I saw this very nice photo on Instagram of the X-Men Gold Team featuring the Hasbro action figures of Storm, Ice Man, Bishop, Colossus, and Jean Grey. I realized that I don’t have Colossus yet, and after clinics I ran to Filbar’s in Robinson’s Ermita. Colossus, however, comes pre-packaged with Juggernaut, which I already have. The set costs P3,500. I was about to get it, but good thing I brought Sonny along and he whispered in my ear like a breathy Safeguard konsensya slash Gollum: Nooot in theeees economy! I bade my trusty Filbar’s store clerk Oliver goodbye and left the store empty-handed, which made me feel very wise but also very, very sad.

To our surprise buffet restaurant Cabalen was also open, but instead of people getting their own food the waiters would serve to the tables instead. There are acrylic partitions on the tables of the shabu-shabu joints, and diagonal seating is required, but people are reaching over to each other and sharing everything. More non-essential stores have also opened. We liked that there are now contact tracing forms to fill up in the entrance of every store, because they dissuade us from coming in and spending. So far I don’t know anybody who knows anybody who knows anybody who has been contacted by any commercial establishment based on the forms they filled up, so our nega selves really wonder how efficient this practice is. Also, “sanized” and “non-sanitized” pen segregation do not give us much confidence.

We ate dine-in in Yabu, so you could say that we are contributing to the aggregate of high-risk behaviors that we have been snootily frowning upon. I heard a lolo behind me cough, and when he walked out of the restaurant I saw that his mask was the KN-95 type with the tiny punched-out holes.

“Nasamid lang siguro sa wasabe,” Sonny said.

“Parang kumakati na yung lalamunan ko,” I replied.

Sonny developed a headache. We ran the hell out of there.

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