The ultimate fate of his most illustrious Sir John of unshakable determination.

Here's the scene.

It's dark and it's raining in a city with a lot of multi-storied buildings; highrise apartment complexes and such. The sort of buildings with names like Madonna's. "I live in the Wittenborne." Oh I'm on the 17th floor of the Mitchell right across the way.

They're both crouched on the floor of the balcony facing outwards. She's half-asleep (I dont know why yet) and he's behind her with his arms draped over her shoulders crossing at the wrists.

He is simultaneously surprised, relieved, and overjoyed. He is terrified that it's all a dream. He is crying and laughing, literally at the same time.

"My Blue Heaven" BLASTS over the speakers. It's all too familiar, it happens all the time.

Pan across the city.

Two sides twist and then collide. Sometimes it just feels better to give in.

Cut to every scene of destruction that has resulted in this anomaly. Like the end of the Godfather. Everything falling into place.

Dull heat rises from the sheets. Double standardized suspicion is remedied, oh my blue heaven.

Cut back to them, zoom in on her, eyes shut. Everything's coated in rain.

A tiny voice starts to sing, 'you are safe, child. You are safe.'

Roll aftermaths of fated scenes. Every broken heart smashed open for the ridiculously unlikely ending being shown. Everything he engineered, and most powerfully, all the things he didn't. Fate tossed him one.

Cut to him.

It's you I can't deny.

Zoom in on his face. Eyes. It's exactly how you'd expect someone to look if they had just survived a trip through a black hole. Teary eyed joyous insanity. "I can't believe this worked" is what his face says, verbatim.

It's you I can't deny.

His grip on her tightens now. Spotlight them. Finally his.

Fade to black.
------

"And then what" is completely overrated. We saved the world! And then what? Go back to normal? Who cares. It's alright if the "then what" answer isn't much- getting there is everything. If you have done something so remarkable that it prompts an "And then what?" then you've already won.

That's how I know. That's how I know what matters and that's why I can use a term like victory in situations like these.


I'm not crazy, honest, but they're gonna be talking about us forever.

And even if they don't, they should.

on this night of nights we two are so hopelessly inevitable

it's a haiku.



In Filipino tradition, it is said that the way you spend your New Year's Eve will resonate throughout the year. Because of this it is almost mandatory in some families that the entire core group is together on New Year's Eve. This was not the case for my family last night, as our hero was facedown drowning in the largest flagon of Guinness ever poured by humans.


I decided to go downtown, which was the place to be, and thankfully I wasn't driving. We had a table and we were with a good crowd. Pictures up on lushcollective later on. Everyone and their mother was in some sort of relationship so I attached myself to an extremely tall beer and hoped for the best. My night was comped courtesy of Lauren and Audria from the Hills, so drinking/cabs were not an issue.

I was entirely overdressed and some very large women found me adorable in the same way that a cute hat is adorable or a big piece of cake is adorable. The camera added a lot of 'prestige' and generally creeped everyone out.

The entire night, I knew I would inevitably end up in pacific beach. It was a combination of deep seated determination and fate. It became my mission. Another girl, another party, another crowd- I left my heart in PB and that is where my night would end-

At any cost!

Still though, as the clock struck midnight I was *not* in PB, so I forced myself on the nearest female and trademark overwhelming awkwardness filled the air.

"That was nice. So I was thinking I should call you."
Yeah my boyfriend over there doesn't think you should.
"...whoa. Oops. Whoa."
[John of unlimited charisma quickly backs away from the booth.]

In Filipino tradition, it is said that the way you spend New Years Eve will resonate throughout the year. Maybe this year's gonna have me getting my ass kicked.

To Pacific Beach!

Many drunken phonecalls had filled me with a sense of urgency. As if she might disappear at 2 AM, or my cab would turn into a pumpkin, or other such fairy tale urgency. I managed to hail a cab and collected Kevin and Kathryn and it was off to PB. I generously offered to pay for the whole cab, but I was thwarted by the cabbie who reminded me that he only accepted cash. So I payed far less than my share and quickly exited the scene.

I was totally lost at this point and several more phonecalls had me running into awaiting arms; though I inadvertently smashed some of her jewelry. Ataraxia is the state of mind in which you are no longer concerned with consequences. No more worries. It occurred to me later that I had lost my wallet somewhere and a small search party, armed with a single flashing LED keychain was sent out. Nobody found anything. My phone died. I don't know which cab company I took home.

In Filipino tradition, it is said that the way you spend New Years Eve will resonate throughout the year. Maybe this year's gonna have me going broke.

I wasn't worried about the wallet. I was happy to have completed my mission. I was full of alcohol and everything romantic there ever was.

Aren't you worried about it? It's such a pain in the ass.
"No, for some reason I'm not."

I woke up the next day with many farts still in me. My body has programmed itself not to fart in a girl's bed. Reality sets in and I remember where I am. Ataraxia wears off and I'm immediately disappointed by the inevitable trip to the DMV I'll have to make later. I got a ride to my car and I was complimented by the world's nicest floormats. They read, "You are THE BEST! :)" and I thought that was awfully positive for something you smear your dirty shoes all over but what the hell.

So in movie-mode I drove home. I might have been the only car on the road. I hoped I wouldn't get pulled over; I don't have anything on me. No license, no registration, no nothing. I make it home without incident and only now am I hung over.

I unleash a series of loud but not entirely unpleasant farts and I fall asleep. My cashmere sweater has shed all over my blazer and I look homeless, sleeping in jeans. I am awoken a little later by my cellphone, which is now charging.

A gritty, almost Rastafarian voice takes me by surprise.
Eyyy der Jannyboy! Ya know where yar wallet be?
"What? No?"
I've gat yer wallet Solees. Yar numba was in da wallet."


I met up with him at a neutral location and he handed the wallet to me. We happened to meet at a cafe and I offered to buy his meal. He said he had to get to work, but he wished me a happy New Year, told me to be more careful with my wallet, and drove off.

After getting my wallet back I realized how much work he had to do to get the damned thing back to me:

1) He had to dig through the whole wallet and somehow ended up with a list of contact information regarding the gym that I worked at.

2) He had to look up the directory OF that gym, and match my name to a list.

3) He had to determine which of the contacts would take him to me and which were just office bureaucracy runarounds

4) He had to call my ass, go out of his way to meet me at a safe and neutral location, and didn't even want some soup and a sandwich for his troubles.


Just because he wanted to do the right thing.


In Filipino tradition, it is said that the way you spend New Years Eve will resonate throughout the year. Maybe this year will see me being left vulnerable but loved by those around me.

I felt so good about the way everything panned out yesterday, and today was just icing on it all. And I didn't have to go to the DMV.