By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
The last few days have been quite a ride. The eventful comeback for the kids to their classrooms was something that would make any person smile. After all, schools belong to the children and the students, not to empty chairs and blank white boards. Aside from the return of traffic along with the students, the happiness of the parents and children was felt all over the city. That said, the day was the perfect set up for a wonderful week.
Instead, heavy winds and rain came down to crash the party, and dampened the mood of children alike. Rain, you would expect with how the previous week went. But an even stronger wind was a tad too much. It’s bad enough for your body to shiver because of the cold, but a messed up hair and clothing makes it even worse.
And because of work and the distance of our house to the city, a cold bath at night is all too common. Even after all those times, there is really nothing that can prepare you when the cold water touches your skin. Like the sudden thrusts of a thousand cold knives, it starts at the neck, and makes its way to the warm and fatty regions of your thighs. Some nights, you start to wonder if a bath is really needed at all, if it is really worth it. Thankfully, my mind has resisted against the temptations of a cold waterless night so far.
Wednesday arrived with a promising morning. Sun wasn’t all the way up, but the overall mood was an improvement compared to the day before. It had been some time when the beauty of the mountains was not covered by fog. Instead, their beauty was revealed to all who passed by Marcos Highway.
Although the early morning was teasing of a dry and sunny day, I opted to stand witness at the comfort of a warm home.
Fully expecting a rainy noon, the day fulfilled its promise of a wonderful day.
I had stood witness under the sun as it caressed the deep green sea of forest trees, magnifying an already beautiful existence.
Before I knew it, the week had started to end. Thursdays and Fridays came greeting with a bright morning. The occasional drizzle would come, but at this point, it is merely an inconvenience, not a hindrance. Nothing compared to the obstacle the previous rains presented.
All in all, the week did not necessarily start off with a bang. But it did start off with a lot of people. The rains proved only to be a passing event. It wasn’t a smooth ride, but filled with bumps and hiccups.
I won’t be surprised if there are bigger bumps in the coming days. Stronger winds and rains that will envelop the whole city in a depressing mood. Perhaps there will be even better days that can raise our standards for a good one.
Nevertheless, whether we are going down or going up, our ride does not end here. Still much to see and much to do at a time where many need helping.
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