RUNAWAY

I didn't go to work today. I have a runny nose and a bad stomach. It's an excuse but it's not.

I don't even want to explain myself. I'll probably finish this summer thing, and then I'm off. Back to reality. Back to real problems that need honest solutions.

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I have a runny nose because I spent two days with my cousin who was sick.

Last weekend, all the three Houses (Rosary, Indonesia, Hillcrest) that make up the Family went to Laguna. The trip was off to a bad start. I woke up late last Saturday because I was out the previous night with Len and Bullet, and I was at Greenbelt until 3 a.m. slapping my arms (Makati isn't immune to mosquitoes, after all) and waiting for Ivan to fetch me. Ivan was up late, too, and had to pick up the Hillcrest House people, plus Hani and her relatives. We left Paranaque at 9, and a few minutes later Ivan had a flat tire. The drive to Sta. Cruz, Laguna was lightened somewhat by the presence of Samille, my two-year-old, sick cousin who kept shouting "Darna!" in the car. It was all good, until she vomited all over herself. To prevent her from crying, we had to entertain her by pointing to just about everything (Ricefields! Carabao! Umbrella with a girl!).

We picked up my tita in Sta. Cruz and we headed to our first destination, Majayjay Falls. Damn. It was a tough ride. Tough. Worse than Baguio. It didn't feel like Laguna at all. My mom is particularly freaked out by sharp curves and steep slopes, so it didn't help that she was the only one who knew how to drive in the car we were in (the others were in the other vehicles). It also didn't help that Ivan was driving like a maniac in front of us. He was hurrying because Hani had to be back in Manila by 8 to watch Kitchie Nadal. It was friggin 2 pm and we weren't halfway there yet! Anyway, I had to grab my seat just looking at the yellow van cutting its way through provincial traffic. Once, it ran through a rope stretched out on the road. Turns out people in the province do that, to stop cars so they can ask for donations or something. Ivan looked like he was about to punch someone. We thought he ran over a kid. Hay.

So we got to Majayjay, where the barangay hall was full of people with high-powered guns (NPA-infested area). We had lunch at the parking grounds. Sugpo, tapa, itlog na pula, ukoy, lechon, homemade sago't gulaman, saging. Hay.:) Solb na ko.

The actual falls was a "10-minute walk" away. 10 minutes to people in Majayjay is like "walking distance" to Len. You gotta re-adjust your definitions.

"Don't worry, it's worth it!" a guy who passed by called out, after seeing the look on our faces when he said "malayo pa ho." Well, it better be worth it.

And it was, thankfully. Majayjay is a beautiful place. Big boulders, clear water. The water fell down fast from the mountain to a shallow lake, and down again through rocks, forming a river. There was a lot of people, and we had to make do with a couple of boulders to set up our stuff. The water was uber cold, but felt good after a while. The place gives you the feeling that you're a nymph--or ant, whichever creature delights you--in this nice, wide, wonderful world. You can have everything you wish for, the world can do as it pleases with you and there will no abuse of any kind.

We left at about 6 pm. Ivan and Hani went back to Manila, the rest of us back to Sta. Cruz to my tita. I zonked out as soon as I touched the banig. No shower, no dinner. I woke up in the middle of the night to the voices of my relatives. They were arguing about Ivan's future, basically. I realized it was a "grown-up" conversation, and while I could've gotten up and joined in, I chose to be a kid and just lie there, pretending to be asleep. People argued, nothing was resolved. They got tired and finally went to bed. I wiped my tears and curled up.

When I woke up they were getting ready to go to Quezon. This was totally unplanned, and I had to be back in Manila to attend Sarah's McDo party. But since I was a "good" kid and I didn't have a car nor knew how to drive, I was stuck.

The trip to Quezon was hell. It was irritating enough that they were pushing to go there beyond normal reason and despite the sheer logistical difficulties, but the beach wasn't so nice, either. I waded in the waters to make my mother happy, and took pictures to keep myself entertained.

We finally got home at 10 pm, sweaty and dead tired. After a much-needed shower and dinner, I fell asleep again. I woke up today feeling the urgent need to take a dump. Must have been all the itlog na pula that I ate. In the toliet, I realized I had a runny nose.

I hate that. Sitting in the toliet with an aching tummy and a runny nose. It's the worst feeling in the world. And that's when I fell in love with the idea of not going to work. Nyahaha.