Rainy days that suspend classes bring back lots of fond childhood memories. I'm sure Lito Yunzon and Pedro Aldave would agree if they were reading this. This early morning we were greeted with a suspension of classes due to anticipated heavy rains from typhoon Falcon.
Actually, I'd been prophesying about it last night to my wife but she was a bit hesitant to buy the idea because the news said only the countryside would be affected, especially to the north. But I had a big hunch we'd get a suspension early today. And I was right.
I woke up early this morning listening to the rain and asked my wife if I were an accurate prophet. She muttered her agreement then begged to be allowed some more sleep. I seldom miss when it comes to predicting things. I have a keen sense of anticipation, seeing where things or events are headed for.
After a short sleep extension we finally got out of bed and was shocked to see it was 11 am. It sure felt like a short nap but apparently we had a 5-hour extension and missed breakfast. We decided on a brunch (breakfast and lunch) and cooked fried eggs, native sausages (longanisa), fried ground beef and some corned beef---actually mostly leftovers. We added a bowl of atsara (pickled veggies).
Now here's what's super. After brunch I, my wife and our grandson went out the front porch to enjoy the rain while our two sons fixed the table and dishes. We relaxed at the porch while grandson entertained us with talks, songs and dance. After his special numbers we watched the water flowing in the canal down the street and I casually mentioned about how my friends and I made small wooden canoes and placed them on the water when we were kids.
My wife immediately took out some papers and a pair of scissors and started making paper boats. Then she and grandson went out and placed them on the canal water. Soon, as I watched them, I was transported back to my childhood. Suddenly, I was young again and felt the rain on my face when I and my childhood friends had bathed in the rain, running up and down the street as we followed our makeshift toy wooden boats on the canal flowing down the street.
The very same street my grandkid was now enjoying with his grandma, huddled securely together under their umbrella while I stood nearby at the porch.
Rain is mysterious like that. It takes you to a different dimension if you're sensitive enough to the atmosphere it's creating and if you let it take you to the place it's recreating. If you just connect with it, it'd let you see in the distant past and revisit every detail like it was only yesterday. I could almost see Arturo and I soaking wet in the rain when we were grade 4 kids, shouting as our stick canoes raced each other, while Dennis Pido sat in the canal allowing the strong current to carry him down the street.
Yup, the water flowing in the street canals back then were that strong and that clean.
My wife called to me and I was immediately back to the present. Our grandkid was now bored of the rain and wanted to go back to our house. My wife seconded the motion and remembered the lessons she had to prepare. They went ahead while I looked back over my shoulders to watch my childhood friends slowly disappear in sight.
