Bar Girl Ch. 06

First, her credit, now 5000p, would be paid. Blen had been horrified by the burden thoughtlessly incurred, and was determined never to fall into debt again. She would pay her way in future, no matter how frugally she might have to live. 4000 pesos, supplemented by her miscellaneous tips, would enable her and Amor to live well, better than they had ever lived before, for the next sixteen days. Of course, she would have to postpone the delight of buying her own cell phone and waiting for those exciting calls and texts, but she was confident that day would soon come. That left 10,000p. 6,000p would be sent to her family, which would impress them without creating undue expectation for the future, and 4000p given to Amor to send to her family. Having settled these things in her mind, she threw an arm back over Amor, and returned to sleep.

When Blen and Amor woke at eleven-am, Precious and Girlie had already left. After they had showered and while they were eating breakfast, Mama Mutia arrived. She greeted everyone and exchanged housekeeping messages with several of the girls, then sat down with Blen and Amor.

"Are Precious and Girlie here?"

"They have gone out already," said Blen. "Maybe Precious has gone to change her gift."

"Well, I want to speak to you all about your credit, but specially Amor."

Amor looked as though she had been pole-axed.

Mama placed her hand over Amor's hand. "Do not be worried, there will not be a problem, but first I want to ask Blen if she would like to clear her credit now. It is not due until your next payday Blen, but this has been a very good rotation for you. I need to give out the blow-jobs fairly and it will help Amor if she is my blow-job girl for the next rotation, so you will earn less but she will earn more. It may be best to clear your small credit now."

"Of course," said Blen, anxious to help her friend, "I will pay you now, and Amor will do the blow-jobs." She hugged Amor, saying, "I told you it would work out fine."

Nonetheless, Amor looked miserable. "I cannot do blow-jobs Mama," she half cried.

"I will teach you. It is not a problem," enthused Blen.

"No. I mean I do not like it. I feel sick," insisted Amor.

This surprised Blen, who liked it very much. She enjoyed the feel of the penises, and of being in the driving seat when her customer's cock was in her mouth and she was hypnotising him with her eyes.

"It is a good opportunity," said Blen, rather lamely.

"I cannot do it, I have tried," emphasised Amor, beginning to sob.

"There is no need to be upset," said Mama, "I told you I would look after you. Dry your tears. I will just have to think of something else."

At this point, a trike pulled up outside and, as it pulled away again, Girlie and Precious came in.

"27,000 pesos!" announced Precious, jubilantly, "... that was Klaus's gift."

Mama got up and hugged her.

"You lucky, lucky girl ... and he's so cute."

"He will come back in December," added Precious.

"Well, he had better claim you quickly. There will be many other guys interest in you," Mama warned.

"But, I want only Klaus."

"I know darling. I hope it will work out, but Klaus has not close his options, so you must remain open to offers. It is first come first served here. Do not let a good guy escape while you wait for someone who will turn out not to be serious. Keep him hooked, but spread your bait for other fish also."

Anabel, who had now come down, chimed in, "This is the city of broken promises and broken hearts. Next time he will go bar hop and see another girl, then you are history. He is a customer or he is your husband. Now he is just a customer," she said venomously.

Other girls contributed stories of bruised hearts and betrayed promises.

"Their love lasts only as long as their hard-on," asserted one, ruefully.

Precious felt deflated. She was a new girl bumping up against the bitter lessons of others' experiences.

As they dressed for their outing, Mama collected monies from the girls, and marked up their accounts accordingly. Precious and Blen were free of debt. Precious was now free of all obligations, and with a cell phone and boyfriend overseas. Her dreams had been realised so quickly. Blen still owed her cherry to Mama, but she was able to help her family and help her friend, which filled her with pride. From dependant drab to glamorous benefactor, in just two weeks, seemed to her a great achievement. Girlie worked out that if she paid 2500 of her credit, remitted 2000 home, and lived frugally, she would pay off her credit in the three months before high season, when the big earning opportunities would arrive. Only Amor found the future difficult to contemplate.

Before they left, Blen led Amor upstairs, and sat with her on the bed. She opened Amor's hand, and placed four 1000p notes in it. "I want you to send this to your family."

Amor objected, and looked distressed.

"I have too much," added Blen.

"But I cannot repay you, my credit is too much." Amor began to sob.

"It is a gift. You will help me when I am unlucky, that is all. Soon things will change. Mama has said that she will help you. She helped me. She want you to repay her credit ... no? Things will be better in high season, I just know it."

"Thank you so much." Amor yielded, and hugged Blen.

Shortly after, they sat in their sala, one eye on the TV as they waited for the other two to finish their preparations. The newscast began with a dramatic fanfare. The anchor read the lead story; this morning, another journalist had been murdered, the ninth this year in just nine months, as against ten in the previous year.

"What happened with the President's promise?" asked Blen in exasperation, "We all watch her on TV, she tell us that there is money to stamp out this crime, but now it is a record again."

"Who did she give the money?" asked Amor, rhetorically, "It will be in America, Now, it will be somebody's house."

"Why cannot the government do anything, with all the police, with all the military? Why is no murderer ever caught?" lamented Blen. "There is sixteen thousand to guard the President when she make the promise, but where do they go when it is time to protect the people."

"They guard her because she will pay their salary," said Amor, and cynically added, "If we will pay them, they will guard us also."

Precious and Girlie presented themselves, ready to leave, and the four walked out into the ash roadway. Precious clapped her hands and called out, "Trike". A man darted out from the corner at the end of the road, and darted back again. A motorcycle engine sputtered into life, and a trike pulled round the corner and drew up to them. They piled in.

"To Internal Remittance," requested Precious, and off they set.

For thirty minutes, the disorder of the remittance office was increased, as the four semi-literate teenagers struggled to master the forms and protocols necessary to transfer money home. The Postal ID's, one of the documents arranged by Mama, on credit, proved their worth, enabling the transactions eventually to proceed. This would become a feature of their lives from now on, and they contemplated with delirious satisfaction the celebrations back home that would greet these first remittances.

High on the adrenaline buzz, they piled back into the trike. So sure of her future, and so brimming with wealth, Precious had asked the trike to wait for them and assumed responsibility for the fare. "To SM Mall," she instructed.

The next festivity would be a saunter through the mall, with money in their pockets. Actual purchases still lay in the future, but the thrill of discussing their fantasy purchases was almost as good. Riding up on the escalators, and down in the lift was an entertainment in itself. These novelties were unknown in their province. Blen entertained her companions at Amor's expense, by recalling how, on her first time on the escalator, Amor panicked as she approached the top, unsure how to dismount, and had turned and tried to run back down. They had all felt that apprehension when moving, for the first time, from a stationary surface to a moving one, and then from a moving one to a stationary one. Even such commonplace experiences were a challenge and entertainment to these provincial girls.

"Let us see a movie," suggested Girlie, and all agreed.

None had been in a cinema before, and here there was a multiplex featuring films in English and Tagalog. They opted for a sentimental Tagalog comedy. Precious bought a tub of popcorn and they sat down for their first experience of cinema. They were awestruck. The bright screen, with its vivid colours, filled their visual field, and they started and looked round as a vehicle approached on the screen, and their senses were submerged in the 3D sound. No one ever enjoyed cinema more. They sat and stared, completely absorbed in the plot, for an hour and a half escaping into a delightful fantasy.

When the movie ended, and the lights came up, the girls were too full of things to say to actually speak, and in more or less silence, they gravitated to the food hall where they sat to eat a snack. Then the words came, and they relived the movie again.

It was now after three-pm, and Girlie reminded them that they were to meet Anabel in the swimming pool at the Pampanga Hotel on Perimeter Road. She had told them that entry was free to girls, and it was a fun way to pass the afternoon.

Blen and Amor had never been in a hotel swimming pool, but they imagined it would be like Poco Jo's. They swiftly bought costumes from a swimwear stall and, again, Precious hailed a trike and assumed responsibility for payment. On arrival, they were intimidated by the smart building. Entering the foyer, they hesitated.

The uniformed receptionist called to them, "Can I help you ladies?"

"We are looking for the swimming pool," said Girlie, and they were invited to walk right through the foyer, and out the other side.

There, a path through a small garden led to the pool. At the end of the path they stood and self-consciously looked round at the clear blue pool, the people cavorting in it, the bodies laid on sun loungers, the costume clad bodies sitting round tables, the busy pool tables and the bar beyond, with dining tables set out under a palm fringe. Then Anabel caught their eyes, and waved them over.

She and Marivic were sat at a low table littered with bottles and plates, where two large men, with beer-bellies that sagged over the swimming briefs clinging tightly to their bulging groins, held court.

"Hey girls, pull up a seat and chill," one drawled.

He waived to the waitress. "What are you girls drinking?" he asked, pointing to each girl, then, repeating the order back to the waitress.

Precious ordered first. She had acquired a taste for vodka and tonic with Klaus, so that was what she ordered. The other girls, unsure of themselves, all ordered the same.

"So, do you girls work at Talent Spot?" he asked.

Anabel then related that they all worked at Talent Spot, and all lived in the lady-house. She introduced Jim and his companion, John, to the girls.

John, in a similar accent to his friend, called, "Who's going to rub on my lotion?" and held up a tube of suntan lotion.

Anabel took it. "Honeyko, I'll give you a good rub while my girls get changed."

"I'll show you where," said Marivic, and led them to the well-appointed ladies' washroom.

They changed into swimsuits for the first time. Marivic told them to shower, and step into the footbath. A few minutes later, the four dripping girls, figures hugged by their new swimsuits, arrived back at the table.

"OK, it's pool time," said Jim, and they all got up and entered the pool.

The guys, flamboyantly bombed in. The girls, who could not swim, climbed down the steps at the shallow end. The guys powered up and down the pool a couple of times, then returned to play with the girls. They chased them, and ducked them, and threw them in the air, and the girls squealed with delight, until the guys climbed out of the pool and went back to the table, the girls trailing behind them. They enjoyed a pizza and another round of drinks.

Then John, the quieter guy, tapped Girlie on the shoulder and said, "After that I need a massage. Let's go upstairs," and rose.

Girlie looked uncertain, but Anabel jerked her head to indicate she should follow him. "Enjoy your massage," she called.

Girlie walked after John. He turned, put his arm around her, though she reached no higher than the middle of his chest, and led her into the hotel.

As dusk approached, people drifted away from the pool and reappeared dressed, at the bar, or in the restaurant. Jim bought one more round then said to Anabel, "Let's go bar-hop ... see you girls ...thanks for your company."

Anabel said her goodbyes, and went into the hotel with Jim. Precious, Blen, Amor and Marivic went to the washroom to change, and wondered what had become of Girlie. But, she reappeared smiling and held up three 100p notes.

"For a massage?" asked Amor, surprised.

"Yes," said Girlie, "I massage his cock with my pussy."

They laughed. The opportunities to earn were indeed endless.

By now, it was dark, and with no direct heat from the sun, the girls decided to walk back down Perimeter Road to Fields Avenue and have a good look at the nightclubs and bars. The smell of barbecue smoke drifted up the road carrying the erratic tunefulness emanating from the small karaoke bars. The pop rhythms to which the go-go girls danced, leaked from every night club door, and horns blared, as the early evening congestion in St Maria slowly cleared itself, punctuated frequently by the putter of a labouring motorbike engine, which rose to a crescendo then abated each time a trike passed by. The girls threaded their way along the uneven and ill-constructed sidewalk, through the crowds, down to Checkpoint, past Tallypopa Market, and beyond, turning left into Raymond Street. They walked down into Real Street, past Linda's, and around to A. Santos Street, inspecting the frontages of the establishments, noting their names, some of which were familiar from lady-house chatter.

Precious, who had spent several evenings bar-hopping with Klaus, gave descriptions of the interiors of several of the bars. At A. Santos, known colloquially as 'Blow Row' because it was where the traditional, small, blow-job bars concentrated, they turned right. They continued down to the Wild Orchard Hotel, where Precious had stayed with Klaus. Blen and Amor were impressed. Turning, they walked back up towards Fields Avenue, looking into the small blow-job bars, Black Parrot, Blue Pearl and Gosh, etc, where there were no dancers, but girls sat along the frontage waiting for custom, or inside chatting with the customers. Precious teased Blen, saying she should come and work down here, as she would make a fortune. At Poco Jo's they turned right again, and walked down to Talent Spot. They entered, and sat up by the stage, and briefly recounted their adventures to their friends. Girlie pulled out her three 100p notes to show them.

The one entertainment they had occasionally enjoyed at home was the karaoke bar. They decided to visit a small one patronised by locals, often bar girls like themselves, on their night off, while they waited for the disco to get under way. Loud music blasted from the disco as the DJ worked up for Saturday night, but no-one went in until nine-pm, so they sat, drank San Miguel Light, sang a few songs, and waited for nine. The Filipino lads who patronised the disco also used the karaoke bars to load up. They fell into flirtatious conversation. Compared to the village boys at home they were sophisticated, and compared to the customers, were youthful and gallant.

The alcohol relaxed and dis-inhibited the girls, the effect being most noticeable on Amor, who had the least experience of alcoholic drink. She grew voluble and witty, and teased and encouraged the boys, who came over and, uninvited, sat with them. By ten, they were all on first name terms and had cohered into a clique. The boys realised that the girls were unsophisticated newcomers from the province, and adopted an air of worldly sophistication. One of the guys opened a piece of paper on the table, took a lump from it and cutting it into quarters, nodded at the girls. "For you," he indicated.

"What is that?" said Blen ominously, "Is that shabu?"

"It is fine," said the guy, "you will need energy to keep going in the disco, it is just a pick-me-up. We all use it."

Blen and Precious looked at one another doubtfully.

Girlie said, "Anabel takes it sometimes; she told me."

Amor simply asked how to take it.

"Just swig it down with a mouthful of beer."

She did.

Girlie followed suite, but Blen and Precious declined, saying they would try it another time.

They went to the disco, where they had a great time dancing to bowel jolting music; none more so than Amor, who danced wildly, and flirted outrageously with the boys. At three-am, they arrived back at the lady-house, utterly exhausted, ecstatically happy, and feeling that the world truly stood at their feet.

Next morning, Blen slipped out of bed at nine-am, careful not to disturb the others. She thought of waking Amor, but Amor had danced to exhaustion the night before, so she walked by herself, down MacArthur Highway to The Church of the Immaculate Conception. There, she bought candles, lit them, and prayed her remittance would bring blessings on her family and friends. During Mass, she put a donation in the collection plate, something she had never been able to do at home, and afterwards, when she pushed a 1000p note into the charity box, she wondered whether that was an insufficient contribution from her good fortune to those that had so little.

Early on Sunday afternoon, the girls squatted around a meal set down on their bed, and reviewed their first day off, loose in town with cash in their pockets - the first such day in their lives. Precious most enjoyed the sentimental movie. Blen basked in the joy of despatching monies home. Girlie talked excitedly about the swimming pool and the happy chance encounter with John. Amor exulted in being the dancing queen of the disco. She was teased by the others about the transformation in her personality.

Amor was certain of the cause - the little 'pick-me-up' had banished her nerves and inhibitions, and she felt she had been able to express her true-self on an equal footing with everyone else. She had loved being the popular girl, and she saw in the 'pick-me-up' a solution to her financial problems. If she could be her true-self at work, she could rival any of the girls in gaining the attention of the customers. She planned to speak with Anabel.

They returned to work that evening feeling refreshed, rewarded and motivated to work hard.