Tremors

It was past 3'o clock in the afternoon.

The sky was heaving with dark clouds. I could see it from the big glass window behind the librarian's desk next to the door leading out to the main corridor. I found myself queuing behind a group of pre-teen girls eager to extend their readings of Sweet Valley High and Hardy Boys series by borrowing the books to take them home. Meanwhile, I held in my small dirty hand a Dinosaur book I found in some dust-covered shelf located at the fringes of the library. Like the pre-teens in front of me, I also want to extend my reading home. The school bell would ring in a matter of minutes marking the end of recess. How unfortunate that we were only given 30 minutes to spend our break discovering things at a time we were most curious about our surroundings.

Our classroom was some distance away from the library. Fortunately, it was just on the other side of the building, and could be reached by a few meter's dash. It wasn't necessary for me to run. After all, the teacher would arrive late for sure. They were still in the faculty lounge, perhaps, talking about their miserable lives which nobody among our young, innocent minds would ever understand.

Science was our next subject after recess that day. Our teacher was Miss Cabacungan, a tall, sexy lady in her mid-twenties back then. They said, she was one of the youngest and most beautiful teachers among the faculty. With long black hair, slim waist and red pouting lips, even our feminine adviser claimed that he has a crush on her.

Now I know, it was all just a stunt to make us believe that he was straight in those days.

I cannot remember what we were discussing at that time. All I knew was that, barely a few minutes after she began her lecture, the ground started to shake violently. The chairs where we were seated swayed in a forward-backward motion taking us along. Meanwhile, Miss Cabacungan, who was in front of us was too stunned to make a reaction. She tried to appear calm and in control, but the look in her eyes revealed fear and confusion. She just froze there on the spot, unsure of what to do or how to keep us all safe.

If Miss Cabacungan was stunned by what was happening, we were helpless in our state. Even the class bully could not utter a single word while the ground was about to swallow us alive. It wasn't our fault that were unable to react. After all, a tremor that powerful had never entered our memories yet.

Instinctively, I burrowed my face against the desk and my hands were on my head expecting that the concrete ceiling will crush us at any second. The screams and the shouting of the all-girl high school students, who were lucky enough to run out of their classrooms and into the quadrangle can be heard outside. Unfortunately for us who were stuck on the second floor of the building, we had no choice but to wait until the shaking stops.

Amidst the panic and confusion around me, I could hear the roof above making a screeching, ear shattering sound. "Parang may mga higanteng nag-eespadahan sa labas!" I would tell my mom after arriving home that evening. When the swaying finally stopped, Miss Cabacungan instructed us to walk slowly out of the room and into the quadrangle outside. I remember a girl classmate beside me who was still shaking while cautiously descending the stairs. Her face was flustered and sweating. Her eyes were becoming watery the more we get closer towards our safe haven.

The quadrangle was already full of hysterical students when we reached it. Girls, boys, and even teachers - everyone was just relieved to see their friends safe and alive. Soon people began exchanging stories as to what they did while the earth was shaking. The wall that divides teachers and pupils broke down that afternoon revealing the humanity everyone was hiding behind their mask of formality.

As for most of us who had never experienced going through a strong earthquake before, our shared feelings border on fear, bewilderment and excitement.

It doesn't include those who were crying and still calling for their mommies thirty minutes after the earth stopped shaking.

The date was July 16, 1990. I was in Grade 3 and it was the last time I felt the ground move so violently, the haunting memory still lingers to this day. They say, Manila gets struck by a major earthquake every 22 years and I do not know if there is a study behind such prophetic announcement. However, the last time I heard the earth moved violently happened two decades earlier.

It was when the Ruby Towers in Quiapo collapsed and buried hundreds of people still sleeping in their quarters that morning.

---

China was struck by a very strong earthquake two days ago.

10,000 people were confirmed dead, including some 900 students who were crushed to death while having their classes in a university that collapsed in one of the cities affected by the tremor.

Myanmar is still on its knees after a cyclone devastated the country last week. It was China's turn to suffer now.

With every part of the planet subject under nature's fury.

I wonder, when would our turn come next?