What's in a Name?

        OK. So my name's FLORENT.

        It's not such a big deal. Really.

        But if not for the fact that I've never met (or known) anyone who carries the same name as mine, I wouldn't fuss about me having such a "unique" name. My parents said that they named me after a close friend that they knew back then, someone named Father Florent, a Belgian priest who used to teach in Saint Louis University in Baguio City and who later became the president of Saint Louis College in San Fernando, La Union.

        Anyway, Tuesday afternoon found me hitching a ride with a client to do a project in Agoo, La Union. It was a looooooong boring ride as the client, a distinguished gentleman in his 70's, who was to be my host over there, slept all throughout the journey, even snoring loudly most of the time. His driver was just content with playing Schumacher with the buses on the highway, never saying a word lest he lose his concentration and the car ends up in a ditch.

        Hohuumm! I couldn’t sleep with all that snoring! It didn't help also that I was told off by someone "Huwag kang mangulit ng taong nagtatrabaho!" while texting.  It was like a slap in the face. Aaarrgh! She could just have told me "I'm busy" or "brb" or "gtg" or "bye" or something less distressing. Oh well, baka busy talaga siguro perhaps hopefully sana. Life goes on...

        So the project got implemented smoothly and by Wednesday evening we celebrated by eating pancit maki bihon in one of the eateries downtown where the Rotary Club of Agoo holds its regular Wednesday meetings. While we were eating the Rotary Club members slowly trickled in. My client-host, living up to his "distinguished" status, was greeted by almost everyone who came in (although he wasn't a member of their club). He is really well known in that place.

        My client saw an old caucasian guy at the opposite end of the restaurant and he got up from the table to approach him. He came back with this guy and he introduced us: "Florent, meet Florent", he said.

        Guess who he was?

        (Drumroll!!! ta-ta-taraaaaan!!!) He’s the one! The only! The cute and handsome like me: FLORENT SALS.

        Live and in the flesh!

        Florent Sals was so friendly and obliging and he wore that effervescent smile all throughout our conversation. He is already retired, probably in his 80s, and he has also ''opted out" of priesthood already as he introduced me to his wife and to his grandson who were eating at a nearby table . For a while, I had forgotten that I was with my client. I was ecstatic. I had planned on trying to look for him sometime so that I can personally meet him while he is still alive. And here he is now standing right in front of me! It was like a dream come true (ang babaw ko no? hehehe..)  He gave his regards to my parents, whom he hasn’t met in a long time.

        He also mentioned that there's another Florent from Agoo, a godson of theirs whom his parents also named after him. What???  Oh no!  So my name’s not unique after all. Darn!

        Here's our pic together.

        More proof! Here's the pic of his rotary shirt with his name embroidered on it.

        Wow! Thank God for Father Florent. If it weren’t for him my parents would've named me FROILAN FLORA and the Japanese and the Chinese would be twisting their tongues to death right now trying to pronounce my name.