The rainy weekend that it was and some sudden what if’s of motherhood

We survived the rainy weekend. Krosa was categorized as one next to a super typhoon. It hit Taiwan for two days but Saturday was the worst. The winds and rains were very strong that we could hear the winds whistle blowing through the stairs from the the main door. We saw different flying objects from the window and saw that the pool was filled with all sorts of dirts from plastic bags to fallen leaves. Hubby even saw a pair of pants flown from the neighborhood and we saw a window screen down the grounds as well. It could be the one producing that banging sound just below our kitchen windows. I saw our next door neighbor peeping from their laundry room’s window also checking what’s going on outside in the midst of the heavy storm.

Realizing that we don’t have enough rice on Saturday, I asked hubby to try to run to the nearby grocery and grab other stuffs as well. Knowing that an umbrella can’t stand the winds, I wrapped him with the huge garbage bag and put another smaller plastic in his head. I listed down all the stuffs he’d buy so he won’t forget any since going back is not a good option. Not even three minutes passed when the door bell rang with him on the door. That was way too fast – no, he didn’t dare to go out, he just reached the 1^st floor via the stairs (we live on the 8^th floor) and peeped through the glass window. Seeing he couldn’t get through the storm, he decided to return back again through the stairs. He feared he might get stuck in the elevator because of the intermittent power that afternoon. Twas better for him to back off anyway, we can eat the fried potatoes without ketchup and we called Ate Rosie to borrow cups of rice for dinner. Later we realized that there are still some leftovers in the ref so he reheat it so the “bahaw” (rice from earlier meal) turned out to be just enough for us.

Later in the afternoon, the storm calmed for a while and he decided to check on the grocery again so down he went, this time through the elevator since the power was already stable. Unfortunately, the grocery is closed and there were no bread in 7-11. The first floor of the main building was flooded and by the stairs, we could still hear the powerful wind blowing.

On Sunday, the weather got better but it was still raining and cloudy. We thought we could already go out later that day but when I checked on the weather bureau, the typhoon warning hasn’t been lifted yet and at the same time, the satellite images showed that Krosa is still in town. Its scope was really vast that we could still see its tail somewhere in the Philippine islands. Hubby went to check the grocery again and luckily this time, it’s open. On the other hand, there was not much supply so he just bought ketchup and cheese. After lunch, I went to check it myself and for the 1^st time, I saw the vegetable and fruit bins empty except for the green bell peppers. I bought water and some food including a bag of kamote for the afternoon snack. I thought I had 300 bucks in my purse but learned it was only 200 bucks when I was about to pay so I had to return back some items. The cashier willingly got it back and subtracted the price from the receipt but placed the item back to the bag. I gave it a second thought but headed to the stairs. Then it dawned to me that she should have not returned the item back to my bag so I went back and even had hard time convincing the other cashier to take back the item much as I showed the receipt with the original price and the deducted price. I couldn’t speak Chinese that’s why she had to call the original cashier who at first didn’t understand what I was trying to say. She eventually realized it and uttered “putung” (understand) and thank me.

Knowing the the vegetable price will significantly soar at the beginning of the week; I went back to the grocery to buy a handful of them especially for Jade’s porridge for the week. I knew Ate Rosie will buy some veggies too but I wanted to share knowing that goods are that expensive after typhoons. I guess we’re not really so lucky this weekend because I checked on the ATM next to the grocery and there’s no more money for dispensing. Argh, that meant we have to do with what we have. Twas not really bad, we had fried kamote for lunch and sausage for dinner.

While I was frying the kamote sticks, hubby and daughter were in the living room playing. Kitchen and sala are just few steps away so I could hear and see them giggling or fighting. Hubby took the blanket from the laundry basket and wrapped himself, something that caught Jade’s attention and wanted it turn to be wrapped. She willingly laid her back on top of the blanket while Dennis swaddled her like a baby. She behaved and liked what has become of it. Hubby enjoyed it too and carried Jade just like a one month old baby and wrapped her in his arms. We were all smiling. Knowing that she would soon start to perspire, he removed the blanket but she insisted to be wrapped again so they had another round of swaddling.

I removed the first batch of the kamote fries from the pan and put on the last batch then I went back to the two. I asked hubby to lay the blanket flat and we asked Jade to get into it then we started to swing her like she was in an “induyan” (hammock). Nah, she was enjoying it and we were too.

These scene plus the swaddling earlier and the kamote suddenly led me to think of “what if Jade was raised back home”. She would have the “induyan” experience and the usual “ubba” (carried at the back with blanket instead of the baby carrier) plus the meryenda of “sigget” (am) and instead of fried kamote, we would have the boiled one or the type cooked in the “dalikan” (wooden stove). I would have some helping hands in tending to her. Somebody could have been there to cook the kamote for us and her “lugaw” (porridge). She would be playing hide and seek with her cousins and aunts (though we already introduced the hide and seek to her). She would be playing sand outside and would be enjoying “panagluglug” (dipping) in the rainwater. We could be picking the sayote that fell from the vine during the typhoon and would have “ginisang sayote” for lunch, dinner and breakfast. We could be enjoying ginataan at the midst of the storm. We could be outside playing under the rain.

Stop… I stopped and we ate the kamote. That was it; we’re not home so I had to get back to reality. And that reality is, it’s time to eat the kamote but it’s not a good option to dip it in ketchup. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!