Her name is Aurora Anita Z. Sarmiento, but everyone calls her Rainbow, a nickname given to her by her dad. Quite apt if you ask me, given that she provides color to a lot of people's lives. And yes, in the few months that I've known her, she's given me nothing less than a kaleidoscopic view of the world.
It's funny because we couldn't be any more different. In literary terms, she's a perfect foil for the dull and boring old me. I realized that from the get-go, seeing her and the bright wide smile she always wears, that she's nothing like me--a man who appears to have an all-too-serious dispositon (which kind of fades away once you get to know me, really). This being said, it comes as no surprise that I never imagined liking her, much less the two of us getting along.
But let's backtrack a bit more. Obviously, the life of single men revolves around playful chick-hunting, or as my best friend in college, Renard, likes to call it, spotting. I've never, as I should have, thought of this as something serious; it was, and still is, just a way to stave off boredom. So there we were, Renard and I, attending the general assembly of SPEED, a student org with an advocacy of helping special kids. I'm gonna be honest here. We joined not so much because we had an immediate inclination and/or a principled reason to join. As you might've already guessed, we joined because we thought that it was a good opportunity for us to 'spot' chicks, as our blockmate, Joni, was the org's president.
As we were sitting quietly at the back of the room where the assembly was held, Renard brushed my shoulder and started to check out Boey (Aurora's nickname's nickname. Haha!). As I've already suggested, I was not interested at first. With the mic on her hand, she introduced the area where she taught, and appeared to be, well, happy. In my mind, almost too happy, the kind of happy that borders on insanity. So when Renard told me that he's 'game' with her (which basically meant he found her cute), all I told him was 'pass.'
But she nonetheless caught my attention. Her smile was, and still is, very contagious. I struggled to constantly keep a straight face when she's around. Even when I'm successful in trying to keep my calm around her, I still felt my heart pound.
However, and I'm gonna point it out again, there's just no way the two of us would click. Plus, I kinda had a girl during that time so I thought it was all good. But, as the stupid old me usually goes about things, my actions indicated that she still caught my attention, albeit in a strange, inexplicable way. So, pursuant to the actions of kids nowadays, I added her on Facebook.
Then I realized we weren't really that disconnected. I kind of stalked her a little bit (Seryoso, konti lang naman. Haha!) and found out that her dad was actually my mama's boss in her first job. Mr. Sarmiento was even one of the ninongs in my mom's wedding. So I brought this up one day when we met in Joni's hubby's (Iggy's) car, being the kapalmuks that I am. Again, I thought of this as nothing but a trivial and interesting historical fact.
We then had constantly seen each other in school, which to me, only strengthened how I saw her as a complete opposition. She approached me one time, spunky as always, and verified that her dad remembers my mom in the old days. As a member of SPEED (or ex-member, since I failed to 'renew' my membership), I even went to her area (which I, by the way, truly enjoyed) just for the heck of it. But again, and I hate to sound like a broken record, I thought nothing of it.
After some time, I failed once again in trying to secure a real relationship. The girl I was 'in love' with apparently wasn't interested anymore. I contacted Renard immediately to drown all my sorrows in alcohol. As we, or at least he was enjoying our beers, he grabbed my phone and texted 'hi:)' to, you guessed it, Rainbow. I know right, Renard's truly a great friend. But to my surprise, Boey replied. One thing led to another and there we were, about to have a couple of drinks the next week with the girl I didn't care much about.
That day came. Renard, Boey, and I talked about the usual things I talk about with girls: hobbies, family, love life, the works. I didn't feel an ounce of nervousness that night. Aside from the fact that I kind of already was inebriated, I was, surprisingly, comfortable talking to her. Of course, once she smiled I still felt something weird in my chest, but the conversation per se went smoothly. That night, I knew I was blessed with a new friend.
So I asked her out again. This time, it would be just the two of us. But I didn't think of it as a date, more like a dinner with a friend. Plus I told her that next time (and this eventually took place), she's buying me ice cream. We talked again, this time, about her plans in the future. She told me that she wants to go to med school and I told her about my anxieties concerning my future. She made me realize who I was (or wasn't). I was the great pretender--someone who looks to suppress his feelings to maintain a no-nonsense persona. She told me, 'Alam ko 'yan. Yung parang okay lang sa labas pero may tinatago pala sa loob.'
It's surprising how someone totally different can know you more than you know yourself. I mean, even in our conversations, albeit very relaxing and comfortable, I can still sense our differences, be it in music, movies, and other things. But none of this really matters to me now; I've learned my lessons in the past. Just because someone likes the same weird shit as you do doesn't mean you're soulmates. If anything, our differences make me want to learn more about her. This opposition, to me, is exciting, evocative, and genuinely colorful.
Ever since our first friendly dates, I texted her more often. The thought of her made me smile, in a real, non-phony way. So after some days of SMS messaging, I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I like her. Being the impulsive knucklehead that I am, I admitted my feelings to her immediately. I even gave her my blue rose, that traditional Atenean symbol of admiration. And by golly, I was surprised that she has a crush on me too.
Unexpected, that's what she is. When life brings surprises like this, when you let it run its course, it can be really magical. So here I go again. I hope this one turns out to be, you know, different. I hope the colors don't fade away.
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