The Food Park and Its Unusual Menu

Currently sitting on this bus alone, feeling so cold: winter cold.
I'm hugging my bag full of clothes, hygiene kits, a camera, chargers, cords, and everything I need while traveling to another unfamiliar place: going somewhere I don't know, another journey.

As I think of what to expect from this new place, a noticed an elderly woman who's probably in her 60s standing beside me.
Of course, being a Filipino, I asked her to sit on my spot, leaving me standing.

A few meters away, I saw a lively place in our direction that we will pass through a few minutes from now.
It was full of lights and tents, probably a food park or plaza.

Me, being an impulsive person, immediately asked the bus driver to stop in the loading and unloading area.

As I stepped outside the bus, I closed my eyes, and carefully absorbed the vibe of the place.
There were so many sounds and whispers, things I'm always excited to hear as it reminds me I am still part of this world, that somehow, I wasn't alone.

I began looking for a café to have a coffee, it was already 6 pm and I'm so tired that it's making me sleepy.

"I need an Americano to wake myself up," I thought.

I saw this coffee shop named Café Pio.
It has huge glass windows: perfect for observing the crowd outside.

I sat and ordered an iced Americano coffee with only 25% sugar then began to put out my notebook and pen.
I am planning to write down anything I will feel about the place.

My iced coffee was served; I looked up, and just when I was about to take my first sip, I saw a man with his maroon jacket and black cap looking at me, smiling.

I turned around to make sure, he is really looking at me.

No one's at my back.

I looked at him and smiled at him: a smile so sweet if I will be putting it in my bitter iced coffee it will turn into mocha flavor.

He immediately stood up and went to seat at my table.

I was shocked.

"I should've never given him my smile," I thought.

"Hi! My name's Carl. Are you alone?" he asked with a smile printed on his tanned, well-structured face.

His jawline, cheekbones, and nose bridge are all so high I wouldn't be shocked if his ego and pride have already reached the heavens.

"I'm Alejandro, nice meeting you," I calmly said while judging him on my mind by his face.

I told him I've been traveling for a while now, gathering ideas for a novel I'm planning to write.

He asked me if he could accompany me tonight which I agreed to after he told me to bring me to "worthy" spots within the area.

He is Carl, he is a local of this place since birth not until he moved to the Metro to study college there.
He just got back here a week ago and is already getting bored.

After I finished my bitter coffee, I don't know why but suddenly I craved some sweets which are unusual knowing that I was never a sweet tooth person.

We walked around the food plaza trying all these delicious foods.

We first ate at this TapSilogan. They serve their Silogs on a sizzling plate with an unusual amount of pepper sauce and it was delicious!

After that meal, we only tried snacks such as Takoyaki, Kwek-Kwek of-fucking-course! And Japanese cakes filled with yema, chocolate, and ube filling.

Man, Carl hasn't stopped talking.
I smiled, I cannot recall the last time I was accompanied by a jolly person.

I asked him to bring me to a bar.
As we walk in the crowd, with all these lights around, with all the noises, I looked at him again and I started to notice how he has these thick, deep black eyebrows, deep hazel eyes, plumpy lips, a beautiful set of teeth, curly jet black hair, his pronounced adam's apple, and of course his defined facial bone structure.

He is one attractive young man, a very charming man especially with his jolly character.

A cold wind blew on my face while I'm discreetly staring at him.
It was cold air, but it has a different kind of coldness, probably the wind telling me that in a few hours I will have to leave the place for somewhere else.

We went to this place called Mang Kanor's Tambayan.
To be honest, I don't think it was really a bar. It was just a huge garage or backyard where you can play billiards.
The place offers some beers, though and the place is pretty far from the food plaza, so there was lesser noise and fewer people.

While drinking beer, he taught me how to play billiards.
He positioned himself at my back, guiding my hands on how to hold the cue stick properly and on how to hit and shoot the cue balls.
That was our first skin-to-skin contact in a very awkward position.

I immediately told him I wanted to sit as I feel tired but deep inside my imagination is just running wild and crazy.

We sat on a wooden chair.
We talked about random things which of course he dominated again. It was funny how he can bend my topics back to himself.
I think he has a slight narcissism or maybe he just wants to impress me.

It was past 10 already and for 4 hours we've been walking, talking, eating and drinking.
It's tiring but so fun.

I asked him to bring me to the nearest place that I can rent for tonight.

He brought me to this place a few meters away from Mang Kanor's Tambayan.

When I got my key to my room he started acting all weird like he's overly drunk or maybe he was just trying to look stupid.

He told me he's gonna vomit and asked me for my handkerchief, and he then walked to the bathroom in a wiggling manner.

I waited at him at the front door of my room.

Looking at him walking towards me, I realized that I owe him this happy night so it doesn't really matter if he's faking his drunkenness or not.

I grabbed his tanned arms and guided him to my temporary room.

When we got into the room, he undressed his clothes, leaving only his boxer shorts.
He looks like a high schooler role-playing.
I know he's not really drunk because there's no way he would have been in that state.

I switched to my sleepwear and turned off the light switch leaving only the bed lamp open.

The room's wall was painted red, with huge mirrors in the ceiling and on its walls.
I bit my lower lip when I thought of the use of these things.

I looked up and I saw our reflection.

"Is he really sleeping?" I told myself.

I turned to him and at the exact moment, he hugged me.

It was 11 pm.

5 hours ago I felt cold and alone; 5 hours later I feel warm not only because I was with this wonderful man that seems to bring with him the warmth of the sun but also with his muscular tanned body and arms covering most of me.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

It was 6 am when I handed the keys to the receptionist. I have Carl by my side looking like a kid with his puffy face and messy curly hair.
I grinned after seeing his face.

What a beautiful morning this is caused by the same person:  a good rest with an embrace of a hunk last night, and now a cute man in front of me.

We walked to this eatery where we decided to have a heavy breakfast: another Silog.

Finally, I'm full of energy and very much ready to go to another place.

At the bus stop, while holding my bag, a cold wind blew into my face.

"It was the wind reminding me of the loneliness waiting for me when I leave this place. I will miss it, or maybe it wasn't the place, but Carl that I will badly miss," I thought.

I looked at him and I realized he hasn't talked much when we woke up.
He's probably sad that I will be leaving now, I assume.

The bus stopped in front of me. It was directed to an unfamiliar place I've been planning to visit.
I bid farewell to Carl which he returned with a glance and a smile: a smile full of bitterness, far from his over-the-top smile last night.

I understand him. I feel it also.

I walked inside the bus and sat beside the window where I can still see the man that brought me happiness for the last 12 hours.

The bus slowly drives in a direction unfamiliar to my eyes.

12 hours ago and the hours before that I was a lone man: sad and lonely.

12 hours ago and beyond that, until a few minutes earlier, I was with Carl: feeling very happy.

Now, a few hours from now I will be going off to this place, somewhere where I cannot see him.

This thought broke my heart.

At that moment my tears fell uncontrollably, as if Algea, the Greek god of sorrow has opened the gates of my temporarily forgotten sadness.

I looked for my handkerchief.

I remember that Carl gave it back to me before we enter our room last night, and it was in my pocket.

I started wiping out the tears on my cheeks when suddenly...

There was something written on the piece of cloth:
                         0997******2
                             Call Me

I am a hundred percent sure it was Carl who wrote it.

That man and his mind!
I adore him so much. So much so, I texted him as fast as possible.

"Hey," I sent to his number.

"Hi, you've seen it that quickly?" he replied.

"Wanna spend a week with me, here in this beautiful hometown of mine, please?" he texted again.

"This man has left me no choice. He charmed me so much last night and now he is offering me an invitation I will never refuse," I whispered to myself.

I smiled so sweet and so genuine; full of love and hope that if I were to release it to a garden of roses, the flowers there must have blossomed until the end of time.

Slowly, the bus's wheels stopped.

With a bag in my left hand and the handkerchief on the right, I looked back in a direction back to Carl with the hope of finding the inspiration I've been looking for for so long.