Gatecrashing a Stag Party

Due to hubby’s unforeseen health issues in the US, our vacation timetable went awry. All my scheduled meet-ups with old friends were cancelled.

“Would you like to join us?” Tony casually asked, as a matter of courtesy, when two of his friends (grade school classmates) in LA called, wanting to see him.

This was not part of my own itinerary, but since I already had zero itinerary to speak of, I joined them. This, I suspect, surprised Tony.

From the time one of them, P, picked us up from our host’s place to the time he drove us back, I listened to “little boys” talking: unguarded, unpretentious, unaffected, and nothing highfalutin' (not about career nor business), just mindless chatter and merry laughter.

The other one, O, met us at a Vietnamese diner for lunch—and the group was complete. More chatter of the same kind, but with louder laughter. Here were two hard-core businessmen and one veteran physician, and all they talked about were inconsequential trivia, the polar opposite of rocket science.

The banter would have been similar with my own close friends, I mused. And I wished, if only people would let their guard down, be little kids again, and run free from all charades, this would be a happier place to live in.  

After lunch, one suggested to have halo-halo (“mixed together” shaved ice, evaporated milk, sweet beans, coconut, agar jelly, tubers, fruits, and ice cream) at Pinoy-Pinay, a Filipino cafe. 

 

Then we moved to Leelin, another Filipino café for coffee and ensaymada (sweet butter bread).

We got excellent, special service in both since the owners/servers are patients of P.

All too soon, five hours of grace later, the stag party ended.

Try gate-crashing a stag party sometime. It’s fun!

"So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 8:15 (NLT)