Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2002 00:40:50 +0800 From: Reggie Tangan Subject: JOY 3 J O Y by Reggie Tangan Disclaimer: all of the characters portrayed here are used fictitiously, and used for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to the characters and situations are purely coincidental. This story is for adults only; if you don't like sexual themes, please leave immediately. for reactions, critiques please send me an email at reggietangan@edsamail.com.ph or visit my website at http://www.reggietangan.cjb.net/joy ************************************ "Attack of the six foot tall ex-boyfriend" I soon found out that Stud has been sending me text messages in my 3315 Nokia cellphone, which I promptly replied, sporadically. Like, he sends me 'whats up' messages and other nonsense text messages anyone can think of. I don't know with that Stud, he seems to be more of a jerk than the jerk I knew before I met Paolo. And speaking of Paolo... "I guess that cool silvery pants was a hot seller at Tonj, right?" I told him, while leaning down on the counter in front. The reason I was there at Tonj was... "You're bored, aren't you?" Paolo looked at me and showed me his overly- empowering thousand watt smiles. More than I could handle. "Come on, my job sucks in the tabloid, I don't get enough showbiz stuff." And more on that, everything that I write gets smashed up by my overly-empowering boss-slash-editor, who makes a stunted growth more like Sunday school. "Tell me, Jethro, if you don't really want the job, then quit the job." He solemnly suggested, but hell no! I work at 'The View' for the money not the prestige of getting my articles published. Reasons why I kept my job perfectly fine is that I just do my job, and get paid for it. I don't know why I prefer to get paid and not for the job itself. I just don't know. "Hey heads up!" Paolo shouted, he threw out a black long-sleeved shirt and it made me look up to him and grab it, nice shirt. "Great, now I can change for later's thing at Acquario." I said. "Good, you can take off your shirt and wear it right now." He suggested. "You sure?" I gave him back a smile. "Sure na." He smiled back. A familiar game show tune popped in my head. Instantaneously, I moved back and slowly removed my shirt in front of him showing him my body sans the baby fat and all that things getting toned and all that. Immediately he covered his eyes. "Awww, come on, you've seen me half-naked." As I threw my shirt I removed from me. Paolo seemed to laugh hysterically about it. "Kidding, I did see you half-naked under harsh bedroom light." He sat down and smelled my shirt, "And yuck! You stink like a skunk!" "Hey I just bathed myself in fresh new Safeguard!" I shouted. "No you not!" I immediately jumped to the other side of the counter and gave him the dreaded... "No, not that, no!!!" Paolo screamed in terror. Nookie! *** Later that day I passed by Tower Records to check up on Alex, which is having a hard time sitting down since he ached his back doing so many ab reps. I keep telling Alex if he keeps on hardening his muscles, he'll look terribly huge and not toned average or something. "I'm just tired of looking small." He told me, and he was carrying a basketful of Avril Lavigne's new CD, 'Let Go.' "And that I'm not getting any younger." As he stumped the basket near the cd rack and started putting them in order. "Alex, I know you and Unattainable are having problems with the gym thing, don't you think you've had enough, well, muscling around?" I patted his back, and instaed of a solemn sigh, he gave out a growling... "Ouch! That hurts." "Sorry." Suddenly, my cellphone rang, but it wasn't a phone call, it was a text message. I dreaded it might be Stud. "Oh please, not him, not him." I started to cringe. "Not him? Oh no! Stud?" Alex looked at him, then he shook my arms. "Stop giving me ideas, it shouldn't be him." I calmed myself. Checking the phone, it was Stud all right, in all it's studly glory. yo wassup? things have been ok doug and i r having a dinner thing at my pad y wont u come? "What are you going to tell him?" Alex asked as he grabbed a peek from the text message Stud sent me. "Oh, please, I'm not really the snobby type, I'll just text him back that I can't come to his dinner party with this Doug guy." "And you eventually come, right?" Alex placed his hand on my shoulder. "Maybe, you know, memories or something." Then I started thumbing my way from Stud's message. hey maybe i can come but i have pretty vague plans at the moment but ill try jethro :-) I reminded myself that Stud was my first ever boyfriend, serious boyfriend to be exact. The rest of the guys did like Stud and all his shenanigans in his sleeve. It made me think, is Stud a reminder of my past that I should avoid or look forward to. "Come on, give him a holler, at least he has the guts to tell you that he is doing well the 'thing.'" Alex finally responded, then a second passed, he was called up to help a customer who was in bent in looking for that Britney Spears' album. "Now I'm stronger..." I sang off, leaving Tower Records. *** Travis was on his en route to Southland to Shangri-La mall to dine at CPK, he has date with, guess what? The Bookstore Guy, a.k.a. the guy who works at Page One at Rockwell, a.k.a. the guy who grabbed Travis' taxi cab in Makati. Travis managed to sneak in his impromptu date with Bookstore Guy amidst his busy schedule and mostly his time off with his current prospect D.O. Which will eventually fizzle in a couple of weeks, or days so the least. "I tell you, if the date is totally impromptu, I guess the guy is very into you, really." He said. Travis and I were conversing each other on our perspective cellphones. I, myself was having lunch at Burger King, as instead of those fancy restaurants around Ayala Center, I just was looking forward to a nice burger and fries and a bottomless drink. "Don't tell me Bookstore Guy wanted another shot?" I asked. "Maybe, but I'm all for the juggling." Travis replied. "Jeez, you're so evil." I told him, scratching my head in utter disgust. But I didn't fee like throwing up my BK Delight. "Sister, you got it all wrong." "What do you mean?" Travis was talking about the abstract possibility of juggling, which made him into a one-man-circus-act, and loving it. He was good at juggling, and I tell you with his juggling I've never seen so many guys cry over him as if he was a demi-god. It's like a whole ticket line to watch him do tricks and only to leave them intrigued and more interested in him. Circus act or a Strip Club act? Wait, now I'm confused. Later on, Travis and Bookstore Guy had their frou-frou at CPK, talked for a while and stuff like that. I liked Bookstore Guy when Travis first introduced us before in Fidel a couple of weeks ago. Travis though a prospect from the books department was nice until he was bored off from Bookstore Guy's stories about books that reminded Travis of his horrific days in high school. "So what made you call me again?" Travis asked the poor guy. "Not that thing that made me crazy for you that is." He replied. "Oh please, don't flatter me." Travis smiled a bit, knowing Bookstore Guy doesn't even have a chance at getting Travis back, even for a small yet memorable encounter. Looking at the menu the waiter gave them at the table, Travis couldn't believe the rates of the food being served at CPK, he even thought Bookstore Guy can't afford to pay the date. "Ok, so why do they charge 200 bucks for a half a pizza?" As Travis wanted to complain to the management why their rates are so high, as for the poor Bookstore Guy, he covered his face with the menu to hide from the embarassment Travis was starting, but he was once in a while giggling to what Travis was hollering about. "I guess the reason why the rates are high, because the waiters are really hot!" Bookstore Guy answered, and because of that Travis laughed as he noticed and yes, the waiters here in CPK are really hot. Remind me to eat at CPK sometime. Going on, instead of talking about the possiblity of another hook-up Travis and Bookstore Guy talked about men and how they wanted to make out with them in the most creative ways, exchanging sex tactics and techniques. Not only Travis found that Bookstore Guy knows about great sex, he found himself a total mirror image of himself. *** "So dripping the guy with chocolate syrup works?" Alex asked. "Yeah. That's what Bookstore Guy told me." Travis said. "Oh please can we talk about sex without sounding like breakfast?" I pleaded, and thought chocolate could be a great sex-slash-kinky thing and not only as an aphrodisiac. *** Later that afternoon, six -ish, I was getting ready for another dinner thing with Paolo. He said he's going to bring me somewhere special for that special night somewhere around town. I know the place he's going to take me. "Oakwood?" "Sorry. I'm taking you to Kitchen." As he parked his car near Greenbelt One in Ayala. He told me that he never had a chance to eat there and since he closed the store early for tonight just for us, I couldn't help but live the moment. Why? I've been a regular customer at Kitchen. Seeing again the Japanese inspired tables, a wide-open kitchen and pretty cute waiters I was in for another treat, and instead of paying up for dinner, Paolo wanted to pay-up even though I was getting a higher salary than him. Getting there we are a bit pissed off, the table guy didn't give us our seat, the table next to us were rowdy, and most of all, the candle that was giving off that intimate scent was already used up. "Next time, you let me do the talking," I reminded Paolo, "And then, I'm having a wonderful time with you." I smiled. But Paolo wants to eat exactly the same thing I was eating so we just end up having twin dinners. "Do you mind?" "No, I don't mind," I say, in a ridiculous baby voice we seem yo use with each other practically most of the time when we eat. It's like a new definition of playing with our food. "Me too tired to care." "Me too tired too," Paolo says, in the baby voice. His elnow brushes up against mine. Then jabs me with it. "Beep beep," he says. "Hey!" I said. "Here's the line. Don't cross it." "Sudden death," Paolo growls, leaning over and spearing my seafood pasta with his fork. "I'll give you sudden death," I said. "C'mon, hit me," he challenged me, and I punch him in the arm and laughs. "Here you two are." We turn around and Stud is standing there alone. "I thought you guys might be here," he said. Paolo asks, "Excuse me, but do we know you?" "It's me!" Stud moved towards me, "I didn't know you're seeing someone." "Hey, what up," I greeted Stud, Paolo just looked, "Oh, Paolo, meet..." With one sudden moment, the waiter bumps on Stud and some water sloshed on Stud's clothes. "Sorry, sir!" The dumb waiter immediately gets a cloth to wipe off the remaining water, and with one moment Stud felt he was out of place. "Please, where's the nearest Comfort Room?" Stud asked the waiter, "Jet, and you, yes, the friend, nice meeting you." He left and the dumb waiter accompanied the already wet Stud in all his studly glory. "Who was that?" "Just nothing," I said, as I continued to eat my seafood pasta, after chewing I continued to talk, "My ex-boyfriend." "Jeez, talk about bad timing." "You know what? Let's skidaddle out of here." I begged, to avoid further embarassment from Stud. "What about the pasta?" "Take out, just ask the waiter for a doggie bag or something." "And the bill?" "I'll take care of it, and next time," I concluded, "Please take me to somewhere less accident prone." *** I can't take it, I thought, waking up the next morning. I was lying down on bed with Paolo who was still asleep, I laid my arm around him waiting for his eyes to open up and see him. Like, I thought, I've seen the promised land, and I like what I see. Slowly, Paolo's eyes started to open. Then I start to cry. "Jethro, calm down. Calm down." Paolo orders. I roll over, and my face is getting grotesque, blocky mask. "You're going to be okay. I have to go open up the store, it's almost eleven. Right now. You're keeping me from work." "Can you help me?" I ask. "No," he says, sliding up another of his cool shirts, this time he wore this black chino and layered it with a white Gerber shirt he got from my closet. "You have to help yourself. Figure it out." Sheepishly, I put my head under the covers, still crying. "Call me in a couple of hours," he says, then walks out of the room. Goodbye. Two minutes later, he comes back. "I forgot my vanity case," he says, watching me as he crosses the room. I'm quiet now. "Goodbye." he says. "Goodbye. Goodbye." I'm telling the guys. I haven't totally broke up with Stud. *** "What!?" Travis' eyes opened in complete shock. "You haven't, I mean never, like, totally..." His hands started to shake nervously, and he was still looking at me. Travis and I were at this new bar, Mamma, having cocktails with a bunch of people I don't really know, including the new "It" boy, Ra. The bar has about two floors, and really cool tables, and it's overbooked, so everyone stands on the sidewalk. Someone keeps bringing bottles of wine outside. Pretty soon there's a party on the street. "You and Stud still seeing each other?" Travis dryly asks. "No, and yes in a way." I told him vaguely. "I was afraid you'd still carry emotional baggage from that jerk," he responded, and he waved his hand towards the waiter to get him a double vodka tonic, "If I don't vodka, I'll be out of my mind, thanks to you." "Sometimes I get so distracted by him," I say. "My thoughts gets so very scattered in my head. It's jumbled and it doesn't make sense." "What's distracting you now?" Travis asked. "Stud, and your nose." "Thanks a lot. I hate my nose," he says. "Dear, what is keeping you from getting into him?" "I don't know I guess its the residue." I told him. Travis seemed to nod in agreement. The residue that I was talking about, well, its a bit hard to explain but I'll try my best. Stud, getting older by the minute, still possessed a residue of what he was before: charming, amusing, handsome and I fell in love with the residue, up until now. We spent one night a week talking about stars, books, and a cool one year, even though we never actually had sex. Things might have been different if we were like together. *** Later then, Alex was bump 'n grindin' at Club Mint/Babylon. A third guy was with them. He was dark and he was wearing a thin, white, button down shirt in khakis; Alex could tell that the guy had a great body. He seemed shy, and Alex began flirting with him. He'd just gotten his hair cut, and he kept brushing is gel-coated hair and looked at him while sipping a glass of double vodka tonic. The Guy was supposed to go to some guy's birthday party at a loft in San Juan, he asked Alex to go with him. They walked. Alex kept giggling and bumping into the guy, and at one point he put his arm around Alex. "How old are you?" He asked. "Twenty-four." "Perfect age," he said. "Perfect? For what?" Alex asked. "Me," he said. "How old are you?" Alex asked. "Twenty-six," he said. Lying. The party was crowded. Crates of San Mig Light scattered on the flooor, vodka tonic on the makeshirt bar, potato chips all over the couch. Alex wanted to leave because the party felt like a frat party. Not that he doesn't like the hordes of young men and their girls, grinding all over the place. He just felt a bit out of place. "You sure, you're up for it?" Alex asked the Guy. "Yeah. I have a room upstairs. We could talk." "Sorry, not tonight." "Why?" "I have a thing for gay men," Alex said. "Are you?" "No, I'm not." He said. "Hey. I'm not here to give some wham-banging sex for you." "Come on," as he started to kiss Alex, it was moist but not intense. Alex retracted, not wanting another advancement from the Guy. "Stop it!" "Come on, baby..." "Don't call me baby, bastard!" Alex stood up and fixed his shirt up and stormed out of the loft in San Juan. He later returned to Club Mint/Babylon. Paolo, Travis and I were waiting outside, hoping to contact him. *** "Bastard!" Alex murmured, but it was audible for us to hear. "What about that? I haven't seen Alex that mad." Travis said, he was smoking and eating squid balls. "Trav! Obviously, Alex has a reason why he's angry." I looked at Alex, he was calm a bit, "Alex. What happened?" Alex later told us that the guy he was flirting with was straight as an aroow. He was there loooking for a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am-session, and Alex was supposedly being the victim. I realized there are some straight men looking out for gay men who are up for the sex. Not that they are curious about gay sex, they were all up for the sexual gratification, all the point of view of being on top. Thinking we the men who have sex lose nothing as to against the girls. Well, fuck all of you sex-crazed freaks. I tell you not all gay men are promiscuous. *** With everyone's help, Alex calmed down and forgot the whole straight-guy gay guy thing in San Juan. Alex continued to bump and grind every guy he sees fit to hang out with. While dancing, he felt someone bumped into him and passed him. Alex looked and gasped. "Trav! See that guy over there?" Alex pointed out the familiar guy with gel-coated hair and with that familiar smile perched across his face. "Oh my God! It's D.O.!" Travis exclaimed. It was D.O. all right. He was alone in the bar. With that kind of cool temptation, Travis approached the old flame and shook arms with him. Travis was smiling again. Paolo and I remained outside, we were sitting at those outdoor tables at Sonata. We talked about my ex-boyfriend, Stud. "I guess I wasn't that honest." I said, apologetically. "No, you weren't. But that doesn't convince me you're unfaithful." Paolo said, as he place his arm around my shoulder. "Thanks." So once and again another issue, another dollar. The attack is over and the residue has dried up. I was looking forward to another day with my boo Paolo. Things werer about to end until... "Okay, who's calling me in the middle of the night." I said. Then I got hold of my cellphone. Paolo who noticed the ring, frowned, jokingly. "Ewww!!! It's Nathan, my brother." To be continued... ************************************ for reactions, critiques please send me an email at reggietangan@edsamail.com.ph or visit my website at http://www.reggietangan.cjb.net/joy