A Red Day

(11/04/07)

I did not wish for it. But it seemed that some forces in the universe had conspired to make my birthday (Oct.27) a literally RED day!

It all began in the eve of Oct. 26 when I got a text message from Katrina, one of my student-writers, stating that we would wear red shirts for the Division Press Conference Contest slated on the following day.

Though I had already something in my mind as to what I’d wear for that day (and certainly it wasn’t a red one) I obliged as I didn’t want to be a wet blanket.

Anyway, nothing went red for the duration of the one-day contest but I could figuratively say it was a bloody war among the best student-writers coming from the different districts of Iloilo. At the end of the contest, our school emerged the 2nd highest pointer! Must be red power, huh!

Surely, it was a tiring day…but hey, I still had my birthday to quietly celebrate with myself and my husband (our unica hija had gone to Aklan for her sem-break)! After parting ways with my students, I went straight to SM City to meet my husband and buy RTCM (ready-to-chew-meals).

First thing we bought was a layer of black forest cake topped with cherries. Then we headed to one fast food chain to buy fried chix. I was falling in line and patiently waiting for my turn when everyone was distracted by a commotion outside. It was seemed like a slow mo: I turned around and there, few feet away from me, were two teeners furiously beating and lashing one guy with a belt’s metal buckle. The poor guy was in no match against the two and his head and arms were already bleeding. And where were the mall’s security guards? Sure they arrived…and caught the two agressors red-handed!

Right after I got my order, we hurriedly left the mall with shoppers who were either too stunned of the incident to move or were simply waiting for the next event to unfold.

While on board a jeep, I began to think this must be a hellish day! I closed my eyes to shake off the creepy red-alert feeling that had started to set in me.

"Hey, why not count your blessings instead! You’ve just turned a year older today, so what have you lived for?" Yeah, you’re absolutely right my dear conscience! There are other things more worthy of contemplation and reflection than the what-i-call-red-day!

I closed my eyes and started to rewind in my thoughts the bday txt messages i got from my megafriends: Cynth, Dane, Ramir; from my sistahs who were then enduring a slight hangover from a midninght-to-dawn party fevah at Bora’s Coco Mangas: Yey, Khayet, Gelay; from my cousin Nene, and of course just like during my bday last year, from HER EXCELLENCY GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO and PGM Winston Garcia—my so-called GSIS Kahit Saan, Kahit Kailan, Maaasahan Mo Family. Clap! Clap! Clap! And this thought made me smile…no…GRIN!

I gave a sigh of relief…and there…I somehow felt better.

I then opened my eyes…

SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

It was just then I realized that:

my right hand was holding a RED box of KFC’s sizzling hot chicken…

my husband got a RED box of Red Ribbon cake…

the passenger to my right was wearing a RED sando…

and

the guy across me got a RED knapsack on his lap…!


Ah oh…it was still a REDDDDD day for me!