Early Morning, Sundays

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Early Morning, Sundays

5:00 AM.

Gay bar house lights open. DJ plays the closing song. The half-naked dancers start to dress up in their casual clothes, usually the same clothes they wore going to the bar.

Inside the bar, the gay bar addict asks for the bill and pays another enormous sum after a night of partying. The dancers from the dressing room head straight to the cashier to collect their 6-day allowance from working the entire week. After paying, the customer stands from the seats, then heads out the gay bar door. Outside, the night sky lightens to a dark shade of blue-gray.

The customer leaves via riding a taxi or driving his own vehicle. One by one, the cars leave the once-filled parking lot in front of the bar. The remaining motorcycles outside the bar, those owned by the monied macho dancers, leave next.

A lot of the dancers disperse from the bar in various directions. A few dash to catch the stopping jeepneys. They sit beside the lolas in long dresses who are on their way to the 6AM Mass. Some head to the bus terminal, where they wait for the right bus that brings them home to the other part of the city, alongside fast food service crews and convenience store workers who are just beginning their day's early shift. The lucky ones though, those tipped hugely that night, simply get taxis on their own.

On the other side of town, the alcohol-filled customers reach their gated subdivisions or condominium units, after a quick drive along the traffic-less EDSA. The usually-asleep night shift security guards are now awake with their coffee mugs. These puyat customers' vehicles pass by the early-riser health-conscious joggers and dog-walkers. Some cars of daddies going for their Sunday golf whiz by. The customers hope their housemates, or even moms, have not yet woken up to do their morning laundry.

The boy-crazy gaybar goers finally reach home, some minutes before their gaybar boys do. At this time, the boys catch some shut eye while traveling inside their buses, jeepneys, or taxis. Upon arriving home after a few more rides or few meters walk, these boys are going to look for something to fill their stomachs with, before going to sleep.

6:00 AM.

After that Sunday morning routine, both customer and macho dancer are on their beds, in their respective homes, separated by the distance of their respective cities.

Despite the sun's rays starting to light up the sky, I however still prefer to extend the night's encounter with the man who was with me for the last six hours. After we part ways, who knows when we'll meet again. The next Saturday night, perhaps. Too long for a gay bar addict.

Not minding the time and the brightness of the sunrise, we simply enjoy our longganisa meal, pancakes, hash browns and hot chocolate in the fast food, together.