Pleasant Surprise

Yesterday I had a great albeit short time with my favorite cousin Jhing. She called me on my cell. That in itself was surprising, considering that she barely texts just because we subscribe to different networks. I’m on Globe postpaid, no problem there, but since she’s on Smart prepaid, she goes by all those unlimited programs they have. Anyway, she just had to call because I wasn’t replying to the messages she sent. “Oh, did you text?” I asked her, “I didn’t notice.” Which was true. My cellphone was snug as a bug in my bag. I hadn’t touched it all morning. Until she called, that is.

Well, it so happened she was in the downtown area where my office is located and she was checking if I was in. (My job sometimes takes me out of town.) Lucky for her I was! So she visits me and I’m thinking, hmmm, she must be on leave. She wasn’t. S’matter of fact, her student cancelled their afternoon session so she had time to go process some important papers. By the way, Jhing tutors for Koreans at the Phil-Korea Center in La Salle. It’s keeping her so busy, another reason why I hardly get to see her.

But here she was. Her next class was at 4pm yet and she had nothing to do to kill time. Well, I wasn’t really doing anything and technically, I was still on lunch break. She asked if I wanted to go grab a cuppa coffee and some snacks. I had just done lunch, though, but dessert sounded tasty.

We went to nearby Gaisano City, which was great because I was dying to munch some Holy Kettle Popcorn for the last 3 days. It’s only available at GC, at least for now. Jhing looks at me funny, “Holy Kettle what? Wazzat?” I was aghast. I guess Leslie (my 5 year old neice) and me are just so addicted to this salty-sweet snack that I forgot others might not. Jhing hadn’t been at the mall for so long, she didn’t know about the new kiosk. So we bought a big bag for P60 and headed off to Bob’s Pastry. We had carrot cake, some chocolate slice I couldn’t recall and fruit punch. Mmmm, delish.

Small chitchat, family talk, updates here and there. When we’re together, we usually jump from one topic to another and sometimes go back to a previous one and still understand whatever it was we meant. Oh yeah, she said she was starting tai chi with some of her co-tutors and students this Sunday. Man, this girl just amazes me. She's totally done a 360 on her her nightlife, thanks to her disco loving Korean student-friends. And if she and the other tutors aint out with them partying or hoarding fancy restos, quaint coffeeshops and that new pizzeria sporting "the biggest pizza in the world," she's off for the weekend to far flung beaches and inland waterfall adventures, usually at minimal cost (or free!) because of the generous Koreans who come here to learn English. As if that wasn't enough, she's been hitting the courts for some badminton twice a week after work. This girl is so busy having fun, I'm so envious! And now tai chi. Wow. I can't help but salute.

She said she’d text me if I could come. That’d be great; I’m keeping my fingers crossed. We really click, Jhing and I. And yes, she liked the popcorn. Before we headed off, she bought another bag for her student.

Too bad we had cut our talk real quick. I had to go back to the office and she had to sort out some lesson plans for her studes. The dessert was good, all the more so because Jhing paid for it, hehehe. Payday blowout, oh it was sweet. It must have been a hefty paycheck for the month coz Jhing hailed a taxi to drop me off and take her all the way to La Salle. That’s gonna run her around, I won’t say, but it is a rather luxurious amount. For fare, at least.

Thanks a bunch, Jhing, for the treat and remembering your dear ole cousin. Keep remembering me come payday, aight? Joke! I had a great time and you, as always, were great company.