are wrongly reading into what I am writing.”
“I read it. I know what you are saying. I am just asking you to write something nice about me.”
Just then the sun peeked through and highlighted her – as if she suddenly became a beautiful angel. But just as quickly, a cloud passed and the sun was gone – and she returned to just being a woman who was menstruating.
I laughed at myself and my thoughts. “Okay, fair enough. But remember – when we started dating – I told you that I would write about you.”
“But you don’t even use my real name.”
“I am trying to protect your identity.”
“You sure you not ashamed of me?”
I blew out a breath. “Of course not.” And then the ice teas arrived and she and we took a long sip through our straws.
We stared each other down. “You never told me what the Hindu priest said about your destiny and our future.”
I went back to my straw and pulled more tea through it. “Well, he said it was my destiny. My future to decide.”
“So what he told you was that bad?”
I shook my head. “No of course not.”
Her phone chirped as if an SMS arrived. But she didn’t look down. “So tell me. What did he say?”
“Look I didn’t have to tell you that I met with him.”
“But you did – so you opened that door yourself. And I want to know what he said.”
Just then her phone rang – and she kept watching me – ignoring it ringing. Then she looked down and saw who it was and answered. “I told you I am at another customer site – I can’t come back to the office right now!” Sophia said impatiently. She then started listening and rolling her eyes.
I let out a relieved breath. The door to that conversation had closed at the right time.
But then suddenly, the sun was back behind where she was sitting and the way it projected against her - she now looked like an angel – in business woman’s clothes.
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