Wanna see what my Saturday was like? Here you go:
After completing the coffee ritual with Swan, I headed out on a quest to retrieve some cash from the BPI ATM in Subic town. I wasn’t feeling up for a long highway trek, so caught a Jeepney to my destination.
With my wallet now creating an attractive bulge in my pants, it was time to find my way home. I needed to get in some steps, so I decided to take the roundabout way back–through Magnam-Vacca barangay to the Govic Highway, then a walk through Naugsol village and onto Sawmill Road to complete the journey to Barretto. I estimated it would be a 10K jaunt, and off I went.
It was here that I wimped out. I was 7K into my journey and feeling tired and hungry. I asked a trike driver how much to Barretto, and he said 70 pesos. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
You can Relive the walk here if you are so inclined:
I grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich and an apple pie at Angel’s bakery, then headed home.
I had an afternoon looky-loo come to view my apartment. This was the third potential renter and the first who didn’t outright reject the place. This guy was a Brit who currently lives in Baloy with his girlfriend, so there is plenty of room here for them. I think it will come down to whether he can negotiate an acceptable rent amount with the landlord. I’m gone in October, with or without a replacement tenant, but I’m hopeful things will work out.
I left the house an hour later than usual for my nightly Barretto adventure. I was hoping to hear from Swan with a better offer, but it never came. I sent a check-in message to her, and she said she was on the way to her sister’s house. Alrighty then, I’m on my own again.
I didn’t have any particular destination in mind, but ultimately decided to have a couple of beers at It Doesn’t Matter, then maybe grab some dinner at Mylene’s. When I arrived at IDM, the traveling waitress from Sit-n-Bull was there in search of orders. We’ve become friendly acquaintances lately, so I teased her some, then decided to take a look at the menu. I figured I could have my beers and dinner right there at IDM to start off my Saturday night. I went with the chicken quesadilla. I wasn’t going to rudely eat in front of my bargirl friends, so I ordered chicken wings and lumpia for them to share.
Now, I do tend to overspend on lady drinks, but this made two days in a row that I bought food for the bargirls (tonight will make three with the standard Sunday Hideaway feeding). I’m sure there was some disappointment, but I only bought two lady drinks total during my visit. It’s time I start respecting my budget.
Still, looking at thirsty faces is no fun, so when I finished my food and beer, I headed out. I tried to pay a rare visit to Voodoo, but for the second time in a row, I was almost floored by the blaring loud music when I walked in, so I turned around and left. I guess God knew where he wanted me to go next because when I was back out on the street, I saw this:
My waitress remembered me from her days at Queen Victoria before the scamdemic, so I bought her a drink, and we talked about old times some. I had just finished paying my tab when I got a message from Tom, a Hash acquaintance. He wanted to meet up for a couple of beers if I was out. That was a first for me (I almost always drink alone), and I was glad to accept his offer. We agreed to meet downstairs in the Green Room.
Tom is a very interesting man. I’m going to respect his privacy here, but he also spent a career in government service, and he had a much more exciting time of it working for one of the intelligence agencies. Well, I’ll be damned. I just Googled Tom, and I see that I don’t have to be concerned about his privacy after all. He wrote a book about his service with the CIA. I’m going to have to see about getting a copy.
Anyway, Tom and I are of like minds when it comes to politics, the scamdemic, and the assholes systematically destroying our nation. He shares my relief at being able to live far away from all the woke madness taking place in the USA these days. In fact, he said he is going back “home” soon to dispose of his remaining property there with no intention of ever returning to live again. Me either. Anyway, it was a nice end to the evening sharing his company.
Tom drove me home after our bar time, which was also a pleasant change. I hope we can get together again soon.
And now it’s time to prepare for my Sunday feeding at Hideaway and whatever may follow after that. Nothing like being a big shot.
The often-heard wisdom is: “Follow the money.” The ladies are obviously still a high priority for you, which is why your budget slews drunkenly in that direction. If you’re really trying for the focused commitment thing, you’re gonna have to de-prioritize the ladies by a lot. Just to be clear: before you started talking about Swan, I couldn’t give two shits how you managed your budget. But now, with Swan as your aspirational lodestar, things have to change, and a lot of self-undermining behavior has to go out the window… like prioritizing the ladies. This isn’t me and my prudish moralism talking—this is the logical dictates of your situation talking. It’s all very “if-then”: if you want Result X, then you need to follow Course Y. Sometimes, this isn’t obvious from the inside of a situation.
I am sure that it is a result of the camera angle/flash or no flash/ etc. but the vertical slit for your pupil seems vaguely reptilian. LOL
Brian,
Swan may be hesitating because she instinctively senses he’s a saurian. It’s hot in the Philippines—even hotter if you have to wear a suit of human skin all day long to pass as a hominid. I’m surprised, really, that we don’t have more stories of him hiding under rocks all day long, biding his time and panting in the heat while flicking his tongue.
Kev, I’m just passing the time, however comfortably and well. Being generous to the bar staff is part of that. There is certainly no ulterior motive or expectation of earning any favors.
To your larger point that my behavior may undermine my aspirations with Swan, I don’t see it that way. I mean, if I were ignoring Swan to spend time in the bars, I’d agree. But it is rather the opposite–she is where I want to be, but sadly, I’m not her priority. So, my options are to sit home alone and pout about it or to live the life I was living before Swan came along–with some modifications. I don’t do anything physical like massages, I’ve been upfront with my bar friends that I am in a relationship, and I make no pretense about not wanting more than a shared drink. I’ve actually cut way back on buying lady drinks too.
The way I see it, it is up to Swan. I’ve made clear that I want to be with her. She keeps promising that “soon” we’ll share more time together. So I’m waiting for that day to come. But until it does, I’ll continue to frequent the bars, drink beer, and wile away the hours as best as I am able.
And now my secret identity has been revealed.