My Walk to Remember

It was not everyday that I got to experience walking on my way home. What I meant was long walks of course like a two-to-two-and-a-half- kilometer walk. After attending a kiddy party (oh yes!) from a mall, I had decided to walk from there on my way home. It was an impulse since I knew for sure that there were scavenging snatchers and robbers somewhere. But if I did not conquer my fear at that instant, like all of us would normally do, I would be forever overshadowed by my fear. I was decided. I never were afraid of snatchers nor robbers, these would just make my world smaller and less freer.

On my way out of the mall and walking from the hallway, I saw some cellphone casings and the thought and image of my mom's mobile phone reverberated from my memory. I halted from one store to another in the middle of the hallway trying to choose what would suit best for her mobile phone. Decided, I took charge from this store and she started showing me an immensely handful of casings. I ended up buying two and that cost me a bit. I did not mind at all. That was the least I could do for my mother.

After that buying, I finally went out of the mall and started walking with vehicles almost a meter away from my unprotected body. The technique was to stay close at the edge of the walls of the pedestrian-like structures to keep myself off an accident.

Walking, there were people staring. There were people who didn't seem to care. There were people pretty much occupied with their own thoughts, too. We were anonymous. We were just faceless individuals walking and filling in the empty sides of the streets. It felt good. Solitary and undisturbed thoughts at last.

I saw a group of teenagers passing by me and in a flash, I pondered on that. I made up my first theory, with flaws. I called it the FRIENDSHIP THEORY. It says people do not find friends. Friends seek people. The word defines who we are. We meet people almost all the time and we could tell instantly if we could extend that moment into friendship. Somehow in a twisted way like a cosmic disturbance, we get to encounter and feel the connection. Thus, a friendship is formed just like that. Of course we solicit time to get to know that person for a possible friend material. Sometimes we fail but most of the time we achieve what we want. We gain a friend.

As I continued walking, another thought zoomed in my head and SOURGRAPE THEORY was formulated. It explains that talent is not everything. There are a lot of talented ones out there but in a wicked sense, a rare few just succeed and shine. Factors come into play as timing does to outshine and ditch other ones to oblivion. Also, hardwork, patience and priority come into play. A variety of factors contribute to success not just mere talent. And for a jobless and broke twenty-one year old like me, timing is everything.

When I was near the village gate, I saw this mid-20's man in my peripheral vision looking like a stalker. Thoughts flushed out of my head. Survival of the fittest suddenly became my stance over this matter. Paces became fast and alert became my favorite word during that instant. With no reason, I turned my back and kick him in the crotch area bringing him agonizing pain. Or so I thought. I started running and he continued to follow me. I was thinking of more adrenaline please, more adrenaline to outrun that bastard. I was about to get some help when I got to my senses again. It was a scenario. It was a theoretical question inside my head. It was my WHAT IF I GOT ROBBED, PARANOIA THEORY.

I was hallucinating already and figured I had to loosen up. That was that walk's main purpose. Tricycles were my damn outlet to relax.

Tricycles passed by me. Tricycles that came from that same mall with the exact same people at the party, kiddy party that is. I caught myself humming and soon heard me, myself and I singing with the music in my discman. I figured that was the time to lighten up and since nobody was around, I could let out my frustration and that was to sing in tune!I started singing and singing and I did, still jumbling and wrestling and struggling the notes off one octave.

I was goofed and relaxed enough to stop singing since I was nearing our house. I would keep the ultimate performance to myself I said. I did not need a billboard or a grammy nomination for a best male artist category. I would be making fun of myself if I did. I might have a talent but it certainly was not singing. I would labelling myself a lunatic if that happened!

There was that gate of our compound-like environment at last. I left home with my neighbors doing their almost daily session of gambling and I got home with my neighbors doing their almost daily session of gambling. It was cards that they were playing when I went out that morning and when I got home, it was their favorite mahjong. There might have been a constant shift from playing cards to mahjong, I still have to observe more on that. I figured that playing cards was too wholesome for that night so they changed their preference. That my friends is called a MAHJONG EVOLUTION THEORY!