The Reason Why

Mavie and I never had a song. We tried deciding on one but we just ended up with a playlist of songs that is good to listen to. After that, we just agreed not to pick one and let fate decide. “Eventually, it will come to us.” Mavie said.

Now, were 7 going on 8 months and still the wretched song is nowhere in sight. I’m beginning to think that we will never have a song that will remind us of our love and affection for each other.

Enter Chester with his and his ex’s theme song.

Last week, after our ears bled from listening to live calls (a change from the usual nose bleeding), we decided to take a breather and do the thing that help us keep our sanity at work... read blogs while listening to WROCK via e-Radio Portal.

I didn’t really paid attention on the song that was playing on the cyber air because I was so into the blog series that I was (thanks to Aris literary skills) when Chester hit me on my shoulder and exclaimed. “Dude, this is a good one!”

I listened intently to the song being played with an aching shoulder. It’s a song I never heard before… or a song that I heard before but never bother to keep in my musical cornucopia.

And I understand why.

Like most of the songs I listened to, I do a judge-the-book-by-its-cover approach before it becomes a part of my cerebral jukebox. So, if it doesn’t sound good to me or the beat is not my cup of tea, then it will just goes down the drain and into my sound sewer, forgotten forever.

That’s what I’m planning to do to the song my friend was so excited to share to me. Apparently, it’s his and his ex’s theme song.

I didn’t like it. To me, the tone is off; it’s kinda boring and very forgettable.

I was already thinking about how to say that the song sucks big time when Chester explained why he likes the song. “The lyrics are great!” He said.

I googled the lyrics of the song and went straight to the chorus.

You’re the reason why

I listen in the night

And steal the softest kisses while you sleep

You’re the reason why

Tears will fill my eyes

Just looking at a photograph of you

I gotta admit my friend is correct. The lyrics was something you can share to your love one. It made me think twice about the song going down the drain now. But overall, the song still sucks to me.

A couple of days after, I’m almost done downloading songs Mavie requested when out of the blue, I remembered the chorus of the song. I search for the song in youtube, downloaded it and converted the clip to an mp3 that I can then upload to my iPod. Why i did it? I don't know myself.

Fast forward to last Sunday.

My friends and I went out to celebrate the birthday of a friend (who didn’t show up!). Mavie was on a 3:00 to 11:00 shift so he apologetically assured everyone that he will join us after work.

We went to Malate after a dinner in MOA, had a few beers in one of the comedy bars there and went to O Bar.

Mavie arrived way past midnight. Malate is awfully quiet on a Sunday and that Sunday was no different. I went out of the bar to meet him. We decided that there’s no point in going into the bar (entrance fee: 150 Php, Consumable) if we are going to stay for just an hour or 2.

We sat on one of the circular, good for 2, tables outside O bar and had a few talks and a lot of laughs. I brought out my iPod and gave him my Nike sports headset. It’s my third headset already since I broke the original headset and the second one that I bought for my laptop. I haven’t bought a new one so for the mean time, i’m using my “working out” headset (which is already busted as well. Huhuhu!)

I happily explained that I have downloaded a couple of songs for him while quickly tapping on the iPod touch screen straight to the “recently added” icon and played the first one.

I immediately saw a reaction on his face. It was priceless.

I know he loves the song and I happily watched as he closed his eyes, smiled and swayed his head (which I assume to the tune of the song he is listening to). After a little over 2 minutes, he grabbed my arms and grinned like a child. “Do you have the opening song?” He asked with his beautiful puppy eyes.

I wanna tease him and say “I don’t have it” but looking at him like that and hearing him appreciate the songs I downloaded for him was way too much for me to resist so I played the opening song of an old popular TV series that started it all, Bioman.

And just like that, I fell in love with him again.

I still have 2 tickets well enough for 2 drinks (included in the O-Bar entrance fee) so instead of getting beer, I’ll get non-alcoholic beverages. After a few minutes with pineapple juice on each hand, I sat back and saw Mavie with a serious look on his face. I asked Mavie what song he is listening to and he answered, “I don’t know but I think I found our song.” I look at the iPod and “The Reason Why” by John Farnham was playing.

I couldn’t believe it! How can we make it our song when I didn’t even like it? Sure the lyrics are great but there’s more to a song than the lyrics. I didn’t even know why I downloaded the song in the first place.

We went home leaving our friends in the bar and carrying the thought of a song that is not to my liking.

While walking to where we will ride a jeep home, Mavie put his arms around, kissed me and whispered, “I love you so much!”

I was surprised. The last time we had shown our affection in public was in a color coded party last November at the corner of the same street and Maria Orosa. We were just holding hands. Normally, I would roll my eyes, shrugged my shoulders and cried “Not in public Mavie!”

It has been an unspoken rule not to publicly display our affection to each other… not anymore.

He’s the reason why I told sister im gay. He’s the reason why I “came out” at the office. He’s the reason why I don’t care what people think if they had seen us kissing that night. In fact, he’s the reason why I would want people to see us kissing.

I smiled a little, hold his arms and answered back, “I love you more!”

I guess the song might grow on me after all.