Over the cliff!

It cost 300P and required some serious negotiating with the taxi driver, but we made it to the edge of the earth, also known as Mulligan's Irish Gastropub, where Haydn was celebrating his engagement with his girlfriend- now- fiance, Dee. Alert readers may recognize Haydn from very early on in my travels in Manila, the  co worker who I met out one night at Heckle and Jeckle, who saw his opportunity to play cupid and while my back was turned, switched seats with Preetam so that when I turned around, instead of mild mannered Brit next to me, this (semi) eligible Indian guy was doing his best to land on me like a piano. Since then, Haydn has been a friend (although if Pree turned out to be a jerk, the story would be different), and I've actually attended a few events with him and his wrecking crew of ex pats: A barbecue  the Xmas party at Mike's, and now the engagement party.

I brought AllwynKent (I call him Kent--actually I call him "babes" or "pumpernickel", I seldom call him by his name, but his close friends call him Kent) and the rest of the world knows him as Allwyn, so generally I introduce him in this manner, after an awkward moment where I went to introduce him as Kent, and he simultaneously gave his name as Allwyn. Grr. He's also Kent to everyone in the States, since "Allwyn" makes people really, really hopeful that I've met some kind of latter day Robert the Bruce who's going to like, supply them with awesome second hand stories of grog drinking, merry making and lass chasing. "No, he's....not Irish. No, he's....not Welsh. Nope, not Scottish. Funny story, there."

 I had to sort of chisel him out of bed, and he was "saving his energy" (also known as "inspecting my eyelids for holes") in the cab on the way over, he was tired. Cut to one beer later and it's go time for him, especially when the food arrived. I swear the man perks up like a pointer hound when food is in a five mile radius. He would eat a tin can, as long as it had hot sauce on it.

The crowd, I was extremely grateful to see, was not only large ( I had terrified visions of an extremely depressed and angry Haydn at a long table with just Dee, Dee's elderly distant family members, and us-- but I sort of forgot that Haydn knows a large group of ex pats, who, when they say they'll go to a party, they actually go), but was people I knew. We immediately went into receiving- line- mode, kissing the cheeks of Ash, Mike, Jaz, Haydn, Akosh, Luca, Preetam, a different Mike (we call him Tall Mike-- although Mike Harris is the same height, Tall Mike is broomstick thin, giving him a generally "tall" look), his girl (Joy?), and a new couple Haydn knows from "out", Richmond (an African American guy) and his lady, a voluptuous, very pretty platinum blonde, who's name escapes me. Shin and his lady Rhia (it turns out he's also from Iran, same as Ash) were there slight later, and 3 Filipinos, from work. Everyone remembered Allwyn, and he quickly refreshed the routine that had made him such a hit at the Xmas party, shaking hands, slapping backs, kissing babies, throwing around the football, helping grannies across the road, etc, etc.. You know that scene from Casino where Robert DeNiro explains the appeal of otherwise nutsy Ginger? "Watching my wife work the room was one of life's most exquisite pleasures. People loved her. Everyone wanted to be near her." It's kind of like that. With a naturally pleasant, easy going personality, ability and willingness to discuss pretty much anything, refreshing lack of "hot buttons", and flattering attentiveness, one can clearly see the "marks" of a private school education in his interactions with others.

Haydn was in fine form, bouncing around getting drinks, mortifying me by not only asking Allwyn which he would choose: his career or me (with me right there!!-- Allwyn told Haydn how, earlier in the party, he had been in the parking lot taking a call for work for like, 20 minutes, and I came out there, and he thought I was going to yell at him, but instead I brought him a fresh beer, and therefore it was 99% me, all the way. Nice, and very politic.), and "confidentially" informing Allwyn that I "go on and on" about him at work. I mean, I do bring up his name here and there, but come on!! Don't salt my game, man! It's all about leverage! But it was SUPER cute when Allwyn later asked me, in his most James McAvoy voice, "Is that true? Do you really talk about me a lot?" I just laughed "The man is at his own engagement party and Virginia is for lovers. And he's tippling. Come on!" But he was happy as a clam at the idea that "his girl" was going on and on about him.

The night wore on, I got to tell the "Apple Clover" story, which I haven't told in a long time, to Haydn, who very gratifyingly nearly had a coronary infarction from laughing over it. We took group pictures, which Allwyn admitted "I've always wanted to do this" (How someone who's been in more than 25 countries hasn't been forced into millions of group shots I have no idea, but he was really into it, so what the hey).

Most people were "around the bend" by the time we were getting ready to leave, including a more than tipsy Allwyn, who was trying to explain how he didn't want to leave because other people were leaving, and it wouldn't do to leave poor Haydn alone at his own party. Mmm-hmm. When we tried to leave, a very irate Pree literally burst out of the front door (he had somehow gotten wind of our exit) with a drink sloshing in his hand-- "What the HELL! You're leaving without a GOODBYE?!" He bellowed, his brow furrowed. Well, things were winding down, after all, but he would not be denied his drawn out, soggy goodbye, complete with "iron clad" plans for another time, etc, etc.

So, one long taxi ride, some cheddar cheese with red pepper jam, and some pillow talk later, our night was concluded.