a sticky tale

SM noticed I was getting ready to get out of the car.

"You're coming with me?" she asked. I don't usually escort her inside the store when it comes to detour-for-an-errand.

I usually stay inside the car. When I want something from the store, I'd mention it to her. Sometimes, before she alights, she'd stick her hand out to me and say, "Wallet."

We were at the Olive's parking lot outside the Mercury Drugstore. That day, she didn't anticipate my decision to walk inside the store with her. Actually, neither did I. The truth is, I wanted to get out of the car to stare at the window display of the Hobby Shop adjacent to the drugstore.

Well, you know how it is when we make bullet-speed nods, right at the very moment when your eyes are locked at something really cool, like the toy RC chopper in that Hobby Shop that seemed to call out to me.

I pointed, mentioned it to her, but she wasn't interested. Next thing I knew, I was twisting my head, making last looks at the toy in the window.

Inside the drugstore, I stood next to her quietly. I waited until she was done.

ME: Got change? I ran out of Orbit?

SM: Kaya ka pala sumama eh.

ME: Pwede? (smiles)

SM: Sure.

I heart Orbit gum only because it's sugarfree.

And besides, it took my mind off that RC chopper for a while.

* * *

The first gum I chewed came from a yellow thin box labeled Chicklet. My teenage cousin from Bacolod came for a visit. He carried me up and was telling something cute about me I guess, but I didn't pay attention. His constant chewing distracted me. The very first thing I said to him was this: What's that? Pahingi.

He smiled, put me down and, perhaps, as a sort of peace token, handed me a box of Chicklet. I took one, handed the box back and left without saying thanks. It was a bratty gesture from a kid who owned the turf. Blood related or not, he was still a new face in my planet.

Here's another sticky anecdote.

There was a birthday party for kids in the neighborhood. (I don't think I knew all of the kids in that party but there were a few familiar faces. My nanny never really let me out of the house to play with other kids unless she knew the nannies of those kids.)

At that party, one girl was surrounded by the other kids. Curious as to what was going on, I joined the swarm. This girl was asked by one of the kids to open her mouth. She was chewing a gum. But there was something else inside her mouth.

It was a fly.

As to how the fly got in there, I'll never know.

And here's another anecdote.

Once I slept on the couch with a gum in my mouth. When I woke up, the gum was on my hair. As to how that happened, again, I'll never know.

My quick-thinking nanny took out the baby oil to free my hair. Of course, she scolded me at the same time.

* * *

kids should know that...

Early chewing gums were marketed partly as paliatives, using ingredients and flavors that people accepted as folk remedies: licorice to soothe the throat; clove for toothache; spearmint to settle the stomach and relieve bad breath. (wikipedia)

creative intimacy

Last night, as SM cuddled, I asked if she could be my ice cream cone.

That was after I told her that she's my noodle in my chicken soup.

ME: You're my noodle in my chicken soup.

SM: Why noodle?

ME: Because the noodle makes the chicken soup better to eat when I'm sick.

That was also after I attempted to be insignificant for a few seconds.

We were on the bed. She tucked me under the comforter while I was watching a Britney movie on cable.

And then she laid her head high up on a bunch of soft pillows. I possessed her left arm with my head. We stayed like this as we watched the movie.

I felt so small. So tiny. So insignificant.

My head started to slide down from her arm to the mattress gradually. I did this voluntarily. My peripheral vision was watching her, not wanting to be noticed.You cannot imagine the pains of doing so.

But,the big girl that she is, she did notice and pulled a fast one on me.

"Why?"

I felt a bit spooked when she suddenly asked me.

I looked up at her, shrugged and tried to cover my chuckle.

At that point, she realized I was playing with her so she laughed. But her attention didn't last. She quickly turned back her attention to Britney.

"Can I hug?"

She answered, "Yes."

I immediately pounced on her and enveloped her in my arms. I hugged her so tightly and rested my left cheek on the left side of her face.

She still didn't budge from watching Britney.

I stared at her forehead. All this time,I was being very quiet, which probably got the attention I'd been craving for.

But she started to panic, let out small screams.

My response to that was this.

I slowly unleashed my tongue and gently placed its tip on her forehead. She squirmed, short of freaking out. She warned me not to lick any part of her face.

"Try not to melt -- or else back!"

I shifted my weight and abandoned her body as a cushion. I decided to stare at her ear lobe.

One...two... five seconds...

I looked at the skin of her lobe. My mind imagined that on its surface, there was a tiny out-of-this-world space rover driving on it.

...seven...eight seconds...

I stared at the skin of her left cheek. Aha! There was a perfect spot to land a moonlight's kiss.

Two-second kiss.

She felt that and had me on a tight embrace.

Yea, yea. She liked that.

* * *

kids should know that...

The forms of physical intimacy, in order of increasing degree of intimacy (but not necessarily in order of increasing enjoyment), with each form generally including those preceding it, are: physical closeness, touching (especially tenderly), touching intimate parts (including outercourse), and sexual penetration. (wikipedia)

not my morning

This isn't exactly my morning.

SM said we're going down to the drugstore to buy my meds. I'm coming down with something.

It feels like there's a cotton ball stuck up my sinuses.

Well, that does it. I can't go out and play.

I don't think it's the flu. My temp hasn't bordered 38 since last night but my skin is sensitive. Muscles don't feel good too.

You should hear my voice. Rufus seemed to wonder whether I swallowed a tuba. I thought I heard that dog snicker like Muttley.

Anyway, she put the fresh mangoes in the freezer. She said she'll make mangoes with cream in awhile.

Yea, yea. I love her.

She takes care of me... with or without the cotton ball up my sinuses.

* * *

kids should know that...

Chronic sinusitis is a complicated spectrum of diseases that share chronic inflammation of the sinuses in common. The causes are multifactorial and may include allergy, environmental factors such as dust or pollution, bacterial infection, and/or fungus (either allergic, infective or reactive). (wikipedia)

wherever

I'm on my cloud, heading to a new playground.

Let's say, I'm pedalling backwards and I 'm not even looking where I'm going.

"Keep your eyes on the road," SM might remind me. She's like that, you know. Always on her toes when it comes to my welfare.

And so I pretend. I hear her in my mind.

No matter how hard I try to pedal faster, SM gives me that... that look. And so I'd have to forget it. I'm cool about that.

Maybe I'd let her walk beside me while I'm pedalling, not only because she'd be right that something might bump me off my cloud. If she has to be here to wherever, I might as well keep my speed, or should I say, pace right.

I can be ridiculous, cocky, a big show off, grumpy, hurt my chin or scrape my knees in the middle of this journey. But I'm going to enjoy it. I know that much about myself.

I'm confident about it.

Yea. I still have my back on the road.

So what? I got side mirrors and that little round ting-ting bell on the handle bar.

* * *

kids should know that...

In most places, bicycles must have functioning front and rear lights, or lamps, when ridden after dark. As some generator or dynamo-driven lamps only operate while moving, rear reflectors are frequently also mandatory. Since a moving bicycle makes very little noise, in many countries bicycles must have a warning bell for use when approaching pedestrians, equestrians and other bicyclists. (wikipedia)