Marven’s First Novel, chapter #04

“The Banquet”

One morning, Aldo again made himself useful by going to the community plaza to avail of the extremely-lowered-priced NFA rice. When he got there, he saw that the line is long. The only explanation he could think of was that many people need rice. He got himself to the end of this line and waited. As he did so, he busied himself watching the other people go to and fro in the streets, some of whom, he definitely knows and, some, he never saw in his entire life. The only explanation he could think of was that the population of their community has increased. Eventually, more and more people got behind him in the line. Suddenly, he heard a voice from his back calling out to him, saying:
"Aldo! Aldo!"
He turned and looked where the voice came from. He skipped about ten persons and saw that the head that uttered his name was that of his former classmate. "Oh," he exclaimed.
"What's up?" the classmate said, smiling.
"Good, man."
"Great to see you here."
"Yeah. Of all places."
"What do you busy yourself with these days?"
"Great question. Well, you see me right here. Time has passed me by, and I'm still here. We're going bankrupt, and I'm still jobless."
The line moved fast, and the wait of the people did not last long because the fine-looking people at the tables wearing similar outfits moved fast too, like automatons. There was a limit in what each individual could buy so that many, if not all, would have a chance to avail of the extremely-lowered-priced rice.
"You're loafer right now."
"Surprised?"
"What happened? Weren't you the second or third honor in our class?"
"Was I? I no longer remember because, recently, I wasn't really doing well."
"Man."
"Things always turn out
differently in the end, my brother... in ways we wouldn't expect. But I'm okay now. That part, you didn't hear much about."
"Have you tried applying?"
"Yes. Almost everyday, man. It seems that they don't want me to work for them in one of those buildings. What about you?"
"I just got endoed."
"You just got endomingoed?"
"I'm a loafer just like you right now."
"Welcome to the club? No. You're supposed to be the one to say that to me."
"But I'm not finished. Tomorrow. I'm going to an interview."
"Oh, great."
The classmate stopped talking as if he was thinking of something. Then he said, "So, since you're looking for a job, maybe you can come with me, if you like."
"Sure. Where is it?"
The classmate answered factually; and in the end, he said, "So, are you interested?" I understand you were the bright boy in the class."
"Why not? I can try for experience. You know how a conceited mind like mine works."
"The actual place of work is at a strip mall on the riverbank."
"A strip mall by the river?"
"Yeah. Sounds new? That's right. The place is new. No one has ever heard of it. No one even knows they're hiring."
Aldo paused and considered. "Of course! It makes a lot of sense. Putting up a one-storey linear mall on the riverbank facing the water is a very-efficient use of urban space in this small but congested and overcrowded metropolis. It's helpful for the environment and can even be profitable if placed right.
"What is it you're talking about?"
"Hmmm... I'm excited already. I'd be honored to be able to work in such a place. To be honest, the idea of shops gathered together in an enclosed edifice they call mall is already nauseating to me. I like malls to be more like a promenade, like Mamilla. Nothing against the type we all grew up on, of course. They should just stay as they are. It's just my personal preference."
"Ah... Okay..."
I just want to remind you, dear reader, that descriptions of places where the incidents in this story has taken place so far and will take place from this point on are just my own rendition of what these places are supposed to look like or could still look like if improved upon. Thus, this is just a product of the imagination of a layperson like me and not an opinion of an expert. This way, I can make you somehow, with me, escape the disheartening and depressing realities on the ground. Yeah. That's what ugliness does to the mind. This story does not mean to mislead but to provide an alternate version of a potentially-beautiful but actually unimaginably-ugly and sadly decaying metropolis.
"No. I just didn't understand a word of what you said," the classmate continued. "But I agree. Anyway, they're hiring. But they just keep it to close friends. So it's just okay that I take you along with me. So, what's it gonna be? Are you decided to come with me tomorrow?"
"One hundred percent. Abso-freaking-lutely."
"Okay. So, I'll try to go to your house tomorrow morning. I hope you were ready by then if you're interested."
"Thanks," Aldo said.
"But first, we will go to a manning agency. Are you interested in being a seafarer instead?"
"No. No, thanks. I have no background in that."
"Apply with me, anyway. The more places we apply, the better."
"Sure. I heard that our other classmates are now seafarers on board international voyages and are now earning good."
"Yeah. That's what I'm aiming at."
"I don't know how to thank you, man. This is really what I need. I think I'm going crazy if I stay longer being a freeloader in the house."
"No problem. And don't thank me yet. We're not yet accepted. The secret to all this job-hunting is not to get ahead of ourselves."
"Of course. Nice observation."
At this moment, Aldo already came to the front of the line. He bought up to the allowable limit and then left the table.
Before leaving, his classmate shouted, "I'll go to your house. Wait for me. Okay?"
Aldo gave his classmate a thumbs up because he liked the idea. Then he went out of that confusion in the plaza. When he got home, he immediately rummaged his closet for documents he thought would be necessary for his errand tomorrow.
The next day, in the morning, Aldo prepared himself and ended up smelling good wearing a collared cotton shirt, a pair of denim jeans, and sneakers. He also prepared a brown envelope to put his documents in. He sat on their sofa and waited for his former classmate. The latter came on time and was also wearing a collared cotton shirt and a pair of jeans. He let him in, and the latter sat on the bamboo sofa.
"Coffee?" Also said.
"No, I'm good. May I see?" The classmate asked for his envelope.
He handed it to him.
The latter opened its contents and nodded as he looked at the papers one by one. When he was finished, he said, "Okay. We're good. Let's go."
They went out of the house, went to the terminal, and commuted together.
Their first point of destination was in some sort of room whose floor was largely strewn with waiting chairs. There, they seated among other men. They filled out some form of slip.
Their second and last but certainly, definitely, and absolutely not the freaking least destination was in a small office. The entire place was not crowded, and there seemed to be no hiring going on and it looked like just an ordinary day.
A stern-looking lady came out into the office and sat behind the interviewer's desk. One by one, she entertained the very-few applicants. When Aldo's classmate turn came, she greeted him familiarly and then proceeded to interviewing him. Based on what Aldo has observed, their conversation didn't have a sound of business at all but just sounded friendly. Next, the lady called Aldo to be interviewed; and it is at this moment that the lady sounded stern. She thoroughly probed Aldo's mindset and personality. Aldo concluded that she didn't like him and would probably reject him. However, to his surprise, she, in the end, asked him whether he would be willing to undergo training without pay for five days or one whole week. He said yes. The interview ended.
On their way out, Aldo's classmate said to him, "I've got a feeling we will be co-workers here. Just go on with this training and sacrifice for five more days, and then you'd find yourself on your feet with a new job."
"Thanks, man."
The following week, Aldo set out to start in his new adventure as now almost one of the working stiffs. Because being a full employee is yet to be seen and he might still mess the whole thing up. Though happy that he could be now one step closer to a real job, the idea that he still has to spend money for one week for a mere promise of a job gnaws his flesh. Nevertheless, he pressed on with a cheerful spirit, knowing that the promise of being hired is quite big because, as he himself has witnessed, the hiring process in the new establishment occurs quite within a small circle of friends. He arrived at the site and started his training. He met the employee who would train him.
On Wednesday morning, as he was going to the terminal, a car stopped in front of him. It was Greta and her husband. Greta asked him where he was going dressed like that and smelling like cologne. Aldo answered factually.
"Do you want us to give you a ride?"
"Sure."
"Come on. Hop in."
Aldo did as told, fast and sat on the backseat. He still has to travel by land although the workplace is by the river because the ferry system in that particular river is still being fixed. "Where are you going?" he asked his cousin.
"To Divisoria. We're going to buy some bulk items for Hans' birthday. Don't forget, huh."
"Yes."
The couple dropped him to the work site. He went out the door of the car like a child being magicked to disappear. I'm just exaggerating, but he moved quite like that.

tentatively titled, “The Banquet”
from The Simple Adventures of a Simple Simpleton
by: Marven T. Baldo