Dog Food Dinner, Humor Returned, Four Bowlers’ Night Out, Beso-Beso-Beso

A very long day has commenced. With how I spent the day, I deserved a hearty dinner at the very least. But no decent food was available. And I wasn’t very enthusiastic in cooking anything decent so I grabbed the cereal Dad had for breakfast—the one which, before he devoured, he called, “dog food”.

It indeed looks like canine chow, although I wouldn’t know if it tastes like so.

And I definitely don’t want to know.

* * *

A very long day was immediately followed by an even longer day. And to make up for the not-very-appetizing dinner, I decided to eat breakfast at the better canteen in our office. Anyway, I could afford it: I had cash and I had time.

In between was a whole 9.6 hours spent in the office doing the usual thing. Letting those hours pass you by is excruciating especially when you have an engagement right after work.

The clock ticked and tocked forever, then I had to contend against an awful traffic. Unfortunately, I get sarcastic and loud when impatient so I ended up blurting out a comment which I could have kept inside my thought balloon. It was directed to a hyperactive, overdue kid whom I have to face next week. However, me and my big mouth just brought back my sense of humor and, boy was I entertained!

* * *

The two other players were there when I arrived. Both were as ecstatic as I was. Then we rolled our balls, toppled our pins, and trashed our frustrations like we were superior beings obliterating all sorts of eye sores.

One game after, we remembered how famished we all were. In the midst of destituteness, we managed to order a meal that would regenerate enough energy for another 20 balls to roll.


This time we took our time with long animated talks in between. Later, another came to roll the last two balls. It was as fun as the first, maybe even more!

All four of us proceeded for an ice cream—the kind that requires coins and a free cup to boot. We were planning to go for a two-minute ride on that stuffed bump cars but the mall was closing so the lady guard politely drove us out.

We migrated to a roof that would adopt us while we buy some more time to be together. In our little corner, with a biggie coke and two large fries from a joyful sponsor, we journeyed to the past—the far ones and the recent ones—present and some probable future. (Joyful sponsor, note that I am referring to you in the “probable future” part. Hehe.)

* * *

We all hated to break off that good night so we extended a bit past midnight. “Para magkakasama pa rin tayo hanggang bukas,” Di-na insisted.

If only we had our dormitory keys, we would have been together even after the bukas.

Those three—all younger than I was, all lived father from our temporary late night shelter than I did—they sent me off in a cab first. And since it was raining, we had to forgo the practice we don’t usually practice: making beso!

But the beso thing didn’t come short, at least to me. I got a third one from a text which I would normally object to, being that I wasn’t in beso terms with this friend. But he was drunk and sleepy so I let it pass.

The second one was so generously shared by a former classmate we, four bowlers, bumped into in that temporary shelter. Once I saw my three friends’ cheeks in line, I knew I was up next. Oh well.

The first dose of beso would probably top the previous two. An alleged sister (not biological speaking, of course) whom I just met besoed me when our shared cab dropped her off her house. This happened a few hours prior to my dog food dinner. Apparently she works on TV thus explaining “the culture”. I work nowhere near TV thus the “what the?!”

Now those culture thing? It’s exactly what got Richard Gere into trouble when he hugged that lady in India! The incident which may get Gere into thinking, “I should have gone with the dog food instead!”