Being Gerely

The Guy I Met In “Court” October 31, 2008

It’s so nice to be writing again.

I’ve had the chance to review my previous blog entries and noticed how serious they are. Even in my discussions of Sesame Street and Voltes V, I found a way to tie it up with some of my personal issues. So, I’ll take a step back and write something fun…hopefully.

You might notice that the word court in the title is in quotation marks. Obviously, I’m not referring to courtrooms where I usually perform my professional duties. It’s a different kind of court — one that recently brought so much fun in my otherwise staid life. It’s nothing major, but everytime I remember that encounter, I can’t help but smile.

I’m talking about a basketball court. No, I don’t play basketball, but I watch the sport as if my life depended on it. I know all the rules involved in the game that I can actually argue with the referee if he makes a bad call. In 1989, when San Miguel (then composed of Samboy Lim, Hector Calma, Yves Dignadice, et al.) made a grandslam at the PBA, I was able to watch all the championship games even if I had exams the following day.

It happened 5 days after my birthday this year. Since a friend of mine seems quite hesitant to introduce me to “the guy,” I decided to make my own research about him. No, I’m not stalking. I vehemently deny that. It’s not my fault that I’m really really good at research (my major in college is communication research…that’s always a good excuse). Besides, stalking involves an intent to make somebody else’s life miserable. That’s not my goal. I just want to know more about “the guy” as I know that I would most probably just admire him from afar.

Anyway, so I went to see a basketball game of his. I don’t want to go into the details on how I was able to introduce myself. That was the most embarrassing part of the story. Thank heavens he didn’t scoff at me. He was very friendly. Whether he was just being polite or was actually flattered by my efforts, I can sincerely say that the encounter is something that I will always be proud of, considering how I’m not really comfortable approaching guys I like. There’s no denying though that that was one magical moment for me. He has such an unforgettable smile! Those deep brown eyes…probing, full of life…how much of himself can he give away by just looking into that wonderful set?

Exactly 20 days after I went to see his basketball game, we had a chance encounter at my friend’s office. He spoke to me first when he saw me, but it all ended right there. I was just too dumbfounded that I failed to grab the opportunity to get to know him a little better. I got the harshest tongue-lashing from my girlfriends. They could not understand how a lawyer who could argue for 3 hours non-stop in court and who could write 100-page briefs that make the heads of Supreme Court justices spin cannot muster the courage to strike a simple conversation with “the guy.” Looking back, yeah, how hard was it to ask him, “would you care to join us in our beer session?” Oh well, that’s water under the bridge.

I would like very much to explore in this write-up my psyche on my unusual “systems breakdown” when it comes to the men I like, but I promised at the start that this will not be a serious story.

The guy I met in “court”…what difference can one encounter make in this lifetime.