#8 Father's Love
My work schedule is from 9 am to 6 pm, and it’s still 7:33 am at this moment. I’m here at Washington Sycip Park (Ayala, Makati) - writing this journal while waiting for the time to pass. Wonder why I was so early? Well, my father (whose work starts at 7 am) usually drops me from home to work (and vice versa). We both agreed that this is a lot safer than using MRT as our preventive measure against COVID-19.
During these hours, I usually eat my breakfast here, listen to music, play games, and sometimes create art. If I could only bring my laptop with me, I would haha! It is great to do my hobbies during this time of the day because I’m just so tired to do anything when the evening comes.
Today, I woke up at 5:30 am, and my father has already boiled water for me so I can bathe. He’ll use the bathroom after I’m done, then right after getting dressed, we’ll leave our home. He usually dropped me off at Makati Central Business District at around 6:30 am. Unfortunately, it was raining very hard today! >~< My shoes are all wet, and I was thinking of purchasing a plastic shoe cover this coming weekend.
This morning, I realized so many things, and mainly, it was about my father’s effort and sacrifices. For instance, he will boil water for me and then drop me here at Ayala so I will no longer face the long queues and risk of commuting. Even if it was raining very hard, and we were only using a motorcycle - he did those things for me because he was supportive of my career. He will leave work by 5 pm, and mine was 6 pm - and that was another hour of waiting for him- another sacrifice. Thinking of those efforts and my desire to resign from my job made me feel like I’m a weakling.
Well, I didn’t submit my resignation letter yet, and my job has been so stressful. Lately, my boss often yelled at me — even if I was doing my very best. I know that my best wasn’t enough and I should improve myself further. And now, I don’t want to disappoint my father because I was thinking of his sacrifices.
Staying at this park, I became familiar with the faces of people who are usually here. I always saw the same parents who strolled their dogs and children, the same elderly people who will meet up with their friends and chat, and the same faces who often do their morning workouts. And I was not surprised that most are Chinese, because Ayala is a place of luxury! And somehow, I feel like they knew me too; the Filipino girl who was sitting in the corner until 9 am. :D
The Makati LGU did a superb job for the maintenance of this park, plus it has shade. The only thing that I didn’t like here is the existence of creepy crawling creatures - like caterpillars! I’m always alerted of their presence because I don’t want them near me!
