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The day started beautifully. I arrived in Ortigas with 15 minutes to spare before my official work time, so I walked to McDonald's in El Pueblo for my morning caffeine fix.

"Good morning, Miss (real name deleted)," the now familiar crew members greeted me. "Coffee ulit?"

If I were to pick my favorite McDonald's branch in Metro Manila, the one in El Pueblo would win hands down. It's the nearest one on my turf and in the two years I spent at the ad agency, I'd come to know the two female crew members who served my coffee every morning. I know genuine hospitality when I see it; so one Christmas, I gave these girls and the ever-so-friendly security guard some hand sanitizer as small tokens of my appreciation.

These random acts of kindness and generosity, I picked up from my mother. I get this feel-good aura whenever I give something to someone. Kindness and generosity have a way of coming back to you. So now, whenever I visit the McDonald's branch in El Pueblo, not only do I get the royal treatment, they also prepare my coffee before I even reach the counter. And they know me as "the girl who gave away free hand sanitizer" and "the girl who wears boots."

On the day I got stuck inside an elevator, I was wearing a tight blouse with a plunging neckline, skinny jeans, a biker jacket, and my new pair of black suede boots.

Parang action movie lang, I thought as I walked back to my building carrying my morning coffee. When the elevator doors opened, I hopped in along with seven other people and started to sip my first dose of caffeine for the day.

And then we got stuck. Que horror!

I didn't panic. I quietly sipped my coffee while everyone was trying to call everyone they knew just to say that they got stuck. Big deal, I thought. Help will arrive eventually.

And it did, but you can just imagine my horror when the engineering department forced open the doors and I saw that we were stuck between floors—27th and 28th. One by one, they pulled us out of that blasted elevator. Amazingly, the men were extra careful with me and my coffee. It was a good thing that I zipped my jacket all the way up to my chin before I climbed out.

Truth was, it was a scary ordeal. At the back of my mind, maybe it was a sign. First I got lost, and then I got stuck. Could fate be any clearer than that? I thought.

Later that day, I wrote about my experience on my personal blog where, an hour later, Logan's best friend left a funny comment:

"I hereby declare that my best friend just got himself a great catch. Congratulations, you two. I found your blog because I'm a really great stalker."

And that's how I met "The Bim," Logan's notorious best friend since grade school. I've come to realize that he is one of the most loyal and hilarious people I've ever met. I'd heard a handful of stories about Bim through Logan. Bim and I quickly became friends through Yahoo! Messenger and Facebook.

Bim: Seriously, how can you stand it? My best friend's hair is like a cross between Bermuda grass and a steel brush!

V: Haha, I like his hair. I think it goes well with his jackass/rockstar-wannabe vibe, you know?

Bim: You're probably the only girl in this planet who likes his hair. Even his mother can't stand it. Okay, enough about his hair. How did you guys meet?

I told Bim about the 365-day bachelor, the drinking spree bet, the blind dates my friends Lily and Chi wanted to set up, and how I found Logan's Friendster photo amusing.

Bim: F*ck! Gan'on lang kadali 'yon? Hahaha!

It's official, I thought. I found Charlie's male counterpart.

Bim: Man, that guy really changed a lot, you know?

V: You mean, he wasn't always like this?

Bim: Hell, no! If you met him three years ago, you probably wouldn't talk to him at all. He used to be really...well, happy-go-lucky? Without a care in the world? Clingy? Possessive? Sh*t, nabubulunan na siguro 'yun ngayon.

V: Haha, I'm sure.

Bim: Possessive ba siya sa 'yo?

V: Er, we're not really a couple yet...

Bim: Either way, dati sobrang clingy niyan, daig pa linta. But well, he's been through a lot of tough times. Kaya ayan, nag-mature na siya, though gusto pa rin niyang maging rock star at wrestler, haha!

V: Yeah, he told me about your wrestling tandem back in high school.

Bim: That guy is a complete jackass! Not that I'm trying to build him up or anything, but he's really a good guy--underneath that Bermuda grass/steel brush hair of his. Haha!

V: I think so, too!

Bim: Enough about him. So you're also a Marvel fan?

And with that, Bim and I talked about Marvel comics and my not-so-obvious fascination for superheroes and comic books. It felt good talking to Logan's best friend. Our easy conversation reminded me of how easy it was to be with Logan.

However, my mind couldn't rest. I kept thinking about the back-to-back incidents of late: first I got lost and then I got stuck. I took them as reminders.

"I am lost," I told myself. "And stuck."

Although Matt didn't really say anything about the past (or maybe he just didn't get the chance in the last couple of weeks), he's back in my life. And it's so hard to move on to the future when a big chunk of you is still stuck in the crevices of your tangled past. While Matt isn't really my first love, it sort of felt close.

So maybe it's true: All of us have former versions of ourselves with unfinished business that our present selves can't forget.

Closure.

Is it really that hard to get?

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