9

At the Marlboror City Hall, Toyang Bailon, Clerk II at Human Resources, waits at the fried squid ball and fish ball stand of the tiangge, an open-air market with various stalls selling clothes, shoes, toys, processed food, rice and produce.

It is four o'clock in the afternoon, and people have started leaving their offices, dropping by the tiangge for any last minute cooking needs before making the journey home.

It is sweltering hot even in the shade, and strands of her hair are sticking to the nape of her neck.

 She buys a plastic cup of sago't gulaman with ice and a stick of doughy squid balls at a snack stall.

The vendor motions to a jar of sweet-and-hot sauce, and Toyang dips the stick into the jar, careful to tuck the file folder she is carrying under her arm so the sauce doesn't drip on it.

She has just taken her first hot mouthful when someone taps her on the shoulder.

"Eating again, Toyang?" the tall woman says.