Our boss required us to wear formal attire for her wedding two weeks ago. "Half past three in the afternoon," the invitation said. At two o'clock I was ready to go, except that I've yet to catch a cab. My mom took the task of getting one - well, you can hardly stand along the streets of Morayta wearing a long gown, can you?
An hour later I'm still perched in our living room, waiting. Living room? I was by the door, trying to control the contortions progressively invading my facial expression. I called our store a few blocks away to see if my Mom's there, but our kasama said she's nowhere in sight. A parade was ongoing outside our home - I don't recall for which saint - and some members of the third sex spotted me and conducted a show for my "entertainment" and their, aherm, profit. And profit it was; they wouldn't take anything less than a hundred bucks... each. I was more scared than entertained, though: they're spitting fire in a crowded compound of wooden houses, and sometimes they do it facing me - I had to constantly keep my dress out of the way, don't want to be the "toast" of the community.
Three thirty PM. Still no sign of Mother. I placed my second call to the store: negative. Irritation and panic started to get to me; it didn't help that I was now a couple hundred bucks poorer than the last hour I spent seated by our front door, thanks to the fire-breathing exhibitionists who wouldn't leave me alone. "Ano ba, tunaw na yung make-up ko!", I said.
At last I heard my mom calling, rapidly walking towards the house as she did. I wasted no time getting myself inside the vehicle and taking steadying breaths. Considerably calmer than my previous state, I finally asked, "Bakit ang tagal nyo naman." Flatly; I don't even have the strength to intone a question mark. "Eh pasensya ka na..." she started, seemingly still in a daze, then went to tell me about her quest and how she finally caught a cab.
That's when it hit me. While she went to and fro, almost covering the entire U-Belt on foot ("para na akong baliw", she commented), looking for a ride for me, all I can think of is my faded make-up, which could be retouched anyway. I was ashamed of myself. Talk about the lowest life form imaginable.
It's sad how we sometimes tend to take for granted our parents' sacrifices just to get us what we need (at times, what we unnecessarily want). Sometimes these are little things, undiscussed and forgotten thereafter, but sacrifices all the same.
By the way, the wedding ceremonies started at 4PM. All that tension and still I was ten minutes early.
Sorry Mama.
