bag story

my gay friend invited me to buy bags and stuff at an ukay-ukay store near his ofc. he's been bragging abt great finds he's had there. and he's begging me to buy another ofc bag as replacement to the one he bought for me. he keeps saying to me, "ano ka ba ate, sylvia santos man, nalalaspag din pag inaaraw-araw!"

he's been asking me to go since last wk, but i just couldn't.
since i had an early start that day (7am!), i can leave early.
so 5:30pm, i left the ofc.
i was happy that time bec my boss, remarked that i did a good job. and when i told him i'm going, he just said, 'ingats' w/c in retrospect, he never said before until then.

my friend said, i'll need around P500.
i only have 500 in my wallet.
i withdrew from the bank another 500, which i placed in my pocket.

i'm not that familiar with the place, so i had to ask around.
when i finally reached the place near pasong tamo, my friend, who's a frequent buyer of that ukay-ukay store instructed me
that I just leave my stuff at the reception area along with his.
trusting him, i put my bag, my baunan, and my jacket.
i left my celphone clipped on my pant's waist bec gf might call or sumthin.
so we went on choosing and fitting.
i noticed that most of the people who go there were not ofc people.
the place is kinda humid, so i took my scrungies from the pocket of my jacket at the reception area.
then went back to shopping.
after an hr, we're done and was abt to pay.
when i had to get my stuff, all's there except my bag!
i didn't panic, thinking that it could be just at the receptionn table beneath the clothes and other stuff.
but after checking, it's truly missing!
so i began to consider the unthinkable.
omg! where's my bag?
where did you put it?! i demanded.
the receptionist, who's supposed to be on the lookout for our things,
said she thought i already took my bag, when i went there earlier.
but i only took my scrungies! just that. and i only touched my jacket, not the bag, explaining to her w/ exasperation.
then doing some thinking, at the speed of 1byte per 2min, she said with conviction, the gay and the preggy girl must have taken it.
bec they didnt stay long and just sped off after getting something at the reception area.
owkei, a gay and a preggy girl. that's a stretch. i stand dumbfounded and helpless.
gay friend's speechless.
bec he's always put his stuff there. along w/ his friends whenever they go there.
the receptionist also countered that this is the first time that this happened.
and i barked, tangina naman e, this is also my first time to go to an ukay-ukay store. why me?! *thunderbolts sound effect*

i suddenly realized, dear god! good thing i always have my phone attached to my body, otherwise,
i would have been in jail by now for the murder of either the receptionist or my gay friend!
or it could be a massacre out of temporary insanity, stabbing people in the ukayukay store w/ hanger hooks!
this tragedy is really crazy.
i have my celphone, so i had to call someone and share this burden.
gf first. whom i rarely don't go anywhere without, unless we have individual socializations, like now.
needless to say, she's mad. bec it's a stupid mistake to entrust your bag in an ukay-ukay store!
she made the ukay-ukay word sound really really sleazy (imagine dark alleys and icky men).
i admit, i'm no street smart, just smart, as in corporate, mall, acedemic smart.
heck! i don't even know how to commute to my ofc w/o taking a cab!
ofcourse, after all her hisses and incredulity that her street smartness still hasn't rubbed off on me after more than a yr of hanging out with her,
she had to end it with grrrr!!!!!
and a commandment: though shall not go to ukayukay ever again. hehehe.

the receptionist, was just repeatedly muttering i'm sorry in an insincere tone.
and i'm sounding estranged to it all every second that's lapsing.
at the end, i had to ask, who's accountable to the loss of my stuff?
somebody has to take the blame.
i need a neck to choke.
but before i can physically hurt anyone,
the receptionist, volunteered to pay 4k, from her salary (given the estimates i listed) and gave the ukay-ukay clothes (i was supposed to buy) for free.
it's no consolation.
but better than zero.

what's in the bag?
1500 worth of ofc id's and keys
500 money
my guess wallet (sentimental worth: gift from my sister last xmas)
around 1k worth of makeup
toiletry bag from thailand (sentimental worth: another gift from my sister on her trip to that land)
a 256kb thumb drive (of my gf, sentimental worth: her first acquisition on her first trip to thailand)
2 memory cards (64mb and 16mb)
my priceless old ids (from previous companies i worked for)
and the bag itself is worth 1k (sentimental worth: gift of my bestfriend for my new job).

it started with a bag, and ended with no bag! :(
sob.