Drabbles 91-100: More Fun in the Philippines
Drabbles 91-100: It’s More Fun in the Philippines!
91. Jeepney
"Don't they ever make these things with higher ceilings?"
Marce motioned for Emil to quiet down while everyone else in the jeepney laughed. "They make these things to fit in tight alleys, by the way," Darren said between snickers.
"It's not people friendly," Emil groused.
"Why, would you rather walk all the way there?" Marce asked, pointing to the long, narrow street ahead of them. She peered out the open windows of the tunnel-like vehicle, wincing as dust hit her eyes. "You paid up yet, guys?"
"Just eight pesos, right?" Emil asked.
"Yeah. Gets you a long way, doesn't it?"
92. Misa De Gallo (Mass of the Rooster)
"I got as far as six before I gave up."
"Good for you. I only did five before my exams."
"Got sick at three, had to stop going after."
"I'd do it if we didn't have to be at school so early; it's a pain to wake up at three am for more than a week straight."
"Would have done all nine, but on the last day I forgot to wake up on time."
Tato sighed as he looked at the entire sorry and drowsy group. "Next year, we're *all* finishing the Misa de Gallo. All nine masses of it."
93. Anilao
"I can't believe it's only now we've visited this reef."
Emil only grinned as he checked over his scuba gear. "Well about time we did, Marce. It would be a shame not to tell the kids we've never seen this."
"I just want to know why Ida and Mark were raving about it," Marce said before plunging into the water. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath through her regulator. All around her were colorful fish of varying sizes, swimming around pastel-colored coral spires. She gaped with amazement at her gauge; they were hardly even thirty feet under.
94. “Dirty” ice cream
The sight of the colorful cart was enough to break the lassitude that had swept over the house. "Shall we?" Mark asked Ida.
"Here, sixty pesos. That's enough for everyone," Ida said, handing him her coin purse.
Mark lost no time in heading out to the street. "Four ice cream cups, two ice cream buns please," he said to the vendor.
The old man opened the cart. "Chocolate, cheese, or ube?"
"Four chocolate, one cheese, one ube and cheese mix," he said. Even now he could already taste the cold confection on his tongue, never mind the name given to it.
95. Pandanggo Sa Ilaw (Dance with the Lights)
Though Darren considered himself a daring person, there were just some performances he he could bring himself to do. "I was always afraid of my hair catching fire," he remarked as he watched the couples on stage, all of them holding candles.
"You don't have to do the really tricky stuff, you know. The basic moves are impressive enough," Ron pointed out.
"Still," Darren said. He bit his lip as he watched Maan twirl about, kneeling just long enough to let Vic place a candle on her head. As she spun again, Darren swallowed hard, worried again about the flames.
96. Adobo
The rich aroma of soy sauce, vinegar and pepper was enough to already have all the Delos Reyes boys wandering towards the kitchen. "Is it ready yet?" Michael asked excitedly.
"Ooh, I'm hungry," Wayne said.
"Two more hours," Juliana said sharply to her grandsons. "No one disturbs this pot, you hear me?"
Even as his younger brothers groaned and whined, Emil merely sat back patiently. He preferred to imagine the rich, oily brown sauce poured over steaming hot white rice. The chicken and the pork cubes, already tender from being stewed for so long, would practically melt in his mouth.
97. Manila Bay Sunset
The view was the only reason that Darren even considered living in that loft. "Emil was right, the sun looks as if it's going to dance," he thought as he sat in front of the large glass window. The city stretched out below him, coming to a halt at the baywalk lined with coconut trees, and the half-crumbled breakwater. The sun was a golden orb in the reddish-gold sky, making the world seem all aflame.
Later, when Darren was already living in California, he'd look at the sunset from the Golden Gate Bridge, and feel as if it was lacking.
98. Pan de Sal (Bread of salt)
It was the smell, and not the knock on the door, that brought Ida back to the waking world. She tiptoed over to the door of the large dorm room, ignoring the snores of her roommates. She opened the door, looked down at the mat, where there now stood two bags of steaming hot bread and a pot of cheese spread.
She knocked on the adjacent dorm room door. "Mark?"
"What?"
"It's past seven, and it's breakfast."
"Can't we sleep in?"
"Mark, your mom already left us breakfast by the door!"
The door opened. "So that smell wasn't a dream."
99. Kape Barako
There were several ways Emil could tell, even with his eyes closed, if Marce was awake ahead of him.
First, he wouldn't feel anyone tugging away his share of the blankets.
Secondly, instead of Andrei and Alix jumping on the bed, he'd hear them playing elsewhere in the house.
Thirdly, if his timing was right, he'd hear someone singing in the shower.
However even on the laziest day, he could be sure of one thing. If he woke up late, he'd find the air filled with the rich, deep aroma of coffee, as black as the earth it came from.
100. Homecoming
"We have just arrived in Manila---"
Even before the announcement was over, the cabin had already erupted with cheering and applause. In his seat, Mark watched as some passengers excitedly checked their watches and phones, while others peered out the window to watch as the plane approached the terminal.
He patiently waited for the 'fasten seatbelt' light to dim and for the other passengers to begin disembarking before he reached for his phone. "You here yet?" he saw a message from Ida.
He smiled as he replied back: "See you in half an hour."
It was good to be home.