12
Feb
2008
PLAYLIST: Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
UGLY GIRL
You introduced us for the first time
And I had to look her in the eye
But you could not imagine my surprise
Mint leaves, check. Parsley, check. Lettuce, check. Why the heck do I feel like a horse? I asked myself as I looked at my grocery basket and went through my shopping list. It’s so, earthy. Looking for olives would not help in my color dilemma either.
“Excuse me,” I tapped a tall man who was probably reading the label of the olive oil bottle he had in his hand. “There’s no price tag on this,” I held up to him the bottle of olives I had in my hand.
The guy looked at me, amused, not scaring me nor staring me down. His expression was friendlier than anything. Then it hit me, “Oh! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” He’s not from the store. He is not a grocer boy. I frantically mumbled more sorries than I wanted, turned my back and scurried to the counter to pay.
I was scouring for spices from my cupboard. “It was so embarrassing!” I said while trying hard to stop laughing, “I practically shoved the bottle to the poor guy’s face!” I continued to one of my BFF’s on the other line.
“You always do that anyways,” Kate pointed.
“I so not!” I retorted. However, looking back, I do sort of do that kinda thing, kinda often. One time I was so busy singing to myself with ear phones plugged in and all while comparing prices of the bags of chips in my hands. I couldn’t find the price of the other chips so I called in the attention of the lady who was picking up items thrown at the floor by a group of kids playing in the aisle earlier. I didn’t even bother to look if the lady was wearing the hideous bright green grocer’s uniform.
“How much for this one?” I asked. “Excuse me, how much for this one?” I repeated. To my horror the lady who happened to be Kate’s mom, yes, Kate’s mom stood up.
“Honey, I wish I could help you but I don’t have any idea,” Tita said smiling. Then she placed her hand on my shoulder, pulled one of my ear plugs and said, “Maybe you could try toning down the volume of your machine next time,” pointing to my iPod.
I was saying my sorries to her while she laughed at me. We chatted for a bit and then she left me with my cart. I’m still trying to learn my lesson form that. My iPod is still often in its eardrum-shattering setting.
“Oh gosh!” I said on the mouth piece.
“What is it? You cut yourself?” Kate asked.
“I forgot the freaking chicken! I asked the butcher to cut the chicken into parts and I forgot to get them from him! I’ve totally forgotten about it! I was supposed to go back for it after I got the olives!”
“Ok now, don’t panic. Your dinner wouldn’t start in three more hours, there’s still time.”
I was pacing in my kitchen, cursing myself for my stupidity. “How the hell can I make grilled chicken without the chicken?! Hon, sorry but I have to run back to the supermarket and get my chicken!”
With that we put the phone down and I hurriedly covered everything that needed covering. I put the stove off and didn’t bother tidying myself. I grabbed my umbrella, my mobile phone, my apartment keys and shut the door close.
The weather felt good. It was cold and windy. Good thing I have my umbrella. The rain would be pouring soon, I thought to myself. With the grocery a few blocks away I opted to walk than haul my old car.
I used to dislike this kind of weather. It reminded me of all the not so good things that happened in my life all these years. But these days, it’s different, a welcome change. I love the raindrops on my fingertips and the smell of wet grass. I even like the sound of squishing water under my feet, all because maybe I am falling in love? Aaahhh, cheesy! Yikes what’s happening to me?
I’m dating Marco for awhile now. It’s nothing too serious, but on the way there, I hope. By tonight?
Marco is not the type that I usually date, for some reason. Not that I date a lot, so there’s not much comparison to be made. Anyway, Marco is just down right gorgeous. That’s the reason it’s unusual, he’s beyond gorgeous. He is a demigod walking on earth, breaking girls’ hearts when he passes them by. Marco is tall, very well built and armed with rock hard six-pack abs. Don’t even get me started with his beautiful deep set light brown eyes. He reminded me so much of Josh Hartnett. I would kill for anyone reminiscent of Josh! And this one was seeing me, exclusively! Everybody knows that I go gaga over pretty boys. I love guys who look way beyond perfect, making them unattainable and thus far from happening. I love loving my men form afar. But this. This one guy is mine! All mine!
He was introduced to me by Lisa, my other BFF. She met him at their gym. She thought I might be interested. I welcomed the idea but I just need to have our first date via group date. I can’t trust myself alone with a demigod. I could end up on his bed. He could even bring me to an alley for all I care.
We hit it off well, Marco and I. He’s handsome and smart. Just the way I like. And after our first date a string of other date nights came along. It was beyond my imagination to have someone as goodlooking as Marco see me exclusively. This is the first time that I actually have a trophy boyfriend.
And tonight, would be special. I would be celebrating my new assignment in the university where I teach in the day and study at the graduate school by night. It’s unusual that a rookie like me was offered to supervise a group of senior students with their thesis. I was asked by the college’s dean to become an adviser! I’m not sure how I will juggle my MA classes, my regular teaching stint, a thesis class and a probable and finally serious relationship! (Whoopee!) It’s a lot, but I hope I’ll manage.
As I’ve said I didn’t date much. Before Marco there were about three others, two of which were from Junior High. See, there’s no comparison at all. I’m older and hopefully wiser now, and I have a feeling it is the right time to be more serious about my relationships.
I just feel lucky that the right guy for me at this blessed right time is…
“Marco?!”
I can’t believe what was in front of me. My demigod, my Marco was sharing shopping cart with a stick figure, soul less girl. The girl looked younger than me and happened to be way thinner too, way, way thinner, the kind of thin where the gap in between her legs was a mile long, seriously. Her silky hair tucked in a pink headband falls just perfectly above her shoulders. She was smiling at me with her perfect shiny peach lip gloss.
“Uhmmm… Carmen, this is Eloisa,” Marco said, emphasizing on the E.
Eeehloisa my ass! I thought. The nerve! Was his hand on her waist? I’m the one needing the support here, hello?! “Oh” was the only syllable I managed to say.
“Ahhh, Miss there you are!” The butcher behind the cold area exclaimed at me while holding up a bag of chicken parts. “I thought you weren’t coming back!”
I stared at the butcher for awhile, and then shifted my direction to Marco then to Eeehloisa, I’m still irked by her name, and then back to Marco. I stood motionless for awhile as if I’m in one of those Twilight Zone episodes when I was younger. The aisle and the cold storage were zooming in and zooming out of my vision. When all these made no sense anymore I turned my back and started heading out. I heard the butcher calling me, “Miss! Miss, what about your chicken?!”
Yeah, what about it?
“That jerk!” Kate exclaimed while handing me a box of Kleenex and a folded towel.
The rain continued to pour outside, I was on my way home from the grocery but home alone didn’t feel good suddenly. I was at a lost the moment I stepped out of the supermarket. I didn’t even bother to get my umbrella from the check-in counter. I looked left and looked right. Direction was a blur. I started to walk down the street in my dirty house clothes. How could I let them see me like this? I started to think. Worse, that Eeehloisa girl saw me in this! There she was all perfect and perky and pretty and petite, everything that I am not. It’s unfair! She even gets to wear lip gloss to perfection!
Somehow I found myself in front of Kate’s door in my wet clothes and my now soaked mobile phone in my hand. Did I walk all that way? That was one long walk I thought to myself as I buzzed her doorbell.
A few minutes after, Lisa came barging in with a gallon of rocky road ice cream. She sat beside me and started cussing Marco.
“That fine piece of ass! He better watch out! If I see him at the gym I swear to you I would drop the whole set of weights, punch his face…”
She continued on swearing even when I didn’t understand what she was saying anymore. She was raging mad. “Did you say balls?” I asked lost in her rampage.
“I think,” she said after a halt.
“Oh,” then I started to laugh. Somehow you can trust that Lisa can lighten up any bad mood or tense-filled room. After that the three of us started to laugh. Then everyone dug out every possible negative thing about Marco, to laugh at of course.
“Remember how many times we caught him stealing glances of himself anywhere where reflection was possible?” Kate said referring to one of our out of town trips with him.
“And, and how he snorts when he’s laughing so hard?” Lisa pointed out while holding a spoonful of ice cream.
But I liked that snort, I thought myself. Carmen! Now is not the right time to think of things you like about him! I reminded myself.
“I can’t believe I actually thought of losing my “Big V” to him tonight,” I addressed to no one.
The room fell silent when I said that. Lisa was the first to break.
I kidded. “That’s right. Go on. Laugh at the virgin. Go on.”
“Oh Carmen!” Kate said while she hugged me. “Don’t worry at least the “Big V” is still… chaste?” she added.
I challenged Kate, “Go on! Go on!” and laughed.
After a few more glasses of wine, I decided to spend the night at their place. We caught reruns on the cable and shared the sofa and a blanket among us.
Tears started to sting my eyes and roll down my cheeks after a while. Lisa and Kate just hugged me, leaned and rested their heads on my shoulders.
“Everything will be alright,” Kate hushed.
The rain outside poured harder.