Rachel's Experience....BEWARE! BE AWARE!

It was Monday around 7:30AM. I rode a "Pasig-Quiapo" jeep. Just before we reach Altura there were only five people left in the jeep: me, the nursing student at my right, the high school student sitting in front of the nursing student, and a boy-gay who happens to be at the far most side of the jeepney. After a while, two men rode. Since I like observing people, I immediately notice the crippling man who has a huge scar in his lower arm and some weird marks behind his eye. The two passengers sat beside the high school student. There was nothing special except that they were too close to each other! Imagine, only seven passengers in the jeepney and there’s this two men sitting very close to each other. What would you think? Well, I thought they were gays. So, I felt like it was interesting to watch them.

After a while, they handed their fare and since they are very far from the driver they move closer. Now, they are sitting beside the gay-boy. Let’s review the sitting arrangement: corner, Gay-boy, Man1, Mr. Scar, three gays sitting side by side. Ok, back to the story. Man1 handed exact fare, Mr. Scar, on the other hand, handed P20. At that time I was thinking that I was wrong and they don’t know each other and they are not gays. So, I stopped observing them.

Ewan ko kung anong masamang hangin ang nagpalingon sa mukha ko pero saktong-sakto ang pagkakatingin ko. Man1 handed a cellphone to Mr. Scar. And it wasn’t an ordinary giving of cellphone. It was a suspicious cellphone-giving. It was “tagong-tago.” During that time, I was really puzzled and confused. Oh yeah! I forgot to mention, when I saw the act of “cellphone-giving” Mr. Scar and I looked at each other. And it was the scariest 30 seconds of my life. I kept playing the scenes over and over. Questions were starting to build up. “Do they know each other?” “What’s up with the cellphone?” “Why does Mr. Scar acts like he’s texting whenever I look at him?” “Now what?” There were plenty of questions. I just wanted to raise my arm and shout, “Ui! Gay-boy, check mo nga baka ninakawan ka ng cellphone!” But I was scared and confused. I chicken out and decided to get out of the jeepney and find help. But there were no police officers in the place. I rode another jeepney, feeling guilty and unsafe.