Thursday, January 18, 2007

'Awayness'

when Nanay was first rushed to the hospital way back in 2000, i had frantically rushed home, and was able to reach them at the hospital.

now, i am here in cebu, hundreds of kilometers away from manila, and Nanay is at an emergency room, asleep, thinking perhaps that i should have been there. dreaming perhaps of me, at her bedside, dismal-looking but present, at her bedside.

this is the tragedy of "awayness." this is the tragedy of not being able to rush to your mother's side if ever something happens to her. this is the tragedy of numbness, of not being able to do anything to assuage your pain, except to continue living, to continue working, to continue thinking, to continue breathing. even, to some extent, to continue smiling.

2 comments:

Erwin Rafael said...

hay, paano na lang yung mga OFWng napipilitang mangibang bansa. mas matindi ang sense of awayness nun tiyak.

ronald said...

honga e. dito lang sa cebu, naaaning na ako. pano pa kaya kung nasa dubai ako? shets. tama ka dre, filipinos should have the power to choose where to work, hindi iyung powerless tayo, no choice tayo about work. we're like slaves -- no choice.