Carrie, Docu-Style: A Night-Out

"Ternie, will you be coming?"

I read the text with sleep in my eyes. Time read 8:30 p.m. I was supposed to be at his office by that hour. But here I was, still groggy and half-asleep in my bed. Besides, it was Saturday. I'm not one to really go out on my rest days. Considering it was an extremely hectic week at work, I deserved to sprawl on the bed to my heart's content. No, make that, I earned the right to sprawl on the bed to my heart's content.

Yet I dragged myself out of bed, and hit the shower.

Because I was to meet-up with Spice.

-----

Smoking beside the entrance, my brows bunched-up in irritation. I already burned two cigarettes to the filter, and I was on my third.

Twenty minutes and counting; he was making wait. Honesty, I was about to hit boiling point. After rushing me to get there, he wasn't anywhere near where I was. I was famished, sleepy, and caffeine-deprived all at the same time. How goddamn long does it take to get down from his office to the outside?

"Ay, ang tagal lang," I typed away on my cell phone.

"Coming na swear. Behave ka ha," he replied.

I ditched the cigarette butt in the ashtray, and scanned the people lining up the entrance of the building. At that moment, I saw him, making his way out of the exit. He was still in his office coat and tie. When he recognized my face, his own face lit up with his dimpled-filled smile of his. 

(How could I remain grumpy with that smile of his?)

I noticed that his tie was askew. Out of habit, I started fixing the knot up. He said to take it off instead. So I did, and unbuttoned the first two clasps of his dress shirt. I also noticed that his collar was bunched up, so I lay it over the collar of his coat. I did all of these while he was lit his cigarette, and took a drag out of it.

When I finished, he looked at me and said, "Sorry, I'm late." Then he flashed that bedimpled smile of his again.

He still knows how to disarm me. He really does. 

Better yet, I let myself be disarmed

Dammit.

----

I didn't know what to expect of The Chronicle since I didn't watch the trailer, nor read the reviews. No spoilers here, but I found it too Carrie-esque redux for comfort. The twist is, it's in a documentary format, so at least there was something updated.

The thing is, the themes of alienation, repressed anger, faux sense of belonging, misdirected rage of a telekinetic teenager was already explored and fleshed out in Carrie. Even the elements of the abusive parent, well-meaning friends, social gathering, and the wholesale downtown mayhem was too reminiscent of the 70's movie.

One thing that was striking though, was that the anti-hero was warned to keep his emotions in check, lest he lash out his power unsuspectingly. I caught myself thinking, "E paano nung binabarurot si Jean Grey ni Scott Summers? Considering na omega-level mutant sya, e nakakatakot yung consequences every time mag-orgasm yung gagang bilat na yun!"

Is it just me, or do I just have a twisted mind?

-----

"Did you like the movie?" I asked Spice as we were walking out of the movie house side by side.

"Ok lang. Teka, gusto mo ba mag-kape?" He asked in return.

"Hindi, ok na ako, Sa iyo pa lang, ok na ako."

I pinched his side, and he turned to look at me again.

Yes, with his smile and his dimples.

-----

I shall make a disclaimer.

No, despite of what I've written, I'm neither with Spice, nor do I see myself with him once more. We're good like this. We interact better as friends - more that what we were when we were together. I have to admit that I do love him, but it's the love I'd have if I had a brother.

What I realized though, as I made my way home, was that closed doors have a reason why they're closed.

It's because one could make another doorway, a better doorway, after all.