Of Pens and Sieves

With the word play an obvious allusion to Harry Potter's pensieve (the smoky basin where Professor Dumbledore magically casts his silver-threaded memories for keeps), Of Pens and Sieves delves on a deeper and sometimes philosophical view of things one may find too melodramatic to have a take on. This new blog would be like a flower garden (complete with thorny roses, sweet-smelling dama de noches, and unwanted weeds) to my more serious thoughts - acute aspirations, emo-outbursts, sorry sighs, whimsical what-ifs, and from time-to-time, comic reliefs.

Like any garden, Of Pens and Sieves would need tendering, with the intention of acting as a therapeutic outlet as well. So please feel free to drop by, immerse yourself, or share your thoughts on/with mine (leave a comment if you wish).
Step inside my pensieve.

Getaway

Waking up on a beach front and greeted by the early morning sea breeze has brought back nostalgic longings for a simple life miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The rustling blades of coconut trees,
The soothing crashing of the waves amidst the calmness of the sea,
The youthful exuberance of innocent kids splashing on the shore and unmindfull of the world,
That picturesque golden sun gracefully bading farewell past the mountains.

The perfect therapeutic getaway.

The Moment

Sunday, July 24, 2005

We arrived at the airport nowhere near the suggested check-in time of 3 hours prior to departure (as if that's really necessary). In fact, it was way past 1:30pm and ETD was to be in 30 minutes. A little tense and swelled up for fear of her not making it for PAL Flight 432Q take off, I think, I hurriedly parked the car past the main entrance to the international departure lobby of the NAIA Terminal 2 to avoid scrutinous eyes. I took a sorry and long-faced glimpse at her as i was about to unseat myself and helped her to her luggage when she obliged for a kiss. I let out a reluctant smile and willingly did so. We then set off to unloading – a rather old looking and battered hard-shell Samsonite, a regular-sized hand-carried traveling bag and a brown paper bag she haphazardly bought at National Book Store keeping her newly acquired but slightly used Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince book safe. She instantly sped off to the nearby trolley station to get one, as I'm sure she'll be needing it what with her delicate physique, as I was unloading the obsessively 2-week heavy luggage from my car.

“Look at that” she said as she shockingly referred to the seemingly never-ending queue of travelers zip-zagging their way to the main entrance.

“Ok lang yan. Just tell them na you've got a 2pm plane to catch” i just said, as I was trying to hold off the uprising in my chest.

By this time, the swelling in my chest had been rapidly building up, to the point that I thought I would be shedding tears. Two weeks seemed to me an eternity. The longing would be unthinkable.

“So pano na? Goodbye?” I said.

“Goodbye.” We embraced like she'd be gone forever. I bade her farewell then set her off. I took off almost instantly from the bank where we hugged not knowing what to do. She turned around.

“Hatid mo naman ako dun” looking the way to the main entrance. “Oh yeah, sure. Teka lang, yung kotse kasi. Sara ko lang.” i then escorted her past the fleeting crowd, my trembling hands wrapped around her side.

“So pano? Goodbye.”

“Goodbye. Ingat ka doon.”

“Goodbye.” Then I watched her helplessly as she slowly tugged her cargo away... past the guards, past the usher she momentarily asked for I could surely assume the direction to the line, past my sight amidst the frenzied mob.

The moment came... That dreadful moment I thought I would never have to endure.

This time, i could no longer control it. The swelling had reached critical mass. I could not breathe. Slowly, tears started to form out of the corner of my eye as i turned my last. Twice or thrice I looked back, hoping against hope that she'd look my way amidst the bustle. But it never came. I drove off.