But why not coffee? Why not chocolate?
Coffee is cruel to me, although I love it. And chocolates... Hmmm... I would have loved to name this "a Moment for Chocolate" but it sounds so indulgent. It is the gentle notes of tea that have truly made the most impact on my memories.
If you have been one of my pioneer readers, I mentioned that I got the idea from that one time when I was drinking tea while writing a paper for class. My essay was on Noli Me Tangere and the role of women in an oppressive government and an even more oppressive religious system. (Hehehe... there's a feminist of some extent in all of us.) Then I started to address passion being a virtue and eventually wrote my first work on my personal Facebook. The point was that we are constantly being pursued by the most passionate person in History whose thoughts about us are as "countless as the sand on the seashore." That was a beautiful, I thought...
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| Actually essay time Fall semester 2010. |
Many of the fondest times of my life were shared over cups of tea.
I remember acquiring the taste for that bitter liquid when my mother would make honey-lemon cups of it when I was ill. Mother had a type of tea for any ailment. It's funny yet amazing! Chamomile to soothe sleeplessness. Black tea for a pick-me-up. Pomegranate for UTI. Ginger to comfort an irritated throat. Mother and tea make sweet memories in my heart.
♥♥♥
Another moment for tea was making some for sick friends. Just like how Mother made it: honey-lemon black tea, with a hint of ginger. I would make it perfectly. : ) My friend tried to make some for herself, but I was the only one who could make it just right. She said so. ^__^
♥♥♥
One of the most memorable moments for tea I've ever had happened this past summer break. Summer was fading away and was being quickly replaced by the gloomy rain clouds of fall. Work would begin a couple of weeks later. It was a cold morning. I could not sleep the night before so I got up early to pray and start my chores. By the time he arrived, it was eight o'clock- too early for most cafes to be open. But he persisted until we came upon a small, yet lovely one, tucked in the heart of Hågatña. The warmth of the cup felt good on my fingers. Green tea for me and vanilla for him. He was friendly to the barista and even tipped him.
The bricks and the cement of the sidewalk glimmered from the downpour of the night before. And we walked. And we talked. Comfortable enough because we were friends. And awkward still because we were friends... It went on as such for a few more minutes until he brought up the topic. He began by complimenting me.
"You're an amazing woman," he mentioned and those words burned into my head.
"But..." he went on. "But... I don't want to ruin this friendship. I just want to stay as friends."
Mustering a wide grin and a puzzled look. "That's exactly what I want!" I blurted out.
Rewind back a few seconds before he dropped the bomb on me, my honest feelings were of nervousness. I knew what he was going to say. And I was also scared because I was not ready, not ready at all, for anything more. But what can of worms did I just open? So of course, there was a twang of pain. Because no matter what wise decisions I wanted to follow, my heart was on the line. Put simply: a rejection is a rejection. Hehehe...
Forward after the words that exploded out of my mouth like Old Faithful, it was his turn to look puzzled. "I just didn't want to lead you on..." Under his breath but I heard, "I guess I was the one being led on..."
The morning walk continued pleasantly where we talked about politics and God and job applications and ants in cereal. It was nice. He said so, too.
The first and the best rejection "date" I've ever had. Haha!
Well, thankfully, our friendship was not ruined. It's a little different. I got to know this person more and found he really is a kind person. Moody, yes. Does things without needing the recognition of others. But hard to read... needs a lot of digging. Awkward still sometimes.
Once you open a can of worms, you cannot close it to the way it was before. But ah... now we can go fishing. ^____^
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