Juortro

The food finally arrived. Juortro (^hw�r�tr�), who had answered the door, was also the one who received it. �Thank you,� he said to the delivery personnel, and was already beginning to close and re-lock the door when the delivery personnel said, �Sir, your money?�

Jurotro raised an eyebrow. He wasn�t used to being wrung for cash by people not belonging to his immediate family. �My money?� he asked.

The delivery personnel smiled his full set of straight, white, perfectly symmetric teeth, and nodded enthusiastically.

Jourtro, however, was dubious. Without letting his eyes off the man, he turned his head back towards the general area of the living room, and asked, �Guys, do I really have to give this man money?�

There was laughter, then a voice from inside shouted, �It�s called a purchase, Juortro. The man gives you food, you give him money. Ask him how much he needs.�

Juortro wasn�t completely convinced. Yet nontheless, he asked the delivery personnel: �How much money for this food?�

The delivery personnel didn�t say anyhting, but pointed to a piece of paper attached to the food contianer. It was a computer-printed official receipt of the business establishment responsible for the preparation of the duly-arrived food. On the bottom part of it the delivery personnel pointed, and Juortro didn�t have to strain his eyes to read that on it was printed in fading blue computer printer ribbon: TOTAL � 56.00 PhP.

In order to get money, Juortro had to first set the food down. This he did, using a nearby office swivel chair as a temporary holding place. (Later, when asked about it, Juortro would realize that he had no idea why an office swivel chair would be in such close proximity to the door at that particular time of the day.) With eyes never leaving the delivery personnel, he reached inside the left hip pocket of his short pants, and was able to compute, simply by feeling, that he indeed had 56.00 Philippine pesos inside.

He took them out and handed them to the delivery personnel.

�Thank you,� said the delivery personnel, who, for perhaps the same reason Juortro didn�t need to count his money�that is, that he computed it simply by feeling�didn�t even count it as he inserted it in his pocket.

� Jay Santos 2003.