I’ll try to keep this brief.
- Home. I woke up at 6:00 AM, got prepared and left at 7:00 AM. It was raining when I found a bus to ride on but the idea of a devastating typhoon didn’t hit my sane mind.
- University. As what I’ve been accustomed to, I directed my steps towards the university chapel and uttered a word of thanks and praise. After some minutes, I proceeded to the university library to review for our “katuwaan” long and random quizzes in Personal Financial Management. I was halfway finishing Chapter 8 when darkness replaced light and soon enveloped the whole university. Brownout.
- GL 501. Since it’s almost time, I climbed up my way towards our designated room. I saw the silhouette of some of my classmates. I sat. More and more of my classmates kept on coming but still, there’s no sign of our professor. Then, the brief brownout came to an end. Our professor called. Classes were suspended.
- Intramuros. With the help of my umbrella, I fought with the icy rain drops falling from the gray sky. The whole area was flooded with cold and dirty water. But I got no other choice. I continued to walk as fast as I could.
- Lawton. I reached my destination. Well, I reached the destination which will bring me to my real destination. I waited for a bus. After a few minutes, a robust one came. At last, I thought.
- Bus. When I found a seat near the window, the first thing I did was to remove my soggy shoes and socks, which sucks. The cold breeze coming from the air conditioner made a subtle effort to make me chill. But what really made me chill was knowing that the rain penetrated the thin layer of my bag, wetting most of my things including my beloved Chemistry book. What the hell.
- Bus again. A traffic jam materialized before my very eyes when we reached Taft, Manila. I waited, and waited. And waited again. After two and a half hours, the bus accelerated.
- Bus again, again. Another traffic jam on Coastal Road completely broke my hope of going home early. This one’s far worse than the first. The gray sky started to turn black. Hours passed yet there’s still no sign of movement. I saw groups of people exiting their buses. They decided to walk a total of six kilometers under the bad worse worst weather condition. I thought of following in their footsteps, literally. I asked for a sign. Then, a filthy cockroach made its way towards my pants. This is it, I thought. I got up, made my exit and walked.
- Expressway. It was still raining when I made the conscious effort to abandon the bus. I put my jacket on, and continue my journey towards my home. The weather condition grew form worst to wortsest to much worsest (forgive the wrong grammar, there’s really no superlative form that can best describe the condition). My wet shoes accumulated more and more moisture.
- Bacoor. Six kilometers down, six to go. This time, the water in my shoes was replaced by mud. I saw a nearby jeep. I pleaded the driver to let me in. He nodded.
- Jeep. The jeep managed to transport me in the middle of my destination.
- Sidecar. I saw a side car. I asked how much. When he said that a ride would cost me Php 100, I hesitated then agreed. I didn’t have any choice, did I?
- Binakayan. At last. I arrived at my hometown. I called my father via the telephone booth of a nearby store. I was really grateful to the vendor for letting me call my dad free. Salamat, Kuya.
- Home. Home, sweet, home. I thanked God for I survived this unbelievable journey.
- Room. I slept. And that’s the end.
