Dinner With Justin

Monday, 26 April 2021

We were having a quiet dinner; only the sound of utensils resonated on all corners of Justin's small dining room. Everything was neatly arranged on his 4-seater walnut table, which was a perfect match to the black cushioned chairs. A big bowl of rice, adobo with potatoes, cubed mangoes, two cans of Coke, and the chicken macaroni soup he heated up, filled the table. The macaroni was a leftover from when he had lunch, and there was enough for dinner as if he already knew I'd be joining him. We devoured everything like we always did whenever we ate together, and the night was just like any other get together we normally had, except it was quiet.

I don't believe I've experienced this kind of solemnity before, and it doesn't feel good at all. It feels very strange and awkward. Despite Justin's great appetite for food, he looked so crestfallen. I wanted to open a conversation to break the awkward silence, but I couldn't think of what to say. Should I ask how he's been doing since Ayu left? Or would that be a stupid question? All I could do was sigh and open my can of Coke and he didn't even glance at me when it made a swooshing sound. He was seated across me, solely focusing and quietly devouring his food. Okay, maybe I should just talk about the food.

As I prepare to start a conversation, my heart rate started to rise. It's as if I had a sense of impending danger when all I want to do is break this awkward silence! "Bro, this is the best adobo. Really. You should be a cook. Or a chef. I don't remember you cooking anything that didn't taste like heaven." I gave him a wide smile. But then I quickly put it away because he didn't even look at me. I felt so rejected, but I'll be fine. Things like this happen to even the closest people, right? Even to those you thought you knew all your life? "Uhm…Earth to Justin?" I waved my hands to let him know I'm still alive.

He smiled a little. Okay, not a vast improvement, but that's definitely progress. Now, if I could only get him to talk… "What are you up to this summer? Any job? Maybe a summer job?" I took a big gulp of my Coke, causing me to cough a little and that made him finally look at me. I think I should keep on coughing!

"I'm not sure, yet. There's so many things I want to do and that makes it harder to choose which one I should focus on."

We're making good progress! That was one short sentence and one that is long enough to show interest in the topic! I sure miss having a conversation! "I know what you mean. You're good at a lot of things, and that makes it difficult to choose which path you want to take. What are the things you'd like to consider?"

He opened his can of Coke then chugged some. After that, he was out of breath, but promptly managed to respond. "I was thinking about opening my own gym, or my own dojo since I'm a black belt in taekwondo." He burped, then continued. "Or maybe I could do photography, or video editing. Or… I could listen to your advice and be a chef."

"Wow. That's a lot of choices to choose from. Which one makes you happy?"

He was seated lousily, with his back pinned on the chair and his legs spread widely. His hands were on his lap, fidgeting like he didn't know what to do with them. He raised his head up and threw a pensive look at the ceiling as if the answer was there. "Hmmm…" Now, he's head was back, and his eyes shot me a confused look. "That's a very difficult question. I'm not quite sure whether I'm happy doing them or not."

Should I respond to him in the way that I really want to respond? Or should I be careful about what to say? Wait, why am being indecisive? I've always been the type to give my honest thoughts. "I think you haven't moved on from Ayu, which makes it hard for you to be happy at something." There, I said it. Now, I'm scared. Would he feel bad again and stop talking? Would he kick me out because he wants to be alone? Why isn't he saying something? Say something, Justin!

After a few seconds of silence, he stood up, went towards the refrigerator to get a pitcher of water, then turned to me. "I think that makes sense. I haven't moved on and I'm not sure when that will be." He poured water on two glasses then walked to me and gave me one.

"Thanks." I said as I quickly finished the glass of water. "Weren't you dating someone last month? I remember coming here and you were away. The next day, you said you slept over at that girl's place. What was her name again?"

"Julia."

"Hmm. I don't quite remember a Julia anywhere in the neighborhood."

He stood up. "Remember that girl at The Pilgrim when you spilled your drink?"

"The waitress?"

"Yeah, that's Julia."

"Wow, when were you going to tell me?"

He threw me a why-would-I-tell-you look. "You know me. I only open up when I'm asked. And you never asked."

"How could I ask if I didn't know?"

"I dunno. You could've asked me when I told you I slept at a girl's place."

"Oh. Right. Sorry. Did you and Julia do it?"

He instantly nodded behind his chair, with his hands rested on the top rail. "Of course. What would we do the entire night? Talk? You know I'm not much of a talker when I'm with a stranger."

"Wow! You just referred to Julia as a stranger."

"I mean. Well, you know what I mean. I don't know her that much."

"Then why did you sleep with her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Wow, bro. You can't just sleep with a girl you barely know. That's not a good start to a relationship."

"But I made it crystal clear to her that I don't intend on having any relationship with anyone for the time being."

"And how did she respond to that?"

"She said, just take off your clothes and kiss me."

I couldn't believe what I just heard. "Justin, I never took you as a casual dater. Much less, someone who sleeps with someone you don't intend to have a relationship with. I am quite shocked at you right now."

"Yeah, well. I was lonely."

"Bro, next time you're lonely, try reading a book."

"Oh no, don't you dare try to…"

"Reading takes your mind off things. It takes you to places and introduces you to very interesting characters that only exist in books. It's a great diversion when you want to get away from the real world. You can…"

"Oh my God! Stop it, bro!" He rose from his seat and started to put the dirty dishes on the sink. "I'm not a bookworm like you are. Reading gives me headache. I'm even surprise that you could read one book a day and not explode with the information overload."

"Why would my head ache?"

"Bro, when you strain your eyes too much, that'll give you a big headache. Your eyes are connected to your brain."

"Maybe people think that's the case, but that's only for people who aren't used to reading. I've been reading all my life."

"Really? Even when you were a fetus?"

"Oh stop that. You know what I mean. Anyway, since we're on that topic of reading, it's making me want to read now, so I should leave. I really need to find a good spot. Somewhere new."

"But there's nothing new in this town."

"Well, I have a feeling I'll find a good reading spot somewhere. I need to finish this book tonight."

"Do you have a deadline for reading?"

"No, I just want to finish it, so I could read the sequel already. Don't worry, I'll go after washing the dishes."

"Don't bother. I don't want you to break anything."

See, this, I think, is the only advantage to being the God of Destruction. It saves me from doing the dishes and other household chores and I love it! "Okay then. Thanks for dinner!"

A Message to Readers: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Kindly rate and/or comment to support this story for WSA 2021. Always stay well and safe!