Sleazy Old Men

Wrote a lot over the weekend, too much time on my hands, I guess. However posted nothing on this blog. At the time, the reason was my lousy connection which frustrated me no end. Today however, reading back at what I wrote, it just didn't feel like it belonged here. Not that it made sense, rather it was more than the usual gibberish. So that's that.

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My father's birthday is coming up, and I seemed to have made the mistake of buying his birthday gift 2 months early. This therefore cancels that as a birthday gift and now I need to dig deeper into my pockets for another power tool. I'm thinking of an electric planer, he's been bugging me for years to get the one that he has repaired despite knowing that parts aren't available anywhere (We've looked, and got nowhere). Don't get me wrong, I don't mind getting him his toys, it's just that the timing is quite off, seeing as I'm short of funds at the moment. Time to take out the plastic, I guess.

My dad is quite the character and has for years been infamous among my closer friends. He's pretty old school, and makes no apologies for it. He doesn't have to anyway, he deserves it. Here's another anecdote I remember:

I was probably entering the fourth grade during this particular summer break. My mom had her hands full with all the kids around and asked if I could come with my dad to work. He was going to the minesite in Zambales. No problem, my dad says and helps me pack my bag. I was pretty excited, I was gonna sit in the car and all that. I was pretty naive then, I guess.

So we go to the minesite and I spent the whole day just watching tv, bugging the caretaker of the executive quarters and playing with the pet turtle that they had. By nighttime I got pretty exhausted and wanted to go home. Of course, this was a 3 day field visit so I was pretty much stuck there. By evening, after dinner, my dad asked me if I was alright being by myself at the quarters. Of course I said no, all the old people were there now hogging the television. So with no choice, my dad took me out with his friends for some beer.

Turn out, the gang was out for a drive to their favorite girly bar in Olongapo. Being in my pre-teens, I didn't know what all the fuss was about. I just sat there, drinking my coke not really minding the woman dancing on-stage... until she took her top off. It was startling... didn't she realize her boobs were showing? I completely forgot about my coke and just stared... really stared. The manager walked over to our table, my dad grinned as the manager was asking what a kid was doing in his joint. My dad of course lied... told him his son was 18 and he wanted to "baptize" me into manhood. The manager just smiled and proceeded with business. Girls were brought, one for each of the gang, including myself!

So while the girls were on the laps of these sleazeballs, I sat on my girl's lap. Cute. My dad looked so proud of me, and pronounced that his son already had a girlfriend. She was okay, I guess, not bad for a first girlfriend. But I was kind of irritated she kept bugging me when all I wanted to do was watch the girl dancing on-stage. Ah women!

Well anyway, pretty soon everyone left us alone and went to do I don't know what (back then, anyway). And when they came back one by one, they kept asking me what I thought of "my girl". She was okay, I admitted, though I was pretty shy about the whole thing. Then my dad comes along, cigarette pack bulging through his tight shirt, hair greased back with tonic and swaggering through the bar. He sits down and they settle the bill. Then he says they'll be leaving now, and by the way, he's already sold me to my new "mommy". WTF?! My new "mommy" held me tight and says bye to the geezers. I was fighting panic by this time... they must be kidding, right?! RIGHT?! I mean, she was okay and all but heck I wasn't ready for a "commitment"! I jump up but the b*tch holds on tight. The geezers laugh and walk away! WTFWTFWTF!! Now imagine the scene, four men laughing, nearing the exit and a little boy near tears fighting off this woman. I finally get free and ran for the exit, heart thumping out of my chest... of course, the geezers were right behind the door laughing. A**holes.

I never told on my dad, of course, not after he tells me that if I ever did he'd leave me at the bar for real.

Well, advance happy birthday, John. Maybe instead of the damn tool we'll just hang out in a sleazy bar. Just for old time's sake.