The Last Mon Standing

 

Coral reefs?!! is he serious? of course we want to go… of all the excitements, this was the least expected… the boatman was beckoning us to the reefs… WOW

we rapidly hopped on the boat and in no time we were again embarking on our voyage…

i told you before that we did not plan any of the activities, that’s why we were not prepared of anything. in fact, nobody expected that we were going to dive in the middle of south china sea, so no one brought some goggles or any snorkels with them. (cmon, they forgot to bring their sunblocks, let alone a pair of goggles and snorkels).

nonetheless, we still tried to swim. the boatman did not trust our swimming prowess, so he ordered us to wear some lifevests, which i am too well happy about.(i tell you a secret… whispering… i dunno how to swim). the very reason why we cannot dive… because we’re wearing those bulky orange floaters….

we all jumped into the water. i was still afraid that i might sink that’s why i hooked myself on the katik.

i really have to summon all my strenght, and courage just to let go and enjoy the exciting event with my friends…

i did let go… and to my HORROR!!! AAARGH!! the lifevest that i was wearing has rips on it. the styrophores that were stuffed inside it started to float outward and in second all were having their on swimming marathon…

the thing that i was dreading was finally happening. heck! i was sinking. i tried to wag my extremities violently but i was not moving. i tried to find my footing but the ocean floor was waaaaaaaaaaaaay down below.

i was sinking…

i was panicking..

i was sinking and sooper dee dooper panicking…

what if i drown? what if i die? i dont want to be friends with sharks… AARRGGHH!!!

so i cleared my mind… just like the wise men of indostan… i thought of everything that i learned from my swimming lessons in my PE last school year 2004-2005…

what did i learn? backstroke? butterfly? freestyle? monkey style? WHAAATT??!!

memories of my swimming class reverberated in my mind… is this my memento mori? am i dying? (they say when you are about to die, you’ll see some flashes of memories).

in the brink of deliberate hopelessness, a thing stroke my mind. i remembered the only thing that i learned, the only thing that i was good at, and it was about what you are going to do when you are drowning….. and it is… and it is..

… it is to raise your hands when your drowning so that the lifeguard can see you…

i did not just raise my right hand… nor just myleft hand… I RAISED THEM BOTH. i tried to thrust them into the air with all my might and thank GOD, the boatman rescued me..

HAIIII!! what a relief…

since i was the only one left on board… i just tried taking their pictures swimming and teasing me.. "aaahh hindi makalangoy!!” (aaahh he cant swim!!)…

sob.. sniff.. at least i did not drown

monmon: oy! ba’t my bula dyan? yikes… umiihi..

kathleen: hindi ah…

lahat: ahhh umiihi!!

kathleen: hindi naman eh… galing yung bula dun o..

monmon: eh, umiihi ka lang eh..

kathleen: ah basta… (sabay lingon sa kabilang direksyon)

i was not the only one who cant swim… titz(aldrin) was seen snoggling the katik all those times that we… i mean.. they have been swimming…

STILL TO BE CONTINUED…   www.monmon.wordpess.com