by John Muir
CHAPTER 8
MANILA TO CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY
Ermita, MANILA.
When T.A. woke he checked the time. It was 2:50 P.M., the middle of the afternoon. He knew he had much to do to be ready to leave for Cagayan de Oro. His sleep in had cost him too much time.
His head ached and his neck was stiff. He had fallen asleep with three pillows under his head.
If his phone had rung he had not heard it. That was most unlikely as he would not sleep through that. Had there been anyone knocking at the door? There must have been as the room service people would have wanted to change the bed sheets. Then he remembered he still had the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door knob.
Even with that, room service normally still knocks, and if they do not get a response, they let themselves in. He had fallen asleep naked on top of the sheets. Oh well, if the room girl did enter, she might have managed a free look. So be it.
He dressed quickly, removed the sign from his door, and immediately he was downstairs asked if there were any messages for him. There were none.
He requested a wake up call for 4:00 A.M. the next morning and asked them to ensure there was a taxi available at 5:00 A.M. to take him to the domestic airport. As he drew some cash from his safety deposit box the receptionist made a note on a large whiteboard for the morning shift to call him.
He smelled the odours from the kitchen and felt very hungry. Waiting for his food order to arrive, he felt strange sitting here without Marivic. He was sure he could sense eyes watching him, and thought perhaps she was back in the Swagman, perhaps outside somewhere looking in. It would be like to her to watch to see if he had replaced her with another escort.
While eating his steak and chips meal he kept glancing up and looking around at the women in the room, then casting his eyes out the windows to seek out any female shapes. He could not shake the sense of being watched.
After eating, he would begin his packing in readiness for the early departure.
'Damn that woman,' he thought. 'Why am I annoyed that she had just walked away? O.K., maybe I'm partly to blame with those ill-chosen words. But surely she had been too sensitive about it. Was that it? She was a sensitive and caring little thing. Yes the sex was good, really good. But was that all?'
Changing his mind about packing, he caught a taxi to the bar where Marivic worked. Even though it was still early, just past 4:00 P.M., he would give it a shot anyway.
He walked in hopeful she was there but had not yet started work. He sat at the bar and ordered a calamansi. There were only seven other customers. Marivic was not among those already dancing. Perhaps she might come on when this group finished their 15-20 minute routine. He waited, and ordered another calamansi. Even the girl serving the drinks was different from the first time he visited.
The next group started and again Marivic was not among them.
He signalled to the drinks girl.
"Is Marivic working tonight?" he asked.
The bar girl just shrugged her shoulders in fashion he felt like taking as dumb insolence. He took two 20 peso notes out of his waist bag, covered them with his palm and slid them toward the drinks girl.
"Well then, is there some way you can find out for me?" He lifted his hand to show what was underneath.
She snatched the money from under his hand and pushed it into a pocket on the side of her short dress.
She turned to ask the other server and they chatted for a few moments. T.A. had not seen the other serving waitress before either.
"Nobody has seen her for several days. She has been looking after her sister who's been sick."
T.A. nodded an acknowledgment. So that was the excuse she had used to be with him.
"When's she meant to be coming back?"
The shrug was repeated. It annoyed T.A. He was not going to give any more money for this haughty attitude.
Two or three of the current dancers had begun to concentrate their activities on him. He briefly thought of taking one back to the hotel with him for a short time, but only briefly. He remembered he still had to pack. None of the girls he saw aroused any physical desires within him as Marivic had, so he felt he would probably be disappointed. It had been good with Marivic.
He returned to Swagman and looked around at the women seated at the tables. There was still no sign of her. At least this time he had no feeling of being watched.
Packing took him longer than he expected. It was not because he was slow; it was just that when he began repacking his backpack he would pause for a long time just looking at the careful brown paper wrapping around the present for Marivic's Mother.
Leaving out the clothes to wear for next day's trip, and his shower and shaving kit, he zipped up the backpack, and put it away.
He ran down the stairs deciding to give the 'girlie bar' one more try. As he passed through the drinkers and diners in Swagman again he felt strongly the sense of eyes watching him. He cast a quick eye around the females. No Marivic. He was imagining things. To avoid delays he took a cab. Yet, before he got into the cab he looked around again in hope.
This time when he entered the bar it was closer to 7:00 P.M. He sat at the bar for a longer time, nearly until 8:00 P.M. The bar was beginning to fill and becoming noisier. He asked the same questions again of the bar servers, again the same negative responses.
T.A. was wishing he had caught a taxi to the other address she had given him in Manila and tried to find if she was there. The available time was now too short. He would try to find her after his return to Manila.
Again when he returned to the hotel he looked around at the females. Definitely no sign of Marivic. But the feeling of being watched had not dissipated.
He verified with the check-in staff that they had not forgotten his wake up call. He ordered some toasted sandwiches from the waitress and asked them to be delivered to his room.
After the sandwiches were delivered, he stripped for his shower and wrapped his dirty clothes in a plastic bag. He stuffed the bag into his backpack. After the shower, shave and hair wash he put his shower kit into his backpack and padlocked it. As he slept 'sans' pyjamas, there was nothing else to pack.
It was 9:30 P.M. He felt if he was lucky he might snatch six hours sleep before the bedside telephone roused him to get ready for the airport. Any visitor would only be Marivic, and if he was that lucky, well he was already stripped for action. Maybe the time apart would give him time to reflect. She probably had dozens of suitors, or at least other lustful admirers as he was. T.A. was already beginning to think that he would find it too difficult to overlook her past.
He resisted the temptation to watch T.V. If he started watching something that interested him he would lose valuable sleeping time.
Switching off the lights he pulled the sheets up and tried to think about the diving in Dakak he had read about. But Marivic's face kept returning to his mind.
He had begun to drift in and out of sleep when he was sure he heard a faint tapping on his door. He sat up to listen. Perhaps it was just someone knocking on the door of the next room.
The gentle tapping started again. It was definitely his door. Marivic had come back to be with him on his last night. He turned on his light and sprang out of bed. He knew he had a smile on his face as wide as it could possibly be. That was good, she would be happy to see he was genuinely pleased she had come back. Pulling the door open as quickly as he possibly could, the smile quickly vanished from his face when he saw a solid looking man with a full beard at his door.
"Jesus Christ," he said, and moved back behind the door to cover his nudity.
"Good evening," said the bearded stranger. "I bet your friend Jesus was never as good looking as me. So it's a hell of way to greet your old friend."
T.A. looked closer at the face.
"Jesus, its ...."
The stranger quickly put his hand up to his own mouth to indicate silence.
He stood back from the door and let the stranger enter, then looked out into the corridor to check
nobody was looking.
Closing the door quietly T.A. turned around.
"Feel free to put a towel around your waist, you look pretty bloody silly wearing just that grin," said the visitor. "And I wouldn't flash that little ding-a-ling around, the girl's would laugh at a little thing like that."
T.A. went to the bathroom and wrapped a towel around his waist.
"Jesus Pater its good to see you, everyone told me you were dead."
----------
Linamon, West Mindanao.
Salim Hassan looked over the faces of those gathered in the upstairs lounge of his dilapidated two story dwelling. Most of the people were related by blood or marriage and all except for two were from his barrio. Those two were from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). There was not sufficient seating for the 21 people gathered. Some stood while others sat on the floor.
"I have found out where that bastard Yamada will be staying, and where he is going over the next few days," said Salim.
Murmurs and nods of approval circulated the group.
"We pretty much know his complete timetable. If we can grab him and hide him, we'll make the bastard's company, or his family, pay millions to get him back."
More nods and murmurs followed the mention of money.
"They can afford to pay enough for his Grandfather's war crimes and for his Father's theft of our Moro land."
One of the listeners called out, "How?"
"A few days ago, you all promised you'd help. Now I'm calling you to honour your promises. There are still others, more of our brothers from the MNLF, to arrive and join us."
Those assembled looked around at each other and nodded approvals.
"This is what I want to do."
The small group listened attentively as Salim outlined his plan.
----------
Ermita, METRO MANILA.
T.A. thrust out his hand, though he wanted to throw his arms around Pater.
"This is the way true friends greet." Pater put his arms around T.A., T.A. felt slightly self-conscious but reciprocated.
"I'm pleased your curtains are closed; don't want the neighbours to get the wrong idea."
Pater was as observant as ever thought T.A.
"Bloody hell Pater it really is good to see you."
"Don't get carried away on the strength of a quick cuddle. Nah, it's good to see you too."
As Pater relaxed into the lounge he looked at T.A. with frown.
"Have you lost your instincts?"
"Why? What makes you ask that?"
"You were too busy looking at all the girls in the restaurant downstairs to notice me."
"Ah, so it was you who was watching me. It's a long story. I was looking at the girls because I had a woman staying here with me for a few days and she stormed out last night. I had been half expecting, or rather hoping, she would come back. Maybe even feel a little bit jealous and keep an eye on what I was doing. I sensed someone was watching me but I thought it was her so I ....," T.A. tailed off at the sight of Pater's grin.
"So the senses are only half working. How's things been?"
"Boring," T.A. paused. "In the last few days only one knife fight and a taxi robbery and beating."
"You're still full of bullshit."
T.A. did not want to explain that he was in fact, and to a major extent, telling the truth.
"Hey, I really want to know what happened to you after we got separated on Apuao Grande."
"Now that is a long story."
"I did get that weird letter from Father O'Reilly, or whoever, when I was in the Manila Hospital. I sort of presumed it was from you, I guessed you couldn't say much."
"I didn't know if anyone else might read your correspondence. I am supposed to be dead, remember?"
"Then you bastard, only one brief letter from Singapore, signed by the same priest, in all those months, just to let me know the address of some bar to write to. I was really only guessing again that it was from you."
"Yeah, sorry. I couldn't tell you much in any letter. I perhaps do have a little explaining to do, and I know you kept your mouth shut before."
T.A. felt pleased that he had the respect of this man.
"Ben, the Apuao Grande manager who is here at the moment, said you had been asking him about me in very roundabout terms. Very cagily as though it was off-handed remarks. He said you weren't giving anything away."
T.A. simply nodded.
"Then he phoned me in 'Singers' and said you were here. I flew over to see you. So here I am. The new me. What do you think?"
"The beard and longer fairer hair certainly threw me. I think if I passed you in the street I wouldn't have recognised you."
"You didn't, twice."
T.A. frowned.
"I reckon youd've only looked at me if I'd been singing Po Kare Kare Ana."
T.A. grinned. "Please don't, your Maori pronunciation is piss poor."
"Anyway, I hear you're heading off to Cagayan and so forth in a few hours for a few days. I've got to get back to Singers tomorrow. Then, when I hear you're back, I'll come back. Keep aside a couple of days for me eh?"
"But what about you on Apuao Grande?"
"A serial story son. You get some sleep. I'll tell you more next time we meet."
Pater stood and shook T.A's hand.
As he was leaving T.A. called after him.
"And Mother, who was that masked man?"
Pater turned and grinned. "Still got your warped sense of humour I see. The Lone Ranger of course."
T.A. sat back on the bed and nodded his head side to side.
----------
The telephone ringing by his bed jarred him to sudden alertness. He had only just dozed off. So it seemed.
"Good morning sir, this is your wake up call as you requested. It is now 4:00 A.M. A member of staff will be up shortly with the toasted sandwiches you ordered."
"Yeah, fine," responded a sleepy T.A. "Make up my bill please."
"That's already been attended to and paid sir."
"What?" He wasn't sure he had heard correctly. "What did you say?"
"Your account has already been paid sir."
T.A. lay back on his pillows wanting to drop back into his sleep.
A gentle tap on the door saved him from that enjoyment. He wrapped the towel around his waist and this time, looking through the peephole, saw it was a staff member carrying a small plate with a towel covering its contents.
T.A. silently accepted the plate, nodded thanks, and tried to recall whether he had ordered these or not. His mind was too tired to think deeply.
One ham, cheese and tomato; one ham, cheese and pineapple; one silver jug of coffee and a hot calamansi juice. Could not have been better than any order he would have placed himself. He ate quickly so he could have a long spell in the shower. He hoped that might help him wake fully.
By 4:25 A.M. he was downstairs with his backpack. He asked again for his bill, again advised that it had been paid. It had to be Pater. Robinson's Department Store was not that big on public relations.
He cleared his safety deposit box and entered the waiting taxi. Now he only had to look forward to the unnecessary hassles at the domestic terminal and the probable delay of the flight.
He was not disappointed; the departure was delayed for an hour.
**********
