"Aw, crap!" I whisper to myself loudly as I set my glass on the bar. I've been rejected left and right! The only ones looking at me are... hey, I'm straight.
All I can do is drink. What the hell is wrong with me?
"Seems to me you've had it pretty rough," says a voice at my left.
I look to my left and I see a gentleman in gray pants, a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, collar loosened and a black tie folded and tucked into his shirt pocket. He's smoking and the smoke kinda obscures his face. He seems to notice but he's not looking.
"Listen, I-"
"I know, I know," he says. "You're straight; so am I."
He takes out a pack of cigarettes and holds it out to me. "Want one?" he asks.
"No thanks, I don't smoke. But I do drink."
"Okay," he says and motions the bartender. "Hey bro," he tells him, "get us a couple of glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon."
The bartender complies, but he seems nervous. He puts two wineglasses in front of us and pours the wine in. The hand that's holding the bottle is trembling. I guess my benefactor's some kind of bigshot.
The guy next to me then puts the cigarettes back in his pocket and hands me a glass. Whoa... wine...
"So what brings you here, sir," I tell him, "if you don't mind me asking?"
"Business," he replies. "High profile meetings don't always take place in the boardroom. Sometimes it's best to hold them in a less-stressful atmosphere."
"And so, you're done"
"Pretty much," he says and puffs out a huge cloud of smoke. "Then I have a glass of wine or two and it's off to my home."
"So you'll be leaving in a while." I conclude. I set the glass down after a sip. This wine's pretty good.
"Yep." He turns to me and crushes the cigarette in the ashtray. "You're a newbie here," he continues. "I can tell. Hey, don't let your 'newness' be hidden. Let it shine."
The smoke starts to clear slowly. An eerie feeling comes over me. Where have I seen that face before?
A Janitor (remember what I told you about Maintenance and Security?) in a black business suit approaches the guy. "Mr. Ong," he says. "The car's ready. Shall we move along?"
Eric Ong!
I start.
"You work for me, do you? Tell you what, kid," Eric Ong says, taking a gray coat from another Janitor and reaching into the right pocket of his pants. I can see a gold chain hooked to his belt. "Allow yourself to shine. You'll go far if you work hard. Work hard, and work smart. Those two things should go together. And girls? don't worry. You'll find 'her' eventually."
He pulls something out -it's attached to that golden chain. He unhooks the chain, takes my right hand and puts the thing in it. It's a gold pocket watch!
He turns over to the bartender. "Hey bro," he says. "Put the kid's drinks on my tab."
"Yes sir, Mr. Ong, sir."
He slings the coat over his left shoulder. "We'll talk this over some other time," He says, taking a step back. "In the meantime, adieu."
He turns around and heads for the door, escorted by his bodyguards.
"Th-th-th-th-thank you, s-s-s-sir." I mumble. I'm trembling.
I can barely control myself. I was drinking right next to the most powerful man in the Philippines and I didn't even notice it.Oh, I'm gonna keep this pocket watch for as long as I live!
I can't believe it! I was actually given a present by Eric Ong!
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