Didn't Your Mommie Tell You Not to Talk to STRANGERS?

Mine did. But still, I talked to some.

I recall having talked to a stranger when I was younger. She was of the same age like me, and her cheeks were red. We were of the same height, but she looked even taller because of her high pigtails, with pink ribbons adorning them. She looked like a doll, and I looked like a doll too...she being the Barbie doll type and me being the kind with needles pinned on her chest. She was probably the most beautiful girl I have seen at the tender age of seven. We had a school program where second graders will be part of a choral. Since the two of us were the tallest kids, we were positioned beside each other, and at the center of the school stage too. She looked at me and smiled. I was terrified, so I [tried to] smile back. Then she muttered the very words that almost meant as death sentence to me.

"What's your name?"

I was completely caught off guard. I didn't want to tell her my name mainly for two reasons: 1)I hated my name, and 2) she's too darn pretty, she's freaking me out. But it seemed impolite to ignore her question, especially that she had been beaming that toothless smile at me. Girls. They sure knew how to get into your heart, huh? So i felt compelled to reply.

"Alchi Mae."

"Hi! I'm Irene!" (insert toothless smile here)

That was 16 years ago. I don't see her much nowadays. She has kids, and she's extremely busy. We seldom talk lately. But do I still see her as a stranger? No. She has just become one of my closest friends. Or maybe more than that. She's more like a sister to me.

I think most of the most interesting relationships had an odd start: weird encounters and even weirder conversation openers. My closest friend from high school used to stick her tongue out at me during a volleyball game and make faces behind my back, and i used to think she's the worst brat on this side of the planet. We realized that we're both horrible people that we showed our love for each other by ridiculing each other at times. We still do that whenever we meet up for chicken and spaghetti at McDo. While my supposed-better-half-during-college May May thought I had sore eyes at the start of freshman year, as she was ready to avoid me; turned out, we were inseperable from the second day of university onwards. Another "stranger" refrained talking to me at the start of a job training, and she cringed at the idea of being stuck in the same room with me; she now knows me inside out, and i know her on the same level too. We used to imagine we're Miss Cebu.

If I had listened to my mom, would I have ended up meeting other people, possibly the ones who are "non-strangers" according to my mom's standards? Most probably, yes. Would I be liking it? Maybe. Would I have it the other way around though? No. I'm amazed at the wonderful people I got to talk to and eventually got to know deeper. I'm glad that these former strangers were just around me at the perfect time and places.

(Insert your name here, you know who you are.. by CHANCE) was a stranger to me once. He's the most wonderful guy i know now. He's still strange though.

Right. I sure am glad I talked to (some) strangers.