Classic Lines - Girl’s POV
She had been dieting for weeks and weeks. Soup for breakfast. Apples and crackers for lunch. She was beside herself with excitement, anticipating how he’d react when he sees the "new, thinner, better me."
It had been years since the last time…
Soon as the clock struck 6, she bolted out the door and hurriedly walked to the bus stop. Her home is far, far away from both her office and their meeting place, but what the hell! She just had to come home and change! There was no other thought in her head but how good she’d look in the blouse she bought specially for this occasion: its fabric soft to the touch but dark in color, perfect for concealing the unsightly, horrendous bulges here and there that weeks of dieting were not able to obliterate.
Dressed in her new outfit, she confidently walked into the restaurant. Almost immediately, she spotted him…his back to her, striding slowly in that familiar confident gait, towering over everyone else in the room. She called out his name and gave the brightest smile she could muster despite the wild thumping in her chest.
He turned. His eyes fell on her. His mouth hung open, the expression on his face bemused.
She was tingling all over, beside herself with excitement, anticipating his reaction to the "new, thinner, better me." This is it…
"ANG TABA-TABA MO!," he shouted. He threw back his head and let out what to her sounded like a monstrous laugh. Piercing and insulting.
The megawatt smile left her face. This couldn’t be true. She peered at him more closely as he walked toward her. Did I hear you right? What you should be saying is, "Wow, you’re beautiful!" Or at least, "You lost so much weight!"
But when he finally reached her, he exclaimed again, "ANG TABA-TABA MO!" Monstrous laugh. Piercing and insulting.
He drove home the point this time.
She felt confused. Then betrayed. How could that be? Diet and new blouse and weeks of anticipation simply did not work? In his eyes, she’s fat and ugly then. Fat and ugly now. And no amount of heart and hard work could change that.
In a single sweep, what she’s always believed to be a resilient spirit shattered into a million bits, never to be whole again.
_______________
15 years after that encounter. She is drunk and is bawling. She keeps repeating,""Ang taba-taba mo!" Boo-huhuhu. She tells the tale of the awful event to all who cares to listen. Again.
She has narrated the story countless times to countless people.
And, without fail, the tears fall in torrents each time.
