empty space

Monday night I headed directly to roadside to catch up a jeepney bound home, this happened right after our team meeting with our boss, it was such a long wait because it took us 2 hours to get the whole thing settled. While perched on the jeepney, I was fighting the cold wind whooping inside the vehicle through dozing off for sometime and just trying to curl up my shoulders with my knees. I have all the liberty to do that for there were few commuters inside. The hell they care. They were also curling up and trying to take a short hibernation mode. Hehe!

It was past seven of the night that I reached and got off at the avenue where I needed to catch up another jeepney bound straight to my apartment but before that happened, the rain began to pour heavily together with a swift wind pushing my umbrella to its inverted limit. Soon, the pour picked up and the swiftness pushed me to retreat for a more covered point. Being in front of that   sleek hotel seemed safe but it just propelled more vulnerability, hyping the wind motion to its maximum. Envelopes of wind with rain blew me off like a bird seeking cover from a tree. Iced cold water retained in my head, shirt and slacks, clamping me to shiver. I hurried myself to cross the street and found shelter in a closed bank, here the wind was quite tolerable, its direction was diverted.

I stood there for half an hour trying to catch that last jeepney home but to no avail all of them were packed already with dampened and pushy commuters, I stayed for a while. The rain continued to fall down. Water began to gather and party around the intersections like in Rio carnival. Soon it was like ankle deep.

I was like crazily walking to and fro that short stretch of covered space along the bank, trying to spot an empty space on that jeep where I could squeeze myself in just to get home fast. I was really anxious because I do not want to get stranded on that water-themed party for an hour or whatever. So, I decided to change my loafers to rubber slippers and dipped my feet in the cold, rainwater building up on the intersection. I went on and stepped up my pace going to the nearest mall but saw no jeepneys along its unloading spot, so I crossed the street and waited in front of a convenient store. Happy to see something to snack on but bailed out my appetite and shoved no attention to my crumbling stomach in passing. It just took me maybe a little ten minutes or so to spot that empty space. Unfortunately, it was an empty squeeze in the passenger seat of that lonesome jeepney driver. I did not pass the chance and signaled the driver’s attention for me to hop on though I knew that I would be sitting no king garbed in fine, soft and dry golden chair.

I saw my hair drenched looking at the driver’s misted dashboard mirror, thoughts of winning were up in my grey. Like I won a battle for I knew that usual circumstances, chances were a shoot for the stars. If you were not persistent then it would not land you onto that spot. Better grab that chance, squeeze and soon you will land safely.

As we move forward, ripples of waves surrounded the jeep. Seeing the rush hour flushed with rain water, cars’, buses’ and jeeps’ bright lights, loud horns and people, who were all braving that flood water. Cruising along the streets, thoughts again seeped in me. That thought of being thankful that I was able to spot this empty seat although it was inconvenient for me from staying cozily dry but it was not the time to wait for that royal treatment or else comes to worst I will be stranded for hours on that marbled slippery bank if I did not move forward. I reached home safely and hungry. Took off my rain drenched blue striped shirt and stripped down my slacks, went straight to the bathroom and took a shower. Cold. Shivering. I lathered up myself, took that cold bath so as to avoid getting sick again.

That chance was never new to me ever since I brave my chances of leaving my comfort zone, away from home. I faced it. Tried to get around it in my own. Took the entrance and exit routes, bearing in mind the alternate ones as well if in case a road hurdle ahead. I bravely stepped on it, be it rough or smooth just to get that empty space and own it. Dry land is up ahead then.