travelogue

Search for a sandal trip

Traveling is one of my favorites. I enjoy it especially if it’s my first time to be in the place. One of the trips I could never forget was in January 2002. My elder sister Glary who was then a junior in high school was busy preparing for their fast approaching JS Prom. She has already the dress and other things needed except for a pair of sandals. We tried to borrow but we found none. We have no other choice than to buy.

Our kuya’s girlfriend, ate Mic promised my sister for a treat in Davao. Maybe out of insecurity, I asked to go also. And there the journey began.

Davao City is not that far from our place. It’s just a two-hour bus trip. Unfortunately, we’re not used to go there for shopping. Most often we go to Tagum City because it’s closer. Aside from that, we’re not familiar with the specific places in Davao.

Ate Mic instructed us to wait for her in the Metro Shuttle Bus Terminal in Tagum. She’ll just follow after her work. Although we’ve been to Tagum for so many times, terminal is quiet new to us because there’s another place where we used to wait for a ride.

Pretending to be expert, I told my sister not to worry. I acted as the guide that time. With my command, we went to a place, an open area with the large letters painted on top- Metro Shuttle Bus. We waited not just for an hour but for hours. We became irritated and we almost quarreled. We don’t have cellphone that time so we have no other choice than to wait.

When we’re about to surrender and decided to just go home, ate Mic appeared across us. Oh, it was the place, the right place where she instructed us to wait. Without knowing, she waited for us and was also about to go home thinking that we’ll arrive no more. The expert was really not an expert. I was wrong, and I really felt shy.

We finally rode on the bus enjoying what we saw in the TV screen. I thought the three of us were enjoying but it’s not. Minutes after, my sister felt something in her stomach; her tears started to roll down. She covered her mouth with her hanky trying to control the force of vomiting. “Control it,” we said because we don’t have any plastic. Perhaps the commotion was so obvious the passengers started to gaze at us. Thank God, one offered a plastic she kept in her bag.

Instead of enjoying the movie and the views of the places we passed, I focused my attention to my sister. I felt pity on her. I know that she don’t want that to happen; she don’t want other people to look at her that way.

When we arrived, we rested at ate Mic’s house. For me that house is very much worthy to be demolished. When we went upstairs, it made a noise and started to shaken as if there’s an earthquake. Well, we just laughed at it.

After taking our dinner, we prepared for what I thought as “shopping”. My idea of shopping that time is to buy not just one or two items but many and expensive items. I was so excited then then.

We went to malls, boutiques and even side walk stores looking for that pair of sandals. That was so tiring. There were only few which fit my sister’s size and those few looked maybe not bad but inappropriate for the occasion. Thank God for He led us to a store where we found what we’re looking for. It was a pair of sexy, black sandals with a glittering butterfly on its strap. We bought it then quickly left the place.

Excitement turned back. I thought, I really thought that we’ll go on “shopping” after that but unfortunately, we just went back home, slept for the whole night then returned in our hometown early in the morning.

That was really a terrible journey. All of my expectations failed. It seemed that I was there just to walk on the streets of Davao. I only served as the maidservant of Cinderella looking for her lost sandals.

In that trip, places were not that memorable, but the events happened, they are.