Mauie Flores

Ralph and I were riding the jeep that will take us home. Tomorrow, we are expecting our brand new Hyundai Tucson to be delivered. We're so ecstatic about it. Ralph was excited about me driving the Honda City and Daddy taking the brand new car to work. We were in Cloud Nine.

Traffic made our jeep stop in the middle of the bridge crossing Floodway. The East Bank and West Bank of Floodway is crowded with shanties. That day, the shanties by the East Bank were demolished. There was a woman beside me who commented that they used to live there. This morning was the last time they saw their house still standing up. The woman was teary-eyed, she was with two girls whom I estimate to be 4 and 13 years of age. They were carrying plastic bags that appeared to be the bags that carried their whole belongings. She looked at me and probably saw the pity that my eyes showed. She said, "Di bale na, may Diyos naman." I looked away, never knowing what to say. I didn't want to meet her gaze.

From Cloud Nine I was sent back to the earth where I stood a few minutes ago. Are they to blame for being poor? But is it our fault that we are financially secure?

This is it! I really have to learn how to drive na. Well, actually I know how but I can't put it into action smoothly. I enrolled in Socialites for a 10-hour lesson last week. Last Saturday, I attended the Orientation Seminar and this morning was my first actual driving lesson.

My instructor gave me a short lecture about starting the car and making it move from 1st gear. It took some time before I was able to steady the gas and release the clutch slowly. (Kawawang kotse, hindi lang nila alam na nasunog ko na ang clutch ng dati naming Toyota! Hehehe! Shhh!) After some time, we're already cruising Ortigas Ave. Ext. and he told me to shift to second gear. We took a right turn to Life Homes, down the Floodway Bridge, and took the east side of Floodway to Taytay. Everything went smoothly here. I learned how to slow the car down to a full stop (Swabe ha, not unlike the jeepney drivers who just stop keber na magtalsikan ang mga sakay nila sa likod!) Hay, medyo panic mode ang lola niyo kasi nakakaloka looking every 3 seconds sa rearview mirrors. Puro trucks ang kasabayan namin, malditong instructor ko talaga!

So from there we took the road to SM Taytay. The road past SM Taytay back to Cainta is somehow uphill. Panic mode: medyo hanging na kasi. Ayun na nga, ilang beses ako namatayan ng makina. Natatawa na ang instructor ko eh, maldito talaga. But it was a worthwhile experience, because at least I experienced that with an instructor and not all by myself. Yun pa naman ang route ko to and from work. Tsk tsk tsk... kailangang ma-master ito.

We took the road leading to the town centers of Taytay and Cainta. Hay, traffic naman. Sakit na left leg ko, kaka-Clutch, Break, chuva. Kaya pala mainit ang ulo ni Dadijun pag traffic. Masakit pala talaga sa katawan. Inside Marick Subdivision, I learned how to deal with eskinitas and humps. I have to practice more in making turns. Pag hindi na kasi wide ang daan malaking problema na sa akin. But, hey, it was my first day so give me a break!

Tomorrow is another 2-hour driving lesson until Wednesday. Hope my instructor still has the patience and sense of humor that he had with me today. I'll be driving independently before I turn 30! That's a promise!