M.C. Tolfo - Storywriter

This is my perfect love story. We meet while I am having a summer vacation in Puerto Princesa. Or maybe Boracay. Or Pagudpud. Or Baler. You are visiting your family. Or maybe you are taking a break with your friends. Or colleagues. We are in a restaurant, a cafe, and I am ordering a drink or a meal, and you are doing the same. We catch a glimpse at each other, and at that instantaneous moment, we both know. We are meant to be. The world stops spinning. But only in our heads, because everyone around us continue moving. Yet, we don't care. Time stands still, and all I see is you. I smile, and you catch yourself smiling back. You break your stare and blush. Time starts moving again. From that moment on, I couldn't stop looking your way. Yet you keep avoiding my eyes. Of course you will. You are a proud woman, you're not cheap, you're not easy to get. You stand up and excuse yourself. You say you are not feeling well and you start walking back to your cottage. I stan...

Outside the Baltazar mansion, the night is quiet and peaceful; oblivious of the desperation that currently engulfs its residents. Alfredo is pacing the house's front yard, occasionally glancing at his watch. Its two days before Christmas, and if he has it his way, he should be at home wrapping presents with his sons and wife, but here he is, responding to a call from one of the most prominent families in the country. After being shortly briefed about the emergency he has to attend to, he immediately summoned the one person he knows who could urgently solve this case, at least before Noche buena. A car halts outside the fences, and he glanced the security guard manning the gate who then checks it out. The starless skies and the cloud-covered moonlight isn't helping his already blurry vision, so he walked closer to have a look, and there he sees the white cab and the person he'd been waiting for more than an hour now. Cornea Marie steps down from the taxi an...

My old friend, Ranz, suggested that I should just blog my torment. I told her I could try but I couldn't think of anything to write in spite of the emotional stress I'm facing. Then I heard a familiar song from Eraserheads, so here it is. Torpe Complex    Weather. Maybe I should ask about the weather. No, too cliche. No, no, no, I should think of another topic. God, why do I always find it hard to talk to her? I mean, I'm a loud-mouth. In school, when I'm with my friends, I never run out of topics to discuss. But with her...    Quite a funny weather, isn't it?    Huh?     The weather. Earlier this morning its cloudy and gloomy, but now its freaking hot.     Yeah, I noticed that too. Its the middle of October and its as sunny as a fried egg.     Oh good, good, its working. Small talk, I finally did it. We've been walking for minutes and we only shared 'uh huh' and 'oh'. Now, from that topic, maybe I should expand or....

"Siya yun." "Sino?" "Yang papasok", sinenyasan ni Armand ang babaeng kaibigan para tingnan ang estudyanteng pumapasok sa front entrance ng eskwela. "Yung kinuwento ko sa 'yo", tiningnan ni Armand ang kausap, kinukunot ang kilay, kinukumbinse na alam dapat nito ang tinutukoy niya. "Ah", gets na ng kausap. "Ganda 'di ba?" Tumingin si Armand, sa kaibigan, nakataas ang dalawang kilay, hinihintay na may sasabihin itong maganda. Sinipat naman ng kausap ang dalagang tinutukoy, habang pinapakita nito ang ID sa guard na nakabantay sa pintuan. "Ok lang. Maputi." "Sus, di ka marunong tumingin," dismayado si Armand sa reaksyon ng kaibigan, muli siyang tumingin sa babaeng tinutukoy. Naglalakad na ito at papunta sa direksyon nila. "Hello Kristine!" Lumingon ang babae kay Armand, na hindi inaasahang may tatawag sa kanya. "Naalala mo pa ko?" Tiningnan siya nito sa mukha, "noon...

Minsan nakakainis sumakay ng LRT, ang haba na ng pila, siksikan pa pagdating sa loob, tapos minsan ang tagal-tagal pa dumating. Sabi nila, parang ganun din daw ang pag-ibig. Susubukin talaga ang pasensya mo, e-effort kang pumila ng pagkahaba-haba para makasakay, pipilitin mong makapasok at makikipagsiksikan sa loob kahit parang hindi na pwede, titiisin ang sikip, titiisin ang hirap, matigas ang ulo mo eh, martir ka na ipinagtatayo ng rebulto. May mga tao naman na idealistic, tipong naghihintay ng skip train,  naghihintay ng tren na maluwag, yung hindi sira ang aircon, hindi nila alam, nalampasan na pala sila ng tren na para sa kanila. Meron namang nakasakay na sa tren, pero sa gitna ng byahe, magbabago ang isip, magbabago ang puso, bababa at lilipat sa ibang tren. Masakit, lalo na para doon sa maiiwan, dahil umasa na siya na hindi na niya kailangan pang mag-abang ng ibang tren. Umasa siya na sabay silang makakarating sa last station. Two years ago, first o second week ata yun...

<<<ANG SIMULA NG KUWENTO                 <<<ANG HULING KAGANAPAN Umalingawngaw ang tawa ni Tanya sa buong hallway . Maingay, hindi magkaintindihan ang mga tao, pero hindi na nagpagtinag ang magkakaibigan sa pagkukuwentuhan. Ito na ang huling sandali na magkakasama silang tatlo bilang mga estudyante. Isang oras na lang at magsisimula na ang ceremony . Nakasuot na ng toga sila Charmaigne at Tanya, habang si Cecil ay nagre- retouch , palibhasa'y kararating lang at inuna pang makipag-dramahan kesa ang mag-ayos. "Seryoso, mami- miss ko talaga kayo... ", mangiyak-ngiyak na sabi ni Cecil. "Oo na, paulit-ulit! Ha ha ha!", bulalas ni Charmaigne. Sabay na naghagikgikan ang tatlo, "Magkikita-kita pa rin naman tayo, ano ka ba. Tama na nga yan, matatanggal na naman yang eye liner mo." "Oo nga, tama na ang drama, dapat nagse- celebrate tayo!" wika ni Tanya. "Tomoh! Sige na, isuot mo na yang toga mo para makapag- pict...

<<<ANG NAKARAAN May 25, 2011 8:15 AM                                         "Ok, on another note, ah, I called this meeting, para mabigyan tayo ng chance na makapagpasalamat at makapagpaalam na rin sa ting mga OJTs. So this is their last day." "Aaahhhhwwwwww..."                                         "So, Charmaigne, Lucy, Arnold and Melinda; any last words?" "Ha ha ha!"                                  ...