Let The Party Begin - Loily's Novella, con't

CHAPTER 5

Let the party begin.

Okay, so we had the festive food that Carmel prepared the first night. We spent it just talking and too bad that we couldn't grill Ella that night. The woman is blooming. Parang high school girl who's just been dating. Listening to her stories just brings you back to those days were you swap tales about crushes under those acacia trees but this time the stories have more adult flavor and they're more colorful. Of course we had to respect the sensitivities of the others (some being religious and conservative) so we didn't dwell too long on sex and Ella's multi Os. Buti na rin that we didn't stay that long on the subject or else I would be cajoled into putting in some details about my own escapades. Phew!

So that's how it was the first night. I shared the floor (on folding air mattresses that Betchay and Sylvia brought) with Betchay and I can't recall who while Kathy, Ella and Sylvia slept on the couch(es). Come to think of it, we, the singles but wild ones slept in the den while the nuns and conservatives took over the bedroom that Carmel provided.

Bedtime was at 2:30 a.m. but Betchay was still watching TV by the time I started snoring.

By 7:00 a.m., I was up. Everyone started stirring too. I guess no one wanted to waste the day just sleeping in. Without much ado (Nay! No teeth brushing, face washing nor hair combing) some of us headed for the mahjong table. Ella, Wilma, Kathy and I. Bilangan na ng chips and even if we hadn't done our morning ritual of doing No. 1, we started to play.

While playing, Carmel made scrambled eggs with milk, Suki, Louie and Marlyn made palitaw and pichi-pichi. Then I had to get up from the mahjong table just to make all the leftover rice flour balls into guinatan.

We were having so much fun just cooking and mahjonging. Didn't know that Ella was such a serious player. As usual, the most professional one...the Queen of De Salat.....was Wilma.

We had to stop when breakfast was ready. We had that fragrant and tasty smoked ham again, the scrambled eggs, saffron rice and the kakanins. Hala, lamon ng lamon lahat. After breakfast, since there was only one bathroom, we had to start taking our turn doing our morning hygienic ritual. The fast ones had to go first and I was number 8 cause I still had to do my hair, face and moisturizing regimen. Tet had to be the last one cause she takes she a lot of time just to set up her beauty salon and spa. I guess it just takes her longer to look more desirable than me. Ella was the last one to use the bathroom cause she was so obsessed in cleaning it. Just kidding, Carmel has a cleaning lady. Now remember, she and Bruce are lawyers so they can really afford to have one come in every week. Hmmmm. Now why doesn't she just hire me. That way, I can be closer to her brother-in-law.

CHAPTER 6

Finally, we're all dressed and ready to party.

Before we start, Suki, brings out a prayer that she wants to read. So we all keep quiet and turn reverent.
I guess it's the Season and we should never forget the Reason for it. Then she reads the letter/prayer about Jesus not being invited to His own birthday party and because of that, someday, some of us will not be invited to His own shindig. I start to get confused with that letter because I can't understand what it's trying to tell me.. sounding more like a double speak.. cause we're all gathered here for fun in the spirit of Christmas. Just like the rest of the world, families and friends get together, feasting on a good meal and giving gifts to everyone, whether to kin at home or to total strangers who have less in life. 'Tis the season, 'ika nga. Share, love one another, forgive, forget your cares and just be happy for a day. But what surprised me was that Suki really became upset and tearful. I know that ....okay...I speak for myself here. I'm very aware of how religious some of our classmates are. They're really into Jesus. I'm a Catholic and everyone knows that I don't practice my religion. I respect any religion but I don't adhere to any of them. I avoid arguments about religion unless I feel slighted by a person who comes on to me as holier-than-thou. I believe in God. I'll always believe in His existence. I try to live my life as a Christian and I believe that treating my fellow human being with respect and having no malice towards him is what Jesus is all about. I CANNOT believe that a selfless Man died on the Cross NOT to save us but to turn us into blind followers who are fanatically in awe of HIM, drilling into our heads that He should come before all others, that He should be the center of our lives and that we owe HIM big. I CAN NOT BELIEVE that Jesus is a mere egoistic cult leader like Charles Manson or the Reverend(??!!??) Moon. I believe that Jesus was sent to save us, guide us , that he truly loved us and that he taught us to the same for our fellowman and that, if we did that....no one has has to suffer and be languishing in hell.

I rest my case.

Please excuse me for getting carried away, but I had a huge scene with a religious fanatic on Thanksgiving Day itself because this insolent person had been arrogantly declaring to her captive audience (except me) that the only 'WAY to be saved' was by THEIR (churches' or rather, cult's) WAY. And she carried on ....blah...blah..."I pray so hard for so and so that she'll be enlightened..yaddah...yaddah...". I kept on listening politely until she started to say "You know the Catholics were taught the wrong concept about salvation. They think that by just doing good deeds, they'll be saved. Blah...blah...yakkity yak...And the Virgin Mary, that's all wrong....it's not even in the Bible." I was still holding my peace at this point....until she mentioned how wrong her sister was (and I like this sister of hers) for not going to church and that she was taking it upon herself to save her sister's children. Well...this is when I butted in.

I said that she was imposing her beliefs on her sister. She countered by saying that she was sharing the Good News. So I asked her where she got her information. "From the Bible". Standard answer. I'm not surprised. For every believer, the Bible is the word of God. For every wannabe cult/church founder, it's the word of God according to or as interpreted by the former. To make the story short and to make the holy fanatics shut up, I told them that I didn't believe in the Bible because so many men have rewritten, revised and interpreted it and that all the pain and suffering in the world were caused by these self esteemed , self serving theologic charlatans.

True, I have been touched by Him and have been blest countless times. But not once did He ask me to repay Him but to pay it forward. All of you have been very kind, generous and accommodating to me all these years. In return, I've been passing on the gesture to others. I haven't exactly encountered impoverished people in this country, but I've taken it upon myself to be as kind and as generous as my friends and classmates to those who have less like the Bergers' cleaning lady, their gardener and that solicitous valet that they overlooked so many times.

Okay, 'nough of that preaching.

Let's go back to that gathering.

CHAPTER 7

Then, we had to play a game.

We were divided into two groups of the CATS and the DOGS. Each group had to sing "Jingle Bells" like them aminals. The Cats were Louie, Wilma, Carmel, Marilyn and moi. Louie thought of the concept right away (must be the teacher in her), choreography and blocking. Since we couldn't synchronize our movements and blend our voices well, Carmel had the bright idea that she be the conductor, with Lauren as her assistant. The rehearsal (10 minutes max) went well and we felt confident that we'd bag the prize. Finally, it was showtime. It was decided that the DOGS, namely, Tet, Ella, Suki, Kathy and Betchay were to perform first. We, the CATS, sat back, feeling smug about our inborn talent(s). Sylvia was the designated judge cause she was the prize sponsor/donor/philanthropist (as usual).

"Ladieeeeeeeees n more ladiesss!! May I proudly present......THEM DOGS!!!!"
The moment they lined up infront of us, you could feel that a great act was about to unfold. They had former corporate heavyweights with the group...Ella and Betchay..veterans of numerous office X'mas party competitions. Not to be dismissed as small fry when it comes to management level performances were Tet, Suki and Kathy. Then they got their number rolling. Who would think that a doberman, rottweiller, German sheperd, Shi Tzu and maltese could rap like Eminem, Snoop Dog, P Diddy, Will Smith and Latifah? What great performers!!! They brought the house down!!!!
And we cats.........tsk. tsk. we got so intimidated, we lost our confidence. I felt that Sylvester, Jerry, Hobbes, Garfield and Kuting should just throw in the towel. But then, the show must go on. We did put on a brave front but I fumbled my meows. I missed a whole stanza of purrs and mews. I just saw my whole acting career going down the drain with Louie ready to scratch the living daylights out of me. We were obviously outperformed.

Them $#%$#@dogs won and it was a unanimous decision. So Sylvia got out the prizes for each of them $%$#@!!@dogs. And when they took off the wrappers and showed us their prizes, you should have seen how crestfallen we looked. Louie and specially Wilma (like she needed another bag) were so forlorn you'd think that they just lost their husbands. Who wouldn't feel dejected after seeing those beautiful Louis Vuitton knock-offs? We didn't even get LV keychains as consolation prize!!

Anyway, it was fun, win or lose.

After that contest, we had the gift exchange. The max/min limit has always been $5.00. I don't know if some of the girls cheat cause most of the time, the gifts look more expensive. Mine really cost $4.99. It ended with Carmel so I owe her a cent. Suki had this system of passing the gifts to our left or right (just like the prayer) till you finally end up with the gift that's finally yours at last, so there.

I got a red velvet cosmetic satchel bag that came from Suki. Gee.....I have to buy more make-up to put in it. All of us liked our gifts. Even Lauren got several gifts from her favorite aunties...us.



Then....it was dancing time. Betchay and I just love "Don't Rock the Boat" cause it's our theme songs with our respective present and past great loves. Kathy had all these 60s and 70s CDs na panay Motown so we played them and we just went wild dancing. Siempre fafloo, Louie and Wilma did their swing numbah. I think it's about time that I take dancing seriously. Most of the men on netdating love to dance. If I know, most of them also are callboys or gigolos who are into escort or dance partner services. Sorry na lang but I just go for the perverts. They don't cost a cent.

Dancing was over in 15 minutes flat. It was time to leave...not for home but Chinatown. Pao- sio!! Yin yan!! Hoo lei!!

Itutuloy