The Whole City of San Fernando is Flooded: The day I Fell almost to my Grave

This is the story of what happened that almost brought me to a sudden death.

Introduction:

It all started with my hair; I hated it. Kinky and dried out by the wind and heat of the sun as I had been walking two hours every day for seven consecutive days and followed by my biking for 8 consecutive days.

Well, if I really look at how it all began; it was actually my worry about me getting fat that I had thought of doing something to keep myself fit and healthy. It was a very good intention in fact. My sister came and mocked me for getting obese. I am not really that bad, but my sister always pick on me; I knew that but I also thought that she must be right. Then, unknowingly, I began to dislike my look especially with my seemingly protruding tummy.

I was chatting with my husband that Monday afternoon of August 7, 2012. I was complaining about my hair and he confirmed when I said that my hair is getting ugly. He even added that I look funny sometimes when I open my cam right after I wake up when he calls at midnight. I added that I look like Einstein and he laughed; well this is a serious matter to me...getting ugly.

It was already drizzling when my maid and I went to the beauty parlor after I chatted with my husband. I told her to bring the camera so she can take picture of me having my hair fixed. I had made it a habit to take pictures of my activities here so that I will have something to show my husband. (p.s. my husband is in the U.S., I am in the Philippines.)

When I woke up the next day I realized that the camera was left in the beauty parlor so I went back to get it at around 10:00 or so in the morning. It was very dark and it was raining hard; yet I cannot lose my camera anymore after just losing my new android a week or so ago.

After getting my camera I attempted to leave for home but there was a commotion of people in the street, a panic in fact; they were talking about a flood that was first of its kind of all the floods that happened in the City of San Fernando. They were talking about the whole of Pampanga province being declared by the President of the Philippines as a state of calamity. The owner of the beauty parlor suggested to me to stay because the jeepney transportation was aborted. The police in the streets were sending home all the passenger transportation.

I was riding inside the car of the owner. Her husband and a nephew attempted to drive me home when it was almost evening; as I didn't want to get my feet wet by flood water. I remember the epidemic after a flood in Cagayan de Oro City where people died of a virus that affects their kidney. My granddaughter was in fact affected by it and was confined in the hospital for a week.

I thought that I can be driven home safely by their car when it became impossible to drive through the strong current of the flood. Hence, the nephew called a "wheeler" or a bicycle with a side car to take me home.

I climbed up the stairway and was walking dry upstairs while I continued to take pictures. Two young guys were walking there too and I asked them whether they knew how deep the water was inside the subdivision where I live.

I was already in the last stairway and was on the top brink of the stair while I was still holding my camera to take pictures on the water below before I would dip my feet in it, when a woman was approaching behind my back and suddenly commented on my high heels saying "Hey, how dare you wearing such high heeled sandals when everybody is walking barefoot in this flooded world."

That made me; I was stunned and in an instant I tipped off from the top of the stair; I fell with my face down, the camera fell of my right hand. I knew I was falling but it was too late yet I was able to hold on to the railing of the stair way and the one of the young guys was quick enough to grab my hair. Yet I was completely hurt and lost balance. One step more and I would be in the water, the dark and strong current flood water.

I lost consciousness because despite the help of the young guy, I still had bumped my forehead on the brink of that cemented stairway. The last thing I heard was the scream of the woman asking for help. I didn't know how long it took but when I came to, I was already leaning on a wall upstairs feeling all the pain and dizzy. A policeman and a nurse were there and the two young guys were lifting me up to carry me to the hospital. The nurse woke me up by patting my face and kept telling me not to sleep. The impact of the fall traumatized and disoriented me.

They asked me my name and who I was but I can only say "Who am I, Where am I, who are you, what are you doing to me?"...and so forth. The nurse said that I had an instant amnesia.

But when I realized that they were carrying me with their bare arms and was taking me to the hospital wading without transportation, my mind was alerted. So I pushed them away and I said " let me stand up on my own, I am going home and nowhere else."

They were all surprised because only minutes ago I looked like a dying person, very pale and disoriented.

In retrospect, I found the irony of the whole lot. I wanted to look beautiful, healthy and fit as I live my beautiful life but when disasters come or when a need comes in relation to what I desire (such as wanting my hairstyle to look beautiful on me) then the accident happen that could have killed me if not for some "angels" or good-hearted people to help me and bring me safely home.

There are lots of twists and turns in life that are connected to one another. Disasters and fortuitous events sometimes remind us of some personal conflicts if only we can see the connection. Now I am well and safe at home, though the rain continues and the flood in San Fernando is still going outside. After all, "all is well that ends well."