It was like any other day that gloomy March 1st when I was daydreaming through one of the afternoon classes. Through the chaos and commotion made by the high school kings I was with, I could only think… What would become of the people of IV Simpliciano? It was then that the previous sleepless night had finally taken its toll and I took the plunge into slumber and into oblivion.

Blinded by a flash of light and disoriented by a swirl of ethereal mist, I was almost sure that I had eaten something stale enough to send me to the gates of heaven. However, instead of the red carpet welcome I was expecting, my trip came to an abrupt halt and I was met by a man whom I didn’t recognize. He was an aged old man whose hair could qualify for a turban and he had the darkest of green eyes. He looked up at me asked me to choose from six miniature earths that come from different times, all laid out on a table like gypsy crystal balls.

Fearing that he might eat me or something if I did not comply, I immediately took hold of the earth nearest to me, the second one to the right. The moment my finger had touched it, I felt a jerk in my bellybutton. Next thing I knew, I was one of the falling bodies we were discussing in Physics. From outer space, I was falling toward the center of the miniature earth and was accelerating at a rate of 9.8 m/s².

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

I closed my eyes and prayed this was only a dream, that I would finally wake at the first screech of my alarm clock at five in the morning. Too bad for me, that would never happen.

When I came to, I found myself aboard the infamous Queen Mary II. Considering the amount of change I had gone through, I could only assume that I had been knocked out for ages. How I got there, I do not even know… But I found myself compelled to find the bar so I have some place to recollect. And so, I stood up from the comfy chair I was in. Leaving what seemed to be Shangri-La Hotel’s presidential suite, I dragged my confounded self to the bar and into the greatest surprise of my life.

Behind the bar were plenty of bottles. Some were that of soda, cola, or some condiment but most were that of some expensive alcoholic beverage. That had done it. I thought that if I was in the future, maybe my fourth year classmates would be there, too. And that includes… The Manda Boys. Alcohol = Sessionista. A number of Manda boys are also Sessionistas.

Perhaps it is the alcohol or the floating hotel in itself that reminded me of them. After all, a considerable number of them decided to take up HRM in the Lyceum. Nevertheless, I found myself wondering what had already become of the group. Could they be right here in the same ship I’m in at the moment? I ordered some chocolate milk and requested the bartender to put it in a jelly glass so that it would not wreck my style. I had earlier discovered I have € 590 in my wallet and I can probably survive until the ship reaches the docks. Wherever we’re going.

Then all of a sudden…

“Ano bang pinaggagagawa mo diyan?” a voice said. It had a somewhat piercing quality and it was also somewhat… familiar.

It took a while for it to register but it was a good thing I had come to my senses. I realized that it is rare to find someone speaking Filipino aboard the Queen Mary II. Craning my neck to get a better view of what was happening at the back, I saw with my own two eyes… Kris Santos and Alejandro Eric De Belen. Kris was wearing what I supposed was some higher up’s uniform while Debi was clad in the chef’s garments.

“Pag trabaho, trabaho lang,” Kris said with an imperative tone.

“Ha? Ako?” Debi replied trying desperately to hide his smile. But then again, it was also this reaction that always gave him away.

Perhaps it was a change brought about by time but Kris had learned to drone on for ages with his scolding. Given the way they were relating with each other, I assume they had been working with each other for years.

Finally…

“Eh pa’no mo mapapaliwanag ‘to?” Kris yanked the refrigerator door open revealing something that simply made my jaw drop.

Hiding inside the fridge were two more familiar faces. They were scantly clad in Speedo swimsuits and were nearly frozen when they crawled out into the open. Together, they make up the Jaboom Twins of Simpliciano – Jaja and Boomboom. What surprised me the most, however, is how much they’ve changed. It seems that now, they can actually fit inside the refrigerator. Looking utterly relieved to have escaped such a hell hole, they stood up puffing and wheezing after a brief moment of suffocation.

“Ah basta ako wala ako diyan.” Debi said sincerely.

At that moment, the intercom beeped and a message followed. “Good day to all of you. Please be informed that two of our synchronized swimmers are apparently missing. If you happen to come across Ms. Atijon and Ms. Tingson, please enlighten the management of their whereabouts for we are about to start our show in fifteen minutes. Thank you.”

“Oh my God,” I heard myself say. “They’re working here?”

Hearing the news, the twins took nothing more of the harassment and immediately made their way to the indoor pool on the fifth floor.

Just seconds after the door was slammed, Kris broke out once more. “Tingnan mo, dahil sa kapabayaan mo, pinasok na ‘tong kitchen…”

“Sabi ko nga sa ‘yo wala ako diyan eh…” Debi said truthfully.

Realizing that my mouth was open the whole time, I immediately assumed a more dignified stance. When the tension was significantly reduced, I decided to make my way into the kitchen… Too bad for me, a voice just said “Unauthorized persons are not allowed access.”

Turning toward the direction of the voice, I saw the old man sitting on the counter. Instead of the magistrate’s robes he was wearing the first time I saw him, he was now wearing something that resembled the uniform of the ship’s personnel. His hair, however, still qualified for a turban and he still exuded the same menace as before. His stare was fixed intently on me and it was piercingly direct.

“You are not allowed to make contact with them.”

I forced a meek response… “Aah, OK.”

Taking a few steps back, I realized that time had literally stopped while we were there, talking. I looked around and saw hands lifting cups halfway to their owners’ lips and water rendered incapable of flowing from the pitchers.

“Just follow my instructions and you will be fine,” he said softly.

And, with the blink of an eye, he was gone and nowhere to be found.

**

Not certain of what I would do next, I made my way to the indoor pool to see my former classmates’ performance. There were two teams who participated in the competition. There was nothing special about the first team to perform but when the members of the second team had started to line up, I realized that there weren’t two of my former classmates there… there were actually four. Standing before the two girls next to Jaja was Kate Flores – a.k.a Dugz – while immediately next to Boomboom was Karla Esquillo – a.k.a Kissa. I couldn’t help but recall those days when these people were just my classmates. It never really occurred to me that these people would actually be this famous as synchronized swimmers. After all, what are the odds? Synchronized swimming wasn’t all the craze last time I recall.

Walking back to my room, I kept on thinking of an explanation for all of this. Had I just experienced the so-called time slip? If so, then what could explain the old man? Perhaps he’s a delusion associated with experiencing a time slip? These questions continuously nagged in my head until…

CRASH!

Peering through the corridor, I saw Francis Divinagracia. His dark gray suit was drenched in coffee while some personnel were incessantly apologizing to him. Somehow, he had learned to control his temper in such a situation. Had this been ten years ago at Immaculate Heart of Mary College, his mouth wouldn’t be any different from Sir Edgar’s M16.

Hearing the commotion, another man I didn’t recognize came sprinting down the hall. He was of medium built and his features told me he was partly Indian.

“Would you like me to call the management, sir?” he asked Francis.

“Hindi, wag na.” he replied.

Ikaw ba iyan, Francis? I thought to myself.

“This is an outrage!” the man told the personnel. “Do you know who this person is?” The man took out a copy of what seemed to be an international magazine “This man is the most successful business professional that De La Salle University ever produced.” He brandished the copy of Vanity Fair revealing Francis on its cover. The personnel were visibly trembling “How do you expect his welcome crew would react when we dock in a few hours?”

“Tama na iyan…Sige, pakihanda na ng mga gamit ko,” Francis ordered.

At that point, I just wished I also have a personal assistant.

**

After a while, I simply decided I would just leave Francis to deal with the whole thing. After all, he wouldn’t need anyone to watch his temper for him anymore. I turned back to the direction where I came from so that Francis would not see me. I feared the old man might attack me if I dared to defy his orders.

Consulting the map I found on the wall, I learned that another route to my suite could be taken if I climb another floor. And so, I went up the stairs. Upon making my first right, I saw a sign over the cordoned off place saying that the section was closed off due to redecoration. Apparently, a couple of artists from the Philippines – an interior decorator and a graduate of UST – are working on overhauling the place. Just when I was turning to go off to a different direction, I heard a couple of voices arguing over color.

“Hindi ba mas maganda kung ganito?” a female voice asked.

“Hindi… masyadong eccentric iyang combination na iyan para sa mga... luxury cruise ship.” A male voice said. “Ay… patingin nga muna…” In a while, Mig Castelo emerged from a doorway at the right. Mig still had a similar style except it was taken through a whole new level since high school. Though it had some of his original ideas, it was, at all angles, screaming with creativity.

“Tingnan mo kaya nang mabuti…” the female voice said. A few seconds later, Pamela Bringino emerged from the doorway opposite the one from which Mig was working. She was still… well… thin. “Hay naku, mamaya na nga muna ‘to,” she said. “Nakahanda na siguro sila sa baba.”

“’San ka ba?” Mig asked.

“Ano ka ba? May fashion show pa tayo. ” Pamz said as she got her things. She checked out her watch and said “Bukas na lang at around 8:30. Bye-ah.” She whipped out her kikay kit and sped down the stairs at breakneck speed.

Mig, in turn, gathered all his stuff as well. In a few minutes, he was also on his way down.

**

I was intrigued by what Pamz mentioned. And so, I went down the stairs to see what she was talking about. In a while, I saw a notice that there would be a fashion show/party open to all sponsored by Mercedes Benz in one of the ballrooms. I immediately knew that it was the one and so I sprinted back up the stairs and into my suite. I hurriedly checked the room if the future me had any outfit which would prove to be acceptable to the fashion-conscious people of year 2010. Luckily, I found myself a purple skinny tie and a pinstriped shirt with a color that’s simply perfect for the night. I immediately cleaned up and changed, seeing to it that my hair is alright and that I wouldn’t be denied entry on account of my looks. Seeing a copy of Vanity Fair on my bedside table, I checked and double checked if I’m at least wearing the latest. Convincing myself that I wouldn’t be kicked out, I got the key and left the room severely disorganized.

The ballroom was quite different from all the others. It was crammed with a lot of young people and a lot of advertisements. Some front covers of magazines were blown up and draped on the walls and there were a few of Mercedes’s cars at one corner. I thought I recognized some of the girls on the magazines but as I went to make a closer look, the show had started and I never got the chance to see them clearly. Anyway, the fashion show/party had begun with the theme ‘The Rule of the Petite.’ At first, I did not understand how the show involved petite people but as the music started playing and as the first model did her strut, I knew how.

First to do her strut is another familiar face. Wearing a small pink outfit, Sheila Peñaredondo made the crowd go wild as she flaunted the new look for summer 2010. “Oh my God, I adore her!” a girl next to me said to her friend. “You know Francis Divinagracia of the Philippines?”

“Yeah…” the other girl replied. “Vanity Fair’s front cover in the last holiday issue.”

“Exactly. Well… this girl – I heard from my friend in Vogue – might make it to the covers too.”

“Really? How?”

“There’s a huge brain at the back of that pretty face… She graduated from the same university as Mr. Vanity Fair… She’ll be another business professional to grace the cover of Vogue… Vogue’s Editor likes doing that.”

Up next was the one and only Christie Lim. Looking pretty in black, she started drawing half the men to the stage putting them in something I could only describe as a hypnotic trance. There were quite a few of my other former classmates there. Marie and Jane were there and even some of the not so petite people like Love, Iya, and Gan-Gan were also there.

For a short moment, the music seemed to slow to a stop as if to indicate a major shift in mood. And then, the announcement came. “Ladies and gentlemen, the new line of swimwear for men.”

“Please welcome…”

On the monitors, I saw muscles that look like human cables, a tall but thin structure. Now there’s no mistaking it.

“On his debut as a model…”

All the girls started screaming.

“Joseph Rom!”

And so, Joseph Rom, all six feet five of him, was strutting with cameras flashing from all angles. All ladies from different nationalities were tiptoeing to get a better view over the commotion up front. I could easily tell, Simpliciano’s Iron Man will have a future in this field.

“We’re for England now, right?” a guy asked his girlfriend.

“Yes, we’ll be there in four hours, I am told” she replied with heavily accented English.

After a while, I decided that I’m a bit tired and I should rest in my room. I have to pack up again before we reach England. Whatever will happen to me, I do not know. But it looks like I have to press forward with this adventure if I would like to know.

**