I went to church to attend mass but when I got there I was told that there was no 12:15nn mass on Saturdays. The website was wrong then. So I decided to have a pedicure. After the pedicure, I once again braved the intense heat of the midday sun. I bought some mangoes and decided to take a tricycle instead of the jeepney because I did not want to walk because I felt drained by the heat. Also, I didn’t want to hazard my newly painted toes. When I got in the tricycle, I almost fell because I sat on a wooden plank that was used as an extension instead of the seat. I sat there and waited but the driver did not come. I was surprised because usually it does not take long before the driver turns on the engine. I discovered that the driver was missing and I was asked to transfer to another trike. The dispatcher told me that the driver was defecating. Well, I guess even drivers suffer bowel problems while on the job. Who doesnt?
I woke up late earlier and I was already anticipating that I will be late for work. However, I decided to try to beat the clock. I opted to ride the tricycle and pay so much more so that I can take the road with lighter traffic. Unfortunately, the tricycle driver was a very slow driver. Not only that, he always managed to get stuck behind jeepneys that were letting off their passengers. I badly wanted to tell the driver to hit the pedal. When I got off the trike I was lucky that I was able to ride a Quaipo jeepney immediately or so I thought. I still could have made it but of course the driver had to stop by a gasoline station for refill. So much for making it to work on time.
I was almost home last Thursday when the tricycle I was riding had to stop. Half a dozen dogs were fighting in the middle of the street and the tryke was not able to get through. Actually only two dogs were fighting, the rest were just cheering them on and trying to get a slice of the action. The people standing by tried to stop the dogs but to no avail until they threw a basin of water on the fighting dogs. I could not get off and start walking because I did not relish wading through the fray. The dogs moved to the corner when water was thrown at them but still continued fighting. A small girl was almost caught in between. Good thing the dogs did not harm her. Anyway, the people continued throwing water at the dogs until the fighting broke up. We were finally able to get through. There are really plenty of dogs in the neighborhood that’s why every morning I have to be careful not to step on anything brown, yellow or sometimes even green.
Waaahhh! I bumped my head while getting out of the tricycle early this morning. Not only did I bump my head, I scraped it as well because the metal was a little bit rough. I surreptitiously massaged it as I was walking away from the trike. Until now my head still tingles. Just one of the trials of commuting, especially by tricycle. Some tricycles have low seats and placed deep inside that it’s really a trial getting in and out. It’s one of my grandmother’s chief complaints whenever we ride the trike. Very hard on old bones 
It was past 12 midnight when the Easter Vigil Mass was finished. There was no jeepney in sight so we decided to ride the tricycle on our way home. The street was empty and the tricycle was swift. It was wonderful to feel the wind in my face with what felt like less pollution. I really liked the feeling of seeing very few people on the road. We passed by the trees and streetlights lining the road. There’s something very ethereal and peaceful about empty roads during dark nights with only streetlights and the moon providing faint lighting. Of course the sidewalks could have been hiding petty and not so petty criminals lying in wait for victims. But riding along I felt safe and enchanted with the night. Maybe when I have a car in the distant future, I’ll go driving during the night just to feel its magic again.
