I am Sam...

7 Dec 2010 is an exceptional day. It was already half past 1 in the afternoon and we, my brother (Aldrin) and I, were still inside SVS Foodland at Harbour City delivering their order. We needed to be at the Jackson’s Airport at 3pm for our Manila flight. At 3pm we were still on our way to pick Uncle Orland up from Caritas so he could drop us off to the airport. As a result of late check in, we were given the tail seats.

Upon boarding, I saw a familiar face that lifted up my mood. One of the stewards was somebody I know. I couldn’t remember his name but I greeted him and he greeted back. We spoke in Tagalog and all were amazed seeing a PNG National so fluent in our language. Plane took off, movie was shown, dinner was served and when the craft was smoothly cruising the clouds, he came and sat with me for a long, nice chat. He offered me, my brother (he decided to move a row behind so he could be at the window seat) and the guy seating with my brother some drinks. I had red wine and he gave me chocolates (the right things to have) while talking to him.

He is in his late 30’s. I was trying to recollect, what his name was. We chatted about his life, his legal wife, his current partner, his children and all about himself. I slowly remembered, while listening to his stories, the reasons why I liked this guy even from before. He is a PNG local but his father is a Filipino. He lived in various places in the Philippines and had acquired somehow some Filipino traits. He speaks very differently from how a typical PNG guy would speak. I would say he is a romantic kind of guy, so Filipino in his ways. He asked me if I found somebody who would take up my husband’s place. And I replied that Mr. Right has not shown up yet. He looked at me gently and said. “Do not wait your entire life for the thing called Right Person to come. You are waiting for somebody that doesn’t exist. Instead treasure to be with the person who you can seize the right moments…and with that you do not have to wait.”

When he was about to leave, I ought to ask for his name. The guy seated behind with my brother asked how he could speak fluent Tagalog. He extended his arm for a hand shake. He then said, “I am Sam; physically a PNG, but a Filipino by heart.”