A/N: For the full experience (naks), please visit http://bahalana.net
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"Menggay, ano'ng dream schedule mo this month?"
"Nako ha, ayoko nang isipin sa totoo lang. Kahit naman anong bid ko, ang ending lagi, layovers from heeellll. Paabot nga ng hairpin."
London. Tokyo. New York. Seoul. Nung bago pa lang akong FA, I was over the moon. Travelling to places I've never been to before, discovering the city, eating froyo in little neighborhood shops, what's not to like?
Well, let me count the birthday parties I've missed, the amount of sleeping pills in my system, the mornings when I just have to get up and swallow all the hurt I feel inside because it's freaking time to smile.
Sabagay, ganun naman lagi diba? All new things are like snow globes. Gandang tingnan from the outside - the snow gently sparkling down like stars kissing the treetops - pero try mong pumasok sa loob, tingnan na lang natin kung di ka masuffocate.
"Alam mo kung bakit laging pangit nakukuha mong schedule, Meng? Ang nega mo eh."
"Sabihin mo dinidikitan ako ng malas dahil yung bestfriend ko may balat sa pwet."
Buti na lang rin at may mga breath of fresh air kahit paano. I met Marie during FA training. Imagine a room full of ladies all made up, smiling at each other kahit alam mong naghuhusgahan na yang mga yan kung sino ang mas maganda. Marie is different. Parang hindi nya alam na maganda siya. Kung dapat umarte ayon sa ganda, hindi nakatanggap ng memo tong si Maryot. Which is probably why we clicked. Hindi sa sinasabi kong maganda ako, I guess my point is just that... we're weird together.
"Hello? Kung malas ako, wala ka dapat sa flight na ito! Walang layover from hell basta andyan si Captain Richard... Faulkerson... Jr! Ooooohhhhh ma-imagine ko lang ang mga biceps nyang nagpupumiglas from his uniform, para na rin akong nasa clouds!"
Ha, baliw talaga 'to forever.
"Pang-ilan na ba siya sa hitlist mo?"
"Excuse me?! Kung maka-hitlist ka naman dyan. #4, bakit? Up na sya from #7 kasi nginitian nya ko nung company partyyyy!!!!"
"Gaga! Lahat naman nginingitian nun. Umayos ka nga."
"Alam mo Meng, di ka lang masungit eh, plastic ka pa. Tingnan mo ko sa mata. Tingnan mo ko sa mata!"
"Ano?"
"Pantay ba yung eyeliner ko?"
"Hambalos gusto mo? Oo, pantay!"
"Okay, thanks. De joke lang.. Ito na, game, tingnan mo ko sa mata! Bilis! Totoo na to! At sabihin mong hindi cute si RFJ. Sabihin mo!"
RFJ? Yeah, he caught my eye. Tall, dimpled and handsome. Popular with the girls, pero walang girlfriend. Nice, smart and driven. Laging sinasbi ni Maryot na nag-iinarte lang ako, na baka deep inside ang gusto kong storya yung mai-inlove yung lalaki sa bestfriend nung bida, sabay bawi na syempre sya daw yung bida, kaya nasa kanya pa rin ang huling halakhak.
Yes, I'm a romance novel junkie and I absolutely bawl over Nicholas Sparks, but you see, I'm a bit of a realist. I know how to separate fiction from reality. And reality always bites you in the ass. Hard. Hm, maybe hindi pala realist, siguro more of a pessimist. Yung pessimist na umaasa pa rin. May ganun ba?
Whatevs. I'm just too jaded to care about romance right now. I have my freaking sanity to worry about.
"Fine, fine. Gwapo siya. But he seems boring. I can't stand boring guys, alam mo yan. Real talk, I'd rather have someone to talk to than someone to stare at."
"Dude, chill, pano mo naman nalaman na boring yung tao?"
"Dude, sabi ni Lea nag-audition daw yan sa PBB dati, pero hindi natanggap, siguro dahil masyado syang straight edge. Eye candy nga pero walang makalkal na ganap. Ayoko nga ng lalaking walang gagawin saking masama."
"Ayan! Ayan tayo eh! De lumabas din ang tunay mong kulay! Welcome back, Menggay I missed you! Hahaha!"
"Naman, hashtag truth."
"At hashtag truth din na hindi ka nakuha sa PBB. Wag kang ano. Kung makapagjudge to, Judge MD?"
"Bait mo talaga friend! Pakibalik na lang kaya yung lipstick ko no?"
"Ha? E diba regalo mo na sa akin si Ruby Woo? Hahahaha! O, o, ingat sa hair ko, 41 years kong inayos yan. Basta, bahala ka, if you don't want a slice of my RFJ pie, de wag. Dahil ako, alam kong hindi siya boring sa gabi."
What the actual...
"GAGA KA! Teka lang ha! Wag mong sabihing!"
It's not uncommon for pilots and FAs to well, hook up, as the (urban) legend goes. It's a lonely life. Always away from family, far from the company of friends, we're each other's familiar faces in unfamiliar worlds. I've had my fair share of brushes with hookups, but it's just not my cup of tea. Siguro nga, deep inside, I'm a hopeless romantic in denial.
"Charot! Charot lang! Pero malay mo today is the day."
"Ah ganun ah, sige lang, excited na rin akong kurutin yang singit mo pag isang araw tatakbo ka sakin at sasabihing Menggay! Huhuhu! Akala ko mahal nya ako!"
"Sorry Meng, pero si RFJ ang kukurot sa singit ko later sa Paris."
"Hahaha baliw ka talaga. Pag nangyari yun, talagang may himala. Tara na nga."
I tidied up my make-up kit and sighed.
FA life. I've been mulling over the thought of taking a break. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel. But lately I just can't shake this... disenchantment off. When we walk down the hallway, trolleys in tow, the stares feel oddly familiar, but also kinda unsettling. Like there's this nagging feeling that in another life, I'm someone else. Hay, Menggay, you're a mess. You have a lot of sorting out to do.
"Hello po, Ms. Marie."
"Sir Ty??? Oh my God! Don't tell me last minute change? Long time no see!"
First Officer Ty Cariño, as of last update, hitlist rank #2. Etong si Maryot kung umalembong, akala mo walang pumipila sa kanya.
"Hi." An unfamiliar voice startled my thoughts. "You look really familiar pero pasensya ka na ha, hindi ko matandaan ang name mo. Nagkasama na ba tayo sa flight dati?"
Captain Richard Faulkerson Jr., or as I'd like to call him para asarin si Marie, Father RFJ.
"Hindi pa, Sir." Pero sa mga kwento pa lang ng sangka-FA-han, parang nakasama na rin.
"Richard nga pala." He offered his hand.
"Maine."
"Nice to meet you, Maine. Looking forward to working with you."