FEBRUARY 1, 2023・WEDNESDAY・13:54
Maya and Mariz walk towards Pamela who is seated on one of the tables at the mall's food court.
"Dugaya ninyo uy," she says.
"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?"
"Gipangita pa nako si Maya uy. Pasakay na unta kog tricycle. May gani na timing imong text."
"I WAS LOOKING FOR MAYA. I WAS ABOUT HOP ON A TRICYCLE HOME. YOU'RE LUCKY YOUR TEXT CAME IN THE RIGHT TIME."
"Wala pud nako gicheck akong phone kay kauban man mi ni Noel."
"I'M SORRY. I WASN'T CHECKING MY PHONE. I WAS WITH NOEL."
"Okay. Tara adto ta ug Watsons¹." Pamela gets up from her seat.
"OKAY. LET'S JUST GO TO WATSONS."
"Aw, unsa diay imong paliton?" Mariz asks.
"WAIT, YOU DIDN'T SAY WHAT YOU WERE BUYING."
Pamela looks around them. "Condom," she responds, almost whispering.
Maya places her backpack on to the table and ties her hair back into a ponytail.
"Ha? Pwede ra man diay sa convenience paliton. Ngano nangadto pa man ta diri sa Panabo?"
"WHAT? YOU COULD'VE JUST BOUGHT THAT AT A CONVENIENCE STORE. WHY DID WE HAVE TO GO TO PANABO FOR THIS?"
"Erm...Basi man gud makit-an ko sa akong mga relatives kung didto ko mupalit. At least diri, medyo layo-layo, so dili kaayo ko mabalaka," she says, fidgeting with her clothes. "Isa pa. Na-ratol na gyud ko, dzai! Ana man gud si Julio nga basig ugma nami mag...erm...sex. Mao pud tong pinakalit tamo gitext."
"ERM...I'M WORRIED SOME RELATIVES MIGHT SPOT ME BUYING CONDOMS. AT LEAST HERE IT'S FAR AWAY, SO I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY AS MUCH."
"AND ALSO, I WAS JUST SO STRESSED, DZAI! LIKE JULIO ALL OF A SUDDEN JUST SAID THAT WE WOULD BE...ERM...DOING IT TOMORROW. THAT'S WHY I TEXTED YOU BOTH IMMEDIATELY."
"Okay." Mariz stares at her sympathetically. "Okay, tara."
"OKAY, LET'S GO."
*
"Oo te. Face to face na. Kapoy gani kaayo mumata ug sayo. Excited na gani ko mag Grade 12 kay para hapon na among klase," Pamela says.
"YES, TE. WE'RE HAVING FACE TO FACE CLASSES. IT'S ACTUALLY SO TIRING WAKING UP SO EARLY. I'M ACTUALLY SO EXCITED TO BE GRADE 12 SO OUR SCHEDULE WILL BE ON THE AFTERNOON."
"Ahh, half day lang diay mo?"
"OHH, SO IT'S JUST HALF DAY?"
"Oo te."
"YEAH."
Mariz and Maya quietly watch her as the saleslady does her makeup.
"Ahh." The saleslady finishes drawing Pamela's eyebrow. "Awa ma'am." She adjusts the mirror to show her her face. "Diba ma'am no? Tama ko. Angayan ka ug kanang mga light nga makeup."
"OHH."
"TAKE A LOOK, MA'AM."
"PERFECT! I WAS RIGHT. YOU DO LOOK GREAT WITH LIGHT MAKEUP."
Pamela stares at herself in the mirror for a second. "Libre lang ni te no?"
"JUST CHECKING...THIS FREE RIGHT, ATE?"
"Oo ma'am. Pero kato ma'am, papalit ug ingon ani nga makeup sa imong parents ma'am. Angayan kaayo ka."
"YES MA'AM. BUT OF COURSE, IT IS ENCOURAGE THAT YOU TELL YOUR PARENTS TO BUY OUR PRODUCTS. YOU LOOK SO GORGEOUS."
"Naa pa ma'y isa ka branch ang Watsons dinhe sa Panabo te, no?"
"THERE ARE OTHER WATSONS BRANCHES HERE IN PANABO, RIGHT MISS?"
"Oo, ma'am."
"YES MA'AM."
Mariz lets out a little giggle, listening to her. "Pam," she interjects. "Unsa man? G na?"
"LET'S GO?"
The saleslady turns to Maya. "Ikaw ma'am? Magpa-makeup ka?"
"HOW ABOUT YOU, MA'AM? DO YOU WANT ME TO MAKE YOU OVER?"
"Okay lang te. Salamat te," Maya says, handing Pamela her backpack as she gets up from the makeup chair.
"I'M GOOD, ATE. THANKS."
"Salamat kaayo te," Pamela says as she steals another look at the mirror.
"THANK YOU ATE."
The three girls walk over to finally make the purchase. There's still a queue, three people in front of them.
"Erm...Maya." Pamela nervously fidgets with her matte red lips. She then looks at her fingers to see if some of it came off. "Ugma ba. Pwede ko sa imong balay magpa sundo kang Julio? Naa man gu'y meeting akong mama sa balay."
"TOMORROW, I WAS THINKING...MAYBE I COULD WAIT FOR JULIO TO PICK ME UP AT YOUR HOUSE. MY MOM HAS THIS MEETING AT HOME SO...I CAN'T DO IT THERE."
"Aw...Ugma? Hala muadto man ana si Noel sa balay, Pam."
"OH...TOMORROW? ERM...BUT NOEL'S COMING TOMORROW, PAM."
"Aw, unsa man diay siya oras muadto?"
"OH, WHAT TIME IS HE COMING?"
"Mga 4, Pam. After sa ilahang drum and lyre."
"AT AROUND 4, PAM. AFTER THEIR DRUM AND LYRE PRACTICE."
"Nganong muadto man ka ilang Maya, Pam? Kung diretso na lang diay mo mag-kita ni Julio?"
"WHY DO YOU NEED TO GO TO MAYA'S TOMORROW, PAM? WHY DON'T YOU JUST...MEET IMMEDIATELY?"
"Need man gud nako mag-prepare emotionally. Tapos mas kulba man gud maghulat ug ako ra isa. At least kung kauban tamo, dili kaayo ko makulbaan. Pwede sa inyo?"
"I NEED TO EMOTIONALLY PREPARE FOR IT. ALSO, IT'S MORE NERVE-WRACKING WAITING ON MY OWN. AT LEAST WHEN I'M WITH YOU GIRLS, I WON'T BE SO NERVOUS. CAN WE WAIT AT YOURS?"
"Sus, ka-dramatic ba uy. Dili gyud pwede didto, Pam. Masuko akong papa ana."
"SO DRAMATIC. AND NO, WE CAN'T DO IT AT OURS. MY DAD WOULD BE ANGRY."
Pamela sighs.
"Ma'am...kamo na ma'am," the lady from the counter says, gesturing for them to come to her.
"MA'AM...IT'S YOUR TURN."
They walk closer.
"Unsa man ang inyo ma'am?"
"WHAT CAN DO FOR YOU TODAY, MA'AM?"
Pamela scrambles for a response. She nervously grabs hold of Mariz's hand.
"Relax." Mariz gives her a reassuring smile. "Ako na."
"I GOT YOU."
Pamela nods.
"Miss...naa mo'y condom?" Mariz asks the lady at the counter.
"MISS...DO YOU HAVE CONDOMS?"
She gives the three of them a good look and malicious stare.
"Mga pila man, Pam?"
"HOW MANY DO YOU NEED?"
"Hmm. Wala jud ko kabalo, Mariz."
"HMM. I HAVE NO IDEA, MARIZ."
"Unsa man diay inyong plano? Pila man diay inyong kinahanglan?"
"WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING? HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK YOU'LL NEED?"
Pamela shrugs.
"Tag-pila ba inyong box te? Kanang pinakabarato," Mariz says, reading how much the essential oils displayed in front of them cost.
"ERM...HOW MUCH IS A BOX, MISS? ERM...LIKE, THE CHEAPEST."
"Hmm. I-check sa nako ma'am ha." The lady at the counter says as she goes through the computer. "Naa mi'y Trust Condom, ma'am. Tag-319."
"HMM. GIVE ME SECOND TO CHECK THE SYSTEM."
"WE HAVE...TRUST CONDOM. IT'S 319 FOR A BOX."
"Hala, mahala dzai uy," Pamela says under her breath.
"WHY IS IT SO EXPENSIVE?"
"Watsons man gud girl," Maya points out.
"BECAUSE IT'S WATSONS GIRL."
"Pila imong kwarta dira?" Mariz tells her.
"HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU HAVE?"
"Erm..." She takes her wallet from her bag and checks it. "Naa ko'y 325. Pero wala nako'y pangplite."
"I HAVE 325. BUT I WON'T HAVE MONEY FOR THE COMMUTE."
"Okay, pwede ra man pud isa lang sa imong paliton."
"OKAY. MAYBE YOU CAN JUST BUY ONE FOR NOW."
Pamela shakes her head. "Pero basig..." She stops herself, realizing the lady is still listening to them. She leans closer towards Mariz and whispers, "Basig ikadaghan mi magkuan."
"BUT ERM..."
"WHAT IF WE DO IT A LOT OF TIMES?"
Mariz lets out a little chuckle. "Kadali lang te ha," she tells the lady.
"JUST GIVE US A SEC, MISS. SORRY."
"Pam, nganong ikaw man ang mupalit ug condom. Si Julio diay? Sa amo kay si Noel man ang nagapalit sa iyahang mga pang gamiton," Maya says.
"PAM, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE BUYING THE CONDOMS. SHOULDN'T IT BE JULIO? FOR US, IT'S ALWAYS NOEL WHO BUYS CONDOMS."
"Dara oh." Mariz hands her a hundred peso bill.
"HERE."
Pamela is a bit taken aback by it. She hesitates. "Sure ka Mariz?" she asks.
"YOU SURE, MARIZ?"
"Oo. Kwaa na. Bawion nako ni run."
"YES. TAKE IT. OR I'LL CHANGE MY MIND."
Pamela takes the bill from her. "Salamat."
"THANKS."
"Basta next time, ingna na si Julio nga siya na mupalit sa iyahang condom ha."
"NEXT TIME, TELL JULIO HE HAS TO BUY THE CONDOMS."
Pamela smiles and nods.
"Erm...Isa ka box te." Pamela says to the lady.
"ERM...ONE BOX, PLEASE, MISS."
The lady nods and scans the box of condoms.
Pamela gives her the money.
"I receive 320 ma'am." She takes a 1 peso coin and gives it to Pamela. "Here's your change, ma'am." She staples the receipt on to plastic wrapper and hands it to her.
"Salamat te," Pamela says.
"THANKS MISS."
"Enjoy, ma'am," the lady from the counter says, which confuses the three of them.
---
1: WATSONS - is a Hong Kong health care and beauty care chain store in Asia and Europe.
Source: Wikipedia