RAMBLINGS OF THE MIND
"Yaya, where's my coffee?"
“It’s right beside you, sir.”
“Oh, so sorry. I was looking at the dining table,” Ed apologized as he picked up the coffee on top of the side table beside the chair where he was sitting. That’s when he realized it was not just coffee that was placed there.
“I thought you’d like mangga, puto and sikwate, sir,” the helper said before he could ask. It reminded him of the childhood days when his mother would prepare mangoes, sticky rice and chocolate drink for breakfast. It must have been more than 40 years when he last had this kind of breakfast.
“In Pinamungajan, sir, your breakfast is not complete without them.”
“I know,” Ed said to himself. The smell of sticky rice and chocolate drink somehow reminded him of the past. He was still six years old when he and his father left this town in search for a better life abroad.
He couldn’t remember much of the town, but His father told him a lot about his hometown. The more stories told, the greater the desire to come back. But his father died two years ago, so Ed decided to come back and retrace the past all by himself… in search of something. He thought that visiting the mountains and the rivers of Pinamungajan would help him complete his thesis for his Masters Studies in Geodetic Engineering on his theory on the measurement and representation of the earth, including its gravitational field, in a three-dimensional time-varying space.
“Sir, your tour guide is here,” the helper said as Filemon came in.
“Good morning, Sir,” Filemon bowed. He was stocky and strong. The handshake was firm but not offensive.
“Good morning. How long will our trip be, and would it be dangerous?”
“It would be long and most challenging, sir. But don't worry, because everything will be alright in the end. If it is not alright, it is not the end,”
After having breakfast, both Filemon and Ed started on their journey to go and see the breath-taking beauty that is Pinamungajan. Ed carried his backpack, full of expectations. Filemon carried nothing, it was just any ordinary day.
“We will reach our first item in the itinerary, sir, in about three hours,” Filemon said almost automatically. He had done this hundreds of times. Known for his self-confidence and excellent knowledge of the many hidden treasures of the town, such as caves and waterfalls, he was always sought after as guide for “important personalities” who wanted to see the places. He had been a tour guide since he quit college. He was in the middle of finishing his degree in Civil Engineering when his mother got sick. He decided to stop his studies and took care of her until she died three years ago.
He was able to discuss almost everything the visitors wanted to talk about. He’s a wide reader and he was comfortable discussing various topics such as Philosophy, Economics, World Politics, even Theology. He can talk about almost everything, except for one thing…
