It all started as one ordinary day. After bringing Gio to school, I parked my car in front of the tennis court, did some warm-up exercises, then started my 5k walk/run. I was happy with my new record: a total of 2.4 k run and 3k walk for 45 minutes flat. Hmm . . . maybe next time I'll run 3k and walk 2k. I'm sure Jaymie (my mentor) will be very proud of me.
At 9 AM, I was already in the bank. I knew the queue will be long because it was pay day so I wanted to be the first in line. Well, I wasn't the first but I was in a good mood so I didn't really mind. I did some errands after that and before I knew it, it was lunchtime for Eia whose class starts at 1 PM. After bringing Eia to school, we went to Starmall to buy Tatay's alkaline water and our favorite sampaloc.
Then it happened. Again. The car just won't start. This time, it was for real. What happened last Friday was just a warning. Or maybe God helped me that time because the children were with me and it was dark and raining. The thought of this actually happening last Friday when we climbed the mountains of Antipolo gave me the shiver.
I walked to the nearest auto repair shop and requested someone to go with me to Starmall to check my car. According to Romy (the mechanic), the car should be brought to the shop for a possible replacement of starter. He called 2 parking boys to push the car so it would start and off we went to the shop. As soon as we arrived there, my celfone rang. It was T. Chad, Eia's former speech therapist who was vacationing from the States. He wanted to meet me later that day to finalize his investment portfolio. I told him I'll just wait for my car to be fixed, pick up Gio and Eia from school then I'll meet him at SM Megamall.
The mechanic had to go to Zapote to buy a replacement for my starter. I informed him that the car should be fixed before 4 PM for my children to be fetched in school. At 3:45 PM, Ate Ella and I were already on our way to Eia's school. T. Chad called again, requesting me to meet him at Kitaro Wack-wack cor. Shaw Blvd. So after bringing the children home, I immediately left to meet T. Chad.
I was jubilant that it only took me 30 minutes to reach the intersection of EDSA and Shaw but I was wrong to presume that I could turn left from EDSA to Shaw. I had no choice but to go ahead and make a U-turn in Ortigas, go back to EDSA and turn right to Shaw. I couldn't believe that it took me ONE HOUR to reach the other side of Shaw!
By now you would think that I was already fuming M-A-D. I promised T. Chad that I'll meet him @5-5:30 PM but I arrived there 6 PM! I was relieved that he was with the very beautiful T. Lua (also a former therapist at UP CAMP). At least, he didn't wait alone.
As for me, I wasn't alone either. I was with James Ingram all the way from Philamlife Village to Wack-wack. My radio just wouldn't work after the replacement of the starter but the CD player worked. It so happened that the only CD in the player was that of James Ingram. Thank God James Ingram kept me company or I already went nuts going through that monstrous traffic.
After a quick meal at Kitaro and finalizing my business transaction with T. Chad, I dropped them off at the MRT Station then started my way back home--with James Ingram serenading me over and over again.
