OFF-TANGENT(A Lesbian Story)

Chapter Seven

And Tuesday was five very long days away. After Mika had said goodbye to Wensh, she sat for a long time in the broadcasting booth--- her aching head propped on her hand. Her ATMs, cheque book, credit cards, wallet and cellular phones--- all had gone north for a vacation. Not only was she without cash. She won't be able to get money from her bank account. Ugh!

Wait! It dawned on her that she had forgotten to deposit her pay cheque yesterday. Tama! She can just cash it. Then she remembered, with a sick sinking feeling, that she had tucked the slip of yellow paper down into the side of her handbag, right next to her car keys, so that she would not forget to take care of it today. "Idiot!" she told herself. "You don't have money, you don't have your car keys, and you can't get into your apartment. When it rains, it pours! Damn!"

Would Vic Galang know it was her bag at the backseat of the car? Does she even know it was with her stuff? Surely she found it when she unload the car before returning it to the car rental. Why hadn't she called? Of course! My cellphones are with her. Why hadn't she called Wensh? They seemed very close. For sure she has my godsister's number. Or she could have left it with the airport police and have the darn bag returned to me. Hayst!

What if Vic did not notice the bag and run some errand before going to the airport... left the car parked somewhere... then someone glanced and realized that handbag was there for the taking? People broke car windows sometimes to steal things like that... and a handbag left on the backseat of a Cadillac would be the most tempting of targets. She will surely be blamed for the damage if that happens. Then again, if that happened, for sure she would have gotten a call right now.

"Hayst, Galang! Ang hirap basahin ng takbo ng utak mo!" she shouted in frustration.

Does Vic have her bag? If she does, she needs to find her. Perhaps she could send it back to her via overnight express.

She walked home, knocked on the door of the landlord's apartment and told his wife that she locked herself out. She let herself into her apartment with the borrowed key and looked morosely out of the window at her car. It was useless, without her keys. At least she had parked it off the side, where it would be out of the other tenants' way.

When she caught up with her father, and asked if he had Vic's contact number, there was an ages-long silence before he said politely, "Do you want to do a long-distance interview?"

"No, dad. I want to call her up and do some heavy breathing." Mika snapped. "I'm sure an obscene phone call would make her day. Just give me her number, Dad!"

"I don't have it."

"What do you mean you don't..."

"I'll give you her office number."

Mika glanced at her watch. It was probably too late in the day to do anything. His office was no doubt closed by now. Then again she was desperate to try anything. She dialed the number and thanked her lucky stars that she did not have the IDD features of her landline deactivated. She sorted through the kitchen drawers while she listened to the telephone ring and found twenty-two pesos in loose change. "Wow!" she said. "I can buy a chocolate bar."

The switchboard at Galang Confectioners sounded doubtful that anyone would still be in the executive offices at this late hour, but Mika's crossed fingers paid off, and a moment later, a warm feminine voice was asking what she could do to help. The person who received the call introduced herself to be Vic's secretary. Basing it on how the voice sounded, Mika imagined the person on the other end to be very pretty. She told the secretary her story. "And if I could just have Miss Galang's personal number so I can make arrangements to get my handbag back..."