Bar Girl Ch. 09

They had now finished their breakfast.

"I must go home," said Blen.

"You haven't told me about yourself yet," said Nick.

"You just bring me for breakfast, you are not trying to pick me up, remember."

"I remember. I said it, and I meant it. But to be honest, things have changed and I've changed my mind, so I don't mean it anymore," said Nick.

"So, you ARE trying to pick me up."

"I'm not explaining myself very well. I was just hungry, I just wanted breakfast, I didn't realise I would enjoy your company."

Blen's eyebrows rose. "You did not think you would enjoy my company?"

"Not so much, I've really enjoyed chatting with you."

"You are chatting, I do not speak," said Blen.

"You have no idea how attractive that can be in a woman. You're a great listener."

Blen's eyebrows rose again.

"I just wondered whether you could spare some time to show me around, I'd enjoy your company, if you wouldn't find me too boring."

"I have my studies," said Blen.

"And you never have a day off?" pressed Nick.

Blen paused, and stared at him for five seconds, trying to resist the temptation.

"Well, only tomorrow. I am off tomorrow."

"Would you mind, I'd be so grateful, I'm so bored, and there really is no good company at my hotel. Think where you would like to go. You can show me around town, and then it's your call ... You pick the treat."

Blen looked at him carefully. She looked into his dark brown, pleading eyes. She wished she had not lied, but she had. Why act in vain? On the other hand, why not be the girl she wished to be - for just one day - to know how it felt to be such a girl? "We can meet here, at twelve, if you like."

"That's great, just great. Think what you would like to do for a treat," said Nick.

They left McDonalds, and Blen flagged a jeepney.

Nick gave her a 20p note. "Thank your Dad for the journey out, but I'll pay for the journey back."

Blen put Nick off at Johnnies Supermarket, telling him to cross the road and walk up to A. Santos. He stood and waved as the jeepney pulled away. Blen looked back down MacArthur to ensure that he had disappeared, then jumped off at the bottom of Fields, and made her way back to the lady-house. When she arrived, most of the girls were up and engaged in washing, or cooking, or watching TV.

"How did you enjoy Mass?" asked Girlie.

"I was pick up," said Blen.

"By a nice young man?"

"By an American."

"In church! Is he one of those strange Americans?" asked Amor.

"Yes. Oral sex repel him."

Amor silently sympathised with his distaste. "So what did you do?"

"We go to McDonalds for breakfast. I have a quarter pounder with cheese."

"Oooo. That is the oral sex I like," said Amor.

"Will he come into Talent Spot," asked Girlie.

"No. He do not go into bars. He is here for treatment."

"So. Will you see him again?" asked Amor.

"Maybe. Maybe tomorrow."

Precious's face drooped. "Oh Blen, I expect that you will come out with us tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow evening I will," Blen assured her. "Tomorrow afternoon I will show him around. He will take me for a treat."

"What treat is that?" enquired Girlie, suspiciously.

"I choose. But I do not know what to choose," answered Blen.

"What is expensive?" asked Precious.

The girls passed a pleasant twenty minutes, thinking of expensive treats.

Blen, Precious, Girlie and Amor grew excited as evening approached, anticipating receiving their salaries.

At the end of the evening they gathered around Mama who totalled their earnings for that day, added that amount to each of the brown Manila envelopes with their names on it, explained the calculation, sorted out any queries, and handed over the envelopes.

"You girls wait a while, we can look at your credit," said Mama, and they waited while she finalised the salary for the couple of other girls whose payday coincided.

The girls compared their salaries. Blen had received 12,900, a lot less than for her first 15 days. Her blow-jobs had previously provided most of her salary. Now that Girlie was doing the blow-jobs the change was reflected in their incomes. Although Girlie's service had not proved quite as popular as Blen's, with Belle's bar-fines, she received 9000 pesos, a remarkably good salary for the time of year. Blen's salary was as large as it was, because of the pro rata bar-fine paid by Bruno to preclude her from going short-time. Precious and Amor both received 6,100 pesos, largely reflecting their stints with Darren and Danny respectively.

Mama then produced her ledger, saying, "It is rent day today, I'll add that to your credit first," and she finalised her accounts.

"Blen, your credit is 5,250 pesos including rent. You have bought a lot of costumes. Girlie, your credit is 15,742 and Amor yours is 19,540. Precious, you have paid all yours off. Your accounts have now been open for one month, so any unpaid balance today will have 12 ½ % interest added to it. How much do you want to pay off now?"

"Here is my salary Mama," said Amor, "how much is owed after that?"

"Another 13,440p," calculated Mama.

"Still 13000 pesos!" Amor was disappointed. She opened her purse, pulled out a roll of notes, and counted. She proffered a bundle to Mama. "Is that 10,000 pesos?"

Mama counted. "Yes. 10,000. Thank you." She made entries in her ledger. "So with interest you carry forward 3,870 pesos."

"Here is mine," said Blen, and offered the full amount due, taken from her salary envelope.

Girlie took the money from her envelope, added 1000 pesos to it, and handed 10,000 pesos to Mama.

"Thank you. That leaves 6,459 pesos after adding interest. That is just twenty blow-jobs, so you can clear your credit next month.

"Now girls, you have all earn well, most girls will earn far less than you, it is like that at this time of year. You have all had repeat customers. That is the way to earn. If you please a customer, he will bar-fine you out for several times, so make sure you please your customers. You also see that there are other opportunities to earn, so be open to the other opportunities I will offer to you. They will help you pay your credit, and send money home."

As the girls made their way back to the lady-house, Blen asked Amor, "Why do you not pay all your credit, you have 13,000 pesos from the Masters of Uranus, 3000 from the B.O.W, 10,000 from Danny, 1,500 from the photo-shoot and also tips from your customers."

"Yes, but I spend maybe 15,000 pesos on shabu, and I need some money to live," replied Amor.

Blen was horrified. "Amor, how much shabu is that? Maybe you take too much."

"I will take less, just a little bit sometimes," said Amor, shamefaced.

"How much do you have left?"

"3,500 pesos," said Amor.

"Oh Amor, after you work so hard and earn so well, please be careful, I thought you would be free today."

"I am the most in debt," said Girlie. "I have 7000 pesos left from my tips, but I will send money home tomorrow, that will leave me enough, and I will have more tips. Next month I will be free."

"Tomorrow, I will open a bank account," said Precious. "Mama is correct about the customers. If you keep them until they return home, they will give a big tip. Darren give to me 10,000 pesos. Now I can save money for my future."

The girls were curled up asleep by three-am.