The Missing Piece

Mariya

We woke up to a brand new day. Kina mang Pol kami nag agahan. They offered it to us. Ilang oras pa nilang pinilit ang mag asawa na tanggapin ang pera namin pero ayon sa dalawa ay, hindi sila humihingi ng kapalit. They're too kind that we can't help but to leave our contact number to them. In case kung kailangan nila ng tulong ay willing ang kahit sino sa amin.

Nang matapos kami ay pinagkasya na naman namin ang mga sarili sa loob ng van. I felt sad when we are about to leave the place. Ewan ko ba, isang gabi lang naman kaming nanatili doon, pero pakiramdam ko, ang daming nangyaring hindi ko makakalimutan.

We once again traveled the road going to god knows where. Kung saan kami dalhin ng gulong ay doon na kami pupunta.

We stop by few cities and municipalities. May mga bagong lugar din akong nalaman na hindi ko alam na naroon pala. May mga prutas din kaming binili na mura lang bilhin sa lugar kesa sa grocery stores na madalas bilhan nina mama at ate Jenna.

Meeting new people and discovering new places are memorable for me. Parang ngayon palang ako na expose talaga sa totoong mundo kahit na nakapag travel naman na siguro ako dati.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it." Namamangha na saad ni Fritzie. Paano ba naman kasi, may nadaanan kaming marsh kung saan may nakita kaming buwaya. Maliit lang naman iyon kaya hindi naman ganon ka nakakatakot. Saka may iilang tao rin ang nagbabaan sa sasakyan nila kanina para kumuha ng litrato.

"Did you take a good picture of it?" Si King na nasa tabi parin ni Fritzie. Ganon parin kasi ang seating arrangement namin. "Yeah, I did."

"Ako hindi na kailangan. May mga buwaya na sa magkabilang gilid ko eh." Fritzie laughed at Clarisse's remark. Sabay naman na kumontra sina Dave at Ernest. "Hiyang hiya naman kami sayong alligator ka."

"Shh.. Natutulog yong ate Jenna niyo." I suppressed my smile trying real hard not to show it. Si kuya Jiggs iyon na bahagya pang nilingon si ate Jenna.

She's sleeping peacefully on the frontseat. Hindi siguro siya masyadong nakatulog kagabi dahil namamahay. She's always been like that. Kaya nga kahit nag offer dati si mama at papa na mag stay in si ate Jenna, mas pinili niyang umuwi tuwing gabi.

Aside from few houses, all we can see are green mountains and trees. People on this side of the country seems to live simple yet, peaceful. And I think, that's better than having wealth but in a chaotic life.

A lot of people think that being successful means you should have nice car, elegant mansion and high paying job, but for me, success can be found in the simplest form. It's when you can live contented with just everything you have. For that, you will have peace of mind, because you won't have any richest to lose. It is when you're able to let go of any material things you possess, because you know, that in this life, it is not what matters most, but the impact we have imparted to the people around us and the love we have gave, for them to cherish when we're gone.

"Next stop, davao baby!" Excited na sigaw ni Dave. Nakapag search siguro siya sa google nang minsan makadaan kami sa lugar na may signal.

Everyone cheered to that. Davao is a wide province, hindi ko alam kung mapupuntahan ba namin lahat pero excited akong maka diskubre ng bagong lugar at tanawin.

We had a stop over to buy durian candies from the vendor on the street. Balak pa nga sana nilang bumili ng durian mismo kung hindi lang mang aamoy dito sa loob, kaso naka aircon at close ang sasakyan kaya candy nalang muna.

The next stop was on the crocodile farm that is very famous in Davao. Hindi lang kasi mga buwaya ang nandoon ngunit marami rin ang ibang mapapasyalan. It's like a mini zoo with different animals but their main are crocodiles.