Does making friends have to be expensive? Hindi naman siguro palagi even if we inhabit a material world.
Bilang peace offering, tinupad ni Yasmien Kurdi ang kanyang pasabi that she would do a magus, not following the star of Bethlehem, but coming to Startalk with an unheard-of gift yet costly. Pambawi kasi ‘yon sa naging ‘atraso’ niya sa inyong lingkod for simply calling me on a first-name basis, kaya tinawag ko siyang bastos.
A gesture of making amends din pala yon sa kanyang manager na si Lolit Solis who hung up on her dahil sa maling pangangatwiran nito to get away with the ‘crime’ of calling elderly writers by their first names, nang walang kuya o ate, tito o tita.
Nanlaki agad ang mga mata ni ‘Nay Lolit (reminiscent of her sighting of Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby?) nang bitbit ni Yasmien ang supot containing jars of glazed marrons. Pardon my ignorance, the only ‘Marron’ I knew ay ‘yung adopted child ni Maricel Soriano.
Just a bit of history. Totally alien to ’Nay Lolit was the stuff, endemic to Spain, na paborito pala ng dating Pangulong Corazon Aquino. “Di ba, social climber ako? Kaya nu’ng may mabasa ako na may nagregalo noon kay Tita Cory ng glazed marrons, ni-research ko talaga kung ano ‘yon. Sabi ko, bibili ako nu’n, gusto kong tikman ‘yon,” sey ni ‘Nay Lolit.
In no time at all, natuntunan din niya kung saan ‘yon nakakabili, isang lugar lang daw kasi—take note—sa Pilipinas where glazed marrons could be bought. Liquor-flavored, ang isang maliit na garapon pala ng chestnut (castañas) confection na ‘yon ay nagkakahalaga ng P1,200.
Yasmien’s token of peace was more than three times larger, kaya sey ni ‘Nay Lolit, mga apat na libong piso raw ang halagang ‘yon. “Pasensiya ka na, Tito Ronnie, ‘Kuya Ronnie’ ‘yung isinulat ng mommy ko du’n sa mouth ng jar,” sey ni Yas. Siyempre, I was more than touched.