Wonderful Unknown

Chapter 1

A/N: Surprise? Story title's based on a 2014 song from Ingrid Michaeslon and Greg Laswell. Happy reading!

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Face fully made up, she barely recognized herself in the mirror. Not that she let herself go in the last three years, but there were days when she felt and looked older than 21.

Life after Northford hadn’t been easy. The last three years hadn’t been entirely cruel to her, but it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies either.

She gave the hem of her red plaid skirt another tug. She might have swallowed her pride and worn the tiny server outfit of her own volition, but it would still take some getting used to before she'd be comfortable parading in it.

“Wala ng ihahaba yan, Rox - ay Rain pala.”

She grimaced. Another thing she had to get used to? Her fake name.

“Kitang-kita na kasi yung kaluluwa ko, Ate Maricar,” she said, a little uneasy. “Baka lang madaan yung tela sa konting stretching.”

“Magtigil ka nga. The shorter, the better,” the older woman replied. Then she paused, only half of her lower lip painted red. She stared at Roxy’s nervous eyes in the mirror and smiled kindly. “Diba ang goal mo makaipon at makaalis agad?” She continued applying lipstick while making her see reason. “Sure-fire way yan para makakuha ng mataas na tip. Kailangan mo ‘yon lalo’t bago ka. Wala ka pang suki.”

A reminder of her goal helped strengthen Roxy’s resolve. She nodded and smiled, “Para sa ekonomiya.”

“Exactly! And para kay Mother Becca. Huwag mo siya ipapahiya ah,” Maricar told her before slipping her lipstick in the hollow space between her breasts and leaving the room without so much as a goodbye. 

Almost three hours passed, but there was no sign of the crowd thinning even if it was getting closer to midnight. 

Golden Mare, opened about two years ago, yet the hype did not die down. Claimed to be a modern-day gentleman’s club, it prided itself on its exclusivity. Initially, membership was by invite only. And then those who expressed the intent to join after the club opened were subjected through a rigorous screening process. And just like every employee who worked for the club, all the members were required to sign an NDA.

It was tough wrapping her mind around the whole thing, but she immediately understood the need for discretion the moment she stepped on the floor to serve drinks.

Thursday was supposed to be one of those slow nights, but she already saw two congressmen, a former senator, an actor turned governor, and an infamous cosmetic doctor. 

At least malakas sila mag-tip. 

Never mind that one of them groped her ass twice in the last hour. Servers were supposed to be off-limits, at least that’s what Tita Becca told her. 

She leaned her weight on the granite bar top, and called the bartender’s attention. “Kuya Celso, dalawang whiskey neat, please. Table 11.” 

Golden Mare is a huge buffet that catered to men’s basest desires. The whole business concept is sexist, misogynistic - probably borderline illegal. But when people are strapped for cash, they tend to look the other way.

“Tigil-tigilan mo yang kaka-kuya mo sa’kin, ha, Roxy Marie,” the bartender whispered as he delivered the drinks to her end of the bar. “Or should I say, Rain?”

“Bakit? Kinikilabutan ka?” The bartender shuddered, possibly in revulsion, as he walked toward the end of the bar to attend to an old brooding customer. 

When Tita Becca introduced them, they instantly clicked. She immediately loved Ate Cheska in all his kikay glory. It broke her heart a little when she found out that at almost 30, he was still concealing his true self inside the closet. Only a handful of people knew the truth. His family, relatives, and everyone at work knew him as Celso.