Usok - the Webzine of Fantastic Filipino Fiction (Issue 1) by Rocket Kapre

Author:Rocket Kapre
Format: epub
Tags: anthology, celestine trinidad, chiles samaniego, crystal koo, fantasy, filipino authors, kenneth yu, philippine speculative fiction, philippines, rocket kapre, speculative fiction, usok, webzine, yvette tan

“SIR,” SALLY SAID ONE AFTERNOON, the worry evident in the lines of her face. “We don't have any more space. And frankly, everyone is afraid to move around in case we accidentally knock over and break a piece of your collection.”

Mr. Liu, with a wide Ming Dynasty soup bowl on his left, and a dipping dish—with spoon—to his right, looked up from his desk with alarm.

“What? Break what?” he said.

Sally pressed. “Sir, I'm afraid that it's a matter of 'when' and not 'if' that happens. There's also no more room for more items for your collection...unless you appropriate the warehouse too.”

“We're doing well, right?” he asked, lifting aside a small vase to find, then fiddle with, his computer keyboard to bring up the sales spreadsheets.

“Yes. We've been lucky. Orders are steady.” In fact, they were better than ever, and Sally attributed this to her boss's new calm. The retailers who ordered from him used to like Mr. Liu for his low prices and, well, nothing else. Now, they liked him for his low prices and his pleasant demeanor. Deep down she felt vindicated; she had always told others that all he needed was a hobby to transform him from a stern, rude, workaholic into a human being.

“Hmm... okay, good.”

“Sir?”

“I'll figure something out.”

Later that day, Mr. Liu told Sally to expect someone from the bank and to let him in for a private meeting. When the bank manager arrived—the same one who had sold Mr. Liu his first vase, and quite endearing with his leather satchel, his smile, his hello's—she hustled him quickly into Mr. Liu's room. He left two hours later, smiling even more broadly. The following day, Sally handed Mr. Liu a fax detailing a loan for the purchase of the empty lot adjacent to their own. By the following week, Mr. Liu was meeting architects and building contractors. Once, before the door to Mr. Liu's room closed behind them, she noted the words “Liu-six storey schematic” on the folder tucked under the arm of one of the architects.

Within eleven months, the six-storey schematic became an eight-storey building with two basement levels. With great effort Mr. Liu, Sally, and everyone working in the company made it through the construction without their daily operations being hampered, but it took a lot of patience and compromise. The day the building opened was a big relief for all, and for Mr. Liu most especially. Sally noticed the way her boss would surf the web for new vases, then visibly restrain himself from writing an email or picking up the phone by pulling his hands away and placing them to his side.

Sally wasn't asked to call for photographers, or to set up ribbons to be cut, or to prepare for a party on opening day; Mr. Liu had never been the type for fanfare. All that seemed to matter to him was that the time of restraint was finally over.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.