Butterfly: Part 1

Saturday night. The bar is filled with customers, except for a few empty tables. The macho dancers and hostos, who have been bangkay in the dressing room for the past few days, are eagerly waiting if tonight would be their lucky night to break their customer-less streak. John, our fictional MD in this scenario, is also hoping that his newly-met customer shows up tonight.

Same Saturday night. The same bar is filled with customers, except for a few empty tables. The group of middle-aged women at the side of the bar have been watching the show since they arrived, but haven't decided on getting anyone yet. Another group of young gay customers arrive, and sits near the door, at the other end of the bar. Lei, our fictional customer in this scenario, has been eager to see his newly-met macho dancer, John, since they first met a few weeks ago.

John peers through the dressing room window, and sees the figure of Lei. Great, he tells himself. I'd be getting some drinks tonight, plus hopefully a bigger tip than the previous encounter. He then brushes his hair with his hand, straightens out his sando, and re-adjusts his boxer brief. He reaches out for his branded cologne that Missy, a former matrona customer, gave him as gift. While he sprays on some on his neck, the gay floor manager arrives at the dressing room door.

"John," called the gay floor manager. "May ipapakilala ako sa iyo. (I'll introduce you to someone)."

Finally, John says. What took him so long?

Lei, after making himself comfortable and ordering his two bottles of "Lights", gets approached by their gay floor manager. After the usual hi and hellos and short talk, the gay manager asks the group of gay friends whom they want to get individually tonight. Lei smiles, thinking of the 23 year-old lean moreno boy that he tabled the last time he was there. He whispers the name to the gay manager, who smiles as well. No one else, Lei says. Then off the gay manager goes.

From the dressing room of this fictional gay bar, John walks behind the gay manager. He's trying to see where Lei is seated in the dark gay bar. There at the far end, near the entrance. He then speeds up his walk but is slowed down by the gay manager. They stop.

"Eto po, ipapakilala ko. Guwapo! Si John (Here's the one I'm going to introduce to you. Handsome, right? His name is John)," tells the gay manager to the customers. John peers at them in the darkness. The middle aged women.

Lei sips his light beer while watching the macho men strip dance right after another. He's wondering what's taking their gay manager so long. But he doesn't mind, as he knows their group will be staying in the bar quite long. He's still enjoying the sights parading in front of him.

After five minutes sitting down beside the middle-aged woman, John excuses himself to go to the toilet. He rushes back to the dressing room where he sees inside the gay manager of Lei, as if looking for someone.

"Nandyan ka pala. Nakaupo ka ba? (There you are. Are you seated with someone?)" asks the gay manager to John.

"Oo, sa customer ni [manager] Mommy Una. Paano yan, nandyan yung customer kong bading? (Yes, with the customer of [manager] Mommy Una. But my other gay customer has just arrived)," replied John.

"Sige. Butterfly ka. (Okay. Just do a 'butterfly')," suggests the gay manager. "Huwag mo lang ipahalata. (Just don't be too obvious)."

(to be continued)

GB Goer
Learn more: Lessons from Gay Bars in Manila
http://machosandhostos.blogspot.com/
email: char.affairs@gmail.com
twitter: @gbgoer


*All persons here in this specific post are purely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons or real macho dancers or real hostos, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Photo credits: Painting "Winged spirit buttoning his underpants (1966)"  by Yannis Tsarouchis at http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2010/01/20/the-art-of-yannis-tsarouchis-1910–1989/