sushi-like lunch
Thursday, April 6th, 2006
He sat down in front of her, looked at her, and smiled. She did the same as usual, smiling back at him. He knew it was like a reflex, seeing her smile back at almost everyone, but then he loved her smile. There was nothing sweeter and nothing lovelier. He exhaled, wishing that she would keep smiling and that he could keep staring. Nevertheless, he knew that he had to look away. He shifted his eyes, looking at the menu that lay beside his left hand. He picked it up and raised it to read. He never ate Korean but since it was her that dragged him inside, he’d try it anyway. What the heck? He was with her, no matter how it would taste. There was one that looked like sushi and knowing that she loves Japanese, he chose it. He never ate sushi as well. He seldom tries foreign dishes since he taught that by keeping eating Filipino, he is patriotic. This was the first time he would eat using chopsticks inside a restaurant, not that he did not know how to, it was just that this was in a crowd and this was in front of her. This is the real thing. The deal was it didn’t matter because he’d eat anything in anyway to be with her. He looked around quickly trying to check what the environment was like. There were plenty of foreigners and since the place was Korean, he thought they were all. It was a fairly decent place, better than the usual cafeterias and restaurants he chooses when he is just with friends. He noticed that she was finished choosing. “So what will you have?” He asked. “This one,” she replied pointing to the menu. “And you?” “Same,” he said now looking at her eyes. Her eyes were a different story. It may be cliché but they were diamonds that sparkled in each movement. They were beautiful but every time they would look at him it was as if he was naked, bare down to his soul. It was as if they were reading in his eyes what the next word would be. It was as if there is no escape and his only surrender is to tell the truth plain and simple. He was not lying though when he said before his feelings but then the plain and simple truth would never be enough to win her. He knew that she had heard them all. He knew that he was nothing compared to those who have said those words to her. But then, at the back of his head, I’d never win the lottery until I buy a ticket. They had their order. They had their chat. They had their lunch and God it sucks. The sushi-like dish barely had a hint of tuna. It was like the ‘suman’ he craves for every time he went to his province. Only this time, there was no sugar and the stickiness he loved was not there. It was heavy in the tummy. He hated the sesame seeds in it. It was sipping of the flavor and the more he chew the more he hated Korean. Oh well, he kept eating anyway. It seemed to him that she liked it and so he tried to look like he did too as well. There were eleven pieces and when they were both down to four he stopped. He couldn’t keep pretending but his mouth was full and so he wasn’t able to scrutinize it. He offered her what was left. She ate just one. Sixty-five pesos thrown away and tomorrow flushed down to the toilet but it was all the worth for he was with her through the lunch.
