The variety of
friends we have astounds us sometimes.
Two days ago, I
asked my mother’s maid to wash a bag (knapsack) I had not used in 13
years. I checked the bag and found
plastic sando bags (for wet umbrella or clothes), a bar of Safeguard in a soap
box, and a Parker pen.
The Parker
triggered me to look for the Cross pen given to me by my sister in the
mid-1990s, to no avail. That Cross model
now costs between ₱6,000 and ₱8,000 ≈ $120 and $160.
A dear friend
called me today to ask about a number of things, and we got around to talking
about my lost and found lavender Parker.
I got that Parker because it just looks so gay, as in homosexual gay.
My friend knew
about the Cross pen and told me about his Parker collection when he was in high
school. I told him I’m having second
thoughts about buying a new Cross and a Montblanc pen since I still have
working old (10+ years) Parker pens. A
Montblanc costs at least four books from Amazon. Books I order from Amazon usually cost ₱5,000 ≈ $100
each (total cost of each book includes three fees: book price,
shipping/handling, and import fees deposit).
My dear friend told me I should just buy the Montblanc instead of new
books. He said a valuable pen looks good
on my hands, while books are simply fire hazards.
My friend’s comments really surprised me – and made me laugh hard. He sees expensive pens as fashionable, while
I imagine them tucked away in my shelves and boxes. While my friend loves movies, he apparently
does not value books.
Different strokes for different folks.
