That Free Ortigas Shower by Prospero E. Pulma, Jr.

That Free Ortigas Shower

Sleep was hard to come on Friday night, with all the thunder, lightning, and of, course, the rain that seemed to be sourced from an exhaustible fount. Groggy from the fitful sleep and nursing a cold, I went about the usual routine of preparing for work. Thanks to Typhoon Egay and the threat of mud splattering on one’s smart casual attire, everyone seemed to dress down for the whole week (Nobody wears a tuxedo to a mud bath, right?). So, my old jeans with a slit on the left knee became the natural choice, along with a round neck shirt. Soon, I was out in the cold, wet world. My sneakers were the first to bear nature’s tantrum. The sogginess then crept up to my pants. I knew that if I pushed ahead to Ortigas, I would arrive in the office completely soaked to my underwear. A sense of déjà vu overwhelmed me.

I once tried going head to head with nature and lost….terribly. It was one year ago at the height of Super Typhoon Milenyo when, pushed by a combination of innate stubbornness and “professional dedication” and confident of my little “exposure time,” since the distance from the Ortigas MRT Station to my office was close to only 150 meters, I decided to tempt the fates. My faith in my umbrella to keep at least my upper torso dry crumbled when the gusty winds reduced it to scrap metal minutes after I opened it, leaving me completely exposed to the rain. Trapped between the vast parking lot behind SM Megamall and ADB Avenue, I dashed to the nearest shelter, a good 100 meters away, pelted by the downpour all the way.

After logging in, I headed to the restroom where the best way for me to dry my dripping clothes was to strip and place them close to the hand dryer. But there was the threat of being charged with indecent exposure, so I literally “chilled out” for the rest of my shift, coming down with fever the next day and unable to call in sick because the phone lines were down.

To push ahead or come home? That was the question for me as I got off the jeep and walked to EDSA. My feet were cold. The sky was still blanketed by rain clouds. I had a puny umbrella in my hand. And I was not ready to take another shower. I turned back, flagged the next jeep. The next time it would rain like it did on that soggy Saturday morning, I would just leave home in my sleeping clothes, pack my office attire in my bag, trash the umbrella, and take bath soap and a shampoo sachet because nature would give me a free shower in Ortigas.

- Prospero E. Pulma Jr.-