Lauren and I arrived back in Cotabato City from Sultan Kudarat a little past four in the afternoon. Having missed the last van trip to Pagadian, the dispatcher at the terminal insisted that we reserve a slot for the very first trip the following day. I saw no logical reason for doing that since numerous trips were scheduled daily. Thus, we proceeded to Plan B—which was to rendezvous with our fellow traveler Dennis, who was staying at a nearby budget hotel.