Sixty Jollibee

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

I looked for the nearest Jollibee outlet. There’s one in Taft closest to PGH and an LRT station.

I spotted a boy sleeping soundly on the pavement. I wanted to wake him up and bring him inside to feed him but I remembered what Edmund told me before.- not to approach the street people kasi daw delikado yung ginagawa ko. Baka high on drugs, sira ulo, eh saksakin ako.

As I have expected it,  Jollibee was not prepared to have  a one time order of this much.  I waited for an hour while they prepared the packed meals.  They ran out of chicken joy.

I fell in line for about 15 minutes, ang tagal, madami kasing tao, at merong pang mga taong pasingit-singit. Sige na nga, iba itong area na ito.
I wanted to order 100 meals to include Ward number 3 where the male patients are. Pero baka mahirapan ako, hindi ko makaya buhatin lahat kasi my driver would tend to the vehicle, wala kasing parking, punung puno.

Finally, it’s my turn:

Omb———- “Miss, mag-order ako ng sixty na spaghetti meals “.
Cashier #1—— “Six…”
Omb———- “Sixty”.
Cashier—— “Sixteen”.
Omb———- “Sixty, six zero”.
Cashier—— “Six, teen”.
Omb———- “Sixty, Ty ty”.

When it finally dawned on her that this was a large order, she called the supervisor.
Supervisor—– “Mam, dito na lang kayo”.
They moved me to a line specially for me (wow thanks).

Cashier #2—- “Anong order nyo?”
Omb———– “Sixty spaghetti meal, with coke and two piece burgers with rice.

Cashier—— “Mam, anong drink nyo?”
Omb———- “Coke, yung regular size lang, di ba kasama na yun?”
Cashier—— “Yes mam”.
After 2 minutes…
Cashier—— “Anong gusto nyong drink?”
Omb———- “Coke”.

She left me. Her cash register got bungled up. A new person came and tinkered with the machine. Then she asked me “Anong drink?”
Omb———— “Miss, coke”.
Cashier——– “Coke”.

After few minutes, she validated it again
Cashier——— “Coke drink nyo?”

(Di ba nga? Hindi kaya mga pamangkin ito nung driver namin?”

They told me it’s going to take at least 30 minutes. I looked for a table, all occupied. I saw a woman with a new born baby. She agreed to share the table with me. She’s not the mom pala, the mom’s buying food.

When the mom arrived, I interviewed her to keep me from getting impatient while waiting for my orders.

Baby is 19 days old, boy, second baby. First is also a boy, now 6.
Mother is 27 years old, dad is 25.
She gave birth in Bicol but had to come to Manila as per her doctor’s instruction because of the emergency condition of her baby.

He has an excess body part on his back. I thought it would only be something like nakaulbok sa likod na balat. I wasn’t prepared with what I saw. I was too shocked to take a picture. There’s a bigger than a tennis ball mass dangling on his back which according to the doctors could be attached to his spinal and brain. What!

The boy’s name is Prince Raniel. He looks like an angel.

The mom said her first son had 6 fingers. May sobrang isa daw.

Yun naman daw anak ng sister in law nya ay dikit dikit ang lahat ng daliri. Kaya ginupit gupit daw para maghiwalay. Dyos ko po.

She wants to have another baby, this time a girl.
Me———- “Ha? mag-aanak ka pa? Eh pano kung lalaki na naman, eh di dadami anak mo, apat na try ka ulit, baka umabot ng pito”.
Mother—— “Gusto ko magka girl”.
Me———- “Eh pano kung meron namang diprensya, nakakatakot. Mag-intay ka na lang ng apo”.
Me———- “Hindi ka ba naiiyak sa kalagayan ng anak mo?”
Mother—— “Yung husband ko umiiyak”.

They are temporarily staying with her husband’s relatives in Valenzuela while her baby undergoes check-ups, tests, and eventually an operation to remove the tumor on his back. Problem” no money. I advised her to go to the PCSO counter.

I wish this baby well. Sana maalis nila yung tumor without any complications so he could grow up normally and be happy.

As I have expected it, Jollibee was not prepared to have a one time order of this much. I waited for an hour while they prepared the packed meals.

It’s almost 4 pm, the food attendants brought my order to the van.
The street boy was still there. I asked the street cleaner if he sees this boy everyday. He said first time he has seen him and he’s been there since that morning. He said those children sniff rugby at night. Baka kaya he’s sleeping so soundly. I was hoping he would wake up so I could give him food.

Where are his parents?

Me to driver———- “Ay, maraming pulubi, ipamigay mo yung mga juice”.
Driver transfered two boxes in front.
Me——————– “Ayan, yan, bigyan mo”,

After a minute
Driver————— “Mom, nasan daw yung straw?”

Aba, class itong pulubi na ito. Kung walang straw, sipsipin na lang.

I was distracted for a few minutes, when I looked at the boy, he was gone.
Ang bilis, sayang.

Here comes our order, ang dami pala, ang bigat, pano ko kaya bubuhatin ito eh I didn’t bring an assistant?