Playing with Fire

Upon arriving into my bachelor’s pad, I took a quick shower.

Afterwards, I got a bottle of San Miguel beer from the fridge, went into the living room and dropped lazily into the leather seat and switched on the TV by remote control and on came the breaking news - “a raging fire is consuming the notorious Pacifica Hotel in the seedy district of Manila!”

I sat there, gulping my beer and eyes fixed on the plasma screen as the hyperactive field reporter gave an animated blow-by-blow account of the unfolding event on live TV!

The place is a picture of chaos with firefighters, policemen and the usual kibitzers jockeying for positions as the camera rolled into the sweaty face of the reporter, highly- strung for the scoop in his hands while in the process of interviewing the one in- charge of the ongoing rescue operation.

The fire was so damn big and the summer wind is blowing really hard further fanning the blaze. The smoke was so thick you could hardly see the façade of the building. The undermanned and underpaid firefighters gallantly fought the blaze but their obsolete equipment and mediocre method of fire fighting proved no match to the raging hell!

Many good Samaritans with water buckets and pails in their hands tried to splash water with minimal results. The fire proved too big and too hot to handle for everyone around though.

You could hear the wails and shrieks of agony of the people being roasted alive inside the decrepit motel while the people outside could only stare into the flaming cauldron of wood, paper and human flesh blankly.

You could tell helplessness and resignation of their sorry state from the body language of the rescuers and kibitzers alike.

For hours, the place burn incessantly and without let up until there was nothing left to burn...

The death toll was 86; many bodies irreversibly charred and burned beyond recognition. The scope of the tragedy stunned the nation that even if it is so used to tragedy whether it is man- made or natural, it still leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Politicians seized the opportunity and rode in the publicity as they call for investigation of the disaster. The fact- finding body finally ruled that arson was the cause but could find no suspect to apprehend.

Days passed into weeks and weeks turned into months. The fiery end of the luckless people was soon pushed into the deep recesses of the nations’ memory. The circus and spectacle that followed finally came to an end.

Hmmm, why do I smell smoke and burning rubber?

Text Mate

“hu u?” was the reply I got when I first texted Jenny randomly one desperately wet day in December almost two years ago today.

I happened to jumble around the numbers of my cell phone, came up with a working combination of numbers that I liked that turned out into the lucky number, her cp number.

It was my lucky day!

I told her about the circumstances about 'accidentally' finding her number and she accepted my apologies and long story short, we became text mates.

I started sending her messages via Short Messaging System (SMS) from my old and trusty Nokia 3210 cell phone everyday.I was usually the first one to greet her every morning and the last one to bid her goodnight. Soon, she began to reciprocate my 'feelings' through the magic that is SMS and we hit it off from then on.

She was a Communication Arts freshman in UP- Diliman while I told her that I have a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Ateneo de Manila University and taking up Law at San Beda College in Mendiola.

I could tell from her messages to me that she was a bright girl with a promising and bright future in her field. She confided in me everything- her dreams, her feelings, her anger, her fears, her views, everything. She bared her soul to me even if I am only a stranger without a face.

And I was always there for her, an eager ear albeit through SMS to listen to her endless messages about anything and everything. I became her emotional punching bag so to speak.

Our exchange of views and ideas on any topic lasted for a time until one day when she asked me if it’s ok for us to finally meet and see each other in the flesh.

For two years, I have evaded the topic but it was her sincerity and persuasiveness that triumphed in the end that I finally relented with reservations knowing fully well the consequences that may arise from the situation.

We agreed to meet at the UP Sunken Garden between 5:30 in the afternoon up to 6 o’clock in the evening.

“I wil b wering a red top 2morow. Hoping 2 finali mit u at lst. Gudnyt”, was her last text messages to me.

I arrived at my apartment at 10 in the evening and took a hot shower.

Afterwards, I went to the bar, took out a glass and grabbed some ice from the bucket. I poured myself bourbon from the bottle. I took a swig while looking outside the window contemplating in silence while Jim Beam’s spirit burned my chest.

I reached for the remote control and switched on the Television to ABS-CBN’s Headlines…

In one of the news report reads, “UP Coed found dead near Kalayaan.”

I got my CP from the drawer and replaced my old sim card with a new one as I lie down in the couch while trying to meditate that was suddenly interrupted when my CP beeped; I got up and pushed down the message pad while at the same time a sheepish grin flashed across my face.

“hu u?”.

Joy Ride

One early Saturday evening as the Jeepney that I am riding was cruising along Quezon Avenue, I noticed a girl with a smiling face seated opposite to mine.I can tell that she's still in high school because she’s wearing a uniform of one of those Catholic Schools in downtown Manila.

I observed her in a not so obvious way- studying her moves, facial expressions, and demeanor while pretending to read a book on Rizal by Ambeth Ocampo.

She maybe around 15 years old but she was beautiful and big for her age; raven-haired and doe-eyed with porcelain skin and with a very nice set of pearly white teeth that goes with her oh-so- girly innocent smile. She could easily pass up for a beauty queen or a model or even a movie star so I thought to myself.

She alit at the SM City Complex and I followed her afterwards. She went into the food court and ordered a Burger and Fries combo. A couple of minutes later, another girl joined her and they went on with their meal with the usual chatter of hyper-active teenagers.

It's now 8:30 p.m. and it has been quite awhile so I decided that I need some time on my hands and got myself a six-pack of Ice-cold San Miguel Beer from one of the vendors in the food court. I was on my 5th mug of beer and a bit tipsy, when I noticed that they were gone.

I immediately run towards the entrance and was glad to see them, as they were about to ride a cab. Iimmediately hailed a taxi and instructed the driver to follow them.I learned that night that she lived in a modest bungalow somewhere near the Batasan Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.

The next day, I woke up very early and proceeded to her house and waited for her to come out.When she finally came out and rode the Jeepney, I followed and seated next to her. I enjoyed every minute of it especially so when I can smell her and her sweet perfume. It really gave me a lift that I was looking forward to it for almost everyday.

For three months, day in and day out, I was there seated inside the Jeepney next to my sweet little angel.

How I wish that it would go on forever and never to end.

But alas, some good things never really last as the old cliché goes.

For in the summer of that year I decided to end it all....

God Bless her soul.