Just when I thought I was going to join a birthday lunch for an uncle at a mall not five minutes away, I find myself on a bus, going the other direction, at the start of an hour long trip.
I’d just stepped out for my post-boardwork cigarette, when I saw my phone flashing “Mama calling.” I pressed the green button that meant answer.
“Hello…?” I said, almost asked, wondering why my mom was calling me on an early Saturday afternoon.
“Hi. Ate. Where are you?”
I was all “Duh LOL I’m just done with work,” still wondering what this could be about. Already, I was running through the past few days in my head, thinking OMG WHAT DID I DO Whatever it is I’m sorry!!!
And mom drops the bomb. “We, uh… locked ourselves out of the house.” And I had the only other key that wasn’t inside the house that they were locked out of.
Now, this wouldn’t have been an issue if, say, I was staying at the house. Thing is, I only go home once a week. For most of it, I’m in Metro Manila, a good hour away from our house. And that’s an hour of travel time if the traffic isn’t acting up, which it was because the weather was acting up. Not to mention I was wearing beat-up shoes that were ready to shrivel up and/or fall apart, and were more likely in cahoots with the rain to get my feet wetter than they should be.
So I walked in the rain (with an umbrella and a hoodie, both useless in keeping my feet dry) to the bus terminal (where my hoodie kept me warm but my feet were freezing) and got to where my mom was in an hour and a half.
My feet were making embarrassing squishing noises as I walked.
I went back to Manila in the early evening with new Chucks in place of the squishy shoes. I had to make a decision, painful, but necessary, to let the old ones go. Sometimes, there’s just no way around it.
Goodbye, shoes. We had good times together, but I must say goodbye. *sniff*
Besides, I HAVE PRETTY NEW CHUCKS TO LOVE! WOOT!
I still call myself a blogger despite not having blogged so much in the past few months.
In these past few months, you see, I was quickly pushed into a new life I’m still just getting used to. I say pushed, but I made the first step. I was dragged along for the rest of it. Not complaining, just… observing. Quietly, probably with a cigarette, in one corner.
I found my niche, then seem to have lost it. I’m looking for it again now.
I’ve made new friends, and lost a few.
My heart was not saved, even; it was broken somewhere along the way. Now, my heart is still scarred, but healed for the most part.
Smiles and frowns and “Ah, whatever!”s made up the past few months of my absence in the blogging world. While I was gone in this world, I was busy making my mark (somewhat, I’d like to think) in the real one.
It probably didn’t work as well, or go as smoothly as I’d hoped, but I chalk it all up to experience. And I’m chalking up some more.
