It was a hot, Monday afternoon when Ballsie arrived at the bus terminal. As she stepped out of the air-conditioned bus, she immediately felt the prickling summer heat. She looked around her and it finally sunk in that she was now far from her peaceful provincial life and was now indeed in the city. She was now amidst a seemingly endless number of people coming and going, people who had places to be and things to do. Travelers and vendors alike walked past her and as beads of sweat started to form on her forehead, she suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. Feeling like she was about to pass out, she took a seat on one of the wooden benches at the arrival area of the bus terminal so she can take a breather even for just a few minutes.
"Ah, city life!" Ballsie exclaimed as she rummaged through her bag to grab her water bottle. She twisted the bottle cap and chugged the remaining water inside. "Hmmm, I still have a long way to go, I have to get some food and buy another drink."
"Manong!" Ballsie waved at one of the street vendors roaming around the terminal and gestured if he can come over so she can buy whatever he was selling.
The street vendor approached her right away and opened the basket he was carrying over his shoulder. He was selling roasted nuts, pastillas, small packs of chicharon, a whole array of single packed cookies, and cigarettes.
Ballsie took two packs of the roasted nuts and one pack of the chicharon.
"Ma'am, that will be 75 pesos. Anything else, Ma'am?" the vendor quipped.
"Yup, this is Manila. Everything is twice as expensive," she shook her head and sighed. "No, Manong. That's it. Here you go." She paid the vendor and looked around to see if she can buy water or anything to drink. There was a small sari-sari store adjacent to the terminal, so she decided to walk and see if they have anything cold to drink. Luckily, the store had cold drinks to sell, so she bought the cheapest medium sized mineral water and headed back to the bus terminal.
Ballsie actually did not need to take a bus anymore to reach her final destination, but the bus terminal was the meeting place that she and Manang Susan agreed upon. She sat on the wooden bench again and looked at her watch. It was only 2:45 pm - Manang Susan sent her a text message earlier that she would be arriving around 3:30 pm at the terminal to pick her up. Since she had plenty of time, Ballsie decided to open one of the packs of roasted nuts so she can munch on something while waiting.
"Mmmm,yum. It's so garlicky, just the way I like 'em." She looked at the pack of roasted nuts and felt a sudden sadness and longing. She shared the same love for the snack as her dad. The moment she thought of him, she remembered the look on his face when she told him that she accepted the job position Manang Susan offered and that she would be away for four months. Her dad, supportive as ever, did not question her decision to leave, but did express his sadness that she would be away for so long.
"I trust Manang Susan, so I am not against you accepting that job. I just need to remind you to take care of yourself when you're there. And don't worry about me and your brother, we can manage here. I just want you to be extra careful because Enzo and I are not there to take care of you and we can't easily just get to you, ok?" She then remembered how he gave her the tightest hug as she expressed her gratitude for his understanding and his unfaltering support. She felt guilty because she purposely left out the "sleeping in the same room with your boss" job requirement. Ballsie decided that her dad did not need to know that bit, but she felt guilty, nonetheless.
As Ballsie finished the last bits of her snack, she felt her cellphone vibrate inside her bag. She rubbed her hands to get the garlicky bits out of her fingers and took her phone out. Manang Susan texted her that she was at the terminal already and instructed her to look for a black Lexus SUV.
It was not hard to find the car as it was the only shiny and expensive car at the bus terminal. Ballsie approached the SUV and found Manang Susan sitting at the backseat.
"Ballsie, hija, how are you? Come on in, get inside so we can leave. We have to beat rush hour traffic. Dylan has been waiting for you."
