October 6, 1992

October 6, 1992

I cannot forget this date. I was watching ANG TV when my Tita's Yaya came running across our house's driveway.

"Sunog! Sunog!"

I thought it was a joke but you can sense the fear in her voice. I dropped the Chippy that I was eating and went straight out of the house and left Jolina Magdangal singing. When I got outside, I thought that our house was burning. Turned out, the house next to ours is burning up in flames.

My mom gathered us around (Back then, Ian, our younger brother, is not yet born. And my mom and dad is still in speaking terms.) and took us to Lola Consoling's place and then called my dad to inform him.

We stayed there for the whole night that our house is burning. There is school the next day. Lola Consoling served us dinner. I didn't eat because my appetite would not cooperate. How can it cooperate? We are bound to lose everything we have.

Upon watching the smokes climb up the air, I remember one thing: my pet rabbits. I got up immediately and told my brother that my rabbit is stuck in between our house and the house burning.

I was on the verge of tears when my brother gave me no answer. I sat down the ground near one of our dogs. I pet his head. I kept on thinking how my rabbit will look like when he is burned by the fire. I stopped thinking when I realized I do not want to see him that way.

Lola Consoling's gate opened and my Tito came in -- with him was the cage of my rabbit. Inside the cage, my white rabbit is sleeping soundly. How can an animal sleep while the house of his owner is burning?!?

I jumped in glee and got up, getting the cage. I immediately took the rabbit outside his cage and into my hands. My dad arrived with his sister. He was in tears when he hugged us. My Tita told me that they almost met an accident when they were on their way over because my dad was rushing to our house and was violating all traffic rules. I wonder if dad will have the same reaction if ever this happedn to us right now. I highly doubt.

After about five hours, the fire was under control. Only a part of our house was damaged by the fire but all of our things were wet.

I was sleepless for about four days. I didn't go to school for a week. All my notebooks, books and school stuff were drenched. We stayed at our Tita's place for about four days.

A Filipino saying goes, "Mabuti nang manakawan, huwag lang masunugan." And it is so true. We are lucky that the fire did not reach our house. we are fortunate that the only thing that happened to us was that all of our things got wet. No one died except for the Lola in the house where the fire started.

Up until now, I still cannot believe that it happened to us. We survived with wet things. Fifteen years after, we are still survivors -- surviving things more worse than a fire.