S T R A N D E D
09.28.06
Anyone who has experienced the recent
signal number three typhoon Milenyo has his/her own story to tell on how such
calamity has caused damage, loss and inconvenience in their lives and how much
they want to damn Milenyo for causing it. My story is quite ironic, yes it was
a distressing experience but on the other hand it left me with something to be
thankful for.
I was stranded on a not-so-comfortable
airconditioned bus in that area around Aguinaldo shrine for several hours due
to extreme flood and stalled vehicles in the Kawit-Noveleta area. Thank God I was not with a bunch of strangers,
because my good friend Sarita was there as well who made me felt safe and sane
despite such stressful situation. Interestingly, she was not the only
acquaintance I had with me inside that Saulog bus though I have not told her.
Among the fellow stranded passengers, was someone I know and who I last saw
some four years ago. And of all places or situation I’d think we might see each
other again, on a stranded bus comes least on my mind. Sarita and I were
sitting on the middle section of Saulog bus while he is sitting about three or
four seats behind us almost near the last. It was an awkward situation for both
of us. I was worried to be denied sort of if I made the first move to say ‘hi’
while he still might have some resentment on me after the wrong I have done in
the past. So despite the given chance, almost 8 hours after our bus and the
other stranded vehicles have crossed the challenging road of Kawit, our reunion
ended without a word uttered as he stepped out the bus in the Noveleta
stopover. Just like that, my silent prayer went on that he reached his home
safe. For Sarita and I, our journey inside the Saulog bus concluded when we
reached their house in Cavite City around 2:30 am. The road to Salinas is impossibly passable during that
time so I was most welcome by Sarita’s family to stay there till morning.
On my way home, seeing wrecked houses
and surroundings, devastated faces of people along the road, I realized that it’s
sad how forces of nature can bring tremendous damage and inconvenience to our
lives but amazing how on the other hand for few like me can bridge gaps in our
lives… at least physical gap. The unexpected lesson I learned from Milenyo is that
some mistakes are forgiven but not forgotten. I respect that, at least there is
a part of me that has moved on and is no longer stranded in the past.
It took more than twenty four hours
before I had returned home. I deserved more rest so I had to make my first
official leave for work. This time, I found myself stranded again — at home,
but ready to move on.
