misery
when i arrived at the office this morning, the staff accosted me with a memo from my boss asking for a less-than-voluntary contribution for our office christmas party. i very casually asked that i be exempted since i lost my wallet. everyone howled and hooted and made weird sounds to express disbelief declaring that i had just made an extremely lame excuse just to escape being generous. i was not flustered, even as i wiped my brow of cold sweat. i had in fact just lost my wallet. on the way here, i checked my wallet for something while i was on the bus. i phoned one of my staff about something and she mentioned i should check my account to see if some money had come in. i told myself to do just that the minute i get down. when i did, i walked a few paces, tapped my backpocket. and voila! my wallet was gone. along with an ATM card, a couple of credit cards, my IBP ID, several callcards, my lucky 5 peso bill, a lot of cash, and whatever else fits inside. i tried to run back after the bus, but it too was gone. so i’m here in the office with a measly P21 worth in coins. it is only enough to get me home. i already called home and asked for some money for lunch, and for things like pleading with the bank to allow me to do an over-the-counter withdrawal. i was trembling a bit earlier. you sort of react in a very biological way to things like this. this makes me feel miserable.