Yes, I'm gay. I probably was since the day I was born. On my 21st birthday, I sort of had my debut. I came out to my parents. A little drama from mom, and some indifference from dad. An above-average coming out. Almost perfect.

Nine years later, two weeks before my 30th birthday, I found out... I'M HIV POSITIVE.

And so my story begins... I'm BACK IN THE CLOSET.

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Thirst-Day

ThirstDayIt was just another regular Thursday. No biggie.

Or so I thought.

What should have been just a regular commute to work turned into a whole telenovela of emotions worthy of being featured in a chick flick.

Or so I thought again.

Let me tell you my story.

I used to take the MRT to work to avoid the traffic, but realized the face-tradingly crowded trains, long walks to and from the train stations and steep climbs to the platforms just aren’t worth it. I don’t really mind the traffic anymore. My consolations are that I’m seated comfortably for most of the ride, and picked up and dropped off at more convenient places. I’ve now traded in the speed of the MRT for the hour-long weave of a public bus in and out of traffic on EDSA.

So last Thursday was like any other. I started off with my daily routine, heading out the door to brave the traffic that I’ve eventually gotten used to facing five times a week. Although I’m so used to it, I hardly find it boring enough to manage to sneak in some shuteye during the approximately hour-long trip. An hour long, if I’m lucky.

I’ve always been the type who loves seeing people, not to mention adoring them. I’ll admit, I look more at men than anyone else. I’ve been a man-watcher ever since, and all the more now that I’m HIV-positive, with the rationale that it’s the safest sex there is. And with that as my new hobby, the traffic is a huge plus. The more time I spend on the road, the more people there are to see.

The bus I was in reached Cubao, and queued at the foot of the MRT station. I’m pretty sure I’d seen so many good looking guys already, being just halfway through my trip, and my eyes had made their quota for the day.

And then there he was, just standing there, waiting for a ride. A guy. The guy. He was in a sexy, body-hugging, blue shirt, tucked into a pair of equally sexy jeans, every perfect muscle making itself known to the world against the constraint of his outfit. Admittedly, a guy’s body usually does make a huge initial impact on me. And I have this crazy habit of actually voicing out my appreciation whenever I see a perfect specimen. And so I let out my signature Wow, Wow, Wow through the glass panes of the bus, knowing I was safely away from his earshot.

I wanted to see if he had the face value to back up his great physique, but wasn’t at the right angle to judge clearly. I noticed he was looking into the bus I was in, trying to see if there were vacant seats. I knew it was half empty, and found myself saying Oh please, Oh please, Oh please, wishing he would get on the bus so I could get a better look at him.

I lost sight of him for an instant as he approached the front of the bus. And then, there he was, climbing up the steps at the door, making his way onto the bus. Oh yes, Oh yes, Oh yes, I finally got the chance to look at him straight in the face. It was as perfect as his body. Dark, clean cut hair, just as I like it, a fair, clear face that anyone would like, and the most beautiful eyes hidden behind a pair of dark rimmed, almost geeky glasses. He was a complete picture: the innocence of Clark Kent flaunting his Superman of a body.

At that point, I was in heaven already. I’d gotten my ultimate fix. The icing on the cake was seeing him look my way. Icing that melted away when I realized he was making his way towards where I was seated. Oh shit, Oh shit, Oh shit. I was panicking. Why was he headed my way? There were certainly so many other vacant seats. Why walk to almost the rear of the bus and squeeze into a two-seater with me? I felt faint.

Sure enough he sat beside me. Oh no, Oh no, Oh no. I was nauseous by that time, not knowing what to do. So I sat quietly, but was still observing. He seemed extremely comfortable beside me. Calf to calf, thigh to thigh, hip to hip, elbow to elbow, and arm to arm.

I could feel some electricity as his arm grazed the hair on my forearm as he reached into his pocket for money as the conductor came to collect his fare. "Guadalupe lang", he said in his deep, sexy voice. I caught myself realizing that I’d be late for work if I overshot to Guadalupe and just took a ride back to Ortigas. Hmm. I slapped myself mentally.

What was I supposed to do or say? Hi, I’m HIV. or Whoa, before you start groping me, I’m HIV-positive. or I really do have HIV, it’s not an alibi!, I imagined myself saying. I think my sanity got off back in Cubao.

So anyways, it seemed to be the longest ride between Cubao and Ortigas I’ve ever been on, and I suspect it was because all my blood had unconsciously rushed from my brain all the way down to my groin. Before I knew it, we had reached Ortigas, my stop. I stood up and excused myself, and got down from the bus without even looking back. Whew, Whew, Whew, I remember saying.

I looked at the bus as it drove away, trying to see the row where we both sat. It was vacant. Oh fuck, Oh fuck, Oh fuck. The panic was back. My imagination ran wild, thinking he’d gotten down to try and catch me. Of course, that wasn’t the case. I looked behind me and didn’t see him.

My ten-minute walk from the highway to the office left me with a lot of time to think, and as usual, I was suddenly struck with a bit of regret, missing my chance to meet a possibly great guy. Crazy, ain’t I?! Or is it just the Valentine thirst? Geesh, I think I need a life.

9 comments:

Gram Math said...

I usually do this sometime when I'm riding on a jeepney and I don't feel sleepy. Looking at the guys and admiring them then after I get off I'll regret by not asking his number when I had the chance

MrCens said...

i hope di mo ako itulak kung ako yung tumabi sau. wala kasi akong superhero features eh...

Yffar (^^,) said...

Greetings!!!

I am from The Rainbow Bloggers Philippines and we are inviting you to
visit our website http://www.rainbowbloggers.com

This is a collective effort of several Filipino bloggers located both
here in the Philippines and abroad. We feature articles such as news,
events, and literary genres.

Please patronize our very own LGBT Filipino Blog. Comment on the post
and feel free to express your thoughts and opinions.

If you happened to be a blogger and you want to join our writers
circle, just email us with your Name, Blog URL, Blog Title, and Blog
Email to rainbowbloggersphils@... .

You can also add our friendster account:
rainbowbloggersphils@...

Make it a habit to visit www.rainbowbloggers.com

Thank you and have a nice day!

Yours Truly,
RBP Marketing and Membership Team

Anonymous said...

This is a really sweet story :-D

Let me give you a hug and a kiss for this story :-D

I feel sad that I will miss you next week for the scheduled testings :-D But God is kind, he will give us our chance to hang out and bond :-D

Sincerely,
Jose Theodore Gonzales (AKA: JT)

PinoyPoz said...

Thanks JT... Sweet ba yun? It's half titillating, half suspense eh! Hehehe... Sige, see ya sometime.

Anonymous said...

nyek. sayang un chance. D:
But you have already met several nice guys so I guess it's not really a big loss. =)

You have to find a date before Valentine's Day or else O_O....

PinoyPoz said...

Ganun? Sana lang they find me nice also diba. Milagro yata, di ka kinilig.

Ayan, people, nagkukumahog ako humanap ng vday date kasi kung wala daw, si Ruby ang date ko. Grave threat naman yata yun, diba? Hehehe ;-)

Anonymous said...

OI! I feel unloved! Huhuhu...

Bwahahaha. Just kidding. (^0^)
So guys, I'm pimping Poz. Schedule a date na before it's too late! I don't want him to suffer in my hands. Hahahaha.... :D


PS. Kinilig ako but I didn't write it in my comment. You always have a reply back e. Hehehe. :D

PinoyPoz said...

Hahaha... May takot ka rin pala hehehe. Lab yu (not romantically ha, di tayo talo).