Chapter 7
“Ersel,” a familiar voice called out from behind Ersel, startling him. It was Van.
Ersel turned his head and, while looking directly at Van’s eyes, said, “Van.”
“What’s wrong, man?” Van asked with a worried look on his face. “You seemed to be really deep in thought just now.”
“Oh...w-well...it’s nothing you have to be concerned about,” Ersel replied while feeling a little bit of awkwardness.
“Okay, man,” Van replied although he still seemed to be unconvinced with Ersel’s answer. “But would you mind telling me what happened?”
“But Van, I-I…” Ersel uttered while his voice was quivering and his eyes were looking at the concrete.
“Ersel,” Van said seriously, interrupting Ersel’s speech and making the latter look directly at the former’s eyes. “I’m your friend. You can trust me.” Then Ersel became silent and looked at the concrete again for a few moments before Van said, “Actually, I heard you and that guy talking to each other.”
Upon hearing Van’s words, Ersel was astonished and looked at Van’s eyes directly again.
“R-Really?” Ersel asked with his eyes wide in astonishment. “What did you hear?”
“I heard starting from the point that you asked him if he was your childhood friend Lino,” Van replied while wearing a serious facial expression.
“I see,” Ersel replied without looking directly at Van’s eyes.
“How sure are you that that guy is your best friend?” Van asked with a serious expression on his face.
“I’m about...90% sure that it’s him,” Ersel replied seriously while looking directly at Van’s eyes.
“What makes you think that it’s him?” Van asked seriously and curiously
“That guy looks a lot like my childhood friend, and he has the same full name too,” Ersel answered without looking directly at Van’s eyes.
“I see,” Van said while also looking deep in thought himself. “Anyway, let’s eat some food right now. I’ll listen to the rest of the story while we’re having dinner.”
“Okay,” Ersel replied with a nod.
“So, where should we go?” Van asked while still wearing a serious expression on his face.
“Hmmm...How about we eat at Chowking just near here?” Ersel suggested with his hand on his chin. “I’m craving for some chao fan (Chinese fried rice) and siomai right now.”
“Sure, that would be great,” Van replied with eagerness while grinning. “Let’s go!”
While waiting for their order to be served on their table in the Chowking restaurant, Van began to ask Ersel about Lino.
“So, Ersel, could you please start telling me about this Lino?” Van requested while smiling gently in order to help Ersel’s mind to be put at ease.
“Okay,” Ersel said after letting out a sigh. “Well...As you know, he was my childhood friend. I first met him when we were both five-years-old. We were living in Dakila Island back then.” Ersel paused for a moment, then continued: “The two of us became the best of friends. We would play and swim together, and go to school together. It’s like we became brothers.”
“I see,” Van declared while being deep in his thoughts. “Then what happened?”
“Then one day, Lino went to visit his grandparents together with his parents,” Ersel continued while not looking directly at Van’s eyes. “He said that they’d be gone for about two weeks or so. Then, two days later, my father and mother told me that all of us in the family will be going to Manila because my father got a job here. Then we left three days after that day and I wasn’t able to leave a word or a letter to Lino.”
“Why didn’t you leave him a letter?” Van asked both seriously and curiously.
“It just...didn’t cross my mind that time,” Ersel replied while wearing a gloomy facial expression. “I guess I was too sad to even think about it that time.”
“You didn’t have a phone yet that time?” Van asked with his hand on his chin.
“That’s right,” Ersel replied with a nod. “And Lino didn’t have any either. That’s why I had no way of contacting him.”
At that instant, a female waiter came carrying a tray with the food they ordered. The waiter had brought two servings of chao fan with siomai, one order of kangkong* with bagoong**, two servings of cola, and two pieces of siopao.
“The halo-halo***, please,” Van requested while grinning gently at the female waiter.
“Yes, sir. I’ll bring it here in a few minutes,” the female waiter replied while also smiling back at Van.
“Thank you,” Van answered while smiling before the waiter went back to her station.
“Let’s eat for now, then,” Van declared with his friendly smile on his face. “You may continue with your story later.”
“Okay,” Ersel answered with a nod and a smile.
While they were eating, Ersel thought about the guy that the former talked to outside the auditorium, and the latter’s words kept on ringing inside the former’s mind.
[I’m quite sure that it’s you, Lino.] Ersel thought while thinking of Lino’s face. [I’m also quite sure that you’re mad at me for leaving you without a word or even a letter ten years ago. If it’s really you, then I’ll have to apologize to you.]
“Ersel,” Van called, startling him. “Please don’t think about it for now and just eat.”
“O-Okay,” Ersel answered while stammering. “Sorry.”
A while later, the same female waiter returned while carrying the two servings of halo-halo to serve them on Van and Ersel’s table.
“Here’s your halo-halo, Sir,” the female waiter said while smiling gently before placing the desserts on the table.
“Thank you, miss,” Van said while smiling back at the female waiter. “We’re all good. Thanks a lot.”
“You’re welcome, Sir!” the female waiter said while grinning back at Van. “Enjoy your meal!”
Van did not say anything else anymore and just smiled back at the female waiter before she turned around to get back to her workstation.
[It’s finally here.] Ersel thought while grinning as he looked at the two servings of halo-halo.
Several minutes later, both Ersel and Van had finished their meals and resumed their conversation while they were on the way to the train station.
“Van, do you think that Lino might be mad at me?” Ersel asked rather gloomily.
“If that guy is really him, then he certainly is,” Van answered while wearing a serious expression on his face. “But then...how are you going to prove that it’s really him? He had already denied that he was your best friend.”
“Hmmm…” Ersel said with his lips closed while thinking of a plan to find out about Lino’s true identity.
Ersel knew Lino’s full name already, so the former figured out that there might be a way. Then an idea flashed across Ersel’s mind.
“That’s it!” Ersel said out loud in a lively manner. “I’ll search him on Facebook and stalk him!”
Van chuckled and said, “Yeah, that’s a great idea! I’ll help you with this too.”
“Thanks, but…are you sure about joining me, Van?” Ersel asked curiously
“Yes,” Van answered sincerely while grinning gently.
“Thank you very much, Van!” Ersel said while bursting in jolliness.
“No problem, man!” Van replied in a jolly manner. “Alright...We’ll call this ‘Operation ULI’!”
“‘Operation ULI’?” Ersel asked while looking confused.
“Yeah! As in ‘Operation Uncover Lino’s Identity!’” Van replied with both eagerness and excitement.
Ersel laughed and said, “That’s such a hilarious name! But...it fits our objective well!”
“Yeah,” Van replied while grinning from ear to ear. “Let’s do everything we can to prove that Lino is really your best friend!”
“Yeah! This will be fun!” Ersel said eagerly and excitedly. “Bring it on!”
Van smiled and said, “After checking his Facebook profile, please tell me everything that you will find out from there.”
“I will do,” Ersel replied cheerfully while nodding. “Thanks for listening to me and for helping me, Van! You’re a great friend!”
“No problem, man!” Van replied cheerfully. “You can trust me. That’s what friends are for, after all.”
Ersel did not say anything anymore and just smiled and nodded at Van
Once they reached the train station, Ersel said, “Then I’ll be going now. See you tomorrow, Van!”
“See you, man. Bye!” Van replied while smiling and waving his hand at Ersel before the former proceeded to walk towards the direction of his apartment that was a few blocks away from the train station.
While he was riding the train, Ersel thought of Lino again.
[Lino, I’ll find out about your identity soon enough.] Ersel thought seriously and determinedly. [If it’s really you, I believe that you’re mad at me. I’ll try everything I can to apologize and make things up with you.]
Ersel then looked through the window to see the passing scenery of lights under the evening sky while reminiscing his memories with Lino. Thinking of his best friend also made Ersel feel both sentimental and nostalgic.
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Definition of Terms
*Kangkong - A semi-aquatic, tropical plant that is being cooked and eaten as a vegetable. It is also known as water spinach. (Source: Wikipedia)
**Bagoong - A salty condiment from the Philippines that is usually made up of either fermented fish or shrimp. (Source: Wikipedia)
***Halo-Halo - A popular cold dessert in the Philippines that is made up of crushed ice and either evaporated milk or condensed milk, and has various other ingredients such as flans, beans, crispy rice, banana slices, ube, gelatin, etc. (Source: Wikipedia)