I went to Ayn’s house early last night because Allan, Ayn and I had planned to meet up later to drink and be together and celebrate the advent of one of Ayn’s “visitors”. Tristia was at home and she looked a lot bigger than she was the last time I saw her. She had several teeth showing already; I thought she was going to bite me with them when I saw her, but she treated me like an old friend, and I was so honored. We played with tissue paper and a little plastic basketball. Ayn took some pictures of us, too. I can’t believe how fast she’s growing. She’s a little miracle. Each time I see her, she looks more and more like her mother.
I was still tired from the night before, but I liked being with my band mates again. I showed Ayn the videos Allan let me copy and we were laughing a little at some of the selections. We couldn’t believe Allan had videos of Ministry and Agnostic Front and Killing Joke, but that just goes to show that he’s not as narrow-minded as people think him to be. Only a little, haha. Allan texted us that he was already in Manila, having just come from a Lucena trip with Moonstar 88. We were to meet him at Mang Sam’s where Superminty was practicing.
We arrived there and found only Charles, John Paul and Allan M. Allan Drummer was apparently at the hospital because of an emergency with his father, so practice was actually cancelled. We then decided to go to Klub 102 in Makati, probably because Allan had seen it on our way to Intramuros the night before. Since we were heading to a New Wave place, Ayn played her New Wave Classics cd on the car stereo. Having bought the same tape in high school, I began singing to some of the songs along the way. I remembered high school again. Allan liked the Depeche Mode songs. Charles laughed at Erasure. Teehee.
Klub 102 was ok. That goth guy Joseph was there, the one I remember from my first gig with candy, the guy who let me smell these flowers he was holding.
We drank a lot at Klub 102. John Paul let me have a few puffs from his cigarette, just for fun. I got so drunk, but as usual I was just makulit. We talked about elephant penises and body proportions. We had a lot of fun. The music was really good and I could tell Allan was really enjoying it. He even danced a little! He’ll probably deny that. He did, though. John Paul was dancing. I was itching to dance, too, but only because I couldn’t resist the music. New Wave really is an unbelievably timeless genre. I stayed in my seat, though, thank god. Ayn was pretty calm… I don’t think she got drunk, but I think she was enjoying too. Charles kept looking at the couple seated behind us because they were getting it on.
When I went to the bathroom, I noticed a sign on the wall that said the club was offering steamed, hot face towels for 20 pesos each. I wondered what the hell they were for. I made John Paul (or was it Charles? I can’t remember!) ask the waiter, and he replied that they were for drunk people to revive themselves with. I wasn’t too sure about that. I saw an arrow pointing up the stairs. It wasn’t parallel to the stairs; the angle was such that if you made them both continuous, they would intersect at a point about a foot above the top step. I obsessed about that. I kept telling Allan that my early engineering training made that offensive for me. He argued that the arrow’s function was just to tell people that something was upstairs and that drunks wouldn’t really be able to tell the difference. Okay. I can respect a functional analysis anytime. But for some reason, it bothered me, and I kept bringing it up every 10 minutes or so. I’m just glad Allan didn’t punch me in the face for being so annoying, hehehe… unlike SOMEONE with us who mock-threatened to do so! Humph.
The ride to our next stop was sort of a blur for me. I suddenly realized we were at David’s Tea House on Timog. I remember asking Allan before we left Klub 102 where he was taking us and he said, “David’s.”
“Salon??? Weird…”
I made him take me to the bathroom because I really needed to pee. After I peed, I felt so dizzy that I had to lean against the wall of the stall. I couldn’t move for 20 seconds, and I just stared at the ceiling and willed myself not to faint. I dragged myself out and washed my face. That made me feel slightly better. I went outside and Allan guided me upstairs to our table. We saw Cookie Chua at the next table and she and Allan greeted each other. Recognizing her, I tried to give her my brightest smile and said, “Hello!” She smiled nervously and said hi, too. Then we sat down.
I was feeling really queasy by the time our iced teas arrived, but sipping mine revived me enough to be able to eat and pester Allan about that crooked arrow sign. He sipped his iced tea and said it was sweet. I told him, “No, it’s not! It’s just right. Besides, all you have to do is crush the lemons.” I then took my straw and started crushing the lemon slices in his iced tea, singing “Crush the leh-mons… crush the leh-mons” a la that “Crush the Flowers” song. Weird!!!
I kept telling the guys, “You know what, I said hi to Cookie Chuya.” They cracked up every time I said that. I couldn’t get it right because my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth.
So we ate, and they were all saying the food was good. “You know what, Allan; you’ve always been telling us how good the food is here and that we should get to experience the place. One day, when we drive past this restaurant, I won’t really be able to say that I know what this place is like because I couldn’t taste anything except for the iced tea. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m drunk.” I took another puff, this time from Ayn’s cig, and then my drunkenness doubled and I thought I was going to pass out on the table. Fortunately, we all got up to leave just then. Allan guided me downstairs again. I told him I was afraid I wouldn’t make it to my front door and I actually suggested to Ayn that she let me sleep at her place. He said he’d bring me to my door.
And he did, and I didn’t pass out. They all went home. I even made it to my own bed, and it felt so good to finally rest.
I woke up this morning feeling shitty. I was ashamed of some of the things I had said last night, even if I was fully conscious of having said them. I know how annoyingly makulit I can get when I’m drunk and I was aware that I was that way with them last night. I apologized to Allan through text, but he told me he really enjoyed our inuman. And I realized, I did, too—A LOT. It was great being with Ayn and Allan and the Manyak Boys again. They’re really some of the best people I know in the world. I remember having vowed never to drink in front of them again after the previous In BeTWEEn Days, but now I know they really are people in whose company I can be myself, even when unabashedly drunk.
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