the prom: part 2

"I'll be going to the restroom," I told Tintin.

So far, the night had turned out to be worse than I had imagined. My mother had given me some pocket money that I might need before we left, and she was right. We had queued up for the photo shoot (which cost 15 dollars, mind you - try converting it to Peso), and I couldn't find the money anywhere.

Oh no, I muttered. "Pati ba naman ngayon, you scatterbrain, pumalpak ka nanaman?," I silently scolded myself. I was the perpetrator of countless blunders that had caused much embarrassment - not just to me, but to others also.

Tintin didn't have any cash with her; the woman who collected the fees said we had to pay before they shoot us (our picture, I mean). And so, we uncomfortably left the queue; the people's stares were like fiery darts zooming in from everywhere.

I glanced at myself in the mirror; my hair looked wig-like as ever and my face was glistening with cold sweat (talk about being nervous). I remembered laughing myself when I read about this article about Capt. Murphy and his weird law on life- if anything can go wrong, it will. My mockery for it was silenced; yet again it proved itself correct.

But, as I was frantically searching my pants, my hands came upon pockets on my pants which I hadn't inspected yet. Yes, the folded 20-dollar bills were there.

I sighed a breath of relief, and prayed.

Lord, You are the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, declaring all things that come to pass, none happening without Your approval. Despite my defective English, despite these silly mishaps that come my way, I trust in Your inscrutable wisdom, that You will be glorified in all that transpires tonight.

And so, armed with a handful of pre-formed and ready-to-be-spoken sentences, and a restored confidence that everything will be fine, I grabbed the door handles, swung the door open and went back to our table.

(to be continued)