This is a tale of gains and losses.  This happened two months ago so please bear with me if I can’t remember some details.  Aside from the two-month factor, there’s also the other factor which I’m sure some of my reader friends have already guessed and would most probably be giggling to.  Hmp. 

I decided to watch the concert of Sonicflood last August 15 at the Araneta Coliseum.  I left the office in Global City at 4pm so I can avoid the infamous MRT crowd in Ayala.  It had been an easy travel riding the train, no hassles, no congestion,  weather was fine, drizzled only when I was in Cubao already.  I was going to meet the rest of the pack in Cubao MRT Station but since I arrived early, I thought I’d go malling in Gateway.  My plans were changed when I saw a familiar face in Farmers, a churchmate who as I surmised correctly was also going to watch the concert.  I hooked up with her, she herself just whiling the time away.  So we decided we would eat.  But where? Both not familiar to the place, we looked around… Chowking? nope.. there’s a Starbucks somewhere she said.. she also needed to recharge her cellphone… but nope.. let’s just use my cellphone in contacting our common friends… and then beside us is KFC Farmers… why not? so we agreed….

We ordered, friend paid for the bill, and we sat at a table that’s on the right side of the room.  It’s a bit crowded because the tables were set closely to one another.  If I remember right (yeah right), it’s a single lane aisle between tables, only one person can pass and if his size is more than average, he would have to move sideways. 

So I tried to get comfy with my friend.  And then there’s the cellphone thing, you know, text the pack every now and then just to check where they are.  My new friend is really … friendly and funny.  We laughed at stories, joking about our other companions, talked about ourselves, the concert, sonicflood, and of course we consumed this new pasta stuff that KFC had just launched.

And then the thing happened…………… when we got to our table i sat across my friend.  There was another seat beside me that was vacant.  So i placed my bag on the chair beside me.  While I was so absorbed with the chitchat, I was doing this intermittent checking of my bag.  It’s a habit of mine.  So I kept touching it with my left hand.. stroking it, opening it, closing it, moving it a little…talk about details huh!  The next minute, when some guy carrying a big backpack passed and i felt that I had to move my bag because it might get pushed and fall, MY BAG WASN’T THERE ANYMORE!  I looked under the table, under the chairs, at the man who just passed, at the people sitting beside us.  My friend was staring at me, looking confused.  I said I lost my bag.  It didn’t sink.  I said it again.  But I didn’t care about her, I was in panic and trying to think fast.  I was looking at people around me suspiciously and they were so quick to tell me they didn’t see anything.  It was probably the look I was giving them.  Sorry guys :( .  I was going around the room, didn’t see any security guard, saw a crew and told him about it, asked for the manager, talked to the manager but she was not of much help. Really.  Maybe because she’s so used to this happening.  I asked if i could use their landline to contact my bank to block my cards, she hesitated, i didn’t feel welcome.  She asked of the bank, and she said there’s one right in front, it would be faster if I go there.  I ran to the bank, explained, called hotline, waited for a good 30-minute (so hard to wait during that time) and finally got them all blocked. 

 

Thank God for giving me a new friend, for an enjoyable concert, and I still thank Him despite me losing the 3c’s (cash, cards, cosmetics) and my best travel buddy, my ipod.  God is good because my concert ticket was inside my pocket and my cellphone was on the table.  It felt so different, because God allowed me to truly enjoy the praise songs in the concert. Having nothing, just me and the clothes that I had on, I sang … “when the music fades, and all is stripped away… I will simply come.. “  And indeed I simply came, not by choice.  It felt different, not bad, not good. Just different.

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