Psssss

Since when did "Pssss" mean anything? Well for Ron it meant so many things. To illustrate the usage of this word,

Scene 1:
me: Hoy Ron, di ka na naman sasama sa amin noh? Tatakasan mo na naman kami noh?
Ron: Psssss.

Scene 2:
me: Ron, picture nga kayo ni (name withheld upon request).
Ron: Psssss.

Scene 3:
me: Sasabihin ko kay Sir na kasalanan mo bakit di ok ang volume.
Ron: Psssss.

Somehow you have an idea what this mono syllabic word meant for Ron. I would define it as some sort of a disapproval over something or his hesitation over a suggestion. Indeed, he is a man of a few words. I've known him the last 7 years and little did he change. I remember walking through the hallways of my old office early 2001 and I saw a grumpy looking trader who hardly smiled or even said hello. Hmp! Suplado. Ron, as I always tell my former co-workers, was my first crush. He, however, only wanted to crush me out of his way. A few days went by and he has not even acknowledged my astounding presence until I was happily chatting with my seatmate and he replied from across the cubicle. Talk about eaves dropping.

me: Ang buhok mo ba kulot o straight?
him: Straight.
me: Ah, ako kasi wavy.
Ron: Ano bang klaseng usapan yan?!!

At last, a word from him. That was the start of my flip friendship with Ron. After a month, I was assigned in Taipei and we became each other's chatmates. He set the daily exchange rates and I traded the money with him as my guide. This is where the infamous line "Ihi lang ng aso tepis tayo dyan" started. Whatever that meant, only the constituents of Caloocan can understand that street lingo. For my socialite friends, let me translate what he was trying to say. Well, what he was trying to say was the exchange rates were too steep and any adjustments would be to our disadvantage. Very well said.

I never really thought that our daily chats would allow me to know him better. We've had chats about how he could win his fiancee back after a disagreement over wedding preparations and note that she wasn't talking to him at all mind you. He had to visit her the day he called her to ask how she was. I guess my advice turned out pretty well because he's already married and has a gifted child for a son. We've also had lengthy chats of how he could ask for a raise because of his increasing work load. Whew! That was a tough one. I wanted to rehearse the lines with him but I was thousands of miles away.

If there's such a thing as absentee voting, Ron was an absentee in most of my parties. Of all the get togethers that I organized for my birthday, he has only attended one. One way or another, something came up but through it all, I never tire of including him in my list. I will never forget how we went to Tagaytay for a farewell dinner and he was rushing back home because he never told the truth about his whereabouts. Sigh. Always up and about.

I'll never forget how Ron had the heart for people. It was one of those occasions when we accompanied our good friend down the office to bid him farewell. That was a tearful moment and no words could ever describe how that instant felt. I never stop teasing Ron how he shed tears but it says a lot of the kind of person that he is. Now, why am I blogging about Ron anyway? Well, it's his birthday today and he's somewhere down south frolicking on the beach.

Happy birthday Ron! Psssss. You better make it to the next get together. Psssss.