Coke Vanilla

Author’s note: This is the fifth part of the Coke series, a half-truth, half-fiction tale about an ex-girlfriend in college eight long years ago. She was my one great but broken love.

Sa part ng serye na ito, however, the spotlight falls on Kathleen, a half-Filipina, half-Chinese college student from St. Paul University in Dumaguete City na nakilala ko in 2013.

Out of the picture muna si Precious since nakilala ko naman si Kathleen one month before dumating sa buhay ko si Precious.

I was tempted na ilagay ang photo ni Kathleen from her new Facebook account in this part of the series, cropped and tits lang ang kita, but my conscience prevailed.

I did some research and found out Kathleen now works in an NGO in Dumaguete City. She has a nice career and I’m mighty proud of what she has become. She is lovely as ever.

“It’s the thought of being young
When your heart’s just like a drum
Beating louder with no way to guard it
When it all seems like it’s wrong
Just sing along to Elton John

And to that feeling, we’re just getting started.”

Swiss Army Knife

KATHLEEN was a volunteer together with other college studes from “The City of Gentle People” for the 2013 Palarong Pambansa.

Iba din ang quality ng mga Negrenseng kagaya ni Kathleen. Add to that being a chinita, she was certainly someone to crave for.

Mas masarap pa siya sa Bacolod chicken inasal, silvanas, at barquillos.

Trust me.

The flight from Manila to the Bacolod-Silay International Airport was relatively good, no delays and turbulence and we set foot in Dumaguete City Sunday night.

I was in the groove for that coverage stint knowing may babalikan ako sa Manila, si Rona, na nakuha ko ang virginity two nights ago but I also had someone aside from her na dinidiskartehan.

Si Shaira, who hails from Dasmarias, Cavite. Incoming fourth year college student ako noon and incoming sophomore naman si Shaira. Same degree.

Sadly, hanggang MU lang kami ni Shaira and hindi ko siya nakantot.

Hindi naman 100% ang accuracy rate na nakantot ko lahat ng babaeng naging girlfriend, MU, fling, kalandian, or nakilala ko noon.

69% siguro.

Pa-tweetums si Shaira, eh. But that time, she would stay in PUP and wait for me after my classes at night.

Inihahatid ko siya sa dorm niya sa Kalentong. So much of Shaira, hanggang dito lang dahil walang nangyari sa amin.

Our editors briefed us on your coverage assignment for the Palarong Pambansa the next day. I was tasked to cover archery, boxing, baseball, and softball, a far cry from my forte— basketball and volleyball.

I took it as a challenge in my then starting career.

We were given a student counterpart from the different colleges and universities in Dumaguete City like St. Paul University and Silliman University who will help us in our coverage.

Parang assistant. If we wanted and needed them to write or take photos, they will.

They did.

And more. In the case of Kathleen.

That summer, I was one lucky man. Kathleen was assigned to be my assistant.

Who would not drool over Kathleen? She looks like Des Cheng, a former La Salle volleyball standout in the UAAP now plying her trade with F2 Logistics in the in-a-hiatus Philippine Super Liga.

Malaman lang ng kaunti si Kathleen.

Kathleen smells good, another kink ko sa babae. Amoy sabon na pang-rich kid, vanilla scent Victoria’s Secret ang perfume, and magaling din siya manamit.

The first three days of our coverage were normal. Kathleen and I were talking but limited only to our coverage.

It helped a lot she’s from the city, so I did not have a hard time on the ins and outs of the place.

One night after coverage, niyaya ko si Kathleen na kumain sa labas.

“Dinner tayo, Kathleen? It’s on me. Bring me to the best dine-in restaurant here in Dumaguete City.”

“Medyo nahihiya ako sir but if you insist, sige po,” she said while flashing a big and sweet smile.

“You can drop the “sir” and “po.” Older ka pa nga ata sa akin? 18 lang ako. Hehehe.”

“19 ako. Hahaha!”

Casual dine out iyon but mas nakilala ko si Kathleen because of that.

Single siya for more than a year that time, so. . . tigang.

May nagtext.

“Gago ka talaga bro! Kasama mo si Kathleen ngayon?” one fellow sportswriter posed.

“Masama ba, bro? Hehehe. Diyan ako sa hotel matutulog, don’t worry. Patapos na kaming kumain ni Kathleen.”

There were actually four girls na na-assign sa amin that time and tig-iisa kaming assistant sa coverage team.

Charisse (who is maganda and sexy din), Grace (innocent pero big tits), and Hannah and Lady (both average looking).

Mapalad talaga ako dahil sa akin napunta si Kathleen.

Nag-draw lots ang team para fair who gets who sa mga assistants.

Matalino ako. Ako gumawa ng draw lots and iyong piece of paper na “KATHLEEN” ang nakasulat, I put a little black mark na bilog.

I volunteered na ako ang maunang bumunot so ang binunot ko is iyong may palatandaan na name ni Kathleen.

Panis.

Hinatid ko sa Kathleen sa room niya sa hotel. Same hotel kami that time at the sprawling Lamberto L. Macias Sports and Cultural Complex, by the way, different rooms lang.

Mahirap naman gapangin kasi roommate niya si Grace.

On that dinner, we shared good food and good stories about a variety of topics from studies to future work to life and love.

Kathleen is a scion of a wealthy Fil-Chinese family which owns a sugar cane plantation in nearby Bacolod City.

Despite that, she said she will always choose to live in the province because life is more simple there and not complicated unli…