1.3 In the Valley of the Shadow of Death

A car passes by. Someone is jogging. S/he drags his/her feet. I can hear his/her panting. Another car passes by and the stereo plays Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise.

I was there only for the weekend. We all sat under the coconut tree. C was pouring the beer in a small glass and he hands it to R. I wasn't in the mood to drink. I just wanted to go inside and sleep. The stereo in the background begins to play Gangsta's Paradise. This is the first time I hear this song. J, who is usually the quiet guy must have had too much to drink already. I have never heard him talk in English up until that moment when he begins to rap and I found it the most hilarious thing.

1.2 On the corner of Dark and Shady

Someone is whistling. Another person walks passed me with the coins in his pocket jingling. Charcoal is burning somewhere near, I can hear the fire crackling. A dog barks. I can tell it's in chains. Its paws begin to move, the chain rustles as the dog moves. I hear a car moving slowly in front of me. Its tires crushing the tiny gravel on the ground.

I hate long car rides to San Marcelino especially when I can't pick the songs on the stereo. M and SD sit up front while my body is sprawled in the entire backseat. I don't usually join their conversations. I'd rather stare outside the window and imagine. They tried talking to me this time. I didn't want to participate.  I pretended to be asleep. "Almost there," I thought. I think of my grandmother. I think of the food. I count the nights I'd be drunk. I think of seeing my friends. The car slows down. I can hear gravel being trampled on by the car's tires. I open my eyes and think to myself, "I'm home."

1.1 On a dusty couch that used to be green

Motorcycle engines roaring. Jeepneys zooming by, honking their horns. Busses and cars do the same. The aircon buzzes. The security guard blows his whistle. A train passes by.

The Vizcarra building along United Nations Avenue has an elevator that caters till the seventh floor. I took the stairs, two floors up. Everything around me was dusty, the floor, the walls, the boxes, the furniture, the paintings, the antiques. I don't remember what I was looking for. I don't remember if I ever found it. All I remember is hearing vehicles passing by outside the building and pushing a door open that had a sign that read "do not enter", and found the entrance to the rooftop which evoked a memory of confetti and fireworks, the night I was named the Capitana of Ermita during the feast of Nuestra Senora de Guia.