Andoy* was a local guy. He was an ice cream vendor who goes around our town pushing his ice cream cart and ringing a bell to attract customers. I was one of his regulars when I was in grade school. Physically, Andoy was not what I considered good looking. What more, he didn't even look neat. He had long hair, long fingernails and dusty feet. Thinking about it now makes me want to throw up all the ice cream I bought from him, lol! Well don't get me wrong, he is a nice guy, only with a not so nice physical appearance. What made him our friend was the fact that we were his regular customers and he was ours in our billiard hall, and he normally spends some time in our place when the day gets too hot for him to push his ice cream cart.
One morning, I was woken by the unusual clamor in our usually noisy billiard hall. I got up and checked out what's the matter. It seems like the extraordinarily beautiful daughter of a grocer in our town ran away with Andoy. What?? Yes, my father answered, Lea* ran away with Andoy. I couldn't believe it. Lea was only about 18 years old. She was a former beauty queen in high school and the constant Reyna Elena in the yearly Santacruzan. How could she fall for Andoy? Smiling, my father answered, love is blind.
After a while, the outrageous news became history, Andoy and Lea got married and everything went back to normal. Normal as in, Andoy went back to selling ice cream, but instead of the easy-go-lucky guy we used to know, he became irritable and complained about his young and very jealous wife. How could someone that beautiful be very jealous? What was there to be jealous about? Well, maybe Andoy was just bragging. But as if to confirm the guy's authentic tale, a teen age boy came to us running and said..
'Andoy, Lea has been looking for you everywhere! She is so mad. She's right behind me..'
With the speed of lightning, Andoy hid in the comfort room (which was not comforting at all) provided for our regular customers. But as soon as he was out of our sight, the beautiful Lea became visible to us and she sure was mad. She came directly at us and asked for his husband. No one spoke. So, she asked again, this time in a louder voice, 'Where is Andoy?!'
One of the players answered in a casual tone.. 'He's not here. Maybe he went somewhere in Mabini..'
Red with anger, Lea faced the player and said 'He's not here? He's NOT HERE?? Then how did his ice cream cart get here?' then in a louder and angrier voice'Andoy! I know you're here, come out you filthy animal or I'll tear this place apart!!'
Did Andoy come out? But of course.. What choice did he have?
*Not real names
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