Friday Night's Earthquake

Hahay. Grabe po yung earthquake na yun. I was lying in our sofa in the living room, trying to focus reading this boring book. I thought I just got dizzy. I closed my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened my eyes, I saw the terrace gates moving like it was being pushed from the outside and I looked at the opposite corner of the house and I saw the door chimes moving incessantly. Their movements were out of the ordinary and when I got up, I realized that it was an earthquake. My goodness! I knew it only took seconds but as those seconds ticked by, the movement of the quake grew stronger. My brother who was in the 3rd floor reviewing for his board exam was rushing down the stairs calling my mom. My brother and I were pretty worried because her blood level shoots up when she gets nervous or panicky. I told my brother to wake up my sister who was in the second floor. My mom was still up. She was in the kitchen doing something and she was already complaining she felt dizzy. We told her to calm down and I snatched the keys in my bags to unlock the main door at the ground floor. I know it was stupid but I really wanted all of us out of the house. Panic, I guess.

When my brother got out, he said there were a lot of people in the streets. Honestly, I really got scared. It reminded me of the last devastating earthquake I experienced in my entire life. It was the July 16, 1991. It was already class dismissal and I was running carefree around the school grounds while waiting for my siblings to show up. Then the earth shook and I was left standing there, rooted on my spot while parents snatching their kids who were already crying due to fright. All I was thinking was where were my siblings. Everyone was seeking for cover and I did not care. All I know was that I was praying harder than I could ever imagine and hoping that the earth would stop shaking. Finally, I saw my brother and my sister. I held them tight as we went out of the school. That time, the earth stopped and everything stood still. For a moment, it did. But there were aftershocks.

I still feel the goose bumps everytime I remember that fateful day. Still deeply etched in my memory were the vivid snapshots of sheer fright, mumbled cries of helplessness, endless screams. I thanked God for delivering me, my family and the rest of the people out there to safety. We were alive.