ON OUR way to Butuan City, we had an unpleasant experience with a Philippine Air Lines (PAL) personnel at the Mactan Cebu International Airport check-in counter.
For the life of me, after having traveled for more than half of my life – since I was in third year college (Oh yes, I remember that! I joined a Student Leaders’ Congress in Baguio City way back in December 1986), I never had the most obnoxious experience than this one.
I used assertive communication after all the exchange to stress a point, but the personnel wouldn’t budge. To make the convoluted story short, I went and looked for the supervisor and reported her behavior.
True to my expectations, the supervisor was aghast at the lady’s utterance and thereafter asked me to identify the personnel. She assured that she will speak with the personnel. I requested to photograph the supervisor’s ID which she acquiesced.
Then our flight was called, we boarded, and sat at the back of the plane. Snacks were distributed and we ate our green peas with dried mango bits with gusto, haha!
You will never guess what happened next! The crop-haired lady flight attendant approached my companion and asked, “Would you like some more?” Of course, our ready answer was yes! She gave my sister three to four packets and returned with three more packets for me.
After only a few minutes – I remember quite well because we were already descending, she returned with a packed pouch of the inflight snacks and said, “We have plenty onboard, Ma’am, we’re giving you this.” We were surprised. I said, “I have flown many PAL flights this year, but this is the first time I’m given extra and a pouch at that!” Hmm, interesting.
I couldn’t help but ask why. She explained in many words that they always have extra, and on the last flight, they usually give out especially to children. I enquired if we were the last flight of the day and as I recall, she said no.
Methinks the ground supervisor informed the lady flight attendant discreetly that we figured in an unpleasant experience at the check-in counter and PAL wanted to placate us. And that’s that.
***
It seems surreal that after all the whispered and spoken prayers, I’m back in the city of my birth. A thousand and one reasons could have prodded the prayer, but the singular focus has been achieved.
I wonder what lies ahead. Great expectations from an eternal optimist who’s also born with my parents’ penchant for writing. But I’m not complaining. After all the characteristic set of difficulties, I can almost see the silver lining.
Sunday afternoon, desiring for the comfort that the sea usually brings me, I drove along the coastal road of Baclayon, Albuquerque, and Loay. Our destination was a resto by the sea wall.
Growing up, I took for granted that life in our idyllic island-province is outlined by pristine waters and white sand. Truly a gem! I only missed these attributes when I left my beautiful island after college. Such is life.
It seems unreal that I am now back in the place of my birth with its accompanying sea comforts. Indeed, we all have our seasons in life. There’s leaving home; there’s coming home; and everything in-between. I guess I’m no longer in the in-between, huh!
By evening after the short excursion, as I was drafting an FB Post, I wanted to check the synonym of a word that I preferred to use. Internet was down so I tried looking for a dictionary – yes, the good old-fashioned dictionary of my young life.
Now, this is the curious part. I was writing about the seas of Bohol naturally. How “pristine” they are, and so on.
I found a dictionary with a torn cover – it’s aged but still very clearly printed. I searched through the pages and guess what! A faded yellow paper with a beginning article caught my eyes! It’s Papa’s draft for a newspaper column! Whoa! (Papa wrote a newspaper column for years in Bohol.) It was unfinished but his uncanny impeccable strokes are unmistakable!
“Pristine” appeared in Papa’s draft article.
Thanks for the message, Pa. How fitting to find it tucked in the pages of a dictionary!
***
Writer hosts Woman Talk with Belinda Sales at 91.1 Balita FM Tagbilaran City every Saturday, 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. She can be reached at belindabelsales@gmail.com. Twitter @ShilohRuthie./PN
