Remembering Ricardo
Quicksand thoughts while i was puffing balls of smoke in air. It was nearly half past nine, and i was talking to my pakistani friend. but he had to go somewhere and i was left alone. thinking that it was rather quite early, i saw this Filipino guy who came inside a pub. since i dont have anything to do, i followed inside. it was a boring pub, old folks came to meet there and large women with big breasts had some drinks, and it was like a circus. the air was foggy and the lights were low, i knew it was going to be a long night, so i phoned my mom and told her that i might be late because i need a quick drink.
everybody knows i dont drink, and i dont have the capacity to last three hours drinking booze. but that night was different. it was so different that i felt so alienated even with my own being. anyway while i ordered my first smirnoff, it was fun. i have experienced the freedom of life for the first time while i was trying to forget things that were listed on my "worry-Files".
and yeah on my second bottle, the filipino came to my table, he was in his middle forties. he had gray hairs all over, imagine the like of JUN ARISTORENAS he looked like that. minus the cow boy outfit of course. he never knew i was Brown Man(NOYPI), not until i was enjoying my third bottle.
i called the man, Tiyo, which was a slang term for uncle, but we never really gave out each others name. i do not know what’s in the pub that people get acquainted but not being too personal. i had the urge to smoke but tiyo doesnt smoke so i just went with the flow. we talked about life and business, the good old jungle juice a.k.a "TUBA". he told me that he was a native from Ilocos Norte but grew up in Manila, he said he was educated in San Beda but then transferred to Mapua because his Uncle wanted him to be there. for some reason he told me things about women and how he came here in United Kingdom. He said that his girlfriend was from Cavite and a registered nurse, and that was the reason he was able to come here. Actually Im getting bored with his topic and Im gulping my sixth bottle of smirnoff and i still feel fine.
with my seventh bottle there were moments of silence, Tio then broke the ice by asking things and stuffs about life. So i told him obvious reasons why i am here, what are the things i like and the things that i am looking forward to like. we had some common thoughts in politics, we both thought its rubbish. as we laughed, and i ordered my eight bottle. by this time my mom phoned me and asked where i was, and so i told him i was on this pub near our place. she asked if i was okay, and i said yes. it was almost half ten. but i still had the urge to drink. i did not know what the hell was on my mind, but i felt drowning on alcohol.
Tio, went to the loo and i could not fight the temptation anymore, i reached in my pocket and i lit my first stick of marlboro red. boy! it felt good to have that first puff, savoring the moment of bliss after longing for the bitter-sweet taste of smoke rolling down your tongue and the aroma of the crisp rolled tobacco simply came out of your nose. it was a short lived nirvana. i finished almost half of the stick when TIo came out. so i asked for apology because i really had the urge to have one and he just smiled at me and said "its alright".
on my tenth bottle we saw this english couple coming in, they are both in their mid fifties and they sat down somewhere in the corner near the windows. where a slot machine is placed beside them and on their right side was the vendo machine for cigarettes(just one advice dont buy there, its a stick up). so tio and i started to talk about courting. good i said, finally after i loved the taste of this smirnoff thing things are making sense. we agreed that a man should stop if all his efforts are in vain. he had this big grin on his face while telling me a series of events that happened to him when he courted his girlfriend(obviously now its his wife).
he took out a pen from his pocket, he began scribbling notes, he said he needed to write his thoughts. so i watched him write while i was taking small sips from my drink. i was afraid id be drunk but i did not feel anything close to being tipsy. i was still on my usual cold mode and subtle sarcasm i was perfectly normal, just dont mind the red face.
tio stood up again, and told me he’s gonna have another beer, and so i let him be. as when he came back he brought me another smirnoff ice, and i reached for my coin purse but he stopped me and told me it was on him. geez, maybe it was my lucky night.
he gave me the paper, and asked me what i thought of it, well basically i scan through it and gave me a good laugh.
he wrote this:
a guy should stop courting if the girl is doing this;
1. keeps you posted but your on her shit list.
2. keeps saying bout next time and infinity is her limit.
3.never trust a woman who says she is in a complicated situation.
4.when a woman says its corny it really must be.
5. and if a woman says she is annoyed believe her and fuck off.
for the like of Jun Aristorenas he made me laugh. on my twelfth bottle we talked about plans and things that a man might miss when he is growing old. we left off in the same ground where we both thought that there are more things to do than have sex, and waste time on pubs.on our way out he took a cab, and for me i walked home.
they say i could not last long spree of drinking booze, but i guess they are wrong. oh yeah before i forget the man’s name is Ricardo, he told me his girlfriend did everything he listed but he did not gave up. and boy he told me he is happily married. 12 bottles of vodka,three hours and a half of chat, two Filipino, one pub…crazy stories..
darkmau
Malaya!
-the name might ring a bell to one of my friend, no offense though, i cant change Tio’s name.-
