Jeepney Chronicles

This happened a few years back, when I was a single Journalism major and was prowling around for a pretty girl who would make the mistake of going out with me. Life was so much simpler then. I found this old blog entry recently and it brought me a few chuckles.

A week back, something strange happened to me, that for some effed up reason refuses to melt out of the recesses of my memory bank, unike some professor’s Chinese History lecture a few hours ago. Allow me to utilize the flashback technique to take you back to the time of the event.

It is 6:15 am, Thursday, June 23, 2005. I am standing in front of the bathroom mirror trying to figure out weather or not to gel my hair. I figure I should, because the tube of hair gel is nearly empty, and the sooner I use it all up, the sooner I get to try that “hair wax” thingamajig my friends rave about. I squeeze some on my palm and run my hand through my hair, mussing it about until I was satisfied with its mussiness. I was going for a windswept, just got out of bed look, but settled for just plain messy.. and sticky. I am not used to using hair gel anymore. I turned on the tap water and washed the stickiness off of my hands. I then grab my toothbrush, squeezed toothpaste onto it, and started brushing away.

After brushing my teeth, I grab a towel to dry up my hands, and toss it into the dirty clothes bin. I then grab my bag, which was waiting for my by the front door, and headed to the gate. As I opened the gate and stepped out, I took out my cellphone and looked at the time. 6:25. Calculated commute time to UST, considering the congested traffic this past few sdays would be 30 minutes. Just enough time. I put my phone back in my bag and took out my MP3 Player. I put its strap around my neck and its earphones into my ears, and started listening to random songs.

I know that in order to make it to school on time, I need to catch the very first available FX. Unbeknownst to me, a person behind me was in the same hurry.

After a minute or two of listening to the song: Dont Stop me Now by Queen “… That’s why they call me Mr. Farenheight!“, I spot an FX coming my way. I flag it down, and through the magic of hand signals, learned from the driver that there was room for one last in the back. Perfect.

So as the FX pulls up beside, me, I walk over to the rear and put my hand on the latch to open the rear door, with Mr. Mercury singing in my ears, “Dont stop me now.. cuz I’m having a good time.. having a good time.“

I pull it open, and she makes her move. The person behind me times it perfectly and just as the door clears my eyes, I see her taking the LAST seat. Utterly dumbfounded at the sheer audacity of it all, I give her a look, while holding the door up. She turns toward me, and brushes a few wayward strands of black hair from her face.

Despite what had just happened, I found my mouth hanging slightly open. Damn, she was cute. What this cute girl would say and do in the next few seconds would haunt me to this very day, a full week after the incident.

She gives me a wink. Her left eye came down, ever so slowly, and the left corner of her perfectly shaped pink lips rose to meet it. I am frozen, dumbfounded, just dumbly holding the door open, stupidly wondering if lip gloss is responsible for the alluring shine on her lips, and for how soft and welcoming they look.

She completes her slow motion wink, and opens her mouth ever so slightly. In a really beautiful voice, she says the only words she would ever say to me: “Thanks, Hon!” She completes the combo with a smile, that I fear has forever etched itself into my memory as the slightest hint of dimples appear on her cheeks.

I was utterly stupefied, petrified for the whole second it took for the whole thing to occur. When I finally regain my motor functions, I look at the people around her and entertain the idea of paying them to relinquish their seat. They all seem to be enjoying their seats very much. So, with one last, glancing look at the girl, I close the door, and step back to the curb wondering “what the hell just happened?”

I stood there, in stupid contemplation, letting FX after FX pass. When I finally catch one, I spend the entire trip looking out the window, still trying to wrap my mind around the event, and replaying the wink, the thanks, and the smile over and over again in my mind. Who was that girl?

Well, up to now, I still cant understand how that girl disarmed me so easily. But I do know one thing. I want to meet her again. It is strange to start crushing on someone who steals your seat on an FX, and probably will never see again I guess I AM a strange person, after all.

FX girl will be haunting me for quite some time, I guess.. and whenever I see that uniform from whatever college she came from, I remember the second when I had lost control of every aspect of my being. I remember the wink, the smile, and the cute voice.

When I shared this story with friends, they laughed and asked how someone could make me crush on them by simply stealing my seat. I think it was not the act of stealing my seat that got me. I think it was the confidence it took to be able to do that to a complete stranger. It was the wit, intelligence, and cunning it took to know how a guy like me would react to that. And it was the smile. Yes, mostly, it was the smile.

Day after day, I wait at that same curb, hoping for another glance at the Siren who made me very late for first period that fateful day. Whenever I take the FX, I go for the backseat… and everytime the back door clears my eyes as I open it, disappointment washes over me when I find my empty seat still there.

FX girl, till we meet again.

Story Submitted by: Jaypee Cayabs