This morning I left five minutes early. I know because I’m usually in a hurry. My lack of sleep made me overcompensate. So, I left the house five minutes early. I could have sat on the couch with my feet up and my eyes closed but I left five minutes early.
Walk, twenty Minutes.
Jeep, twenty Minutes.
At the Cubao MRT station, the line was the longest I’d ever seen it. Passengers in waiting inched forward towards a closed gate despite having nowhere to go. The gate, I reiterate, was closed. They etched an invisible snail-shell-shaped-line inch by futile inch into the solid ground.
Just like that, another twenty minutes of my life had come and gone. Gone. Up on the platform, was the ubiquitous fidgeting wall of commuters like sperm encroaching upon the egg (I’ve written about this before). I took my usual niche off to the side of a clump of people with one person in front of me so it doesn’t look like I cut in front of the clump.
A train came, no luck. Four minutes come and gone.
A train came, no luck. Four minutes come and gone.
A train came, no luck. Four minutes come and gone.
A large man had positioned himself behind me.
A train came, the large man pushed, the angry wall pushed back. I let the large man through. The large man got on the train. At least I was at the front of the clump now.
A train came rushing down the tracks, the wind slapping my face. My punishment for not heading useless cautionary signs (Do not step on the Yellow Line).
“Wala nang tutulak a! Palabasin muna natin sila.”
“Walang lumalabas!”
At the last second, a head an arm popped out of the egg followed by a head. The arm and head were attached to a thin man’s body. The other passengers in the train tried to fill the gap that he had left. Consequently, there was enough of a gap for me to slide my body into.
Success. Half an hour too late.
Arriving at Santolan-Anapolis Station… Ortigas Station… Edsa Central Station…
Slight = 7 minutes.
Come.
Gone.
Jeep, twenty Minutes.
Walk, less than one minute.
The biometric scanner tells me that I’ve used all thirty minutes of my grace period. No deductions but I’m going to have to make up for it tonight.
I’m making up for it.
I’m writing this.
