Nothing But Rain
When I was a gawky youngster, the passage of June meant the end of lazy summer days spent playing games and hunting for spiders. This dreaded month gave my mom the power to pluck me off the neighborhood streets amid my protests. To justify her Martial Law-like actions, she would remind me that in a matter of days, the school gates open for the next 300 days, and I ought to get used to sleeping early again. However, school, for me, was the easy part. Back then, we still managed to play patintero and touch ball during recess time, right? There is another thing associated with June that I really disliked even then: the rain.
I really don’t know why I always have this peculiar feeling of glum whenever the rainy days arrive. Just today at around two o’clock in the morning, I was roused from sleep by cracking thunder and rain. As the cold breeze crept through the curtains, I glanced outside and realized that I didn’t have an umbrella and that my water-proof jacket was still with the cleaners. Being the jaded commuter that I am, I would have to endure another torturous trek to the office with falling rain and mud puddles. For that, I resented the rain even more for ruining my first day of June so early.
***
The rain actually made its presence felt early on. A few days ago, I observed that my officemates were no longer bitchy about the sweltering summer heat. Before, most of them would whine like kindergarten students deprived of nap time and lollipops. Now, everybody seems at ease in their cubicles even as the heavens were painted a drab grey, accentuated only by darker gray patches that threatened of late May showers.
“Are you glad that it’s finally about to rain?” I asked the Queen of Pain and Tardiness (QPT), my self-proclaimed techie officemate, over lunch. “Well, yeah, at least it’s cooler now,” QPT mumbled as she hungrily scooped yet another bite of her chicken kebab. “Weird. I’m probably the only person not happy with the rain,” I said, as I lazily sliced a thin slab of pork tonkatsu.
I peered through the cafeteria window and saw a few long droplets obscuring the smog-filled Makati skyline. And though I’m probably as melodramatic as Mon Tulfo in a ballet recital, I felt sad. It distressed me enough to lose my appetite and not lick my dish clean. Ask anyone who knows me good enough and they’ll swear that in matters pertaining to gastronomy, this does not happen often.
***
Today’s gloomy weather mirrored the same mood that I felt last Sunday. I woke up to see gray clouds looming over the horizon and in an instant, felt no drive to do anything meaningful. In between bouts of extreme boredom and shallow slumber, the 10,000 Maniacs’ “Like the Weather” kept playing in my mind. I even scorned Shirley Manson for attempting to outshine Natalie Merchant with smooth lines like “I’m only happy when it rains…” during my fleeting moments of lucidity.
That evening, I got bored of being bored inside my termite-infested room and decided to touch base with the Perpetual Soul Searcher (PSS), my equally bored friend who I haven’t seen in about two months. PSS and I made our way to Gateway Cubao, hoping to catch the last full show screening of “Bikini Open,” the latest sexy comedy offering of Seiko Films, with no less than the triumvirate of Francine Prieto-Diana Zubiri-Nina Ricci Alagao taking the helm. We chose Bikini Open over other effects-laden American films to support the dying (literally) Filipino film industry. More importantly, with our depressed and bored demeanors, we only wanted to laugh.
Soon enough, we found out that Bikini Open was no longer screened in Gateway. “Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith” alone had four theatres in the taking, bumping off less profitable films. Feeling dejected, we settled for “House of Wax.” The Elisha Cuthbert-starrer packed lots of gross and gory stuff that made even me sick to the stomach. But in the end, I found myself smirking when the killer impaled a steel bar on Paris Hilton’s forehead. It was the perfect revenge for all of us who are annoyed by Paris’ countless bimbo antics that she successfully cashes on.
After the movie, PSS and I grabbed a couple of burgers and sodas. While munching through the cholesterol-laden beef, PSS was wondering if he’ll be able to secure parking space near the Makati Stock Exchange (MSE) building the next morning. See, PSS decided to accept a job offer from a call center based there while he reviews for the Nursing Board Exam. Like most fed-up Filipinos slaving in our gahd forsaken country, PSS will soon join his parents in the US and try his luck there. I mentioned that a part-time call center job would definitely cover up his expenses until he takes the Nursing Board. And besides, he won’t have to review much since he’s already a medical doctor. Along with his Nursing and Medical degrees, PSS also has a Law degree tucked under his belt. With all his degrees and achievements, PSS is still able to joke and laugh about his “career misfortunes.” In contrast, I would’ve committed harakiri now if I were in his shoes!
Feeling more down than ever, I glanced at the people outside the glass-encased walls of the burger joint. Some were walking briskly as if in an Olympic walkathon. Others were walking demurely as if they were parading candidates of a beauty pageant. Within seconds, most of them began to run with their jackets and bags over their heads, dodging for cover from a torrent of water bullets. Witnessing this, I rested my back on the seat, took another munch of my chicken burger, and begged the high heavens for the rains to stop.
