THE CLUBHOUSE STORY

By: Mrs. Bee 

              

KRRRNG! The loud sound of the bell ringing is heard in the entire campus of Dalubhasaang Epifanio de los Santos.The year was 1987. 

The school has started to be filled with students rushing their way to the school’s canteen.

It’s break time. 

At the grade 5 classroom, everyone sped up through the door, each one race to be the first one to get out of the room, while little Betchay, a 10 year old girl, stay seated counting the coins in her hand. ‘I only need one more peso.’ She uttered in her mind.

“Let’s go buy our food.” Said Nenita her classmate and a close confidant. She reluctantly followed. Afraid to become the hot topic again as her classmates would often buzzed about her for not having any food to eat again for snack.

And while Nenita is choosing the food in front of the counter, little Betchay watched from behind.

This has become the scene most of the time, if not everyday in the latter’s life. Then they'd usually walk their way through the wide and covered pathway to join their other classmates to play.

As they reached the place, before Betchay even sit near the bushes, she heard a whimper from behind. She followed the groaning voice, and right behind the shrub was a young girl weeping.

“Why are you crying?” Inquired Betchay.

“I’m hungry.” The young girl abruptly replied, she's about 7 years of age. Betchay’s hand traveled through the pocket of her skirt bringing out the coins she was counting a moment ago. 

Again, she counted them and… “Come with me.” She said, putting her right arm on the kid’s shoulder. 

“I’ll come back later.”  She panned her head towards Nenita.

When the girls enter the store, Betchay’s eyes started to venture at the copious packs of food hanging upfront and behind the lady who's been irritatingly staring at her waiting for her to decide which stuffs to buy.

“How much is that?” She asked pointing at one big plastic packed with smaller packets of foods in it. 

“One fifty.” The lady briefly answered.

“How about...that one?” Pointing at the big transparent plastic full of yellow small packs of snacks inside. 

“Fifty centavos.” The lady answered in annoyance. 

"Umn, that one?" She asked again pouting her lips to another plactic pack but the woman got pissed off. She crossed her arms in front of her, she raised a brow and glowered.

“Okay that one." Aware of the woman's gesture she pointed back to the yellow colored pack of nosh.

"Please give me two.” Picking the coins from her palm she handed them over to the woman who in turn gave her the two packs of “Zeb-zeb,” a corn puff. 

She gave the other one to the young girl who instantly stepped ahead leaving her gazing at the food displayed on the glass shelf. 

She looked at the food she’s holding in her hand and to the shelf, then gazed at the coins left in her palm and felt a bit sad. 

Bethchay turned her head to where the girl is standing and saw her waiting for her. 

Realizing that the young kid is having a hard time opening the plastic pack of her corn puff, she sauntered with a speedy gait to help her. 

The little girl immediately consumed hers, that was nearly empty when they arrived at the place where they were previously at.

And before the little girl left, “You should come back here again, tomorrow." She beamingly said.

"Just come to me if you don’t have anything for snack.” Said Bethchay. The little girl nodded then hastily run away with a smile on her lips.

On the next day, while still a distant from the pathway, Betchay could already see the young girl smiling and waving at her. She signalled the little one to come closer.

At the canteen, Bethchay is asking the same angry lady, who's already scowling at her for inquiring about such and such packs of chips, biscuits and cookies. But they ended up eating the corn puff, “Zeb-zeb” again. 

After emptying the plastic of food they went their separate ways. Bethchay played football (Pinoy football kids version) with her classmates, while the little girl played with her friends.

On the third day of feeding the little one, they both have “Coco Honey” (a coconut flavored biscuit) for a snack, since it cost the same as the corn puff they were eating.

Among her classmates, Little Betchay alone has one peso for allowance (baon), while the rest of her classmates’ allowance ranges from ten pesos up to as high as fifty pesos.

Which is why she needs to save up for the food she wanted to eat, just in case she craved for the food that cost beyond her allowance. 

However, among all the food in the canteen, which is located below Betchay’s classroom, there's one that she'd always envisioned to taste, which makes her world stop every time she’d see it. 

Most people in the campus would find her in front of the glass shelf spending a minute or so staring at the mouth-watering clubhouse sandwich, oozing with mayonnaise that was spread in it. 

Though unaware of all the stuffs filled in the sandwich she’s craving, she still finds it delightful. But for years she’s been waiting and eyeing to eat it, she haven’t tasted one, since her allowance is always not enough, because the clubhouse sandwich costs three days of her allowance. 

Even if she tried to save for it, most of the time there are unexpected things occurred in a day making her spend some if not all of her money, like buying a piece of writing paper, paying for a piece of theme paper or a bond paper maybe and many other things. And now, another situation has emerged, a girl is hungry and needs to be fed.

Days and weeks gone by, and the two little kids were still together every morning during breaktime enjoying their food that is, if not the corn puff, it’s a biscuit in coconut flavor with a sugar on top (Coco honey).

But one day, Betchay arrived earlier than the usual at the covered walkway. The little girl hasn't arrived yet, so she decided to sit beside her classmates who were having their snacks. Minutes have passed and yet the little girl was still nowhere to be found. Breaktime was over and so Betchay hesitantly started to striding to her classroom. Wondering where the little girl could be. 

'She might get even hungrier if she didn't eat today.' She worriedly thought of her.

‘Maybe she’s absent.’ She concluded to brush away the troubles in her mind.

But then again, the little girl did not show up the next day, and the next day. And the day after that next day.

‘Maybe she’s sick.’ She thought again. 

Weekend past, and she’s stood again near the briers but did not wait that long, she stood up and went to the little one’s classroom to inquire. The teacher of the young girl said she had no idea whether the little one will still or will not show up for school anymore. She has no news from her or any of her relatives she added.

Unhappy, Betchay returned to her classroom a bit clueless on how she'd spend the next coming days, since she became accustomed to the new routine she had for more than a month.

But just like any other ordinary kid, she has moved on and forgotten about the girl. And her days become as if she have never met the young lass. 

Years past, and little Betchay still hasn’t tasted the clubhouse sandwich she's longing to eat during her elementary and high school days. But this time it's not because she cannot save for it nor she does help another kid, but because the craving has stopped for what reason? That I do not know.

The memories with that little girl kept visiting her once in a while, She even sometimes thought of the camaraderie they’ve had, her smile, and while playing with her and how they played and laughed with her friends.

The long dream of tasting that sandwich may not have happened during those times I most wanted to try it, but my regret is not because of choosing not to taste it and share my allowance with a younger kid but… of not knowing the name of that little girl.

Why didn’t I bother to ask her name anyway? Until now, I cannot still find the answer why the little me did not do so.