Blog : Tissue under the Ole Pine Tree

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5/27/2019 12:55 am

Tissue under the Ole Pine Tree

This is not a lifted adaptation from the song"OLE OAK TREE" ( credits to the authors/Tony Orlando/Dawn) but a mere incidence that,until,now stays fresh inside my head.

South Drive in Pines City ,usually,my favorite alternate road dodging the city's congested streets.Monstrous traffic jams in the city proper now the daily occurrences .It is also a short cut way leading to Camp John Hay,Manor Hotel,Baguio Country Club,Mansion,Mines View etc,that is, if you coming from Kennon or from Marcos through Military cut off road.

Woke up one morning,probably around 8:00.AM ,I felt the urge to have my breakfast in one of the fast food chains that offers brewed coffee with matching fried rice and corned beef .I ought to follow my big intestines.They were craving for it.

Sabi nga ng mga smokers: " I'd walk a mile for a Camel"
while in my case I'd rather say: " I'd drive a mile for a breakfast."

Just the thought of a sumptuous breakfast made my glands to salivate instantly.

Then i took South Drive Road leading to Upper Session .negotiating small but not so sharp curves at around 30 mph,just cruising they say.The road was still free of other 4 wheeled machinery , Trace of fog was still visible up in the air,weather outside still cold maybe at 23 Celsius.The driver's window side was rolled down to half to let the fresh air to come in.

One more curve i negotiated and i glanced upon a spot so familiar to me,I took again a second glance and it was this time i felt that eerie feeling.That was the exact place where Hyatt Terraces stood once,until in 1991 when it was literally
brought down to ground Zero level by a Big One strike.

That was my favorite place during the 80's where we held our sales meetings( JUNKETS LO

The striking tubular design of the hotel was so fascinating where one could see the sky once he tilted his head up from the center ground floor cafe site of the hotel.

I was cruising my way out of South Drive, I could see fog was slowly thinning up in the air,causing some drizzles to come out and fall down.

At this instance,I heard my hand fon down in the passenger's seat ringing continuously and it was coming from an unknown caller.I have the habit of declining calls from unknown sources but this time I broke my rule, I pulled over the car under a century old Pine tree(,maybe)and took the call immediately.It was a female voice so sweet to hear and with an accent like that of Queen P.I could not discern completely who she was and upon too much prodding she finally told me she was my old flame 5 years ago.She has now separated from her boyfriend and planning a comeback to the Philippines for good.

I was so dumbfounded and bewildered,still she could remember my and probably my face too(LO

The call lasted for almost 2 hours,I wondered if i were the one who made this call then i would be poorer too many.(LO

After the usual private questions we asked each other we decided to be on the serious discussions,we talked of our selves,our loved ones,she jokingly said" Well ,I think we should give ourselves a try,We are getting old anyway".

It was like the sound of a thunder to me,since ,I felt a sudden increase in temperature and to alleviate the heat i was feeling i turned on the aircon of the car.The only thing I remember I said was: "

o you mean that?"

I felt something need to come out of my THROAT and with my bare hand, I massaged it a little .I coughed and I was not mistaken ,there was. I reached out for a ply of tissue on the dash board and wiped my lips clean and dry,threw it out of the window under the OLE PINE tree.

And folks ,thats when the story of the tissue under the Ole Pine tree ends up.