The past two days were generally all right. But an "OK" day doesn't necessarily mean that I didn't go through some bad moments here and there. Truth of the matter was there were a few situations I wished I could slap the person with some common sense. A person has this tendency to be so repulsive, I feel so sorry for that person. But my parents taught me well. Instead of retaliating in such a horrendous manner, I chose to take the high road -- strike back with poise, class and wit.
As some of you may already know, we've been living in a rented condominium unit. Therefore, it's not a surprise that from time to time, people who are interested in buying the unit come by to see the place. Yesterday was no exception. At 1:00 in the afternoon of a rather beautiful Sunday, the owner of our condo unit sent a text message to my dad saying she's coming by with some people to see the place around 4pm. Of course, we had no choice but to say yes. It was a Sunday afternoon. A family day. And to entertain strangers on a Sunday, of all days, is a big fat bummer.
We managed to clean the unit -- although our place wasn't messy at all -- with an hour to spare. I was personally anxious for the people to arrive. Just because I wanted to get it over with so that my family and I can go out and spend some quality time with each other. We were already dressed to go so that as soon as these people leave, we can leave as well.
I was sitting by the dinner table with my laptop, typing and retyping some articles for work. My brother was in his room working on the website for his client. My parents were in their bedroom, watching television. And then they arrived. The owner with the prospective buyers -- 6 visitors total. The moment I saw the people interested in buying the place, I knew I didn't like them. And they were about to prove why.
As I stood by the door to let them in, a woman, probably in her mid-40s, stopped in front of me and said, "Ikuha mo nga ako ng tubig, dear, at uhaw na uhaw na ako. Pwede?" Imagine hearing that in a very bossy tone. Without saying a word to her, I went to knock on my parents' bedroom to let them know that the expected visitors were here, and proceeded to the kitchen to get water for the woman.
My parents came out to meet the owner and the other people. While my parents talked with the owner, I was left to accomodate the others. That's when I heard the woman's comment, "Ang daming gamit naman dito. Ang sikip!" I couldn't control myself. I had to say something. "Five people are living here, Ma'am. What did you expect?" She looked at me as if I disrespected her. I guess she ignored me because the next thing I knew she called someone from outside and told her to take pictures of the place.
The girl did what she was told to do. But then another problem was about to emerge and I was not going to let it pass. After taking a picture of my parents' bedroom, she tried to open the door to my brother's room. She turned to me and said, "Pabukas nga. Kunan ko lang ng picture."
Snidely, I replied, "May tao dyan, baka gusto mo katukin para makita mo kung bubuksan." She looked at me and was about to say something when I cut her off. "Although I don't know why you have to take a picture of my brother's room. Nakunan mo na ng picture yung room ng parents ko, di ba? The rooms are identical." She looked at the elderly woman sitting on the couch and as if by order, she went out and waited with the other people.
The older woman stood up from the couch and handed me back the glass I gave to her earlier. She looked at me as if she was about to scold me. And I think she was going to until the owner asked her what she thought of the place. She said in a condescending tone, "Masyadong masikip. Ang daming gamit." When my mom heard this, she said in an equally sneering manner, "Pag binili nyo ito, unfurnished. Gamit namin ito, anong akala mo? Sa iyo mapupunta lahat ng nasa condo?" The tension was rising, everyone could sense it. But at least the word war didn't start as the woman chose to go out and leave with the others than go head to head with my mom. Good choice.
So there our family was. Standing side by side in our home while the others stood outside as if they are afraid to trespass once they enter the condo unit. Before they left, the owner of the unit walked over to us and apologized for the "bad attitude" of her company. Of course, being the civilized people we were. We accepted the apology and decided to forget about those people.
After this encounter, I realized that there are some people who grow up backwards. Unfortunately, these are the people who only think they are the important people in the world. How sad it is for them.
Just this morning, the owner once again texted my dad, saying that her company behaved very badly and despite their interest in buying, she was not offering it to them any longer.
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