lifethread

IT IS NOT JUST A DREAM

“Wake up” I heard from our patrol leader.

“Ibangon yo et iman” our adviser seconded.

            My co-scout even shouted my ears just for me to wake up. Yes, my eyes were widely open but I feel something strange, something that bothers my mind. I did not even dare to speak to them. I just woke up like a statue.

            It was November 29, 2011 in Paracelis, Mountain Province and the last time I checked was around three in the morning. It was out of my mind that it is the time for us to leave the place. All the challenges were done and we must pack our things.

            All my stuffs were all fixed and we are all ready to say ‘bon voyage’. The last part of the jeep was reserved for me and I don’t know why.  The wheels started to rotate and we are moving far and far. I was so helpless and I feel something is forcing me to close my eyes. In a sudden, I see an absurd scene- a crying baby boy carried by an average man and a man wearing a Barong Tagalog with bloody face. The scene was so clear to me. But then, the jeep stopped as I heard a voice saying “Scouts, let us have first our lunch”.

            The place was plane and green, humid and hot. “Ma’am, where are we?” I asked our adviser, “San Pedro, Nueva Ecija” she answered. As we are eating, everything I saw in my dream was likely nothing. We laugh, we eat and we make stories with my co-scouts.

All of us were so full and we are ready to continue our travel home. My eyes just caught the attention of an elementary scout holding an orange ice candy. “Hey, where did you buy that?” I asked, “At the store across the street” he said.  I was too eager to have one since it was too hot. I looked at my left and right to see if there are running cars. I saw a black motorcycle around 300 meters away from where I am standing. In my mind, the motorcycle is too far so when I cross the road it will not hit me. I run as fast as I could but the moment I open my eyes, I am trembling while lying in the sand. “This was what I dreamt of”, the very first phrase I uttered.

 All the scouts surround us, their faces were all blank and nobody cares to help us until my adviser starts to help me sit. I turned to my right and I saw a crying boy of around two years of age carried by an average man while beside me is a man wearing Barong Tagalog with bloody face. His helmet was broken and a sharp part of the helmet hit his eyebrow.  I checked again the boy and found out that there is no severe wound, only a scarce in his leg.

            I wanted to stand and help the man while he is trying to reach his bag but I really can’t. Both my elbows and knees and some parts of my hand and feet were wounded. “Ading, han ka pai tumaktakder” the store owner calmly said as she applies alcohol on my wounds. I can’t do anything so I just sit and say to the man “Sorry po, sorry po, sorry po.”

            He reached his phone and called someone. I heard him saying “ ni Pastor Alex daytoy, haan nga matuloy ti binyag tani naaksidente kami ditoy asideg da bayaw.” Now I know that they are in speedy run because they are rushing for the baptismal ceremony of the boy. My tears shed so fast as fear and pity cloth my whole body. I talked to my adviser not to leave me because of my fear. It is not just a fear from my parent’s scolds but with regard to the situation of the man. What ifs even started to enter my bothered mind- what if he will suffer and struggle this all his life, what if he has no money for medication, what if he has no family to take good care of him and many more.

            After about thirty minutes, two policemen came and took some pictures in the scene. I feel so nervous during their presence. One asked me if I am ok and I said “I still can manage myself” while the other policeman talked to Pastor Alex. A minute passed by, an ambulance came and took us to the hospital. I hardly grip my adviser’s hand for her not to leave me.

            Me and Pastor Alex were lying on the bed of the ambulance. “I am very sorry, Pastor, kunak gamin nu adayu kayu sunga nagcross ak ladtan” I said to him, “Anak, lipatan ta ladta ta nalpas en met, ikararag ladta keni Apo Dios nga umimbag ta nga dagus” he said to me.

            I also told him that I dreamt the accident and I said that God is really powerful to give me a sign but I just ignored it. The Pastor just smiled and said “sometimes we must not just say it is just a dream because some really happens in the future.” When he said that, the ambulance stopped as the emergency staffs rushed us to the surgery ward. The nurse separated us but we are still adjacent with each other. I thought I am going to rest and be calm when in a sudden a high pitched voice of a woman breaks “ anya inkaskasta na dayta nga ubing nga kala haan na amu nga agcross”, later that I know she is the wife of Pastor Alex. “Awan pai met kuwarta tau nga pang agas dita” she continued. She entered my room and I asked for forgiveness for what I had done. She accepted it and moved out immediately.  I don’t even know why I am the one asking for such forgiveness, the fact that I am the victim, or maybe I feel so much pity to them.

            The nurse started to clean my wounds and injected me with anti-biotic and disinfectant. After two hours of resting in the hospital, they let us signed the discharge paper. I helped myself and asked Pastor Alex to stay healthy and to take every medication for speedy recovery. And so with him, he let me take his number for friendly conversation and to know his or my situation all the time.

            The jeep fetched us in the hospital, and still they reserved me the back part of the jeep. The scouts greeted me with a smile while the jeep is running. I asked them what really happened before I was bumped by the motorcycle. And they told me that they were shouting for me not to cross because the motorcycle is moving fast. Some even tried to run after me for me to stop. I told them that we must be thank to the Almighty because I did lost any part of my body, even the child was so blessed amidst of not wearing a helmet hence he did not have any severe wounds and Pastor Alex too did not suffer too much.

            We continued our ride and we arrived home swiftly around six in the afternoon. One thing I am thinking is how to explain what happened to my parents. I know that they really trust me that I will not involve myself in danger. I know I can tell them that what happened to me was an accident but what if they won’t understand.

            I bravely entered our house as my mother greeted me. She was surprised but I explained directly to her what happened and she accepted it. I told it also to my dad and he also understood it. And as a request of my adviser, after three days, we butchered a chicken so that such accident will not happen to me again in the future.

            There is nothing such as ‘it’s just a dream’ because whether it won’t come true it always symbolizes something. God provides dream as our guide in our life.