The B-Side

Chapter 8: Agile

I left the hotel with Neil still snoring softly. He fell asleep while we were playing Word Search, the traditional style. On the way home, we dropped by a 24-hour grocery store and he pointed out the word search book to me. We bought it, and we have solved about twenty puzzles before he succumbed to sleep. I enjoyed drawing on his abdomen while he was asleep, I tell you. I hope he would find my Spongebob, Tom & Jerry, and Pikachu eyebrow pencil artwork on his tummy amusing.

Unconsciously, my hand touched the ring around my neck. Commitment. Promise. Union. Engagement. Heavy words, I know, but it didn't bother me. To be honest, I had a dream last night, and it was one of the best dreams I ever had.

In my dream, I was with Neil. With Neil. We were at this bench, his arm around my shoulder, watching two beautiful kids running around the park as they played with a kite shaped like a teddy bear. I think those were my kids. Our kids.

I have a feeling it was my subconscious telling me what I needed to know.

It was pretty tough to go back to reality after the wonderful weekend that Neil and I had in Singapore. Singapore had always been a nice place for me-it was where Nate, Marc, Andy and I had our first out-of-the-country trip, and it was where one of my TV series became a huge hit.

And now Neil.

Epic.

And I am in dire need of a plan to make this day epic for him too.

PRESS PLAY.

When I was in college, I used to watch One Tree Hill and I can totally relate with both Brooke and Peyton. Brooke primarily because she was misunderstood, never really loved by the guys that she loved, and always left behind. Peyton maybe because of the artist in me.

But I want Haley's love story with Nathan. They're the IT couple, don't you think? I want their love story. (Please tell me you know what I'm talking about.)

Anyway, I need to get to my point (the first part is just blah) before I leave for my meeting, which is thirty minutes. When I was in college, I was assigned to a non-profit organization for my internship. This non-profit organization caters to kids and how to make their lives better. What this organization does is that it asks people to "sponsor" the children, paying less than P1000 a month per child. They pool the money that the sponsors give and put it in developing the communities where these children live-because they believe that they shouldn't just help the child and his/her family, but also where the community where they are living so that it is more sustainable in the long run. I think they called it sustainable development.

To date, I am sponsoring five kids from this organization, and I am planning to get more in the next months.

I remembered you when I was thinking about this. Your items 327-I love kids. And I want hundreds of them it were only possible-and 222-I want to be remembered as someone who touched lives of other people.-told me that... we needed to do our next task already.

Meet me at the plaza-sorry, I am in love with that place-at 3PM later.

Item 243 in the notebook that Neil gave me said: I don't celebrate my birthday.

I remember asking Neil about this, but he would just shake his head, tell me that it wasn't that important, and I want to sock him on the head. You don't celebrate your birthday, and it wasn't important?

There has to be a deep reason why he didn't like celebrating his birthday. So I researched Noah Haston and came up with just one hit. Thankfully, he didn't have issues on privacy and has his page open to friends of friends of friends (apparently one of the writers I met in the States a few years back, Lorena, is friends with this certain Michael Arabela who is friends with Noah). His birthday was listed as today: April 17 (no year).