monsoon

Around this time last year, we had a middle-aged Arab guest in the resort who was madly in love with one of our Front Office executives. He extended his stay at the hotel just so he could try to make her feel the same way about him. Everyday he would visit her, bring her food and flowers, ask her out. Unfortunately, the lady never returned any of his affections. She was focused on her work and would give back nothing more than a firm, professional smile and send him along his way. We all watched along the sidelines as the months went by, entertained by how our respectable, well-groomed guest went about trying, albeit clumsily, to woo her. If he could spend a ton of cash and all his precious time and effort at it for months, we thought nothing could shake his resolve.

Then came the rains. Along with them, the winds. Quite literally, storms battered the island paradise like they haven't in a long time. Our guest, like many others, was forced to stay in his room as waters rose up all over the place. It lasted for almost a week.

After the skies cleared up, our gentle guest packed his bags, said a sweet, resigned goodbye to our Front Office executive, and went home to the Middle East. My aunt would laugh when she tells this part of the story, saying he found clarity after the storm. Gives new meaning to those lyrics from that song - "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone."

Around this time last year a great flood devastated our city, too. Iloilo was filled with water in just a few hours, literally. No one saw it coming since there wasn't even any rain. People were on their roofs waiting for rescue boats, power was out everywhere, drinking water was a rare commodity and the headlines were blaring with death tolls that rose up every day. I watched in horror as people had their homes destroyed and loved ones taken away from them by the rushing waters. It was a devastating time for many.

Back then I was also going through what I thought, and felt, was a great heartbreak. I'd just broken up with someone I cared about, and I thought that nothing would make it better. But in retrospect, the clouds in my heart cleared up right about the time the waters subsided and the sun started to shine over the city, too. So maybe there is some truth to the funny story about the weather affecting the way one sees certain things in life.

Yesterday, sirens started blaring over the city to signal that the waters in the rivers were rising caused by the continuous rains in the mountains. I was surprised and a bit awed to know that the city had gone to this extent for damage control. A few hours later, I found out that people living in high risk areas were already being evacuated and taken to higher grounds. Workers were being asked by their employers to leave early for home, as the anxiety was clear on their faces. After all, the flood control facility that's being built wasn't ready yet.

Fortunately, the waters didn't rise enough to cause as much damage this year. As the water rose slowly and the winds pounded on our homes, taking with them parts of the roofs of some, we wondered if anything would come again, now that we were ready. But the winds came and left and there was nothing more, for now. The waters quickly subsided in the city, even as the tides rose in the seas. In the morning it was as if I could hear a sigh of relief wash over the city. The sun shines, and it's a new day.