Quick meet-up planned, short notice, but that was great; three hours of bonding with former workmates turned into friends.

Working for decades before under the Audit department, I didn't expect to have a lot of friends. Not once was I misunderstood and blocked in social media, but who cares? Thus, since I filed for maternity leave a year ago, which led to my resignation, I still have contact with a few of my workmates. The other day, while having a short conversation, they told me that they would be visiting the Padre Pio shrine here in Batangas. Suppose I am available to meet them. At first, I was skeptical as I hadn't gone out of the mall without a companion. Thus, tagging any of my sisters-in-law was not an option. So, it was only Caleb and I.

We agreed to meet at eleven in the morning at SM Lipa, but I arrived late. It's a good thing they are also 🤣.

It was almost lunchtime, and I was starving, so I bought fried noodles. Caleb was too heavy to be carried, and with an empty stomach, I might pass out. He already recognized food and always wanted to have a share. Not every time, but it was okay for him, so I bought him biscuits for snacks. This is to keep him busy, too, while I am eating.

After I was done, it was really quick and perfect timing, as I received a message saying they arrived. It almost slipped my mind that it was Mother's Day, and everyone wanted to have family time. Ques at the restaurant were long! We tried at Classic Savory, but we were number ten, so we ended up at Yellow Cab.

My son was tired as we went to church earlier that day, so he fell asleep in my arms.

How could I eat? Hehehe, I had mastered eating with one hand for months.

While eating, we talked about several topics: work, life, and everything under the sun. Both of them were on my team before, and of course, we had conflicts at times. Thus, outside of work, we were friends and often hung out.

Where to after? I asked as it seemed they didn't yet have a plan to go home.

Coffee? That's a nice idea, but I was thinking of buying my son a t-shirt for his upcoming birthday. Can we drop by the department store first?

I haven't bought anything for Caleb yet at the mall because I find it expensive. Thus, I couldn't find a Mickey Mouse top online.

I spotted this and found it so cute!

My little man loves it, and so does his Mama; without thinking twice, I bought it!

And yeah, coffee time! Thus, where to?

There were only a few shops, and it was packed, so we ended up at.......

Familiar?

You are right; there is no choice but Starbucks. Even there, finding a vacant seat takes time. I wonder why some choose to sleep here, knowing they are not the only customers.

We ordered dessert and Frappe.

Of course, Caleb wanted to have a taste! We stayed there for a few more minutes before going home. It was a wonderful three hours of chikas!

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Photos are mine