I am Mae German. 34 years old. Born in Mangatarem, province of Pangasinan. I was taught and trained by 
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Some-Kinda-Blog-Stop [Mervin] Chapter 1
Some-Kinda-Blog-Stop [Mervin] Chapter 1 | [Mervin] Chapter 1 |
| Friday, 02 January 2009 | |
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I am a writer and this is one of my stories... ~~~ 1 ~~~
He's not supposed to be starving and he's not supposed to be salivating over the food of a child eating inside McDonald's. How come he feels deprived of so many things when their living status is far from being poor? Not so many years ago, I saw this young boy in the streets of Manila. He looked refined for a street kid. He was playing with his friends, a game that they call, Chato. I knew it was that game because he was shouting "Chaaaaaato!" while he was running as fast as he could back to a small hole on the ground where another boy has successfully hit a short stick with a longer one. Discreetly, I was smiling as I remember playing that same game with my cousins and my grade school friends in my hometown. That was the first time that I saw him and which in turn, was never the last. He and his group of young boys and girls would be seen playing in the middle of the street where I would usually walk through to get to my apartment. And I've seen him not just once or twice, but many times, sitting in front of a fast-food chain at a specific time each day. His name is Mervin and I got to know him more when one time I have decided to date someone that I would choose randomly from a crowd. Only that time, I knew it was him who I'd choose. So I sat by the window where he would usually stand outside and watch people take a bite of their Big Mac burgers. That scene has left me wondering what he was thinking about or what he was imagining while watching a kid take a huge bite of their juicy meal. That same scene would send a prickly sensation to my heart. Tok.Tok... I tapped on the glass window to call his attention. I have ordered two cheeseburgers, a plate of spaghetti with a piece of chicken, some fries, two glasses of soda, a plain vanilla sundae and another one with caramel toppings. I knew he'd be outside doing the usual "waiting" until the guard would shoo him away or until some people with a kind heart would go out and hand him their left-overs. The latter would be his lucky days. With a look of both astonishment and pleading, he stared at me, not sure if he was the one I was calling or someone from the crowd behind him. "Yes, you!" I smiled, nodded my head, and pointed at him. He turned his head. To his left, to his right, and then he turned around confused if I was talking to someone other than him. I was laughing while waiting for him to turn to me again. A glass window in between us. The guy from the other table was staring at me. I didn't actually care what was on his mind. I was concentrating on my task for the day. "You, get inside and join me here." I tried to say the words slowly so the kid would be able to read my lips. Pointed at him and pointed at the empty chair in front of me. He clasped his hands together and smiled a smile that was more like a mirth, a grin of excitement. Finally, he got my point. I was probably as excited as he was. At the same time I was scared. I don't really know the boy. What if someone's looking after him? A gangster? A hoodlum? Uhh... a serial killer? Without consideration, I dismissed all negative thoughts and focused on "our moment". It was a date that I will never ever forget. Something that I don't want to be erased in my memory. "Hello," the boy looked at me in the eye and I felt that there was an embarrassment on his side. "Am I the one you're asking for?", he asked. His cheeks have turned red. I laughed and that may have given him the hint that he'll be all right with me. That has probably convinced him that I was harmless and that I don't devour children for a meal. "Yes, you're the one. Join me in my meal." I told him as I gave him a sign to take the seat in front of me. "Don't worry. There's no poison in there," I was pointing at the food, "if there is, we could sue the restaurant." By then he was all smiling and was comfortable on his seat. I saw him fix his hair and straighten his old but clean blue shirt that says, "Vote for...", oh, never mind the politician. But judging by that promotional election give-away, his shirt was more than half a decade ago. No wonder the color has faded already, yet the size is still big for him. "My name is Mae. What's yours?" He was staring at the food then at me as I went on with our conversation. "We'll both have a cheeseburger and a soda. You take all the fries, and the spaghetti with chicken, and..." I was arranging the food on the table for us to have more space, "... what would you like? A plain sundae? Or the one with the toppings?" "This one," he pointed to the sundae with the toppings. I was relieved. I would take whichever but I like the plain sundae better. "Good choice. Now, let's dive in to our food. I am starving!" I said, giving him the go-signal to enjoy his meal. >> Chapter 2 |
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