#20 What an unlucky day!
This week was the first day of work; I woke up early and prepared myself. In the beginning, everything went good - there was a decent breakfast to eat, perfect cloudy weather, and a sweet younger sibling who will kiss you before bidding goodbye. As usual, I rode a tricycle to the MRT Shaw station while I was playing music on my phone and watched distinct faces that passed me by. It was a glorious morning indeed, and I was so determined to make the most out of my day and contribute to society.
As I arrived at the station and boarded the train, I felt my left sandal was a little “loose”. Well, I thought it was just my sock that commonly slides toward my ankle. I was wearing my five-year-old Parisian sandals - a Christmas present for myself when I was still a college student. Honestly, it was very rare for me to wear it because of the color it possessed, but today was an exception. The said pair of sandals were a perfect match with the earth-toned office blouse I was wearing.
I reached Ayala Station and got off the train at 8:30am with a heavy sigh. As usual, I have to walk another 30 minutes to reach my workplace (which I considered my morning exercise as well haha). As I was about to walk further, I felt that something was really off with my footwear. Taking a deep breath, I hurried towards the corner of the station, and realized that the sole of my left sandal was already broken!
I was like, “Now, what?” Panic hits me and I could already feel the sweat running down my face despite the cold weather.
I tried my best to be calm about the situation and looked for the nearest footwear stalls. But unlike in Shaw Station, (where several cheap items can be found outside), Ayala Station was the complete opposite! I’ve been traveling to Ayala for almost two years and I know already that the nearby malls will open at 11 am. But it’s just 8:50 am, and I’m 30 minutes away from the office where my shift starts at 9am! Realizing that I might come to work late because of this mishap, I will still find a way and go to work.
Luckily, there was a lady guard who was patrolling the station. I explained my situation and humbly asked if she had some tape with her or if she could get some for me. But guess what? She just laughed at me and told me I could just walk like a zombie to the office! I was so annoyed and deep inside; I was crying with frustration! It was so impossible to walk that far with my broken sandal. It would be dumb to book a grab taxi because the fare is guaranteed to be higher than your half-day wage. (And working barefoot doesn't look presentable too) I even asked this sarcastic guard if she knew any footwear store nearby and to my horror, she told me the plain truth that there was none at all!
The worst part was everyone was looking at me with a hideous laughs. It was so so so embarrassing. Well, I was already walking like a zombie, and walking barefoot will not improve my situation as well.
That left me no choice but to go back.
Despite what happened, I was still grateful that the mishap happened when I was still inside the station. I went back to Shaw Station and ignored the stares of several people. And finally, I bought a fresh pair of shoes!
It was really an unlucky day, but thinking about it now, I can't help to laugh.
So it was a lesson for me to bring extra footwear, whenever, wherever!
Art after this incident!
