CONVERSATIONS WITH POODRAHBEL: BEFORE AND AFTER

Circa 1984

Scene:  Poodrahbel, who looks like a union leader of janitors and is married to a fledging beauty queen, is a new father to 2 kids then.  The eldest Daruma, is a 3 year old putik toddler who dreams to be one with the soil and its humus contents. Gengkie is around 2 years old and every inch a diva baby. Poodrahbel spends quality time walking  with his little tikes by carrying Gengkie and letting Daruma talk to the bees. They walk past a caimito tree plump with fruits.  They look above as Daruma signals gluttony.

POODRAHBEL: Ayun! Ayun yung caimito. Teka akyatin ko.

GENGKIE: (being held by Poodrahbel) Waaaah!

POODRAHBEL: (to daruma) Buhatin mo muna yung kapatid mo para maka-akyat ako.

DARUMA: (looks at Poodrahbel firmly and shakes head as if an upright policeman who refuses a tong)

GENGKIE: Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!

Poodrahbel is caught in a dilemma of the diva baby, the upright hungry policeman and the shining caimito. He looks around. Tries to feign deafness from the crying diva baby and looks at Daruma. In a split second, he let down the unscathed Gengkie in the carabao grass as the cries reach the speaker phone level, climbs the tree and went down in 10 seconds like a thief of mother nature. He grabbed the hollering diva from the grass, split the caimito into 2 and fed it to Daruma. He disappeared in a flash lest he be mistaken for a child abuser because Gengkie was transforming into a crying amplifier.

Circa 2005

Scene: Gengkie on a phone while holding a cellphone. Feedback gets giddy.

POODRAHBEL: Hello, online.

GENGKIE: Pa, si angeli to anak mo. Do you know of anyone who's had a summer affair of some sort. yun kasi topic ko next week. Libre naman lahat ng accomodation. May talent fee pa. Basta kelangan maganda at super kilig ang love story na naganap lang nung summer. kasi it happened one summer ang title ng episode ko. May kakilala ka ba dyan?

POODRAHBEL: ano? taga-Samar. Marami dito. Teka...

GENGKIE: SUMMER. as in march, april, may. yung summer months.

POODRAHBEL: ano? Sonner?

GENGKIE: Summer nga. Yung sa grease. summer lovin happened so fast...

POODRAHBEL: Haha! yung ninong mo. siyempre di naman aamin yun. may summer affair yun nun eh.

GENGKIE: Wag naman yun. Baka mabad-trip si ninang.

POODRAHBEL: walangya ka. nakita ko yung cheke mo di ka man lang nag-pa inom.

GENGKIE: pano ako magpapa-inom di naman ako umuuwi sa bahay. sige nga. tsaka pinapapunta ko dito si aron sa ABS ayaw naman... para magbigay sa inyo... ang layo layo naman kasi dyan... tamad na ako gumising ng maaga...

POODRAHBEL: eh di ako na lang. pumunta ka ng Tubbataha dun sa morato. tamang tama may utang pako dun. wala akong cellphone ha, iniwan ko sa bahay.

GENGKIE: eh, nag-cellphone pa kayo. anong oras? 10:30 ha. magkano utang niyo dun?

POODRAHBEL: 200 lang naman. 10:30 ha. wala din akong pang-inom.

GENGKIE: o sige. akala ko 200,000.00 ang utang niyo dun eh. o sige na sige na...

POODRAHBEL: babay na. magsasara pako ng kolum. babay. i love youoooo

GENGKIE: i love you toooooo!

Gengkie is now caught in a dilemma on how to finish her work by 10:30 to meet Poodrahbel. She tries to act serious and type fast in the computer. She eats too much chocolate cookies until she coughs pulverized grains on the keyboard. She tries to look for some pamunas but failed.

Hinihipan na lang niya yung lumabas na Murray cookie crumbs hanggang malaglag.