BASKETBOL

Basketbol
15" x 15"
pen and ink on paper

Basketball... the country's number one sport. Every kid, every baranggay, every street corner has at least half a court to bounce an orange rubber ball around. Even with the popularity of boxing, it still is any Filipino male's past time. Whatever size, height or age and whichever island he comes from here, every one has to bounce that ball.

...and I hate it.

So, I just drew it. Here.

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“Pare, when you were a kid, didn't your school have a basketball court?” asked Jojo as we were walking towards the fishball vendor's stand.

“Yeah, my school did – two full courts and a couple volleyball courts. Why'd you ask?” I said when some street urchins ran past us chasing a big rat and throwing stones at the poor creature. I fumbled for some coins in the pocket of my shorts to pay for the cold apple-flavored tea I got from the fishball vendor. I also took a mental note that I need to buy a new pair of underwear. The strap has turned into bacon strips from being old and worn it keeps on falling down inside my shorts that I need to adjust it every now and then.

“You play awful. I pass you the ball and you keep on losing it to the other team,” he said, then he took one big gulp of the coke zero he had in his right hand. He lifted his drenched jersey and wiped the sweat from his face and neck with it.

“Hey, I told you I haven’t played it for years. You got to give me some slack there,” I protested.

“Pare naman, we lost to a bunch of high school kids! What the heck was your sport or P.E. when you were a kid? Chess??” he said as he finished the last drop of his coke.

“Volleyball,” I mumbled as I skewered with a small sharpened bamboo stick a fish ball being deep fried in the stall.

Jojo looked at me and with a slight raise of his eyebrow said, “No wonder.”

I swore I wanted to poke his eye with the stick.