A new school week dawned. But as I woke up and peeked at my window, the sky outside looked very gloomy.
"It must be storm clouds," I thought to myself.
I went down the living room to check on the news. Unfortunately, the forecast indicated a typhoon is expected to arrive in a few hours.
Signal No. 1 was raised in our town, meaning that preschool and elementary school classes would be suspended. Just as the news was announced, rain began falling hard on the ground.
"I have a bad feeling that classes would be suspended today," Charissa told me as she prepared breakfast. "You and Michelle might get stranded if the downpour continues."
The television remained on as Charissa and I awaited any further reports of class suspensions. But none came, at least for the moment.
Michelle had barely arrived at the lobby when I went down. She was also anticipating the worst.
"Michelle, the weather has gone from bad to worse," I commented. "Do you think we should stay home instead?"
"Well, I haven't heard about a possible suspension too," Michelle responded. "We'd rather go to school than cut class."
Michelle steadfastly drove her car in spite of the strong rains. But then we were greeted by some floodwaters upon reaching Manila.
Driving in these conditions soon became very tricky. Traffic became a standstill, and waiting became a painful experience.
Just then, I received a tweet from school management.
"We have announced that classes will be suspended today because of heavy rains and flooding in the area," read the tweet. "We encourage you to stay safe and prepare for the worst. Thank you very much."
"Looks like we don't need to go to school today," I solemnly said to Michelle. "Classes are suspended."
"But we're stuck here," Michelle answered gloomily. "We can't get out."
"Don't worry," I replied back. "We can take a u-turn."
With classes now suspended Michelle and I decided to go to a nearby coffee shop for some brunch. We thought about going home, but we realized that killing time outside would be much better than staying home bored.
As I ordered two tuna croissants and two cups of green tea, Michelle opened her laptop and logged in to Skype. There Ella showed up through a video screen and they began to talk.
Ella: "Hello Michelle. Where are you right now?"
Michelle: "Christine and I are at the coffee shop. We were about to attend school when they announced a suspension of classes this morning."
Ella: "Well I hope you're safe out there."
Michelle: "By the way, have you talked to Jamie about the video assignment?"
Ella: "Not yet. He has not telephoned me. How about Taylor and Erin?"
Michelle: "They haven't called either. We're contacting them for some updates."
Ella: "Oh well, we'll just have to wait. By the way is Christine there?"
Michelle: "She is just buying some delicious pastries for brunch. Don't worry she'll come."
Ella: "Okay then Michelle. I'll wait."
Just then I returned from the cashier with all the orders and delivered them to the table. As we took a bite on the croissant Ella excitedly licked her tongue at the sight of our delicious meal.
Ella: "That looks delicious. What was that anyway?"
Michelle: " It was just a tuna croissant. Crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside."
Christine: "Umm... so tasty."
Ella: "Hi Christine!!!"
Michelle handed over the headphones to me and placed it above my head. Ella and I started talking.
Christine: "Oh hey there Ella. Glorious morning out there."
Ella: "Indeed. If not for the harsh rain I would have gone outside. So here is your friend relaxing in the comforts of home and finishing a few errands."
After I had taken a bite of the croissant and a sip of the tea, we resumed our conversation.
Christine: "How was your sleep last night?"
Ella: "It was okay. I mean nothing significant happened. I absolutely enjoyed a good night's sleep."
Christine: "Have you taken your medications this morning?"
Ella: "I just took mine after breakfast. Right now I'm breathing extremely well."
Christine: "That's splendid to hear."
As Michelle and I completed our meal, Ella received a phone call.
Ella: "Can you hang on for a second? I received an urgent phone call."
Christine: "Sure thing."
A few minutes later, Ella returned to her desk to continue our chat. I then handed over the headphones to Michelle.
Michelle: "So who contacted you?"
Ella: "It was Jamie. He is going to a shop to help render our videos and transfer them to a CD. The deadline may be this Thursday, but it was obvious that he didn't want to waste any more time."
Michelle: "Isn't it expensive to go to a shop to render videos?"
Ella: "Well, he comes from a rich family, so it's no big deal."
By 12:00 p.m. the rain weakened slightly and the floods gradually subsided. However, Michelle and I had no plans to go home just yet.
At that moment though, Michelle heard Ella's stomach grumbling.
Ella: "Well, you heard my stomach. I have to eat now. We'll go talk later."
Michelle: " Okay then Ella. We'll see you around some other time."
Michelle and I had waved our hands goodbye to Ella before she disappeared. At that point Michelle pushed the exit button on Skype and put down her laptop.
Still in no mood to get bored at home, we decided to do some shopping at a mall in Ortigas. Michelle, being the more fashionably sensible lady, brought in a few blouses and pants while I shopped for other basic wear.
Michelle and I then stopped by a sports store to look for some new basketball shoes. She favored low-cut sneakers for its light weight and reduced pressure on the feet.
After purchasing a fresh pair, Michelle and I returned home with some new clothes on the bag. Luckily for me, Michelle was willing to shoulder the burden.
She then warned that next the time we went shopping, it would my responsibility to pay everything.
"I'm prepared for all that," I exclaimed enthusiastically to Michelle just before disembarking from her car.