Psychocow's

The Wild Goose Chase

I.

The clock read 10:00am. Fighting off a mixture of lethargy and the weight of four plates of Pansit in his belly, the Cow struggled to get up. He sat on the side of his bed, trying to slap the sleep away.

10 o’clock. Nothing to worry about for the meantime, just a couple of meetings in the afternoon. He had time to spare, time to waste. Nothing spectacular happening today, nothing worth thinking about, nothing at all.

Nothing... And yet, a small voice in the back of his head was trying to say something. It was yelling, but he couldn’t hear it. If he could only shake the sleep off...

And then it hit him: 10 o’clock! He remembered! The Naughty Girl would be lurking at Glorietta at precisely that time! Although the Cow and the Naughty Girl didn’t specifically set a date, the Cow felt guilty for waking up late.

There was no time to lose. As quick as his hooves could carry him, the Cow shaved, clipped his nails, took a bath, did his two-step facial (involving Papaya soap), did his hair, and donned his best. Can’t be caught looking less-than-sharp in front of the Naughty Girl. The Cow paused in front of the mirror and admired himself. Despite his growing desperation, he could not help but think how awfully handsome he looked that moment. He rushed out of the house.

II.

The clock read 11:26am. After riding a tricycle, a jeep, and a bus, he finally arrived at Glorietta. As fast as cows can go, he rushed to the fountain area. The Naughty Girl hinted that she would be lurking there. Past the haggard commuters, past the screaming kids, past the high school kids cutting classes that day, he ran. And ran. And ran.

And finally, the fountain area. His heart beating with anticipation, the Cow scanned the thin crowd, looking for signs of the Naughty Girl. Any sign, any sign at all. But alas, no signs. No hordes of prepubescent boys screeching loudly, no trail of weak-kneed men, no cluster of wailing women, no crushed spirits... No Naughty Girl.

Disappointed, the Cow swore with frustration. Was he too late? Did the Naughty Girl leave? Was she ever there? There was only one thing to do, at this bleak point of defeat and despair. He texts her.

And she replies. Yes, the Cow did indeed miss the Naughty Girl. But, as a few text messages told a compelling tale, she was still around the area. If the Cow was willing to wait, she will be at the BPI Main Office at around 1:30pm.

What could a Cow do? Of course he would wait.

III.

The clock read 1:03pm. The Cow feasted on Penne and Pizza, and now he was killing time until 1:30pm.

The Cow was now in a bind; He would want nothing more than to meet the legendary Naughty Girl, but he had a meeting a 2pm. The meetings, inconsequential and unimportant earlier in the day, now loomed as a leaden weight to the Cow’s spirits. Still, thirty minutes was still a lot of time to spend with the Naughty Girl.

1:20pm. The Cow got up from his table and walked over to the walkway. From there, he could see BPI. From there, he might run into the Naughty Girl.

1:30pm. A text message. The Naughty Girl was nearby. The Cow decided to trot over to BPI and wait for her there. Another text message. The Naughty Girl was inside! She is so close!

But where was she? The Cow couldn’t find her!

Another text message. The Naughty Girl asked the Cow to call her. He does so, and finds out that she is no longer at BPI, but is a block away! How could that be? The Cow panicked! He makes a run for it to try and catch her.

Just then, another phone call. The person the Cow was meeting with was in the area, and was already waiting to pick him up! What despair! At that moment, the Cow spots the Naughty Girl... on the other side on the street! Quickly, he tells his ride to pick him up precisely where the Naughty Girl was standing, puts down the phone, and rushes to the underpass to get to the other side of the road.

The very moment the Cow sets his hooves on the right side, the Naughty Girl’s sister flags down a cab! Oh, woe is him! The Cow has indeed run out of time! Throwing decorum, breeding, and care to the wind, the Cow calls out the Naughty Girl...

...The Naughty Girl turns and sees him...

...The Cow catches up with her...

Realizing that they literally had seconds left, the Cow and the Naughty Girl trade a few words. Then, the Naughty Girl boards the cab, and the cab drives off, leaving the Cow sweaty, panting, tired, but elated.

IV.

Later on, when the Cow is left to his musings, he will remember not the desperation, not the running around, not the impending loss of time. The Cow will, for sure, remember the 15 seconds, and the adventure that lead to it.

The End