Belinda returned to the hostel and once she sat down in her room.she realized she was exhausted. She also realized she had not communicated with anyone back in the states yet that she had arrived. She sighed. "Stupid, Belinda! just had to forget to let people know. ugh."
She picked up her cellphone and sent a text to her mother. "Good thing I have global coverage!" Her mother immediately responded, which surprised Belinda, "Good to hear you arrived safely." Short but at least she responded.
She put her cell back in her backpack and grabbed a change of clothes, her towel and toiletries. She walked out to the shared shower. She felt bone tired but knew a shower would feel great! She turned on the hot water. Nothing. She frowned. Then remembered the main desk clerk telling her there would.be no hot water between noon and 3 pm. It was 2:30. She sighed. "Well, a cold shower might feel good as well." she thought. She turned on the shower and took a cold shower. It was refreshing but she wasn't sure just how clean she felt. She decided she would take a hot shower after dinner. She got dressed and walked back to her room ready for a nap. "A nap?" she thought. "When have I ever needed a nap!" But a nap did indeed sound wonderful!
Belinda sat on the twin bed and laid down. She was out cold immediately.
Belinda woke once again h sure where she was. Rubbed her neck and stretched. It was morning, the sun was up. Time? Unknown as there was no electricity. It was hot and muggy in her room. She was warned there might be "rolling brown outs " She dressed quickly and chose to walk to the little restaurant just next door. It was mostly outdoors so if there was any breeze she might feel it.
Belinda sat at a small round table alone. She was just watching the people walk by and eating her egg on rice. A boy,about 8 -10 years old probably scampered by. His left foot was twisted, a birth defect it looked like. He stopped and started at her for a few moments. He said nothing, just starred. Belinda smiled self consciously and started to say hi. But the boy ran off. She thought that was kinda weird but then she was a strange site as a white woman in a sea of brown people. She shrugged it off and finished her breakfast.
After finishing she realized she had a whole day to just "be." No one waiting for her. No one expecting anything from her. No responsibilities. Just time to "be." Belinda could not recall a time she had ever just had time to "be." She was in a kind of daze aa she walked around Manila. Suddenly she was run into by someone. The boy again. She thought he might be a pick pocket as she had been warned that many street children were used by adults to do that. But something about this boy didn't radiate pick pocket or even dishonesty. He looked up at her and smiled, grabbed her hand and started dragging her down the street speaking Pilipino, she assumed. She oddly felt she should go along, which did not make any logical sense at all but she was tired of living always so logically. She let herself be dragged by the boy.
About three blocks later,he dragged her into a shop. There stood a tall Filipino male, 6'1" (which is tall for Filipinos). He looked like a mulatto (mixed blood - part Filipino and part caucasian). He looked familiar somehow. He looked surprised to see the two. The boy spoke rapidly to the man, Belinda understood nothing verbally. She did understand, by the boy's hand gestures, they were discussing her. The tall man walked towards her. Belinda was nervous, as the man's facial expression was cold. He looked closely at Belinda, touched a curl.of her brown hair and smirked. "Hmmm. Hello,I am Belinda," she was not giving her full name to this odd stranger. Stuck out her hand to shake his and smiled. Her eyes locked onto his and her breathing stutter stopped. "Gracious, what is happening to me." she thought. The man chuckled and shook hands. Tingles, sparks shot up Belinda's arm. "Weird." she thought.
The tall Filipino man smiled, nodded his head at the boy, released Belinda's hand, turned, reached into his pocket and gave the boy a bunch of pesos. The boy smiled, took the money and darted out the door. "Welcome to the Philippines, mate!"
"Mate?! Is he Australian? wait...no...he was speaking fluent some filipino language, right? He is a Filipino or at least part Filipino, right? Mate!?" Belinda's mind was very confused.
"Mate?..." Belinda was dazed... that voice...the face... he was like the man in her dream. Belinda now was terrified as well as confused. The man starred at her. Belinda was sure she was going to pass out any moment.