thursday morning. being my usual self, i had to haul myself out of bed and go to work. i boarded this Tamaraw FX and handed the driver a crisp P20 bill. "Bayad po." (Here's my fare." I said to no one in particular. About 20m after, my seatmate, a woman in long-sleeves striped shirt that is the EXACT print as my short-sleeved one that THANKFULLY i didn't wear today, handed her P20 bill as well, and then it happened.
the driver goes "P5 pa po. Yung nagbayad kanina ng P20, kulang din ng P5." (P5 more. To the one who paid earlier, you also owe me P5.)
the fun begins.
the passenger in the midsection goes "meron kasing tumatanggap ng P20 lang" (there are some who are content with getting only P20).
to which my lady seatmate follows up with "di kasi pare-pareho ang singil ninyo. dapat maglagay kayo ng notice." (you charge different fares [for the same distance or trip]. you should put up a notice.)
and to add fuel to the fire, i go "bawal nga yan pagtaas nyo ng presyo e" (increasing the fare [of an fx service] is against the law.)
then silence.
needless to say. we still gave him his crappy five pesos, but not without a mouthful.
hehehe.
sometimes, being stuck in traffic is not all that bad...
