Sorsogon used to bed down at 7 p.m. The end of the day would usually start at 6, with the tolling of the bells for the Angelus. And then the march toward home would start.
The early bedtime could be because we're all so used to the Marcos-era curfew. Or to the fact that there was practically nowhere to go to after the shops closed. The pier and the park were just about the only after-seven destinations. Even then, they had dark stories that made them virtual no-nos.
Sorsogon is a lot different now. Most of the shops still close at seven. But the bells no longer toll, and there are places that open well into the night. Call it the ushering in of the fast-food era, but Sorsogon is no longer the seven-pm Cinderella. It has, in fact, learned to dance all night. And beyond.
