A Long Way from Home

It wasn�t my first time. I�ve done this a hundred times and yet, here I am, seated at the back of the driver�s seat with my head resting on the window. It was weird, really, feeling this excited as if I haven�t gone home for years when it had only been five days since I last saw my house. Maybe it was from stress that the mid terms had brought me or the fact that I just spent my birthday the other day that made me feel this way. My body was aching and all I wanted to do was to sleep.

I remembered leaving the dorm early that day, not even bothering to attend my English class. I packed my dirty clothes neatly making sure that they would fit in my bag. I sprayed the remaining of my cologne and tied my hair into a pony tail. After making sure that all my electrical gadgets are unplugged, I locked my cabinet, bade my roommates good bye and walked out the door.

I stood on the patio of the dorm along with other students who were also waiting for the jeepney ride to the grove. It was a long wait but I didn�t mind. I was just too happy to be going home. Then the ride came and there I was, waiting patiently for it to drive away from the campus. I stared lazily, dreaming about what food we will be having that night and how I was going to spend my weekend. I knew it was due to my longing to relieve my freezing brain of the strain that it battled the whole week.

I was dumbfounded by what I saw when the jeepney finally came to a stop. I hurried down the steps while trying to calm myself. There were twice as much people waiting for the HM Transport bus to Cubao. In an instant, I felt that sanity left me and so I hailed the first bus I saw and rode it. Destination? I really did not know. I never even bothered to ask the driver on the route the bus will take. I just stepped in, took my seat and eventually slept all throughout the trip.

I was awoken by the voice of the conductor. �Magallanes! Magallanes!�, he said. The bus was pulled over and I saw two men going down and so I alighted too. Shock hit me when I realized that I had no idea where I was. The MRT Magallanes station was no where in sight. I was alone on the side of the road. All I could see were cars blazing past me. Not a single person was with me. Even stray dogs were no where to be found. There were buildings but they were behind this huge wall. I pulled out my cellphone and texted my mom. �Message sending failed� it read. So I checked on my balance only to find out that my load had expired. I walked, carrying my heavy bag, crying on the side of the road. I thought I was never to see home again. I was on the verge of breaking down and was almost resigned to being an orphan, a wanderer, or a hermit.

An hour had passed and my hands were aching from the heavy bag that I was carrying. Tears were continuously streaming down my cheeks. But then, I saw a lady traffic enforcer. She was no angel but at that moment I was sure that she was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I rushed toward her, half running, half jumping. I was almost hit by a car but I didn�t mind. At last I�m saved!