My Ex is my Bestfriend

Dad left today going back to Papua New Guinea. I just got home, together with mamiko. The house feels incomplete without dad. The normal in-denial sad night mode pag umaalis si daddy. Why in-denial? Kasi di kami lahat expressive sa pagkalungkot pag umaalis siya. We all act normal na parang okay lang. At walang usap usap yun. Normal na. Automatic.

His flight was scheduled to leave nang 9:45pm that's why he wants to be at the airport nang 7:00pm. We left nang 5:30pm sa house. Pero we arrived at 7:35pm. You know why? SLEX was in terrible traffic jam. Sumakit ang paa ko to the max. I swear. I hate driving when traffic is jammed. Crazy! Painful! But I had no choice. I had to drive him to the airport. Kaya tiniis ko na lang. Hay!

Pagdrop-off sa airport, I had to park pa kasi we had to wait for him kasi lalabas pa daw siya (yun yung moment na nagbibigay yun nang pera, hehe). So alam niyo naman ang complicated airport natin, kailangan umikot nang napakalayo para makabalik sa airport parking. Hassle! Pagka-park ko, there's no way pala for me to get to the departure area. Walang way. So ang nangyari sa akin, na-stuck ako sa parking. Hassle!

Siguro I was there for more than an hour. Ang tagal mag-check in ni daddy. So after the long introduction, eto na ang story. Hehe. I was just inside the car, waiting. Nakabukas lang yung pinto. Mainit kasi. Doon lang ako. Hindi naman ako gala. Wala akong mapaglibangan kundi ang phone ko. Bagot na bagot na. Until a guy approached me and said, "Hi! I'm Brye. Kanina ka pa namin tinitingnan, you look bored. Are you waiting for someone? A relative arriving?"

I was staring at him for a few seconds before I answered back. Nagulat naman kasi ako. Nananahimik ako oh, tapos biglang may lalapit na nagta-taglish. Siyempre, hindi nagpadaig si TL sa englishan. "No, I'm just waiting for my dad to finish checking-in his baggages. He's leaving today and my mom is waiting for him outside the departure area. I had to park and wait". Oh ayan, mas mahaba yung statement ko. Hehe.

Brye is an interior designer who just finished his studies at PSID, 25 years old and from Pasig. His height is as the same as mine, but his built is way better compare to mine. Hehe. Na-intimidate ako. Leche! Looks and body. But I was surprised to be approached. I'm not good with people approaching me. Lagi akong tameme. Kaya nga pinaninindigan ko talaga ang suplado look, at hindi mahilig tumingin sa paligid para sarili ko lang ang mundo ko.

Wag niyong isipin na in-approach niya ako because he was interested in me. Although it's not a bad idea (hehe), but he has a boyfriend. 2 months na sila (maaga pa, pwede pang sirain, just kidding!) and he mentioned a few details how they met. He was waiting for his mom to arrive from the states. Kanina pa rin siya naghihintay at bored na bored na. Good thing he approached me, may nakausap ako.

Pero eto na ang catch nang story (pahulaan ko kaya sa inyo). Hehe. Anyways, after a few exchange of stories, he then invited someone to join the conversation. A guy came out from his car, and his name is Nick. Walang kahirap hirap sa description, same feature sila. Mas maputi nga lang si Nick, at mas matangos ang ilong (pero ang lips, normal, walang lip spark, hehe). And the only difference nila, walang bahid nang english sa bibig ni Nick. Tagalog kung tagalog. Hehe.

I was introduced to Nick nang ganito, "James, this is Nick. Gwapo no. Mahiyain nga lang. Single yan. Nick, this is James. Oh, wait, are you single James?". Parang gusto kong maglaho na parang bula after nang introduction at question na yun. Hindi ko ma-describe kung paano ako nagmukhang katanga-tanga sa pagka-tameme ko. Hindi ko alam kung nagulat ba ako kay Nick, sa pangyayari, o sa tanong.

This was the best, and exact answer I gave, "Ha? Are you asking me? Do I need to answer?". Ayan! Ayan ang one million answer ko. Parang tanga lang di ba. Hindi man lang ako nag-hi back, at tinanong ko talaga if he's asking me. Malamang! I guess nagulat ako dahil of all the places, of all the situations, I have encountered this moment: SA NAIA PARKING AREA.

Usually, sa mga bars lang yang mga ganyang klaseng meet-up. At kung sinusuwerte ka pa, mga ganung klaseng nilalang ang matatagpuan mo. Hindi sa masalimuot na parking area nang NAIA airport. Hay! Unbelievable. Anyways, ang haba nang side comment ko, going back, I answered naman that I am single. But after a few minutes, I kinda started reading between the lines of Brye. I think I got where he's leading me and Nick, until...

"Oh by the way, James, did you know that Nick is my Ex. We just broke up last month". What the hell!!! Hassle!!! (uy, nag-rhyme). Sila dati?!!! Tapos ngayon, pinapakilala niya yung ex niya sa ibang guy. I mean, sa akin. Ngee! Wait, na-weirduhan ako. Doon na nagsimula kumunot ang noo ko sa loob (naks! sa loob talaga, internal forehead?). Hehe. "You guys are still friends after the break-up?". Tanong ko with pa-innocent face.

"Yes! We both realized na hindi magwo-work ang relationship sa amin. We always fight. Kaya nag-decide na lang kami maghiwalay as lovers, pero maging bestfriends na lang to each other". Hassle talaga! Gusto ko nang lumubog sa kinauupuan ko. Wala naman dapat ika-awkward pero ganun yung pakiramdam ko kanina.

Parang di ko yata kasi kaya yung ganun. Yung ex ko ipapakilala ko sa ibang guy, in front of me. Ngerks! Anyways, they shared a few more stories until mamiko called and asking me to go back to the Departure area na. Doon napunta yung isip ko bigla, kaya nagpaalam na ako kay Brye at Nick. Brye asked for my number, but I was hesitant to give it kasi na-awkwardan ako sa situation. First time kong maka-encounter nang ganun.

Ayoko talagang ibigay yung number ko pero nahihiya naman akong mag-refuse. First, I don't know how to do it or say it, and second, kapangitan ko naman para mag-inarteng wag magbigay nang number. Until naisip kong ibahin na lang yung last digit nang mobile number ko. I swear, puno nang guilt yung utak ko because I felt I lied to a good person. Damn it!

Sana kasi, wala na lang nag-approach para wala akong guilt na binaon pauwi. Tahimik na sana ang mundo ko. Pero ganun talaga, ugly is "in" nowadays. Attractive ang panget na TL na ito. Hehe. O baka na-mesmerize sila sa buntot ko. Hahaha. Just kidding. But seriously, Brye and Nick are such good-looking couple sana. Bagay sila. Pareho silang mukhang tao. Kung naging kami ni Nick, kami na ang 2009 version nang Beauty and the Beast. Hehe.

Wala akong ex that I treat as bestfriend. Siguro, my policy kasi in life is, business is business. If you want me to be your friend, let's be friends. Hindi pwedeng haluan nang kahit ano. Stick to it. But if you want me to be your lover, let's be lovers. You cannot ask me to be your friend. Grabe kasi ako magmahal sa friend. Parang sa lover din. Equal love. Pero I can identify the big difference. Basta, yun na yun. In short, I can never be the bestfriend of my ex. Period!