“Don’t wear jeans.”

That simple instruction sent me to SM looking for a dress.
Dark Mall.
On the way, I passed the aftermath of the blast: pedestrians in a hurry, weaving in and out of the unfamiliar, uncomfortable darkness. There were no neon signs, no backlit store displays, no smells of butter and bread wafting from the entrance of Glorietta 4.

In SM, the lines were short. The saleslady explained the SM Advantage Card to me at length, because there weren’t any customers behind me. I bought a Cesar Gaupo jersey dress. I would like to wear it with jeans but not during tomorrow’s dinner, because we are going to a restaurant that doesn’t allow such informality to darken its doors. My friend says the food is worth it.