Si vlad, aside from having a clinic, eh... he is also the school physician of dep ed...
( times are tough, and it's hard to get by eh)
anyway...
he had a fieldwork to a costal town...
na... it's so far away...
it's inaccesible by landvehicle...
it's one days worth of straight hiking...
it's 5 hrs-long boatride...(from baler)
tapos...no cellphone signal...
it's so far away talaga...
And by the way...i'm still talking about part of where we live...Aurora province...
baka akala nyo...I'm talking about china...
that night ,he was nag-iimpake for the 3 day trip...
i was trying to convince him na ...
mag clinic na lang tayo...file it as a leave na lang...
(okey lang sa akin naka tunganga sa clinic with you)
gayak na lahat...
clothes,towel, soap, shampoo,flashlight...off lotion
(it's a malaria endemic area...)
and siyempre...
lifevest...
he has been having second thoughts of going na din...
pero...
kasama kasi si school superintendent...(kakahiya daw)
the rendezvous time is 6am...
hinatid ko sya sa fish port 7am...
the weather is perfect for travelling...it was hot and sunny...walang hangin...walang bagyo...
and...
if you were a surfing dud ...that was not your day...
there was no waves to ride...
fine...
talagang makakasama sya...
they were waiting for him...
we honestly wished ...they were nainip and just left him na lang...
then he was off...
1 day later ...
there was a heavy downpour of rain...
there were a few patients looking for him na...
the kapit bahay gave us an invitation...ninong si vlad ng anak nya...
the kids were asking when their daddy will be home...
2days later...
a storm was brewing...
there was no one selling fish in the market...
naku..
this is bad...
no fish in the market?...
Are the waves too high? or the ocean's too deep?
the risk for fishing is too great?
3 days...
my mama called me up...asking me kung nakauwi na si vlad...me bagyo kasi...
ang sagot ko...
"eh, ma...may life vest naman sya...tatawag na lang sya sa akin kung nasa TAIWAN na sya ... at papadalan ko sya ng pamasahe"...
(my mama did not find it funny...at the back of my mind , anxiety was building up na...pero there was nothing i can do...just wait until the storm was over)....
4 days...
morning...
mama called up nanaman asking about vlad...
i almost snapped at her ...na stop asking me na...there was nothing i can do ...wait until the storm is over...
afternoon...
mama texted me... asking if vlad was home...
i did not text back...
evening...
mama called me...tinanong ako...
"don't you think you should start looking for him?"
5 days
i was seeing patients ...
then...
there was a text message..."dra kuhanin mo po ang gamit ni doctor dito sa fish port"
i tried calling him up,there was only the sound of waves in the backgound...
naku! baka nga nasa taiwan na si vlad...
eh...up in the horizon is the pacific ocean...
sa taiwan nga kaya sya mapupunta...
my god...
my god ...
baka sa guam naman pala...baka sa iwo jima...o new zealand
oh no!! i need to review my geography...
kaharap ko ay ina ng isang batang hinihika...
tumayo ako...
sabi ko...sandali lang po ako..
sabay dampot ng susi ng sasakyan...
sibat na...walang lingon lingon...
nasa baler ako!?!!...
60 ang takbo ng sasakyan...
while driving... i was thinking na what would happen na to my kids...without their daddy...
lagot na...
i forgot to bring my bag...
what if...
hingian ano ng down payment ng ataol???
ohh noooo...wala akong dalang wallet....
low batt pa ang cellphone!!!...
my gooooddddd.....
when i reached the port...
i was looking for signs ...that something bad happened...
wala naman...
looks like normal ang mga gawa nila...
a friend waved at me...and i asked 'san ang gamit ni vladimyr...'
malamang...binobola lang ako ng sira ulong ito...
then i saw him...
he was hiding behind one of the pillars...
good thing i did not see his tummy sticking out of the pillars...(mataba kasi sya) kundi yari sya sa asar...
buhay pa naman pala...
he finds it hilarious...
he approached me with a wide grin on his face telling me he could die of laughter...because i look funnily worried...
how can i not be worried...
i was already thinking of...
payments for the ataol...
boxes of fita & skyflakes and gallons of kape to be served sa burol...
children's education...
explanations to be made...
papers to be handled...
me...alone with the kids...
eh...may pasalubong naman daw sya...
isang buwig na saging na saba...
(yes, that will surely erase all my anxiety...saging...)
dumaan kami sa palengke...
there was fish na in the market...
it was a breeezy day...
it's a good time for surfing...
we're having grilled fish and saging party later...
perhaps bukas ...
we can let the kids go swimming at the beach...
