02AF8: O Bar Shepherding

O Bar Care Group

Metro Manila Community Quarantine - Day 736

The first time Tobie brought me to O Bar, it surprised me that he'd actually have a table reserved. In my many years of clubbing at Malate before we got together, I'd content myself with needing to hold my drink all night and go as far as dancing with my drink in hand because we wouldn't typically have a place to set them down for long. And beyond actually having a table, Tobie also invests a lot of time and effort into watching out for everyone we share the table with. This means everything from making sure the ice bucket stays filled to any additional drinks are ordered when friends are running low and other such activities.

Tobie's habit of needing to manage the table in this way has always been so endearing to me. It's not easy to watch out for friends who are becoming increasingly inebriated over the course of the night and while it does stress him out, he still does it. And to that end, we're also very particular about who we share a table with since we know it means taking a certain amount of responsibility for everyone. And that has included taking care of friends who have had too many drinks over the course of the night and all the fun that comes with that experience.

I've always felt that this reflects something deep about Tobie as a person - how deeply caring he is. It's not easy to show any amount of care for drunk friends and I tend to avoid this responsibility more often than not since Tobie watches over everyone while I continue to take photos and videos of the performances and stuff. On top of that, he tends to guard me while I do my thing at the bar and goes as far as trying to keep people away from my line of sight so they don't block my camera. I keep telling him that I can handle the crowds and that he shouldn't worry so much, be I know he's always going to have my back, even when the place gets pretty full with other guests.

It's just one of the many reasons why I love Tobie so much. He makes for one mean guard dog, but he's my guard dog. And his fierce care and loyalty for those closest to us - or even friends we just happen to share a table at O Bar with - is a really admirable trait to have. 

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