Life in the Midst of COVID-19 (Published by Ukiyoto Publishing)

March 2020 (Part 4)

Three days later, my younger brother and I went to town in order to withdraw a small amount of money and to buy some foods. When we reached the street, there was no motorcycle. We just walked for a while but then when we reached half kilometer away, we almost give up but then there was a motorcycle passed by. We felt glad about it. We rode that motorcycle in going to our town.

When we reached the town, I immediately searched the rural bank. But when I was about to enter, I saw a signage posted outside. A signage informing everyone that people who didn't wear face mask were not allowed to enter the bank. Sad to say, I didn't have face mask. So, I went to the market to buy a washable face mask. I was dismayed because the quality of the washable face mask was not that good. The fabric was so thin and it was also small and expensive. This may sound a little bit harsh but some people took this pandemic as a good opportunity for business and money. But maybe it was their one way for living. Perhaps they thought that this world was like a survival to the fittest and they forgot the word "humanity". This is the sad reality.

When I got the face mask, I went inside the bank. Before handing my ATM card, I followed the health protocol which was sanitizing my hand with isopropyl alcohol. I had a little amount because that was my last salary given by the company I was working before.

Unfortunately, the ATM was not available because the machine of that bank was not functioning well. I was worried because we didn't have enough  money for the fare of motorcycle going back to our home for I spent the rest of my money to buy a face mask earlier.

My brother and I went to other banks and pawnshops but they just told us that their machines were offline. They suggested me to go to the other town to use another ATM machine. They just hoped that the ATM machine was not offline. They were not one hundred percent (100%) sure if the ATM machine was really alright.

I was so sad when I heard that. We had nothing to do except going to the other town to withdraw money. But my sadness was doubled when the tricycle driver said that we need to pay the fare times two than the usual fare due to social distancing. I forgot about social distancing thingy but we left no choice but to follow the policy of the government.

While riding the tricycle l, I was anxious and restless. I prayed so hard that I could get money so that we could go back home.

Indeed, God answered my prayer. The ATM machine was okay and I got money from the bank. When I used the ATM machine, we still followed the health protocols such as wearing face mask, maintain the social distancing, and sanitizing our hands before and after using the machine. We were very happy and blessed! We bought some grocery items and headed to my hometown.

We rode tricycle again going back to my hometown. The driver was very kind.  We talked while maintaining the health protocols. He told me that Cebu was under lockdown because there were two people who were positive in Lapulapu City. That was the last day of the operation of public transportation. No bus, jeepney, taxi or tricycle, motorcycle, and others. I was really sad when I heard that. I thought of my boarding house and my things in the city and my job as well. How could I get back to the city without public transportation? I am not rich and I didn't have any private vehicle or even motorcycle.

When we reached my hometown, he let us pay half of the regular fare. I was surprised and told him that the standard of the fare that time was even doubled. But he just smiled and said it was alright. I thanked him and when we walked to the other side of the, I realized that despite the pandemic, there were still people who value humanity. I sensed that he felt pity to is because he realized that we are not rich by just looking at the clothes we wore.

Next happening was the thing that I didn't know and expect. When I bought something, people were scolding me because minor and citizens were not allowed to go out due to the threat of COVID-19. My younger brother was only 11 years old. They told me to hide my younger brother because if the police would find out, the penalty was Php 5 000.00. I was afraid  that time and so my younger brother. He was pale because we both knew that we didn't have that amount. We were troubling about the fare for motorcycle going back home, how much more paying the penalty worth Php 5000.00? It was too much that's why I couldn't focus in buying bread and other necessities. I felt a little bit angry to myself for not knowing about that. I felt pity to my younger brother because I knew he was excited to come to town with me. Since we just came from a humble family, it was very rare for him to go to town because we didn't have budget for the fare of motorcycle. But that time, his excitement turned to fear. He was afraid to the policemen and me. He was scared if I might be angry to him. I couldn't focus anymore what to do and buy that's why I decided that we should head home to avoid bad situations about my younger brother.

The driver of the motorcycle told me that he felt sorry for forgetting to tell us about the lockdown and about the restrictions of going out of the minors and senior citizens. Maybe, he was really guilty that's he let us pay the fare with a discount.

When I reached home, I told my parents about the lockdown. We were worried about my three (3) brothers that they won't be able to go home because of the lockdown. My mother was shaking her body when she heard the news. So we dropped the topic because we were afraid that the condition of my mother will get worse even if she took medicine. She wasn't heal completely.

But God is really full of surprises since the night came, we were so happy because my three (3) brothers came before the midnight (the time of the lockdown of Cebu).

March 30 came it' s the birthday of my father and we also celebrated our barangay's fiesta. It was really festive and my relatives went to our home to celebrate with us. They sang on the video karaoke, danced, drank and ate together. Celebrating fiesta is one of the traditions of Filipinos and this is celebrated annually. We inherited this celebration from the Spaniards. Just a little trivia. Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards for 333 years before. This is the reason why Filipinos have many beliefs and traditions inherited from Spaniards.

BOTTOM LINE

1. God is working in your life and He is full of surprises. That's why we need not to lose hope and trust everything to Him.

2. Despite the bad situations, put in mind the word "humanity" and learned to value it.

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Glory to God!