The week after their torture assignment, nagyaya ang barkada na mag-inuman. It was a Friday night and invited sila Carlo.
Initially, si Vince nalang dapat ang sasama dahil ayaw na muna ni Carlo makisali sa kanila.
Wala naman silang nagawang masama. He thought na mas buti na iwasan na muna niya sa ngayon sila Raven at ang iba pa.
Vince, meanwhile, asked Carlo to come parin.
"Sige na sama ka na," pilit nito.
"Hindi na nga," pakiusap ni Carlo. "Ikaw na lang."
"Sandali lang yun," sabi ni Vince.
"E di naman ako umiinom eh."
"Di ka naman kaylanagn uminom," pilit pa ni Vince. Pursigido ito na suamama si Carlo ng gabing iyon.
"Vince...hwag na," pakiusap ulit ni Carlo.
Hinawakan ni Vince ang kamay ni Carlo and he looked at him straight in the eye.
"Caloy, kasama mo naman ako," he said reassuringly.
Carlo hesitated but in the end, he finally agreed.
"O sige, basta di ako iinom."
"Oo, di kita pipilitin."
"At uuwi rin ako ng maaga ha," dagdag pang kundisyon ni Carlo.
"Oo kahit sabay pa tayong umuwi ng maaga," sabi ni Vince. "Dadaan lang tayo doon kahit two hours lang."
But as soon as they arrived there, Carlo knew right there and then that it wasn't going to be two hours as Vince promised it would be.
Nakaka-apat na oras na silang nagiinuman, kumakanta ng videoke, at nagtatawanan.
Vince, for the most part, ay hindi pa naman gaanong lasing.
Magkatabi sila ni Carlo sa upuan while they were secretly holding each others hands.
Uminom din si Vince kaso moderate lang. Si Carlo naman, hindi naiwasang inumin ang dalawang canned beer.
"Vince, tara uwi na tayo," sabi ni Carlo. He felt the liquor effect on his body.
Hindi gaanong umiinom si Carlo kaya konting alak lang ay medyo may tama narin ito.
He was feeling tipsy. He absent-mindledly leaned on Vince's shoulders.
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"Oy, ang sweet nyo naman," biglang sabi ni Raven. There was a distinct rudeness and malice in his voice.
Sigawan ang lahat. Nabitawan ni Peter ang hawak na baso sa sobrang tawa.
Palibhasa lasing na sila, kaya naman ang lalakas na ng tama.
At this point, Vince was the only person na hindi gaanong lasing.
"Pre, iuwi mo na si honey babes Carlo mo, tumba na o," dagdag pa ni Peter.
"Tol, gisingin mo nga si Carlo, ang sagwa nyo tignan," nasabi pa ni Raven.
Throughout the rest of the night, naging center ng tukso sila Vince. Pati si Carlo ay nadamay narin.
Nagtuloy-tuloy pa ang pang-aasar ng barkada. Panay nag hirit nila, na palala na ng palala.
"Woo! Cheesy naman!"
"Nababakla na sayo si Carlo, Vince!"
"Oy Vince, anong tawag sayo ni Carlo, Papa Vince ba?"
"Ako Vince, pwede maki-Papa rin?! Hahaha!"