Dinner with Daphne, Monica and Eric

I usually arrive on time for my meetings but ever since I came back two weeks ago, I was always late to my appointments. I am adjusting again to the time allowance I needed to reach my meetings on time. Before, I needed half hour allowance to go to Makati. It became 45 minutes, then an hour, an hour and a half, two hours. Ngayon 3 hours na.
Just to make a U-turn at Ortigas Avenue takes a good half hour.

I was late to my dinner meeting with Daphne, Monica and her husband Eric. I picked Cibo in Shangrila Mall for the venue because the last time I knew, they lived in Pasig. Yun pala they moved to Paranaque where they found a less expensive house. Nahiya tuloy ako. Ang layo ng drive nila, tapos I was late pa.

I am loyal to Cibo’s squid-ink pasta even if it makes me look like a vampire afterwards.
Linguine al nero

Farfalle fiorri in rosso

Cheesecake with caramel glaze

In between sips of grape shake, Eric narrated what happened to his mom.

Eric’s parents and siblings are all based in the US. He and Monica attended his parents 50th wedding anniversary in September of 2015. He went back to the US in April 2016 for their triennial (every three years) family reunion which was held in Las Vegas. His sister rented a mansion with 6 bedrooms and a swimming pool and for two days, they all had so much fun time together.

In August 2017, Eric made another trip to the US, this time not a happy occasion unlike the first two. His mom died unexpectedly and tragically.

She was at a friend’s house, attending their regular bible and prayer session. Their group takes turns in hosting the bible study. On that fateful day, Eric’s dad dropped off his mom at 5:30 pm. Their friends were trying to convince him to stay but he didn’t like. He left and promised to come back later to pick her up.

They were 12 in the group. They were preparing to eat before they start their bible study. Some were in the dining area setting the table, one was in the toilet, while Eric’s mom was already positioned on one of the chairs against the wall, facing the front door in the living room.

Suddenly, they heard a loud Vroom Vroom Vroom, then in seconds, a car came crashing down in the living room, breaking down the front door, windows and wall. Destroying everything on its path. It was like a scene from the movies.
The car went straight to Eric’s mom and hit her chest which killed her instantly. The woman seated beside her made it to the hospital but died a week later. The other persons suffered injuries, some with broken bones, but they luckily survived.

The car was driven by a black guy, running at 75 miles per hour or 120 kilometers per hour in a residential neighborhood. He was found to be a drug addict, a convicted felon. He ran off but surrendered to the police after two days.

Oh sad life.