It was just a normal day at the office.  Some paperwork, a few phone calls, going through the daily routine.  Except it was my birthday and I was looking forward to the planned dinner with a friend that evening.

I lease office and retail spaces.  And I work by myself.  From time to time, people would stop by the office to inquire about availability of spaces to rent, the cost, and the terms. 

So I was not surprised when a woman came by looking for a place to rent for her business.  She was well-dressed, in formal business attire.  I went by my usual talk about the size of each space available, how much the monthly rent would be, the amenities, and all the positive aspects that would make her rent from me.

Suddenly, in the middle of my monologue, she started unbuttoning her blouse.  I was taken by surprise, and wasn’t really sure how to react.  My thought was, she probably wanted a discount.  She then dropped her skirt, and was in her bra and panties.  I was sitting there, just stunned.

Then I heard music coming from the hallway, and she started to do some lap dance.

It was then that the door opened. My tenants, at least some of them, piled one by one into the office.   They were laughing and clapping like some kid with a Happy Meal.

The woman was a stripper they hired to get me one unforgettable birthday.

Most people learn to drive when they were young, say sixteen or seventeen.  Not me.  I was much older when I got behind the wheel, only because it was a job requirement.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not that I wasn’t willing to drive, it was because there was no opportunity to drive.

Driving is not part of transition to manhood where I grew up.  In fact, most people don’t drive.  Well, most people don’t have cars either.  Driving is mostly a professional job.  You drive a bus, or a cab.  Even some people with cars would employ a full-time driver.  In other words, it is a job by itself.

Read the rest of this post »

After spending my life savings in the slots of Las Vegas, it was time to go back.  Vegas was a side trip, but we decided we might as well try our luck.  Who knows, we might be overnight millionaires, which to my dismay does not exactly work that way.  So back to LA and do train trip, part two.  The LA train depot is an old building, built during the heyday of train travel and still shows its grandeur, only spoiled by the security gates that scream when you have a metal knee replacement.

I was expecting an uneventful trip, but once again I might be proven wrong.  We boarded and waited, and soon, we were back to the deserts of Arizona.  I wasn’t as eager to look outside since it was the same monotonous landscape I have seen going the other way.

Read the rest of this post »

It  must have been in spring.  The grass was freshly mowed, and although there were swarms of mosquitoes, there were also fireflies fluttering around.

I live in the city, but in an older neighborhood with grown trees, ranch style houses with good-sized backyards.  It’s not a rich neighborhood by any stretch but it’s not in the bad part of town either.  I get to enjoy the city life, and the quiet and peace of the suburbs.

Read the rest of this post »

I have heard from your lips
Pronouncements of love,
But the side glances
Are telling me
That you long for a love
That is not mine.

There is no whispering in my ear
No tender moment
To convince my heart otherwise.

This is my sadness
And this is my pain.

 

We’ve been to California by car, and we needed to go there again for some matters of importance.  Which is just a way of making an excuse to go someplace.  But we don't want to drive, and with all the horrible nightmarish hassles at the airport, we ruled out the plane.  So that leaves us with no other option but the train.  Come to think of it, it would be a whole new experience, just like how they do it before the advent of planes and automobiles.

So by train, then.  It would go through the southwest part of the country, and we can enjoy the scenery.  Or so we thought.  If houses are facing the street, the backyard is towards the tracks.  It was a different view alright.  You can see what people do in their backyard, like some portly guy gardening in a yellow thong.

Read the rest of this post »

I don't know why I like sad songs.  It's not like I am depressed or anything.  I hate drama.  And dramatic people.  But sad songs?  There is something to them that tugs at my heartstring.

And the feeling is all too familiar.

 

One good thing about living in the middle of the US is the ease of travel in all directions by car.  When you’re in the east coast, everything west is far.  When you’re in the west coast, everything east is far.  So they’re both stuck.  When they need to get to the other side, they fly over the small and unique towns in between.

I have a friend who, like me, likes to drive to see the country.  We would set aside two weeks in summer and drive outwards.  We’ve been doing this for the last eight years, heading out west the first time, to San Francisco and Los Angeles.  Along the way, we get to see Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, stopping for lodging and food in cities and towns which otherwise would not be considered a tourist stop.  The following year we went north, then northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest the succeeding years.  However, with only two weeks, you can only cover so much distance.

Read the rest of this post »

 

He started appearing at the back porch in the middle of summer.  A gray, scraggly cat, whining in as many voices, as if talking.  I interpreted it as asking for something to eat, so I gave him something.  I should have known better.

He would appear out of nowhere the following months.  My roommate bought some cat food and I would leave it outside in case he shows up.

Read the rest of this post »

When I was a kid, we were so poor that all I can afford to play with were soda caps, empty milk cans, and those wooden tops that I made myself from the wood of a guava tree.  I never had a toy bought for the specific task of play.  Besides, no one in our neighborhood play fancy toys either, so I was happy and content.

It was when I grew up that I discovered that kids actually play with fancy stuff like toy cars.  I particularly like the Tonka truck--Matchbox being so tiny that they are more collectibles than toys.  But I was a grown man, and I felt embarrassed to be seen buying, much less seen, playing a toy truck. Most Tonka trucks come in yellow, a bright color that entices kids.

Read the rest of this post »