Marven’s First Novel, chapter #04

     The following day and week, Monday, Merlito was watching TV in the sofa when his friend Jim appeared at his door and reminded him that he was one of the chosen participants for first ever karaoke tournament in the history of their neighborhood. So, after putting on his usual outside clothes when he's not just buying vinegar from the sari-sari store, they went to the tent they once visited. They arrived there ahead of the scheduled time in the early afternoon. When they got there, the elderlies almost couldn't remember them because the tournament was put off for a week. When the former did, they made them sit on the ready chairs and benches. Moments later, Ado and others from different walks of life, young and old, arrived. Now complete and seated on the chairs, the middle-aged lady, jar in hand, went around them and made them draw a number on a piece of paper. Merlito was crossing his arms and sticking his hands under his armpits, sitting feet apart, making melodies in his heart, and smiling in excitement as he turned his head around towards his fellow participants before and after he picked his number. Then all of them opened their numbers, and Merlito saw that his is one. It means that he will be the first to sing. So after very little ado, the competition has started. , probably an easy one. So he stood up, picked up the microphone from the machine, stood confidently in front of it, and started singing his heart out, wielding the microphone artsilly in his own way. Merlito didn't practice nor prepare a song but just chose it on the spot.

     The result, he may not have sung impressively, though he didn't hear it, because he heard neither applause nor cheer from his fellow competitors and the elders. He, to whom, life is a song performance and who was accustomed to adulation of the crowd everytime he sings and would even sweep across his audience and clap his hand to theirs, or "appear" to them, one by one was surprised at the lethargic silence of his present audience. Thus, he faltered a little bit at the moment he was phrasing each lines with those cute, artsy little curls. It turns out, that the seemingly-simple folks he was with knew the difference and had an ear for music and were astute critics. Nevertheless, he pushed through with his song until he finished it well. The machine heralded to him a 90+ score, but the elderlies gave him only a mild to moderate clap because he realized now that the type of singing he just did already sold to them before. As he returned to his seat, the second singer stood up and prepared himself.

     Other contestants followed, tackling different genres. Some sang standards like Merlito did; some, rock 'n roll; some, contemporary dance tunes; and some, novelty. When it came Ado's turn, he sang a truly competition-piece song which left everybody at the edge of his seat. The song he used had a complex melody and structure and unguessable chord patterns. It also had an intermittent female Greek-chorus-like background vocals in the original that was poorly reproduced in the karaoke version. Despite this lack, his own vocals carried the entire song. And this time, he projected a muscular-male-sounding macho-supremo voice unlike before. When he finished, everybody clapped cheerfully including Merlito.

     When all contestants have participated, the middle-aged lady took the floor in front of those seated on the chairs, took the microphone, and called the names of those who passed that day. There was not really an exact number to fill. Those who'd compete further are those whom the elderlies think did better today, counting also the scores the machine gave. The lady's roll call started from the person who got the highest total score, and this was none other than Ado. The rest of the contestants looked at him. Also called were her who sang a kundiman and her who belted out a difficult ballad. More or less half of that day's participants was called. Merlito almost wasn't because his name was mentioned last, which left him at the edge of his seat since the beginning of the announcement, almost sulking in the middle but pleasantly surprised in the end.

     Ado sneered at hearing Merlito's name. Maybe, after all, the elderlies still see that he can sing. But now he knows he has to come up with a song that jives with the theme of the contest.

     When that day's event was over, the crowd of visitors in the tent dispersed. On the way walking homewards, Jim said:

     "I'll no longer accompany you next time, huh."

     "Yeah. Don't bother."

     One morning, Merlito was seen in a short queue into a makeshift tent on the field beside the basketball court where the perya is set up every September falling in line for to buy NFA rice. When it was already his turn and has bought the maximum amount, he heard a voice from his back cheerfully calling out his name. He looked back to see where it came from and saw his former classmate smiling delightfully at him. The latter greeted:

     "What's up?"

     "Oh. It's you," Merlito replied.

     "Great to see you here."

     "Yes. Of all places."

     "The last time I saw you alone like this was in the arcade."

     Merlito tried to recall the incident. He would also sometimes play in the arcade in the community. Then he stepped away, and the next person at his back replaced him at the counter.

     "Wait. Wait for me. Let's walk home together," the classmate said.

     Merlito stood away from the queue and waited for his former classmate.

     When his classmate was finished, the latter joined him; and together, they stepped out of the field into the main street. Now walking side by side carrying bags of rice in their hands, the classmate started:

     "What do you busy yourself with these days?"

     Merlito replied, "Applying."

     "Hmm. Aren't you a now a pilot or something?"

     "What? No. I'm a loafer." He drew attention to his bags of rice. "Are you kidding me? I'm still here. We're still poor, and I'm still jobless."

     "I'm also applying. I just got endoed."

     "You just got endomingoed?"

     "Yes. I'm also a loafer right now. Hmm... But why? What happened? Weren't you the second or third honor in our class or something?"

     "I didn't turn out successful in life. I didn't do well after high school."

     "Okay."

     At that time, they have turned left eastwards.

     "Are you in a hurry to find a job?" the classmate asked.

     "A little bit," Merlito replied.

     "Hmm... Listen. I'm actually applying tomorrow. Do you want to apply with me?"

     "Where? What kind of job is it?"

     "Uh... Crew?"

     "Crew?"

     "Maintenance crew. Are you okay with doing a little fixing... and cleaning?"

     Merlito paused and considered. Then he said, "Yeah. Why not? Job is job. I can try it for experience. You know how a conceited mind like mine works."

     "Splendid. This one's easy to learn. It's basic. You just have to stretch your muscles a little bit."

     "Yeah. I understand. Thank you."

     "So, I'll go to your house tomorrow. Wait for me."

     "Okay. Thank you."

     They parted, and Merlito went home. 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.

     "I heard that our other classmates are now seafarers on board international voyages and are now earning good," Merlito said.

     "Yeah. That's what I'm aiming at," his classmate replied. "That's where money is. How about you?"

     "I haven't imagined myself being a seaman. Is it possible I can become a seaman?"

     Next, they went to a business park in Makati. The place was near or somewhere around a bridge where different modes of transportation seamlessly converge: train, bus, jeepney, and ferry; a place that will definitely never sleep. Merlito's classmate took him to a business establishment, particularly in its admin office to show up for an interview. The admin interviewed them, the classmate first and then Merlito. The latter saw that his classmate seems to be already close friends with the admin and the interview just turned to be a formality and his classmate was accepted in the end and not only him but also him, Merlito, to his surprise. In closing, both of them were told to already start the following day.

     Therefore, in the morning of the following day, Merlito set out to show up for his first day. Stepping inside the workplace office or quarters, he, his classmate, and others received instructions and then spent the eight hours sweeping floors, wiping tables, taking out the trash, replacing busted bulbs, etc. When the day is through, Merlito commuted home tired, feeling the fatigue while seated in the public transport. Upon getting home, he rested his weary body on his wooden bed, contemplating about the drastic changes that happened to him in a short time.

     One afternoon, he went to Emily’s house because there was a banquet there and she invited him. There, he sat on the sofa in the living room along with visiting relatives, mostly teens, on a single seat in front of the large TV set whose screen showed lyrics of the karaoke that was playing through the living room's entertainment system. Beside him was seated at the edge of a long sofa a male relative holding the microphone and singing.

     Suddenly, Hans came running playfully his way and gasping laughingly before him and made his way to the front yard. Aldo turned his gaze at him and followed him with looks lest he go all the way outside the gate which happened to be partly open. But Hans turned towards the bushes sticking to the fence and hid himself underneath at a gap between two plants. A few seconds later, another child came and asked them in the living room if ever they saw Hans. Aldo signalled the teenagers to be quiet. Then he replied to the child:

     “Are you playing hide-and-seek? Go find him yourself. He can be anywhere.”

     The child proceeded to the porch and, after a few seconds, found Hans when the latter, excited at his playmate’s appearance, giggled and made the leaves rustle. When the two children came to the door, Merlito said:

     “All right. Get back inside. And never ever go outside the gate.”

     While this was happening, a female relative, a young woman in her 30s who looked like a teacher because of her aura and voice, was holding games for the children and teens. These were the usual games played at parties which never get old, though they had been in constant use for decades. In fact, throughout the entire time, this activity rattled Greta’s house and transformed it into something different from its usually being a dignified, quiet, and reclusive house of a well-to-do family.

     Though the participants were just there to enjoy, the winners among them didn’t go back to their seats empty-handed. The teacher made sure of that. The children and teens were exultant at the prizes they received which included candies or chocolates in pouches bought wholesale; apparel like hats, bags, and handkerchiefs; school supplies; and some cash given in smaller-denomination bills.

     The final game was an IQ test. Emily passed by and suggested to Merlito that he join, but he hesitated and said:

     "Is it okay? I'm old! ... Okay."

     Merlito did join and competed with his genius teenage relatives. The questions were good and equally challenging to all participants. In fact, the game caught the attention of most of the visitors from where they sat, including a middle-aged man who stood up and broke out from the group of alcohol drinkers who had been converging around a rectangular table, drinking beer and gin and taking bites of the side foods that went with it, even before the party started. Then, out of nowhere, he suddenly yelled tipsily that the winner in this final game will receive a prize from him. The visitors at ease in their seats looked at him in surprise at his loud and wavy pronouncement and his mention of a sum in four digits, thinking whether he is serious about it or not. But he shouted out his offer once more. Merlito, along with others, heard it loud and clear; and he was energized although he kept his cool and tried not to look eager. Then he started to take the game seriously with the aim of winning it. As a result, in the end, he won it; and as the winner, he received a combined prize of cash and goods. The teacher appeared more than happy to hand these out to him. When he turned to go back to his seat, the teacher held him back because she remembered about the additional prize. But when she looked at the table of the alcohol drinkers, she saw that the man who said it was already reclining asleep. Then she just let Merlito go and told him to stand by. She then gave her final remarks, thanked everybody for joining, dropped the microphone, and proceeded to cleaning up the mess. She had some help.

     Emily witnessed this little scene; and she approached the drunken man and tried to shake him awake. But alcohol truly knocked him down, and he was in deep slumber. Afterwards, she approached Merlito and asked him to not go home yet.

     “Okay,” Merlito replied.

     Outside, Ado the champ passed the street where Emily's house was going southwards, probably on his way home from an errand in the community center, around the basketball court. The sound of singing in the house caught his attention, particularly the voice of the one singing that sounded familiar to him. When he got in front of the gate, he stopped and looked inside the brilliantly-lit living room and saw what looked to him an ethereal scene with Merlito standing up, holding the mic, and singing his heart out. Ado got lost in a trance, gaping in amazement and clasping his cheeks with his hands.

     That's right. Merlito, without fail, finally took over from his relative when the man either got tired or decided to partake from the table. But actually, Merlito took this chance to practice. As such, he, as much as possible, started with songs that are easy on the vocal chords, like simple ballads. Here, the teenagers would occasionally waved their arms together like grass blown by the wind, being a good audience. Then he progressed in ascending levels of difficulty until he arrived at the moment where he finally found himself able to belt out intense finales. And that was the moment Ado the champ saw or had a glimpse of. Then Ado turned, showed a bewildered face, and said:

     "What's this? He's improving."

     He stood a few more seconds in that attitude processing this latest development. Then he resumed his homeward walk.

     Everybody in the living room clapped instinctively when they saw that Merlito rendered his last song well. Merlito whisked around and said thank you to everybody sincerely bashfully. Beaming with pride, he felt it was time to transfer the mic to somebody else. Finally, he bade farewell to the people around him. The latter cordially sent him off as he stepped outside continuing to wave goodbye until he disappeared.

     Out in the streets, it was already quiet. It seems that the people are already resting in their homes although there are still a few walking outside under the starry sky. Aldo made his way home which is just a few blocks away. When he got there, he looked at the wall clock and saw that it was already past nine.

from The Simple Adventures of a Simple Simpleton

by: Marven T. Baldo