We live near the sea. From our small
house, it would take exactly 1,250 steps to the seashore. Sometimes, its 1,100
when I wear father’s big slippers. I am sure of it because we count our steps
together very loudly every time I and my childhood friends would go swimming on
weekends.
My eight-year old memories comes flashing
then each time I think of the sea. I really didn’t care if I got sunburned. I
didn’t mind about my hair getting brittle nor my eyes getting sore of too much
diving (goggles weren’t in that time). As long as I was with them, the
laughter in the seashore never ended.
I recalled, we had this
who-is-the-longest-to-hold-breath-under-the-water game and Ata would always
win. There was one time; Pedok beat him when he did not dip his head
after Katong shouted the go signal. When I emerged from the water to catch my breath,
I caught him laughing and then from there, only he would go dive immediately.
Then after me, one by one they all rose up from the water - Ata being the last
assumed he was the winner but felt cheated when Pedok emerged a minute later
which made him the winner. I told them how he cheated and we laughed out loud. The
next moment, we saw Pedok running butt-naked along the stretch of the shore
heading the direction of the dike. I would never forget how dark his ass was.
And how we loved the rain. When it poured
the first time that summer, all the kids in our barrio, except our rich neighbor
who thought rain was very annoying, would go out of their houses and gathered in
the streets. Pedok would always grab the attention. Instead of wearing shorts,
he wore his favorite dotted underwear he inherited from his father. So we made
fun of him. Ata who was looking for revenge had a plan. We connived and without
his volition, we lowered his favorite undies. And again his infamous black ass
was out and we all laughed, louder than the rain falling on rooftop. To
complete the shower time under the rain, we brought soap and shampoo, Pedok
with lugod (Ilonggo for hilod) for his, you know, black ass-et.
Several summers had passed. Things are
different now. In the sea, I can only watch the the kids of younger generation splashing water at each other without knowing how that brownish water used to be so cool. Maybe, until they read this. What was left for me to do is
to blame the quarrying and the piggery built by a certain
businessman-turned-mayor who allegedly brainwashed my fellow residents with his
“With this project, all of you will have a job.” I understand these folks that
for practicality-sake, they were left of no choice.
Before the water turned dirty, we could
see Pedok’s yellow teeth even below the water. His teeth were as yellow as the
corals. I doubt if these kids see the way we saw Pedok under the water before.
The sea became polluted. Not only was
that, houses nearby built making the seashore looks crowded and small. The sad
part is that the people in the barangay did nothing about it. I felt like I’m
the only one concerned with the sea.
It has been more than five year since my
last glimpse of the place where we used to swim and laugh. That’s even if I’m
1,250 steps away from the sea. When I’m asked to watch the sunset or go
swimming, I would just say no. I’m afraid that I would just be annoyed with the
garbage that has polluted the sea - that would just complete my bad day.
What had happened to our meeting place
when it rains? Nobody now comes out of their houses. Not even my young nieces.
I guess because the rain that used to taste like fresh water now tasted like
expired mineral water. Acid rain.
Where is Ata now? Can he still hold his
breath in the water? I miss Pedok and his ass-et. The laughter that filled the
long stretch of the shore before has remained an echo in my memory. The corals are gone. And now I
gave a damn if I get sunburned or my hair brittle.
I had a lot of funny and unforgettable
summer memories when I was a kid. Not anymore.
Please wake me up when summer ends.
