So that's what I did. For the first time that night, I braved the raging weather. I was a bit drenched already when I entered the mall. But I didn't mind. Feeling a bit desperate, I headed straight to a place where no one...and I mean no one could see me do my thing...smoking a couple of sticks before heading straight home.
After two sticks, I went to check out an accessories store to see if they sell a huge claw for my thick hair [ I never realized that my hair would grow this thick!]. Unfortunately, what I found instead was a pair of funky red earrings. The worst part is, the store only sells it for Php 20! Whatever happened to that gigantic claw I was looking for?
And, as what everybody could have guessed, I bought the red earrings. I am not sure when I'll be able to wear it, but I know I will before this month...this year ends.
Anyway, I'd better not concentrate too much on that pair of earrings. It is not the highlight of this entry, apparently. So I decided to say goodbye to the mall [which I frequented everyday, for the love of God!] go straight home...before I suddenly buy something impulsively. So that my breath won't smell too much nicotine [because the last thing I want to hear upon reaching home is my mother telling me in her own creative way about this habit of mine being "unwomanly'] and to give me a little bit of energy to take a ride home, at least, I went to the basement to buy myself a coffee crumble ice cream...perfect treat for a rainy night. Surely no one would dare eat a cone on a weather like this but me, I gloated.
When I reached the ice cream stand, I was practically surrounded by people with ice cream cone on their hand. Great.
I still bought my coffee crumble ice cream nevertheless. I walked straight to the jeepney stop. A horde of office people, students, and whoever they are [I don't give an s, really] were also waiting for a jeepney ride home. Ironically, I didn't see any jeep, or a taxi passing by. It also seemed that the rain wouldn't be stopping anytime soon, and the street was slowly turning into a river of some sort. But despite of what I was seeing, I still made my way through the crowd, making sure that no raindrop would fall on my precious ice cream cone, as I was licking it deliciously.
Before I bought my ice cream, my iPod was already doing its thing on my ears. So, as I was seeing that horrendously hopeless sight, I seem unfazed of it all. I was concentrating on the coffee crumble ice cream, my guru Darren Hayes on my iPod, and mentally noting down plans A to C on how I'm going to get home on this crowd, flood, and weather. Plan A was to finish my ice cream, hoping that after I devoured my light snack, there would be an empty jeep to bring me home. Plan B was instead of taking that usual route I ride home, I would take the more exhausting route. This route would only be until the hospital [our house is just a 10-15 minute walk away], so, that would pretty much compel me to walk a few kilometers more. Definitely not a good idea on a rainy night. Plan C was to walk a bit farther from the mall to take a ride home. My officemate and I usually do that whenever we stay out late hanging out at the mall, either to unwind, or simply...unwind [honestly, she's just kind enough to accompany me on my nicotine fix, really]. It's much easier for me to catch a ride there than at the mall.
So, coffee crumble is all gone. I started to wait for an empty jeep to arrive. I was also starting to tell myself at the same time that no matter what happens on this night, I had to make sure that it wouldn't pull me down, or piss me off, at least. I was recalling The Secret DVD I watched during the long holiday over another Darren Hayes song. According to The Secret, the Law of Attraction happens on something that we basically want to happen to us. Something that we really wish for. In order for it to be real, we just have to believe that it can happen and boom! The universe would align to really make it happen...and no exception! Of course, if we want something to really happen, we have to make sure that what we wish for is still attainable. So there I was, together with people from practically all walks of life, wishing and looking forward to come home soon. I kept telling myself that no matter what, I would come home. At least, i was trying to attract myself that.
The mall finally called it a day. I was seeing more people coming out. The rain and the flood were still at its mightiest. No empty jeep came my way. Time to execute Plan B. But then I realized that there was no empty jeep on sight. So, there is no other way to do Plan B. Plan C was no good, as well. J.P.Laurel area looked like an extension of Davao River. I couldn't even walk further without my feet swimming through the flood. It only meant one thing. I was stranded.
I still waited. Even though I was practically seeing the water covering up the street, I was still standing there, not cursing the weatherman, or whoever must be cursed, yet, and just concentrated on another Darren Hayes song playing on my iPod. Unfortunately, all I was just seeing were more people coming out of the mall. Whenever a jeepney stops, whether to drop a passenger off or to get one, folks would just swarm over like mosquitoes on a fresh junk, hoping that by doing so would make them lucky to get in and head home. Wading has never been my strong points. It's part of my lifetime motto, I guess. I only grab an opportunity when nothing, or no one would want to grab it but me. Besides, on situations like that, wading with the crowd would just be futile. I don't want to exert extreme effort anymore for nothing.
I just ended up staring at them. It was the same boring scenario that I was seeing that hour. The only thing that woke me like a caffeine fix that night wasn't my coffee crumble, or Darren Hayes. It was a guy on helmet and a white shirt speeding through the flooded street, allowing himself to be drenched by the rain. At least there's someone out there having fun with the rain and the flood, I thought. And I couldn't help but go green with envy. Darn him for having fun while I wasn't.
I suddenly remembered the pair of slippers I bought from my boss a couple of months ago. I intentionally left it in the office so that in case I was in the mood for a walk home, I would wear it instead of my work shoes, or sneakers so that I can at least walk comfortably and with enough speed to burn calories and unwanted fats, at least. From the looks of the flood, and the rarity of transpo passing by, I suddenly thought of that option in coming home. The office is just a one to two minute walk from the mall, so I can just change footwear and relive that habit I incidentally acquired this year.
And after almost half an hour deliberation...and few more good songs in my iPod [the only thing that didn't fail me at that moment], I headed back to the office. That too wasn't an easy feat. I had to walk through on almost knee high water just to get my slippers, and save my pair of shoes to its doom.
And that's what I did, walk home. I didn't bother stopping, or checking a jeep with a vacant seat, I just walked. And smoked. I wasn't pissed, I was just having a good 'ol sound trip on my long walk home. If there is something good that's happening on that night [probably in my life this year], it's the shuffle mode in my iPod giving its full cooperation with my disposition. It didn't bother playing a lonely, sentimental, or romantically sappy songs on my playlist [hey, there are times that my sappy side needs to be satisfied, too! Thus, its inclusion in my playlist...defensive!]. Instead, it played pop, and a little bit of rock and alt to endure that unplanned walkathon.
As everybody would definitely expect, I walked all the way home, quite pissed over my ordeal, but tolerably so. I was even too tired to gobble up my dinner. I just ate a cupful of rice and then did a few more routines to prepare myself to bed. After all this litany, these are a few things that I realized. I want to call them, a moral lesson of some sort.
- Law of Attraction works. Really. But in order to fully work the way you want it to be, you have to make sure that you will not allow anything else to cloud your brain. period.
- There are definitely more people out there who loves to eat ice cream on a rainy season. And that is just disconcerting.
- I really have to consider changing my footwear next time before heading out on a heavy rain. At least it would be easier for me to decide to walk home or something.
- Finally, it indeed pays to have music as company on a bad and crappy situation like this. Even Law of Attraction says so. Trust me, it really works.
No comments:
Post a Comment