Rainbow 24

The 8-Shaded Rainbow –Part 24

MatT & LoRaiNe

May the 4th - I woke up to the sound of rough wind blows against my window.  Could it be a storm?  It is very possible you know, given the non-stop downpour last night when Matt, Loraine and Reiley came to pick me up around 10pm, to go to Dylan's and claim the grand prize of the day - a bucket of fried chicken!  And yes,  it seems to be a wee bit cooler than the usual spring mornings too, so I noticed - no, oh no!  This couldn't be happening.  Against my body's will, I jumped off my bed, pull up the blinds and, oh yes - oh no!  Just as I have suspected but wished I am wrong, everything outside that I could lay my eyes on, is glazed, oh wait, I mean, coated to perfection with the whitest of whites of SNOW!  Yes sir, snow again - just when the entire neighourhood has started splurging into spring garden shopping extravaganza; Just when I started to get envious particularly, with our next door neighbour whose lawn is so much greener than ours; Just when we are quite frequenting the Dairy Queen now; Just when I am starting to get excited wearing short shorts; (sigh!) just when the birds are back from migration - here comes the snow again! This is just insane!  For a moment, and with a sunken heart and spirit, I asked myself where I am and why am I here.  Oh, how I suddenly missed home so much - coconut and palm trees lined and swaying to the tropical breeze; white sand bleached by the glorious sunshine; fresh coconut water and ultra-tender coconut meat; local delicacies made usually with glutinous rice and fresh tropical fruits;  fresh seafoods everyday - every one of them, abundant or scarce, shared by family all the time. (Sigh again!)

So this is just another lazy day.  Nothing to do but curl up in the corner and listen to the noise from the furnace.  Well, this works well too for me in some ways.  At least I got some more time to sit down and think back to the last few days that has come by. 

I suppose I have told you already about Alex's declaration that he will finally ditch Jaz off - to which both Reiley and I just rolled our eyes and smirk at the thought of Alex's being unreliable.  Of course, being the optimistic friends that we are, we somehow wished deep inside of us, that this time, Alex stands by his words.  Well, we chose to chill about the issue by not giving him our full confidence and purposely to save ourselves from disappointment as well.  Alex told us that, it is the last night between him and Jaz; that he is dumping her; that he is going to do this whether or not his wife Chelsea will ever get back with him.  Reiley and I just shrugged it off.  In fact, while Alex is making his, what seems to  be a state of the nation address, (SONA) sounding very much like a traditional politician with endless promises, Reiley & I busied ourselves making up silly choreography of our idea of what a TV show superhero should be doing, in modern days, while yelling for his superpowers to set in. (Like Shaider's Time Space Warp Ngayon din [right now!]  to which we made with some showgirl moves! LOL) We were giggling to ourselves and half-listening to Alex's sentiments.

The next day, when I get back to the duplex, Jaz is back there, at the usual and only place she usually is stationed - Alex's room.  Why in world was I not so surprised?  Now, I am totally sold - sold to Loraine's words.  Loraine has given up on Alex long since.  Loraine used to reign in my chair - talking to Chelsea most of the time, giving her advice on how not to give up on Alex because he is trying to change, because he is coming back; and because he is a good person after all.  However, Alex apparently has the fondness of making people around believe that he will do this and that, and then turn out to be doing otherwise.  There goes my confidence to Alex.  There goes my compassion to him as I thought he was hurting so bad with Chelsea turning away from him.  There it goes, straight shot to the waste bin!  Oh well, I am right on one note after all - that my friendship with Alex is rather too young.  I do not know this person a bit; In fact, it is very possible that I do not know him at all; I do not  know how evil he could possibly be.

Alex, just yesterday, caught up with me over chat and instantly felt my cold shoulder.  In defense, he readily told me that he is taking the break up with Jaz day by day - yep, as if in that song which goes, break it to me gently.  Bullshit!  I so wanted to argue with him but strangely, unlike the last few days, today, I feel like I am in no position to even question him.  Now that I am more convinced that I do not know him at all.  I stayed calm and just to give him a hint of my disgust, I told him that I wouldn't tell him any more updates from Chelsea ever again.  He was hurt, I can tell.  But he accepted.

Meanwhile, my comradeship with Matt and Loraine intensifies.  These days, we are together very often.  It could be the proximity - the distance between our houses, but it could also be that we have come along quite a long way now.  Well, for me it wasn't hard at all considering  they are practically Jeff's family.  And just like Jeff, they are genuine people as well.  Funny how I am enjoyably spending most of my days with them recently.  Just last week for example, I was in the duplex from Thursday night, until Sunday late afternoon, and just when I was about to go to bed last night, Loraine sent me a message - that one that says, we are going to Dylan's.  So, that makes it 5 Days in a row!  Make that 6, should it haven't been for this terrible snow that will obviously cancel our grocery-shopping-bonding supposedly later today, and then Loraine's cooking afterwards. Darn!  And how I was so craving for fish and Kare-Kare (a Flipino dish of beef and tripe cooked in coconut milk, peanut sauce and veggies, plus, sauteed shrimp for that kick-ass touch!)  Oh, darn snow again!

Matt and Loraine are just great people - Matt, understandably is just a natural, I mean, having the chance to meet almost their entire clan here in Canada, I saw clearly, what this guy is made up of.  They have a rather closely-knit family; very compassionate with each other - they are a picture perfect of that family, which, though residing in different towns, are constantly seeing each other in Church every Sunday, which then turns out to be a family reunion of some sort, all the time.  Loraine on the other hand, is from a tiny family of four - her mom and dad and only brother.  Her only sibling with whom she holds grudges against with.  And while almost all of Matt's clan is already here, Loraine's small family is in the Philippines.  Matt is subdued, only loud when he has a little bit too much to drink, Loraine is naturally loud but not disgusting.  Matt is submissive ,(to Loraine, that is) Loraine is the boss.  Matt works hard, Loraine is the strategist - and the best one at that.  Matt is a bit younger than Loraine - above all however, they compliment each other perfectly that all the differences between them just makes the whole relationship all the more rock-solid.  Their first baby is due anytime soon - meaning we will soon have to welcome the newest and youngest member of the gang!  We are all equally excited!

Moreover, Jeff had the chance to spend Saturday night and Sunday, with us.  It was so much fun as always with my bonding times with him.  Endless laughter over nonsense stuff; talking like total idiots and laughing at each other's punchlines; even with just a look in each other's eyes, we know right on what is funny and we again, would burst into laughter like it is the first of the day!  Never a dull moment - that would be an understatement.  I mean, when  Jeff and I are together, we never thought of making the most out of the moment; the time we spent together, is in itself a moment of its own which we need not label anymore.  We know in our hearts we are together today, therefore, it is another day of bloopers and laughter.  And that's all about it - if only for that, we have a load of good reasons to be thankful each time we see each other.

Now, remember Robert?  My older friend who went on a holiday to the Philippines recently?  The one who met up with my family in Cebu?  Yeah, that one.  Well, good news is, he is back!  I haven't seen him yet though.  I have to.  That I have to find time for.  I wish to talk to him and catch up.  I will have to ask questions too, both trivial and personal.  I wanted to see in his eyes the reflection of perfect and happy pictures he posted on this social networking site while he was on vacation.  I wanted to ask how he is doing now - I wish of him to tell me his thoughts and learnings in the name of Love.

Till the next!