I fell in love with him.
It was unusually hot inside the crowded MRT on a Sunday afternoon but his presences suited me. I haven't had enough sleep and passing out would be a blessing but I would trade a comfy little seat just to stand in front of him. My most beloved girlfriend, Krizia, seated next to him but I didn't care, I just stared at him. And deep inside, I was resisting the powerful urge to hug him, kiss his cheeks and wish the stars and the moon for him.
He looked at me with that huge, round eyes so innocent I praised God. He batted his eye lashes and was playing "beautiful eyes" at me and I responded with my own version (mine didn't looked beautiful at all). He suddenly looked away but I caught him slowly looking back at me and did the "beautiful-eyes" again. I doubled my effort in making that "beautiful-eyes" (to no avail) but I saw his stare focused at me. My beautiful Krizia looked at both of us and smiled. Thank God we have the same taste!
Since my "beautiful-eyes" didn't work, I did my cross-eye technique. No use. He just stared. I did it again and this time I mockingly slipped my tongue out of my lips. He stared. My pretty girlfriend resisted the thunderous laughter she had boiling inside her. I know. I looked funny.
Yeah, yeah, I'm feeling you're sentiment. "Nababakla na ba si Rex?!" No, I didn't turn gay all of a sudden. Our Sunday trip home was blessed by a baby. An angel one year of age, bald, has no teeth and he was wearing diapers. At his age, he already mastered the art of making bubbles out of his own saliva (man! Wish I could make bubbles out of my saliva and people would find it cute). He has this irresistible chubby cheeks and that eye lashes that could make any one melt with one wink and I caught myself asking, how could a small human being hypnotize a crowd with a toothless grin?
And so I remembered, "...and calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:2-6)
We have heard numerous lectures and sermons on this verse but I took another view. A child has this innate potential to inflict the positivism, the exaltation of life and the joy of living to any mortal he/she encounters. Babies have innocence--that and their complete surrender to their parents (coupled by their drop-dead-cuteness) are like small glimpses of heaven. God's unending love and grace radiates from these lovely children. I longed to have that "child-like" powers (and cuteness of course). I longed to inflict that contagious positivism to the world, that complete surrender to my maker and that child like aura that gives joy and peace to the people I meet. And through God's grace, I know I will be equipped. God really wants me to make Him proud.
So there I was, eager to make the baby smile. I did all the tricks, I know until I decided to do something weird, something I've never done before--a combo. So I crossed my eyes, slipped my tongue out of my lips and batted my eyes in that hideous "beautiful-eyes". I felt dizzy but as soon as I regained my focus, I was swept by that breathtaking smile.
God, You're so great!
At last! A smile! I saw my amazing girlfriend Krizia giggle and I imagined my God laughing in heaven. The baby, the girl and THE almighty.
Rex Mollo, three points!
I looked funny, I felt dizzy, but man! Was I happy!
May God's love make the child in you smile,
Rex Van Carlo E. Mollo
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
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