Having BFFs

It took awhile to get my thoughts down on paper. Days, in fact. I had to muddle through and sort out what’s what. Well… Hmmm…

 

The feeling of restlessness has been staved off temporarily by a relaxing Sunday in Tagaytay with one of my best friends. It was capped off quite wonderfully by dinner we shopped for and cooked together and served with white and red wine and shared with our other best friend and her fiancé.

 

The outing was upon my best friend’s urging, after I sent her a very short email about how very tired I was. After a series of email exchanges about it, I had to admit defeat. Je suis fatigue.

 

The drive up was filled with happy, relaxed talk and comfortable silences. There was no need to fill in the quiet with idle chatter. We’ve been friends for far too long and know each other far too well to succumb to awkward silences. We don’t do those anymore. We’ve gone past awkward. We already know each other’s deepest secrets. Nothing can be awkward anymore.

 

We took off very early in the morning to have breakfast at our usual stop along the ridge. We wanted our usual Tagaytay fare of crispy tawilis and vegetables, and, of course, the delicious hot chocolate served at Viewsite Restaurant.

 

We were among the first patrons that morning, so the place was rather quiet. Just as we like it. We spent more than two hours sitting and talking there. We consumed cups of coffee and hot chocolate while we talked. Topics ranged from the silly and mundane to the serious and reminiscent. It was pure good fun. I felt more relaxed right there in that moment than I had been in months.

 

We didn’t know where to go to next so we decided to hit the road and drive in one direction until something caught our fancy. Well, after some minutes of driving and going past the arch that told us we were no longer in Tagaytay (but still on the ridge), we found a place that did catch our interest.

 

This authentic Indian restaurant (with an inn, a wine bar, and free WiFi that’s available twenty four hours everyday) boasted of a nice view through its glass walls overlooking the ridge while seated on comfortable intestine-shaped sofas. But all those couldn’t compare to the attention and excellent service of our very own “Facundo” (a name we christened all our fantasy would-be personal man-servants). The food was divine! The tea was quite strong, so we had to desecrate it by pouring two packs of Splenda and a dollop of milk. (They used the espresso machine to prepare the Indian tea leaves.)

 

We continued to talk and make plans for ourselves and for our small, close-knit sisterhood. We shared our dreams of our own Mr. Darcys. We laughed and stole from each other’s plates.

 

When we got back to Manila, we headed straight for the supermarket to buy the ingredients needed for the meal we decided to cook together. The third of our triumvirate will be joining us for dinner --- with our groom.

 

My best friend, being a closet bartender, decided to mix us a personal concoction meant to be lemon drops. It was wonderfully refreshing… and quite a traitor to the senses. After that long drink, we were a bit beyond just sedately sober. (I couldn’t really feel the roof of my mouth for awhile.) It was heady!

 

We did manage to cook our meal successfully and without bumping into each other in the kitchen. (I think we’ve got that rhythm down somewhat after years and years of cooking together, including cooking classes in high school.) And the food was delicious, if I may say so myself. Don’t ask us what it’s called. It’s a seafood stew copied from Rachel Ray’s recipe, but with our own personal twist. (We didn’t have saffron. It was too expensive. We did think of replacing it with kasubha, but it wouldn’t have been the same. So, we went without.)

 

So much laughter rang and pealed across the table that night. The three of us couldn’t stop talking even if we tried. It’s a good thing that our groom is used to our antics. He even made us laugh a lot with his stories of wine and cheese clubs. (I would love to see what it’s like in that German club he’s part of.)

 

I realized when I got home to my lonely flat that early morning (we ended at 3:00 am) that I may not have everything I want or that I may not be where I want to be yet, but wherever I am and whoever I become, I know that I will always have the best friends I could ever ask for in this world. Not even the advent of my Mr. Darcy (if he ever does make his presence felt) could shake them from my life. And he better not even think it.