Walang Ilaw

This morning I woke up to a house with a lot of yelling going on. My mother was on the phone with Trixxie, the unfortunate call center agent who picked up my irate mother’s customer service call.

Apparently during last night’s typhoon, we had a short that blew the Meralco connection to our house, leaving our home the only one without electricity in the entire island of Luzon. Like the lonely black bulb in a beautifully lit Christmas tree.

Trixxie was not doing a good job appeasing my mother. But then again I don’t think Mother Teresa could have done a better job. Inday (yes, I occasionally call my mother by her first name) was livid. No lights meant she’d have to cancel her weekly mah-jong game. God forbid.

Since I’ve been camping out at home, I ordinarily do not need electricity during daytime hours. I can just sit and read or jot down random thoughts in my journal. Oh the life of the unemployed. This morning was different though. A lot of yelling and very loud make-shift door bell installation discussions.

“CAN YOU HEAR THAT?”

“WHAT?”

“THE CHIMES!”

“WHAT?!”

“THE CHIMES! WE’RE PUTTING THEM ON A STRING TILL THE LIGHTS COME ON.”

I’m sure you get it. I just wanted to shut everything out with really loud music. But alas, walang ilaw.

So I planned my escape. I would take off and go to a mall and wander aimlessly. I would run fictional errands and have lunch with an imaginary friend -- anything to get out of my dysfunctional and non-electrified home.

Leaving the house was not going to be as easy as I thought though. My mother had assigned me “Home Emergency” duties which essentially involved answering the door and picking up the phone. Which is pretty simple in the abstract. But in reality, the phone is not near the gate. This forced me to find an equidistant spot (the couch) to hang out in and read. But the phone would ring then the wind would make the chimes go off (note to self: chimes not an effective door bell replacement) and I’d go scurrying in my jammies.

After the fourth call and the third gust of wind I heard someone banging at the gate. It was the Meralco man. Four hours late, but still a very welcome sight.

Thanks, Trixxie.