Agile in ‘Argylle’

I was already inside the SM CDO Downtown elevator when three ladies appeared, wanting to join our batch of elevator riders. The elevator girl then told some teenagers, Unahon sa nato ang senior citizens. A.k.a. the three ladies. Whose faces then began to look unsure of their status in life: be grateful for senior-citizen perks? be sad for being mistaken as senior citizens?

Senior citizens have other perks: discounts for medicines and basic commodities, more discounts at restos and cafes, free movie on Mondays, free entry to the Ayala Centrio lounge that charges P20, no need to join the long and winding lines of ordinary mortals applying for passports and IDs. The priority lanes at supermarkets and stores may still be long and winding, though, even for the seniors.

A friend, who recently turned 50, said he’s so grateful for having reached that age because he never thought he would live long, no thanks to, uh, enjoying life to the max. But isn’t that what life is all about? To enjoy, to have fun, to be happy. So, he’s one of the few who get it, who know how to live life to the fullest.

Still, choices have to be made.

There was that night when I and some friends were outside the Folk Arts Theater, the popular concert venue in Pinas then, decades ago. I had my Law book on my chest, hoping that was enough to help me memorize all those articles. Another night, we were at Shakey’s Greenhills in Manila watching some bands while savoring Pale Pilsens—no San Mig Light yet that time—and there was the Law book again, this time on my lap.

In those evenings when I managed to stay in the dorm, I’d fall asleep, and wake up at dawn with that book on my chest again.

It was no surprise then that my Law grade was always almost failing. That’s why I couldn’t relate with certified public accountants who become lawyers. After passing the CPA exam, they still had the energy to study Law and pass the bar? Wow.

Had I continued that hard habit to break of bringing along the Law book to wherever I went, hoping it’s enough to help me pass the subject, I would not have morphed into a CPA. A non-practicing CPA, that is.

Why bother taking the exam if you won’t practice the profession, anyway? Because somehow the CPA title completes the journey. There’s no need now to sing Kenny Rankin’s song: “I have regrets, regrets.”

Which could be the song trapped inside your thought bubble as you continue talking about your exes. You should have married them so you won’t be looking back, wondering how life could have been.

Which could be the song hovering above your senior-citizen free-movie ticket upon learning that “Argylle” is not showing anymore at a theater near you. You may recover from disappointment by watching “Madame Web” and “Poor Things” or even “Lisa Frankenstein” which is Liza Soberano’s first Hollywood movie.

Yes, “Argylle” is a must-see movie. That’s where you’ll learn how agile Ely Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is. She’s—spoiler alert—skating on crude oil!