Ika 3 ng Hunyo 2009: Taken Aback

I was supposed to accompany ED to school to co-sign her student loan document but I had to cancel. I had a 10:00am meeting and I was running late. I left early but traffic was so bad at SLEX with the construction works and the rains. I was supposed to do some more revisions on the material I prepared but I was out of time when I arrived at the office.I hurriedly left as soon as I arrived.

People were already in the board room when I came in. My friend whom I worked with in JPEPA just some months ago is there to assist her boss who is my also my reassigned boss. The chair of the meeting, a top official, whom my friend and I worked for JPEPA had not arrived yet. As soon the top official arrived, the meeting started. I tried to look interested and pretended to listen during the presentation by my boss while texting some people including a friend who heads an agency who is in the same meeting. He actually started it asking me some questions. We hardly see each other..... so we keep in touch through text messaging. I was also texting another friend who was not in the meeting and also a student I scheduled a review session with, while trying to look like I was intently listening.

Then I got this message, "gud am. why are we so serious?" from an unlisted number. Without much thought, I immediately replied, "Huh? Better serious than foolish right? Hu is ds? Sry lost my contacts." Then, realization set in..... Who could that be? I was thinking a friend or acquaintance who I bumped into the past days. I couldn't retrieve my address book from my old phone which gave up. Then, I searched the room and tried to determine who the texter was. By deduction, I tried to identify my mystery texter. There is my friend from my JPEPA but she couldn't possibly view me as her back was the one facing me. Then, there is my other friend...... but we had been texting........ and the number is unlisted. Then, there were my ex boss and my new boss. But they hardly text me unless for work. The leeches who know my number were there. However, we don't make it a habit to text each other candidly. Such kind of message...unlikely. I also noted that the text was not in the usual text lingo. Running out of suspect, I looked at the top official chairing the meeting. He is the only one left who knows my number. The rest in the meeting knows me but would hardly care about how serious or silly I look.

I felt disconcerted and texted my friend-partner in the JPEPA work to send me the top official's business card. I used to have it in my unrecovered address book and I have not added his number because there was no reason to communicate with him since after our work with him was concluded. Two text messages came in just about the same time. I didn't even have to open it as I read the top official's initials which is how we addressed him when I opened my inbox. I was flustered and immediately sent another text message to the top official giving a lame alibi, "Sorry sir. I thought it was j..... o..... (the friend I was texting during the meeting giving the impression I lost my friend's number too). I replied jokingly." I told my friend-partner about my 'impropriety' and she was laughing. I remember that the top official, a rather stoic man with a wry sense of humor, would come up with jokes at the most unexpected time. He put one on me during this meeting he was chairing. In his charming way he quelled my embarrassment telling me, "That's ok. I just wanted to say hello."

I talked to him during a break in the meeting. We were laughing as I explained to him the earlier incident. I jokingly asked him to get me already for his office. He said anytime. He could have gotten me a long time ago but my old boss who must be envious messed the whole thing up.

We went back to the meeting and continued to discuss the important matters on hand with the rest of the attendees hardly knowing that our revered top official would also give in to occasional bouts of absurdity. The meeting ran endlessly as I kept my student on stand-by. I was planning to take the afternoon off for the review class but that was not to happen. I was uncomfortable as it dragged on as I can not miss a make-up class I scheduled in the evening. I was relieved when the meeting ended a little past 5:00pm. I rushed to make it to my make-up class.....

PS: Meron na daw kaso ng H1N1 sa DLSU...... dahilan para suspendihin ng paaralan ang klase ng dalawang. Nakakatakot na yan ah. Malapit lapit na sa bahay at opisina yan. Kailangan ng pagmomonitor ng mga kaso at nadaragdagan na. Dapat din mag-ingat ang lahat at umiwas muna sa mga paglabas kung hindi rin lang mahalaga ang pakay. Kaso pasukan na sa isang linggo.... Paano kaya yan?