Of taxi drivers and thieves

I was given permission to go home for a week and I was quite excited! Sarah, a housemate, and I were waiting for a taxi so I could go to the bus station and take the only direct bus that goes to my hometown. After just a few minutes of waiting, I was able to flag one. I went in, said goodbye to Sarah and told the driver the address. He nodded, but as we were on our way, he turned to me and said, ‘Pasensiya na, Ma’am, pero baguhan po ako kaya hindi pa po ako marunong. Saan po yung address na sinabi ninyo?’ (My apologies, Ma’am, but I am new and I still don’t know my way around. The address that you told me, where is it located?) I knew I was in trouble. I told him to just go along EDSA, but he mentioned while we were along GMA that he knew the Mother Ignacia way, so I agreed for him to take that route. It was a disaster! He didn’t know the way but was brave enough to try every street that looks like it would go somewhere. To make matters worse, his taxi was over heating and stopping erratically. Fortunately, he asked for directions after a long time of going nowhere. However, while we were on our way to the right direction, his taxi stopped in the middle of a street and refused to budge. That was it! I told him I was getting out and taking another taxi. I was fuming mad, and was about to just get out and leave him there, but I saw his old and haggard face and got guilty. So, as I was paying him the fare (still the responsible customer), I was telling him that he shouldn’t drive with that kind of taxi and without prior knowledge of places. I flagged another taxi, and while we were on our way, I looked back and the taxi was still there, stuck.

Thankfully, I was still able to catch the bus. I had reserved a seat and when I got my ticket, I saw that I was sitting three seats after the driver, which I thought was quite nice since it wasn’t at the back. The trip usually lasts for about 12 hours. When we were on our way, I slept, being woken up from time to time by voices or by the cramps on my neck from sleeping in an unnatural position. I only know that at one point, we took in some other passengers along the way traveling for short trips, since I was woken up by the conductor’s voice telling the many passengers waiting for buses along the road that the bus can only take a few of them. I was sleeping again for awhile when I woke up with a start because of a woman’s loud shriek that echoed through the bus. Realizing that the bus had stopped and that the door was open, I thought that we must have hit someone on the road. But the woman’s cries penetrated my foggy mind when she told the others that someone had snatched her purse! It seems that the man who came in with her when she got in the bus said he was getting down that area (I don’t even know where it was). Apparently, he had evil motives, and targeted the woman, who was sitting in the very first seat near the door. The driver and the conductor ran after him but it was already too late. The driver took the bus back for a few meters to see if we could still catch the thief but we saw no traces of him. The woman, whom we discovered was about four months pregnant, even went out to check if he went in a house. While we were on our way, she sobbed the whole time until we reached her destination. I think the conductor gave her back her fare. I couldn’t go back to sleep for awhile after that incident. The uncertainty and fear that I experienced continued to haunt me for they shattered my peace of mind. I didn’t realize how fortunate I was until I overheard the man sitting in front of me saying that he thought the snatcher, who sat beside him, was the woman’s husband. Evidently, the man sat in front of me, and with me sleeping and my handbag on my lap, he could have taken my bag without any fuss.

What a night! I could only bow my head in thanksgiving for myself and supplication for the pregnant woman.