  :: THE REVISIT :: Timeline: Present It all started on Saturday with a shocking bee-beep from my mobile. Why I received an SMS! This was probably the most interesting thing happened to me in the last... say... 3 months. It was unexpected due to the sheer fact that I have nobody left in my life that I could share a mutual, finger-numbing session restricted to character limit. They (they is occupied by three personalities, by the by) simply call me and we confine the session to the credit limit, instead. I pranced towards my bag and hastily pressed a few buttons only to be greeted by a message that went "Aura?
" from a number that made no sense to me. Biting my lower lip, I sat still, looking blankly at my mobile's screen, trying to figure out to whom this prominent message could belong. I changed my number almost 2 years ago which probably caused the new owner of the number imprecate my being for a while, so that my speeddating past was buried into the dusty pages of my personal history. So this person should have been someone who was not effected by my "Next...?!? " days. Sighing, I dialed the number back and waited in anticipation for the next party to answer.
I was feeling halfway ashamed for completely erasing this possibly-significant-person from my life when a hesitant, boyish voice choked a "Hi?!..?! " into the receiver. I have quite a phonic and visual memory so I realized with dismay who he was and my shame was instantly replaced by feeling ashamed in the first place. It was Miles... someone I contacted and lost contact with totally clad in assuagement after the number change. "Hello, Miles. " I mumbled, my shame for being ashamed in the first place giving way to ruefulness this time.
"What was it? " "Uhm... hi Aura... I got a missed call from someone and I thought it was you so... I.." Sure and I was Marilyn Monroe in my recent past life. "I don't know what made you think out of the blue that it was me, Miles but negative. It wasn't me.
" "Oh.. I see... well how are you then? " That really wasn't a very skillful attempt of continuity but I hadn't used up my forbearance just yet. "I'm alright, Miles. You? " Could that guy passing me by really have those Elizabeth Taylor eyes or were they contacts?
"Fine fine... mmm... yeah. " Glad to hear that you are still so exhaustingly monosyllabic at times also. "Good to hear. " He smirked at me and I began to wonder what kind of a guy would wear violet contacts and strut in a way that screeches he believes he is divinely stimulating while others realize at second glance that he stares fake. While I turned away from him, Miles was stuttering, "...to see you again.
Are you available today? " in my ear. Actually I was. Then again, we had the controversial sausages-french fries-beer trio for dinner that evening (a major event that strikes once every two weeks) and I promised my dad to be at the table, sipping my beer ladylike and smiling blandly while being subjected to my uncle's subanthropoidal noises as he feeds upon his meal. "Sorry, Miles. I need to attend to a family gathering today.
" "What about tomorrow? " My entire being rioted and held up a banner that went "Life is precious! " then again, something in his voice sounded so sincere, so regretfully naive and undergoing "I really am not inclined to be a pain in the ass. It's just that I'm a young, innocent being that still has an untouched territory within him not ravished by a female and I need a pro to destroy my feelings so that I can join the horde of glowering, score-oriented men. " that my lips shocked me as they utter a "Sure. Tomorrow will be fine.
" With that, I made one person out there happy and turned myself into a ruin. Hanging up, I went back inside Mrs. Rose's cafe and pursed my lips while I toyed with my brownie. Miles, objectively, was a really sweet human being overall when he was not stricken by emotions and dropped to hmms and errs. He was 3 years younger than me and ever since we had first met about 1.5 years ago, the theme was Alanis Morissette's Hands Clean with a stress to the part that goes, "I know you sexualize me like a young thing would and I think I like it". He was the perfect beau for an above average freshman since he was a guy with brains and a matching blase demeanor overall. He was exceptionally thin with narrow shoulders and long limbs that made him seem even taller than his 6'3'' frame.
He had this glitter of brilliance buried behind his unsuccessfully put together grunge style and for a girl who still believed she could process a "diamond in the rough", he would be an amazing lover. For some reason, he decided that I was the embodiment of his ideal female whereas I tried my best to draw the line in between. Still, on a drunken night at Charon's house (on that renown couch of hers that somehow managed to witness almost all our relationships), we snogged and in the early morning, he left for work, skipping merrily while I buried my head under the blanket with an otiose attempt to strangle myself across a belated actualization. All throughout the following few weeks, he was on cloud number nine as we found ourselves in a game of hide-and-seek; He desperately in need of seeing me, I desperately in need of escape. Finally, on a freezing winter night, he caught me while I was having a late night coffee with Goddess and Gambit, totally drunk and high on marihuana and keeping me out in the cold, managed to immobilize my bodily fluids as his bloodshot eyes tried to fix themselves romantically on mine. The last I heard from him was during the New Year's of 2003 when we were having a really cozy gathering at Charon's; a get-together of old friends from Uni.
He called and persisted to see me for which he received a perfectly inexorable rejection. Nodding thankfully at the waitress who approached to get my empty plate and took my green tea order with a nonchalant assent, I linked my fingers and sighed as the countdown to inevitable began. Next day, after having made him stand aimlessly for 15 minutes, I arrived at the meeting spot biting my tongue and repeating myself that I will not say or do anything that will transmogrify me from a sensible, cheerful, fun-to-be-with human being to a shrewd, sarcastic, uncharitable bitch. After all we were simply "friends" who were seeing each other after a long, long year. Once we took a seat at an outdoors cafe nearby, I started recalling the moments when we really had fun together. Meaning, those moments when he didn't try to implement emotions clumsily into the scene.
As I said, he is a clever friend whose company I might really enjoy if the foreplay isn't involved. "So how was life this last year? " he asked after I lit my cigarette with his lighter. Stonewalling! "Not bad, not bad. I'd had worse.
Yours? " "Same. I was leading an anti-social life if you believe that. " No, I didn't. "Really? How come?
Weren't you the first runner up in Mr. Barhopper 2002? " "Well yeah but things change, you know. I didn't have the energy for that any more. I entered the Uni exams and started all over. Finance, this time. " "Well done.
How does it feel to go back? " Instead of forth. "Lousy. You know all these..." I knew. The conversation just flowed all throughout the day, thankfully without any attempt of drama and I actually even relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the day. On our way back to my apartment he mumbled, "Are you up for a night this week?
Since we lead both secluded lives, why not tossing for our antisociality? " I was really planning to accept it if he didn't hit back with, "I mean if you're not very busy with your translations. You know, after all this time, I still wonder how I'd spend a week without seeing you. " He was cute. Really cute. If only seemingly mature guys my age could be as open as he was and he was not as open all the time.
It really hurt to retort a, "Like you did for more than a year. " He snickered, "You know, Aura. You may only be receiving complements from guys over 50 but I don't have very high standards and can cope with it. " Laughing, I nodded, "Well the problem was never your standards, dear Miles, but rather mine. " With that, we exchanged smiles that read our minds and since we had arrived at our front door, added kisses on the cheeks to that interchange of unspoken sympathy. "Well, see you.
" he said as I started climbing the stairs. "Right. " I answered as I struggled to find my keys, "We'll see. " The door closed behind me and I returned to the familiar silence of the doorway that led to another night alone. 
