There was a new bar in town and Anselmo Sanchez wanted to try it out. It was called Club P and Anselmo rang up his friend the judge to join him.
It was late afternoon now, and office hours had just ended. Eagerly he grabbed his coat, which he habitually draped on his chair everyday, and his briefcase and stuffed the gold pocket watch into his right trouser pocket. He raced down the corridor and out into the parking lot, flicked out his car key, unlocked his car, hopped in and sped off. At his boarding house, he dropped his briefcase and coat onto his bed and hit the showers.
While he was in the shower room, the judge arrived on his motorcycle and waited patiently at the entrance of the boarding house. He was so eager to check the new bar out that he dressed for the occasion: a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and collar opened to reveal his collarbones. The shirt was tucked into blue jeans and he wore a thick gold chain, which he bought in Saudi Arabia, around his neck.
Presently, Anselmo appeared. He was dressed up like the judge, except that his shirt was sky blue. He waved a hand as he approached the judge.
"So," asked JT, "Ready to party?"
"Let me get something first," replied Anselmo. "I ran out of perfume. Don't worry, I'll just be at the convenience store. Won't take a minute."
The convenience store was just across the street. and Anselmo went straight in to buy a small, pocket-sized bottle of perfume. Immediately after he handed the cash over, he started applying the perfume on himself.
"Looks like you're in a hurry to go somewhere," said a familiar voice to his right.
Anselmo half-turned and saw the priest at the newsstand, folding a newspaper he had been reading.
"Aw, not you again," mumbled Anselmo, annoyed.
"Mind telling me where you're off to this time?" asked Lorenzo as he bent down and picked up a basket of canned soft drinks and junk food.
Several memories came back to Anselmo's mind: blanking out in different bars whenever he and JT ran into the priest. He tensed up.
"A new bar," replied Anselmo as the priest approached the counter to pay for his purchases, including the newspaper. "We're going over to check it out."
"And what might that bar be?"
"Ninety-five E-pesos, please," said the cashier.
The priest pulled out a SS1 bill from his wallet and handed it over.
"Club P," replied Anselmo as the cashier handed the priest his change while the priest thanked the cashier.
That name didn't seem likable to the priest. He raised his eyebrows. "Well, I don't think I'm going over there," he said. "And you'd better not either."
Anselmo breathed a sigh of relief. For once he won't be around! he thought Yes!
Lorenzo leaned forward, frowning. "Don't go there." he said.
Who cares? Anselmo thought. He grinned and ran back to the judge.
They sped off in Anselmo's car as the priest stepped out of the convenience store and scowled.
"Hey, what's his problem?" JT asked, noticing the priest.
"No idea," Anselmo replied, his eyes on the road.
The place was loud. And bright. There were lots of lights and the music from inside was coming out. The two didn't waste any more time and walked in. Since it was the second day of opening, the entrance was free. And there were a lot of people around. Attendance was thick.
The two immediately sat down at the bar and ordered beer. Not long after that, two beautiful figures approached them.
"Ooh, what brings you here?" JT asked the one who sat at his left.
She smiled. "The company," she replied.
"Company?" asked JT. "Anyone with you?"
"Oh, just me and my friend over there-" she said, indicating with an upward nod to the one sitting next to Anselmo. "We were hoping to meet some other friends of our own."
"Is it okay if I join you?" JT asked. "By the way, my name's JT." He held out his hand,
"Celine," she said, holding out hers.
"Hi," said Anselmo to the one who settled at his right.
"Hey," she said to Anselmo.
"Want me to get you something?" asked Anselmo.
"I don't mind," she said with a smile.
Anselmo motioned for the bartender to bring another beer. "What's your name, by the way?" he asked as the bartender brought the beer. "Mine's Anselmo, or Al as my friends call me."
"Liza," she said.
"That's a really nice name," remarked Anselmo.
"So tell me about your work," said JT
"Well," said Celine. I work at a call center."
"EOGC or not?"
"Not," she replied.
"Which one?" asked JT. Indeed, since the Takeover, there were already twelve call centers operating in Cagayan de Oro. Ever since the Takeover, the city had become an IT, agricultural and financial center.
"It's a secret," she said with a smile. "How about you?" she asked. "Where do you work?"
JT smiled. "Can you take a guess?" he asked.
"Another call center?"
JT shook his head.
"Accountant?"
He shook his head again.
"Janitor?"
JT laughed. "No," he said. "That's a little bit far-fetched. I'm a lawyer."
"So what to you do?" Liza asked Anselmo.
"Well, I work at the Railroads Administration Office."
"Wow."
"And you?"
"Call center," she replied, "like my friend."
It was late afternoon now, and office hours had just ended. Eagerly he grabbed his coat, which he habitually draped on his chair everyday, and his briefcase and stuffed the gold pocket watch into his right trouser pocket. He raced down the corridor and out into the parking lot, flicked out his car key, unlocked his car, hopped in and sped off. At his boarding house, he dropped his briefcase and coat onto his bed and hit the showers.
While he was in the shower room, the judge arrived on his motorcycle and waited patiently at the entrance of the boarding house. He was so eager to check the new bar out that he dressed for the occasion: a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and collar opened to reveal his collarbones. The shirt was tucked into blue jeans and he wore a thick gold chain, which he bought in Saudi Arabia, around his neck.
Presently, Anselmo appeared. He was dressed up like the judge, except that his shirt was sky blue. He waved a hand as he approached the judge.
"So," asked JT, "Ready to party?"
"Let me get something first," replied Anselmo. "I ran out of perfume. Don't worry, I'll just be at the convenience store. Won't take a minute."
The convenience store was just across the street. and Anselmo went straight in to buy a small, pocket-sized bottle of perfume. Immediately after he handed the cash over, he started applying the perfume on himself.
"Looks like you're in a hurry to go somewhere," said a familiar voice to his right.
Anselmo half-turned and saw the priest at the newsstand, folding a newspaper he had been reading.
"Aw, not you again," mumbled Anselmo, annoyed.
"Mind telling me where you're off to this time?" asked Lorenzo as he bent down and picked up a basket of canned soft drinks and junk food.
Several memories came back to Anselmo's mind: blanking out in different bars whenever he and JT ran into the priest. He tensed up.
"A new bar," replied Anselmo as the priest approached the counter to pay for his purchases, including the newspaper. "We're going over to check it out."
"And what might that bar be?"
"Ninety-five E-pesos, please," said the cashier.
The priest pulled out a SS1 bill from his wallet and handed it over.
"Club P," replied Anselmo as the cashier handed the priest his change while the priest thanked the cashier.
That name didn't seem likable to the priest. He raised his eyebrows. "Well, I don't think I'm going over there," he said. "And you'd better not either."
Anselmo breathed a sigh of relief. For once he won't be around! he thought Yes!
Lorenzo leaned forward, frowning. "Don't go there." he said.
Who cares? Anselmo thought. He grinned and ran back to the judge.
They sped off in Anselmo's car as the priest stepped out of the convenience store and scowled.
"Hey, what's his problem?" JT asked, noticing the priest.
"No idea," Anselmo replied, his eyes on the road.
The place was loud. And bright. There were lots of lights and the music from inside was coming out. The two didn't waste any more time and walked in. Since it was the second day of opening, the entrance was free. And there were a lot of people around. Attendance was thick.
The two immediately sat down at the bar and ordered beer. Not long after that, two beautiful figures approached them.
"Ooh, what brings you here?" JT asked the one who sat at his left.
She smiled. "The company," she replied.
"Company?" asked JT. "Anyone with you?"
"Oh, just me and my friend over there-" she said, indicating with an upward nod to the one sitting next to Anselmo. "We were hoping to meet some other friends of our own."
"Is it okay if I join you?" JT asked. "By the way, my name's JT." He held out his hand,
"Celine," she said, holding out hers.
"Hi," said Anselmo to the one who settled at his right.
"Hey," she said to Anselmo.
"Want me to get you something?" asked Anselmo.
"I don't mind," she said with a smile.
Anselmo motioned for the bartender to bring another beer. "What's your name, by the way?" he asked as the bartender brought the beer. "Mine's Anselmo, or Al as my friends call me."
"Liza," she said.
"That's a really nice name," remarked Anselmo.
"So tell me about your work," said JT
"Well," said Celine. I work at a call center."
"EOGC or not?"
"Not," she replied.
"Which one?" asked JT. Indeed, since the Takeover, there were already twelve call centers operating in Cagayan de Oro. Ever since the Takeover, the city had become an IT, agricultural and financial center.
"It's a secret," she said with a smile. "How about you?" she asked. "Where do you work?"
JT smiled. "Can you take a guess?" he asked.
"Another call center?"
JT shook his head.
"Accountant?"
He shook his head again.
"Janitor?"
JT laughed. "No," he said. "That's a little bit far-fetched. I'm a lawyer."
"So what to you do?" Liza asked Anselmo.
"Well, I work at the Railroads Administration Office."
"Wow."
"And you?"
"Call center," she replied, "like my friend."
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