Summer Fling

For some, a Summer Fling is the cool overpriced cocktail you order at the bar. For others, it’s the seductively wild affair you know will never last. As for me, he’s the longtime-crush-turned-friend I first met eight summers ago in the city.

Let’s call him Mr. DJ -- a guy who grew up in Germany, lived in Bohol, transferred to Cagayan, studied Vet Med in Leyte, occasionally stops over in Cebu, and dreams of setting up a clinic in France.

I first met him when he was just turning 19, and I 23 – a time when we were still game enough to be the backup-plan-cum-chaperones of a couple of friends going on a blind date. Like usual, we all ended up drinking coffee. While our respective friends suffered from the worst blind date ever, the both of us talked and smoked Marlboro Reds on the side and the bitter black coffee never tasted better.

He was 4 years younger yet made more sense than most guys I knew my age or even older. He taught me that in some parts of the world, people drink beer like water. With him, I could blah about European authors and he wouldn’t bat an eyelash. He introduced me to Bic Runga, Usher and the unforgettable beats of alternative music.

We flirted for a time. But things didn’t always work out the way I wanted to. Just when I was beginning to really like him, he left Cebu without a word. Ouch.

Christmas went and summer came. Then Mr. DJ came back for a visit. This time, he declared he had feelings for me all along… just when I was no longer available. Well, well, well. It was awkward but as we continued to talk over a couple of San Mig Lights, we decided we liked each other enough to remain friends.

So we kept in touch. The calls and texts were sporadic and far between but once every few months or so, he’d check to see if I’m still alive – times when I least expected him to. Then Friendster started happening and it made it easier to update each others’ lives. The following years, we crossed paths in Cagayan, Cebu, Leyte… but each time never for long.

This summer, I had the unexpected gift of seeing him again. Mr. DJ dropped by Cebu for a few hours -- long enough to be able to invite me out for coffee. It’s been two years since I saw him last but it was nice finding it easy to slip back to being good friends with him again. He’s not as skinny as before but the rest is, like Rob Thomas’ song, Ever the Same. He still speaks English with that German accent. He still smokes Marlboro Reds. He’s still the same interesting person, this once 19-year-old guy.

We talked and talked and the cheap coffee never tasted better. We didn’t bring up last time. Nor did we speak of tomorrows. I was glad. With Mr. DJ, you never know. From him, I’ve learned there’s beauty in simply taking the moment as it comes.

They say each person who comes into your life is there for a reason, a season or a lifetime. With Mr. DJ, I’m still not quite sure even after all these years. But for the moment, he’s like a long cool glass of iced melon tea with rum on a hot summer day. That’s what I call the perfect summer fling.

--SunStar Weekend, 5/2/2009