Evening came, and I was already drunk...sitting right next to a guy who seemed broken while waiting for Velarde to show up. His hands were all over his head, and in front of him was a half-finished Snow Beer. It's been an hour and a half, and I was losing my patience. All of a sudden, a bartender came. I had guessed it's time for his shift since this is a 24/7 restobar.
The bartender, by the way, was new in town. My first impression was that he's from province, trying to build a better life here.
So I interrogated him and asked some questions about his life, "Young man..."
"Yes, sir?" The bartender cheerfully replied.
"You're new here...where're you from?"
"Cebu, sir."
"Far away from home, huh?"
"Ay, I have to."
"Have a girlfriend?"
"I--well, I have." He placed a used towel on the table and started cleaning. "She is the most beautiful woman, and right now, she's with my big brother." He added to me.
"Uh--what?"
"Ay, yes. Since he is the eldest, he can--well, he has the right to do it."
"To do what?"
"Well, don't be surprised sir, but he has the right to sleep with my girlfriend because--ayy, he is the eldest."
"What? Why? How? When did this thing had started? What?"
He made a deep sigh, "Ay, It's one of our family traditions."
"What kind of 'tradition' is that, young man?"
"Well, everything goes first to my eldest brother, sir. Everything. Including my stuffs, sir."
"Okay. Uncool, but you kept it real, man. At least you're honest while talking to a random guy like me. So, where are they now?"
"My big brother inherited my mother's ex-husband's banana farm when he died, but it was raided the day after my brother took control. He promised me that he will take good care of my girlfriend as I strive here in Metro Manila to support them." He smiled.
"If your brother's the eldest, why is he not the one looking for a job? I mean--fuck. Sorry, but--well, it was his fault, anyway. The farm was raided because of him, right?"
"Well, he keeps on telling me that I have a brighter future, sir. I believe on that." Poor young man was outsmarted by his big brother...I took pity on him.
"Okay. Okay. Good job."
"Ay, thank you, sir."
"There you are, Markus. I bought us a pack of cigarettes, so why don't we head outside and smoke?"
While we were outside, I took a stick from Velarde, and then he asked me, "Tell me everything you know about Ching-Chong III."
"I came to their famous club a few hours ago in Cubao to know more about Ching-Chong III. I spoke to one of their steroid monkeys and learned that he's hiding somewhere because he had abandoned Kenny Sergio during a deal."
"What deal?"
"I have no idea yet, Velarde."
"How'd you managed to make a bouncer talk, Markus?" He smiled.
"Well, I acted like one of Sergio's henchmen...by that, I learned something between Sergio and Ching-Chong III."
"Nice."
"So...we need to know Ching-Chong III's location so we could kill him, Velarde."
"Yes, and then if we're lucky, the NBI agents will blame the Sergio Family."
YOU ARE READING
MARKUS SANDATA
ActionImagine you were in the midle of losing everything after being used by a person whom you trusts the most, but then, you had decided that you would rather stick with the problem because it used to be the "perfect" situation for you. What would you do...
