Hi, Dimple!

I don’t usually believe in love-at-first-sight scenarios because I know that God has a plan for each of us in finding our respective soul mates. But the very first time we looked directly at one another, an explosion crackled somewhere in my brain and a little voice whispered, “Hey, Ron! Pay attention! This girl can be interesting!”

Every day I spend much of my time waiting for a jeepney ride. That Monday was an exciting day for me; new lessons must be taught to my students. But that exciting day was also my lucky day: Unexpectedly, I saw this girl standing on the sidewalk of Commonwealth Avenue, perhaps waiting for someone or a ride. It was good to later find out that we were waiting for a jeepney plying the same route.

Seeing this girl for the first time was exhilarating. She is pretty (attractive without being very beautiful), petite, cute and neat, with short, well-groomed black hair, fair skin and red lips. Her simplicity made her more attractive. Her eyes twinkled like the shiniest stars on a moonless night—a rare creature whose worth is praised by a man’s heart.

The scene repeatedly occurred for two weeks. And that was the beginning of my infatuation with her.

Our paths crossed again one night while I was having dinner alone in a well-known fast food restaurant on the same avenue. The occasion was different and special, possibly because it was my first encounter with her outside the jeepney stop.

She was sitting in the left corner of the restaurant near the cashier, eating alone and fiddling with her stuff. I kept looking at her, and soon she realized that she was being watched. She glanced at me and smiled seductively. I don’t know, but maybe she recognized me as the man she always saw at the jeepney stop, the one who always smiled and gazed at her every weekday.

Tensely, I smiled back at her. Oh, God in heaven, I said to myself. This girl is so pretty! I took a bite and then checked to see if she was looking at me—and she was. She averted her gaze, and then in a few moments she looked to see if I was looking at her—and I was.

This exchange of looks continued throughout my dinner that night. I couldn’t remember the food I ate, but it was one of my most memorable and exciting meals. Regrettably, I knew nothing about her. I couldn’t approach her to ask her name and get her precious phone number.

Two days after that flirtatious look-a-thon, our paths crossed once again. It was a cold morning. I was standing in front of a commercial bank on Commonwealth Avenue waiting for a ride to the school where I am teaching when I saw her coming my way. For some reason I expected a hard slap from her for staring “illegally” at her. I began to panic and scrambled for what I would say should she slap me. But surprisingly, she just walked past me and said with a smile, “Hi, Dimple!”

That little flirt really got my attention and stopped my internal organs from functioning. I couldn’t move! I felt like my body was glued to where I was standing and my brain was directing all the nerve cells in my body to absorb and understand every bit of feeling caused by this girl I admired. I felt flattered. Anyone who likes my dimple can’t be all bad, I thought.

But I was so overwhelmed by her greeting that I can’t recall saying anything in return. I certainly thought about it for several days. It was our first conversation—consisting of two flirtatious words uttered by her. Still, I didn’t ask her name. After that encounter, I prayed that soon God would give me the courage to approach and ask her name.

Every day, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people walk along the sidewalks of this popular deadly highway, and among them is this girl I have been admiring. But days, weeks, and months have passed since she walked past me with her greeting. No pretty, attractive, simple, and shiny-eyed girl has showed up. Where she has gone, I don’t have an idea! There’s a lot of questions to ponder about, but all I can do is guess. Perhaps she no longer lives in Quezon City? Or she is having a vacation somewhere?

As I write this, it’s been five months since that day she walked past me and said, “Hi, Dimple!”

Ronnel L. Usero, 23, is a science teacher at Mother of Perpetual Help School in Quezon City.