This happened during my tour of duty as an Information Officer for the Office of the Press Secretary in Malacanang Palace in Manila.
As I said in my previous story, The Ball, there were several of us Information Officer from attached bureaus and agencies of the former office of the Press Secretary who were detailed to Malacanang Palace for our tour of duty.
We were assigned to work at the Arlegui Mansion on Arlegui Street, a stone-throw away from the Palace compound. We were also assigned our sleeping quarters at the right tower of the building.
Every now and then, especially on paydays, Hazel, Zorayda, and I would go to the nearby SM branch to shop, watch a movie and have a good time off. We especially relish these time offs whenever we were assigned for the morning shift (6am to 2pm) so we can all go back at around 8 in the evening and sleep until 5:30 am, just before our shift starts.
It was during one of these time offs, while we were inside a movie house, when Hazel received an urgent call from her boyfriend, Jason. The guy was royally pissed. He was asking her why she called him just then, crying and begging for a cool off on their relationship. He also asked why she was saying goodbye, as if she was going away.
The boyfriend, Jason, was in the middle of a meeting just then, and the supposed call threw him out of focus. Luckily, he managed to keep his act together, so the rest of his meeting went well. He said he called as soon as his client left, and there he was, demanding for an explanation.
Hazel insisted that she made no such call, and that she had been with Zorayda and me, watching a movie and munching on some popcorn.
Jason was still not convinced. He instructed her to wait for him. After 20 minutes or so, Jason met us at Jollibee, a fast food at the SM mall. Zorayda and I ordered some colas, french fries and some budget meals while the lovers, Hazel and Jason, discussed the call.
Jason insisted it was Hazel, as he could never mistake her voice for another.
After we've finished our meal, we decided to go back to our office in Arlegui Mansion.
We found Bambi inside the office. It was 7:30, and the other staff was out taking a quick dinner. As soon as we walked in, Bambi looked at us strangely, as if she had seen a ghost.
Then she peed through her pants, all too suddenly.
It was amusing, at first. Then she started crying.
As soon as she was calm, she apologized for the mess, and then explained to us that she had really wanted to pee badly and had been waiting for Hazel to step out of the bathroom.
According to her story, Hazel had supposedly walked into the office shortly before 6 pm and used the office phone to call her boyfriend, Jason. She was talking softly, so Bambi, nor the rest who were there at that time, could make out what she was saying. Bambi did say that Hazel cried a bit during the phone conversation.
After a while, the other staff excused themselves so they could grab a quick dinner. Bambi had given them money so they could buy some for her. As soon as they left, Hazel allegedly put the receiver down and cried some more.
Bambi said she and Hazel talked, but Hazel was rambling on and on, and she wasn't making any sense at all. Then, Hazel excused herself and went to the comfort room. And as far as Bambi was concerned, Hazel had been in there for the last fifteen minutes. She was shocked to see Hazel walk in with us.
Out of curiosity, Zorayda and I went with Hazel to check the comfort room. Of course it was empty.
When the other staff arrived, they confirmed Bambi's story. They said there was something off with Hazel but that they couldn't quite put their finger on it, and that she talked in near whisper. That night, Bambi borrowed some of Zorayda's clothes and washed her own pee stained pants and underwear in the sink. That was the first and the last time she stayed overnight in the office. She barely slept a wink.
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