Chapter 4. "Pool Party."
Pool Party at Poco Jo's and aftermath. Chuck. Hygiene. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Papa Adam and Mama Claire. House Robbery, and Nice with Ice.
The next morning, Blen, Amor and Girlie looked forward with excitement to the pool party. Girlie had spent some time by a hotel pool with her customer, though they had not swum. Amor's first night bar-fine had stayed at a hotel with no pool so, like Blen, she had never even seen a swimming pool other than on the TV.
Amor was anxious about what might be expected. "I do not swim. How will I go in the water?"
"It is deep at one end, but shallow at the other," Girlie told her. "Only walk in the shallow end, you can play there."
Blen wanted to put the outing to a good purpose, besides earning money. "I like to learn to swim."
"Then you will need a teacher," said Amor.
Girlie laughed. "You will have many teachers." She remembered ruefully how she wished her customer had invited her to join the fun in the pool. "All the foreign guys like to teach the girls. They like to play with their girls in the water. You will enjoy it."
"But we have no swim suit. What will we wear? Will Mama give us a swimsuit?" asked Blen.
"There will be a costume, but I do not know. I expect it will be a bold costume," said Girlie.
Amor suspected it would cover little. "Bold! How bold?"
"It is an entertainment," Girlie reasoned, "The foreigners like bold."
"Is it like in the bar?" asked Blen.
"I do not know, but, it will be for the enjoyment of the foreigners." Girlie was sure of that.
Around midday, Mama collected them.
Poco Jo's was situated on Fields, not far from Talent Spot, and the girls were already aware of its existence, but had not been inside. They went in through the entrance on the corner of Fields and A. Santos, and passed diagonally through the large, combined bar and restaurant, where a mixed bunch of tourists, mostly westerners, sat drinking, watching TV, playing pool or enjoying a meal, many in the company of their Filipina girlfriends. At the far corner of the floor, they passed though a short passage between the rear bar and the office wall, into the swimming pool.
The pool was smaller than Blen had imagined. The surrounding walls and buildings seemed to close over it, and though a little claustrophobic, it did give a feeling of privacy. Temporary seating was arranged on the concrete walkway around the pool, and also on the balconies of the building forming two sides of the pool area, the other two sides being enclosed by a wall, which was high, but not high enough to prevent some adjacent buildings peering over.
Arching across the centre of the pool, like a concave rope bridge, was a wooden walkway with rope fences on each side. Where they had entered from the restaurant, the bar opened onto the pool. Mama led them to the far side. There, Mama-sans from other bars were also assembling their teams.
Mama Mutia called her girls together to explain what would happen.
"There is a Wet-T contest today. I have costumes here for you, like you see some of the other girls wearing - a hanger blouse and thong."
Blen looked around to see girls, each dressed in a bikini bottom and skimpy top, like a sleeveless vest cut away immediately below the bust.
Mama continued, "Many bars have teams, but there is no prize for the team, only for a girl; first, second and third. Each girl will go out on the walkway and dance. Before, take a shower, so your hanger blouse will turn transparent and cling to your breasts, then dance into the middle of the walkway and do your best dance to the music until the compère tell you to move to the judge's panel. They sit at the other end of the walkway, so you move to them, and chat and flirt until the compère say that was – and say your name. Then jump into the pool and join the pool party. The first prize is 1000 pesos and some gifts, so the more wild your dance, the better your chance to win. When you dance on the walkway, remember that everyone like to see you, that is why they pay; move around and dance to all directions. There will be a Come2AC.com cameraman here to make a movie, I will point him. They have the Rights, so make sure you dance to him for a few seconds, so he can get his shot."
"What does that mean?" asked Blen. "Will we be on the internet?"
"It mean that they have the right to sell the video of the party. Many guys will take photos, but Come2AC pay Jo to be the only one who can make a video, and they can sell the video in their web site. Make sure they have a good shot of you. When you move to the judges, remember that they will choose the winners, so be sure to please with them if you like to win. And when you jump in the pool, remember, you are here to make a friend."
Mama pulled bundles of thongs and hanger blouses from her bag, and the girls selected a costume that fitted, and changed into it.
More girls began to arrive, and customers began to fill the chairs or slip into the pool. Complimentary local drinks were made available to the girls. Each competitor was given a number, and the compère's assistant made a list of numbers, names, home bars, ages, origins and short biographies on individual cards. By two, there were seventy girls spread around the pool, waiting to compete. Customers filled all the chairs at poolside and on the balconies and an overflow of customers stood where they could. A good many were already in the pool, hugging the edge, or hanging onto the play rafts. The compère opened the contest by announcing how many competitors, and from what bars, then introducing the four judges, and calling the first contestant:
"First up, today, we have Rosalie from Precious Jewels."
The music started up, the crowd cheered, and Rosalie, dripping wet from the shower, advanced, dirty dancing style, onto the walkway.
"Rosalie is twenty, has no children, and comes from Samar. She's worked in Angeles for three months, and the guy she wants to meet would be aged between thirty-five and fifty, and would be a smiling guy. Well guys, if you have a nice smile, you can meet her in the pool in three minutes."
Rosalie danced suggestively in the middle of the walkway until the compère said, "And now come and meet the judges," when she shimmied to the end of the walkway where the judges were seated, and hugged, kissed and gyrated before, them, lap dancing, and exchanging banter for a short period.