By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
Being stuck in lockdown the past two years, I’m sure we all got tired of looking at the same view. In our beds of which we spent so much of our time in, we would start to memorize the cracks and fissures above. Cobwebs that we had not noticed before started to become part of the design. The walls of which we walked through for the past 2 years became all the more familiar. Even the number of tiles in our bathroom would not be a mystery for the people who were truly bored during lockdown. Family members, people which we so dearly love, even their faces started to bring about negative feelings.
Eventually, we were released from our own houses. And the view which I saw outside was surprising. The sight of traffic was one expected by the locals, and the mayhem it brings. The view of a scorching sunlight while in between two cars is something I did not know I would miss during the early days of being released. But now, the same attitude I had years back about traffic jams started pouring in. Filling the body with stress and anger that would be released at anyone with the help of bad timing. Even family members are never safe to be yelled at in traffic jams.
The sight of tourists was also to be expected in this city. But my shock and awe at their numbers never changed. Even during the holidays before the pandemic, their numbers never failed to surprise. Even their shiny cars seemed to have survived through the pandemic and can now be seen many times in traffic.
Yet, even tourists and traffic go away eventually, even if its only for a short amount of time. But these past months, I could not help but notice two things that are now everywhere in the city. Face masks and motorcycles. And on these bikes would be square like boxes at the back. Some with the color of pink, while others are colored green and white. The face masks are pretty much self-explanatory concerning their numbers due to our situation. Although as more days passed in the early days of low alert levels in this city, I started to see more of this panda on the boxes containing food to be delivered. Eventually, we started to participate as patrons in the food delivery craze.
It was very surprising at first. Just a few taps on your phone and you can expect food to be at your doorstep in a few minutes. While all we often see is the driver handing out our food, seeing them behind the scenes can be interesting in its own way. In fact, just by going to a fast food restaurant we can see scores of them, taking orders and driving off. In one instance, we happened to bear witness to a driver drenched in rain, holding an order in his hand while walking to his bike. He walked over nonchalantly, seemingly unfazed by his dripping clothes or raincoat. It was such a manly sight.
While we only wait for the notification of our food being nearby, it can be easy to take these drivers for granted. As the pandemic had taught us, our social norms can vanish in an instant. Leaving us to adapt in such hard times. Perhaps the next time we make use of delivery apps, a simple giving of tip to these drivers can brighten both our day in these rainy times.**
