10th Floor Tower 2 (A Tribute) by Aa Martinez

Monday. 8:30am. The elevator stops on the 7th floor. Aa and TJ step out, looking uninspiringly sluggish as they half-heartedly drag themselves to their respective cubicles.

"Akyat ka? "

"Yeah."

They deposit their bags, turn on their pentium I's, and head off to Chuchay's cube. Aa unceremoniously grabs her mouse and closes the web browser before she can even protest.

"Ang aga aga friendster."

Chu puts on an annoyed expression, but decides its not worth the exasperation. Being the nice person that she is, she lets it pass. Like she always does =). At the far end of the floor, a pretty girl with a curious pair of black-rimmed glasses peek out of her cube. Tracy manages a demure smile, grabs two sticks of smokes from her pack and makes her way to join them.

The 4 friends share the short elevator ride 3 floors up. Known simply as 10th, the place is a makeshift coffee shop with a carinderia atmosphere. The food selection is terrible, background music from the sexbomb dancers, and the staff albeit friendly, is a mildly retarded bunch with a collective IQ of about 50.

The gang walks in and finds two more friends waiting, huddled in the corner table at the back. Raine a.k.a Mr. Swabe, is the resident cool geek. He's having his morning supply of Winston. Jay, the gentle giant (and badminton monster), is enjoying his hot cup of 3-in-1.

This is how they get through Monday mornings. The six of them goes on and share a collective groan of exhaustion of having to be there. For the next 30 minutes, they talk and laugh about everything and nothing in particular.

Aa talks about his recent weekend adventure

Chu talks about her rich but oh so kuripot fake-gucci-bag toting boss

Tracy talks about her all-pink Britney Spears outfit

Jay talks about his baby civic's new accesories

TJ talks about getting drunk-plastered on the weekend, meeting new women, and staying a one-woman-man.

Raine talks about smelling his customer's underwear in his laundromat.

9:00am. Time pulls them back to reality, just as Aa's computer finishes booting up.

Cheers to the people of 10th, a place of bad food and good memories.