For Hire

I - On my way home from Eastwood, a taxi driver told me that he could guess a person's destiny. He showed me his palm and explained how he does the reading. Then, he snootly told me that he can even foresee how I would die. I was daydreaming of an automatic eject button so that I could disappear right there and then. Coming from a 13-hour night shift, the encounter was a major caffeine booster.

II - It was lunch time, one of the hottest days of the previous summer. I decided to ride a cab from Manila to The Fort. I was already enjoying the music when the driver started telling me stories about his family. His family lives in Bulacan. And that the coming weekend they had to go there because one of his nieces was getting married. That he didn't want to attend but his wife was pushing the whole family to come. That he didn't want to be one of the principal sponsors because it would mean spending money, and these days it is so hard to earn money. All I can mutter was a series of "uh-huh...hmmm..ok..."

III - In another Eastwood - Diliman route, a taxi driver started to comment on the Philippine economy as we traversed Katipunan. He mentioned something about stocks. And about foreign investors. He actually made sense, at first. But as we made a u-turn in front of Ateneo to Xavierville, he asked me what my plan in the future is, where my boyfriend is, how I save my earnings. I had no plan to answer those questions and I believe he had no plan to hear my side because he begun explaining things. He told me I could start a sari-sari store in a strategic place, for example, in front of Ateneo (sabay turo sa Shakey's). According to him, I should wake up early in the morning to wait for a delivery truck of Pepsi. When I see the truck, I should chase and stop it, then ask for at least 3 cases of softdrinks. Wow, a bloody marketing principle.

IV - One day, I left the house early for work. As I stepped inside the taxi, the driver said: "yan yung pabangong nakakabighani..." Referring to the perfume I was wearing. Then, he smiled. He looked decent though. He remained silent after that. But as we entered Eastwood, he said: "Buti ka pa parang laging naka-smile. Eh yung iba kong pasahero parang laging may problema". Oh. God. Good thing, it was time to drop-off. We stopped at IBM.

V - Another new route, Eastwood to San Juan, with all the courage I could muster to watch my buddy's basketball game. The driver was looking at his rearview mirror. Afterward, he told me that I looked stressed out. Somehow, I felt annoyed because that time I wasn't feeling stressed out at all. Then, he told me maybe it was because of the nature of my work. He assumed I was working in a call center, which I didn't care to correct because I didn't want to have that conversation with him anyway. He continued his commentary. He told me my work could really affect my health. As an added insult to injury, he noticed the pimple on my cheek and started giving me advices on how to clean my face! Duh. He told me to apply this thing and that thing because he himself had been using it. He warned me that if I wouldn't follow, I might appear older sooner or later. "Parang ngayon-- di ka na kse mukhang bata." Wtf?! That was the first time someone told me I don't look younger than my age. We missed the first and the closest u-turn to reach the gym. Manong kase.

VI - Just last week. I rode a tricycle from our building to the main gate in BCDA. The tricycle stopped because an old woman, accompanied by two young women, was crossing the street. A van was waiting for them. The tryc driver, who was wearing a pair of fatigued pants, a white shirt, and a matching fatigued cap, said something I didn't comprehend. As the three women approached the van, the driver continued talking: "pero lam mo sa communist country, pinapatay na mga ganyan," referring to the old woman. I decided to ignore his comment. As he continued driving, he asked me: "Palagay mo, ano ang pinakamasamang imbensyon ng tao?" I thought it was sort of a knock-knock-who's-there joke. But nooo! He was waiting for my reply. I wasn't sure what and how to answer. A witty remark might call for a longer chat. A dumb reply might result to mockery. To play safe, I said: "Ano manong?" (which was like saying Who's there? to a Knock, knock). Sabi nya: "ultrasound". I was totally dumbfounded. Unrelentingly, he said, "kse sa communist country, pag female yung magiging anak ng buntis, pipapatay na yun.." He said that with conviction. He added, "eh ano ang pangalawang pinakamasamang imbensyon ng tao?" Oh nooo…longest three-minute tricycle trip ever. Without looking at me and waiting for my stance, he said, "TV," because kids learn a lot of violence by watching. That was dense man.

*****
Thankfully, most of these encounters happened a few minutes before I reached my destination.