paycheck horror

Last friday, on my way home, my wampum left is only 42 bucks and after that I’d be digging holes in my pocket. Cathy, my officemate, and I concurred to drop by SM after work… then comes the horror. Now here’s the catch, we actually went there to check our paycheck in the ATM. Usually, it gets in 2:30 in the midday so we have to wait since it’s still 1 o’clock.

First, we went eye shopping , checking on some mobile phones shops, camera stores and apparel boutiques. After strolling for about half an hour we went on surfing the net to kill time since our legs are burnt out of trekking.

More than an hour of net-surfing sufficed our wait so we’re set to check our stipend. Alas! Transaction denied???!!! First, uh… maybe Unionbank is offline so let’s go check on the other ATM. Alas! Transaction denied still!!! Our paycheck hasn’t been loaded yet probably so let’s try again later at 3:30.

Now this is so funny. I only had two pesos left after net-surfing and cath had fourteen. Ha ha ha… And we’re so hungry so Cath told me that we should’ve bought our money with food instead of internet… now we’re real starving… calling the aid of United Nation!!

Luckily, there’s an ethnik bar in the foodcourt which sells cheap native snacks so we were able to buy two turon na saging worth five pesos each. Thank God famine , at least, cutback a bit.

At 3:35 we went on checking again… but alas!… again… yes again… transaction denied! Eli, the IT director, was on the queue so we asked him if the paycheck has been loaded, he said yes and that it has been loaded since 10 in the morning. Now there’s really something wrong with Unionbank. The guard told us that eon payroll system is down, it’ll be back transacting tomorrow.

Now the real horror comes in. Cath only had four pesos left and I had two. We can’t eat, we can’t go home… what are we gonna do?! Thank God I saw Chona, also my officemate, and I was able to borrow money just so we can go home. Thank God it’s friday… but maybe I can as well say ohmigod it’s friday, can’t I?

I swear I will never leave home without excess cash again ever. And I will never leave my wallet blank even if I’m expecting a pay-out ‘coz we never know the consequences. Now this is a moral lesson, isn’ it?