Allison A.

Danao September 18, 2013

Eng 101 E Interview Story
A Day in the Mile o! "hings
A la#y, $ll, an grey weather %o$ln&t ma'e the ay any more li!eless by the appearan%e o!
()i%o( by yo$r * o&%lo%' perspe%tive. +om!ortably wal'ing in bla%' %otton longsleeves, bright yellow,
orange to'ong shorts, bla%' shoes, an a silver %ross ne%'la%e, he appears to be yo$r typi%al %ollege
boy- %are!ree o! the worl, $nmin!$l o! all the people wal'ing in his immeiate spa%e, %on!ient li'e a
man witho$t a se%ret , only that he isn&t .$st that- he&s more , or less, b$t ta'e him !or more. E/hibiting
a 0$ite silen%e atmosphere with him, he steps in the s%ene 0$ite %as$ally that only raw 'nowlege o!
him as a pot ealer, an the bias o! the so%iety abo$t people wearing bla%' %o$l be yo$r only basis !or
thin'ing he is one illegal mileman.
1e settles an then as's yo$ !or the pro%e$re an proto%ols o! the interview. 1is smiling eyes
sets the moo too %as$ally that the yo$ an yo$r %ompanions insie the room wo$l !eel s$rprisingly
%om!ortable with ea%h others& presen%e. Moreover it wo$l !eel li'e .$st a typi%al gro$p meeting abo$t
a%aemi%s.
1e la$ghs ismissively, 0$ite aware o! his %ontrol over the $n!oling interview s%ene in !ront o!
him. 1e %omes !rom a typi%al 2ilipino !amily, he says. (3$ma'ain ng sabay,sabay... mag'a'asama
'ahit na anong gawin.. .$st a !amily. 4$ng normal na pamilya. )ot that ri%h...( 1e moves his han
openly as he tries to stress his point an ismisses any iea o! !amily problem yo$ ha in min. 1e is
the the oler o! two %hilren, the other one in !irst year %ollege. 1e wo$l reveal problems in !inan%es
sometimes, b$t he wo$l %o$nter%laim it by stating that nine relatives !rom his !athers& sie who wor'
in A$stralia are aiing his parents in !inan%ing their s%hooling. 4o$ wo$l in0$ire more abo$t his
relations, somewhat psy%hologi%ally probing into his !amily ba%'gro$n... b$t he&ll stop yo$ in yo$r
tra%'s abr$ptly as he wo$l e%lare, (5'ay na o'ay naman 'ami6sa pamilya.7 8ala namang ano..mga
gan$n...9he sways his han: wala.(
1e loo's at yo$ intently while yo$ !ire him 0$estions. 1e wo$l loo' at yo$ as i! he is assessing
yo$r level o! mat$rity, yo$r level o! %apability to hanle his pro.e%tion o! himsel!. ;$t it !eels !ine. It
wo$l !eel normal. 4o$&ll see him s$enly as a brother- li'e an oler !ig$re yo$ sho$l listen to. It
wo$l !eel aw'war, b$t yo$ wo$l !eel sa!e. 1e states that %$riosity an his e%ision to s$stain
himsel! are the main reasons he engage in pot ealing. 1e wo$l not let yo$ e/plore yo$r any other
g$esses abo$t his a%t. 1e wo$l immeiately eny peer press$re. (I in&t engage in pot smo'ing
witho$t learning abo$t it,( he wo$l say. 1e is an e$%ate pot ealer, there&s no o$bt in that. 1e
e/$es a very %ontrolle an somewhat ironi%ally is%ipline emeanor whi%h will ma'e yo$
%o$nter%he%' whether yo$ are !a%e to !a%e with a so%iety,brane &angero$s& man or not. 4o$ will !eel
sa!e. An normal.
;y way o! tal'ing to him, pot ealing s$enly o%%$rs to yo$ as something o! a normal thing
%ollege st$ents o !or !$n. 1e amits his parents on&t 'now abo$t his pot smo'ing an selling. 1e
wo$l then state his !ew too many prin%iples he believes in par with his attit$e< (;a&t mo sasabihin
'$ng &i naman tinatanong=( or (>wee 'o namang gawin 'ahit anong g$sto 'o basta papasa a'o sa
st$ies. >wee naman y$n eh. ?awin mo to, magla'watsa 'a, mag,ota 'a, basta papasa 'a. ?an$n
lang naman g$sto ng parents natin eh. At so !ar p$mapasa a'o.( 1e wo$l pro$ly e/%laim that with a
hint o! a %ombination o! la$gh an a sigh. S$enly all the !ear o! being in .ail or getting imprisone...
or all the angers asso%iate with an illegal transa%tion washes away as yo$ get immerse in his story
o! being a %are!ree, avent$ro$s, an %$rio$s teenage st$ent. S$enly yo$ will be e!amiliari#e with
the notion o! illegality an laws. 4o$ wo$l !eel yo$ng too, an %are!ree, an avent$ro$s, an %$rio$s.
An yo$& !eel normal.
1e answers yo$r 0$estion abo$t why he has involve himsel! in pot selling besies the
smo'ing. 1e wo$l say that pot is %ostly an there is no other way !or a st$ent li'e him who gets
allowan%e !rom parents to s$stain it. (Di naman a'o ai' na lagi a'o apat may stash pero naghanap
a'o ng paraan para mag'apera, para mas$stain sarili 'o, para ma'apag,aral, masagot ang l$ho, masagot
ang trip ng travels.( 1e wo$l smile in between these wors li'e he&s en.oying his whole pro%ess o!
arriving at that e%ision. (Magbenta 'aya a'o ng mari.$ana=(
1e tells yo$ now o! the trae in$stry o! the pot. 1e e%lares that pri%es %o$l range !rom 300
pesos to 1000 pesos epening on the ealer. 1e tells yo$ that it is sa!e to say that he isn&t new in the
b$siness. 1e tells yo$ that hal! a year !rom now he has been part o! transa%tions an ealings. 1e&ll
emphasi#e on what he o, an he&ll state it in brie! b$t warning wors< (I&m the mileman o! all
milemen. I am the one who hies.. no not hies- I&m in the ar'. I %$t the eal, I meiate. 1mmm. I
am the one who yo$ ont mess with.( 4o$ will noti%e a %ertain tone o! a$thority an $rgen%y in his
voi%e. 4o$&ll slightly !eel his intent an serio$sness, an yo$&ll s%rabble on yo$r pen an paper, an
preten to write as he !i/es his stare on yo$, whi%h yo$ %o$ln&t hol anymore. 4o$& try to ivert the
topi% b$t he !eels the s$en tension, so he %ontin$es with his a%o$nt. )ow this is what will ma'e yo$
!iget on yo$r seat as this will %ome 0$ite s$spi%io$s, that he is %$rrently $ner no operations. 1e sai
he has stoppe be%a$se he got tire o! the b$siness an he ha got eno$gh money. ;$t yo$ will believe
him, be%a$se o! that long, intent!$l, an settling loo' in his eyes whi%h valiates all his statements. 4o$
loo' at his eyes an yo$ 'now that he&s sheing tr$th on the matter. 4o$ wo$l !ear !or his ientity
an at the same time yo$ wo$l amire his g$ts. 1e& %ompliment the way illegality strives in the
neighborhoo- that it .$st !eels nat$ral. 1e& emphasi#e how he an his %o,mimen wor' pro!essionally
as he e/presses that a ealer %annot ienti!y another ealer. 1e& loo' at yo$ an smile again. 1e&s !on
o! smiles.
At this point, yo$&re gonna get %$rio$s abo$t how he get away with pot ealing witho$t his
parents& permission- yo$&re gonna woner i! his parents never gets s$spi%io$s or anything. 1e& answer
that they&ve6parents7& one this be!ore. "hat he 'new his parents also have smo'e or ealt with pot
sometime in their earlier lives. 1e& reveal that when his parents an their !riens bon %as$ally, they
wo$l smo'e wee in parties. 1e& e%lare that his parents an the rest o! the !amily is open to the
tho$ght o! pot. 1e smiles an la$ghs again as he says this, as his little eyes sin' an isappear at his
m$s%le an !lab,laen !a%e. 1is rather matter,o!,!a%tly smiles wo$l asss$re yo$ that he ha sit$ations
$ner %ontrol an that is reay, reay !or a %on!ession any time sooner. 1e& tell yo$ the point he has
stresse earlier< (1ana 'ong tapangan ang sarili 'o pag tinanong, (Do yo$ smo'e wee=( I& say yes.
1ini naman nagtatanong eh.(
"hen he es%ribes getting high in a n$tshell. (4o$ la$gh, yo$ eat, yo$ sleep.( 1e tells yo$ that
pot smo'ing was solely !or !$n an he& valiate it by being in %ollege. (Diba= +ollege naman tayo,
let&s smo'e, let&s party@( 1e tells yo$ that he will stop pot ealing b$t he will stop pot smo'ing one ay.
An that ay hasn&t %ome yet. 4o$& !eel his vigor as a yo$th with his voi%e an smiles. "hen yo$&ll get
remine with yo$r last 0$estion< I! given a %han%e, wo$l yo$ %hange yo$r %$rrent sit$ation= 1e
e!initely says a yes. 1e is%loses how espite his g$ts an %on!ien%e, he is also a!rai o! getting
%a$ght. ;$t he&ll reeem himsel!, (...pero alam mo y$n, naging reg$lar na. Iwas 'a na sa %ops, iwas 'a
na sa apat iwasan.( 1e& bring ba%' his sense o! %ontrol again. 1e&ll smile.
1e&ll loo' at his wat%h an yo$&ll loo' at yo$r noteboo'. 4o$&re one, an he nees to go. 4o$
ta'e that one last loo' on yo$r noteboo' .$st to ma'e s$re. 4o$ loo' at ea%h ones& !a%es in the room,
smile, rea%he a m$t$al $nerstaning, then signale a let go.