The view from my bedroom was truly breathtaking.
If not for the condominium's twin tower partially blocking my window, the entire portion of Sierra Madre that rises in Antipolo, with its chocolate green hills and newly developed subdivision houses would have been the sight that would greet me in the morning. The Marikina River snakes down below, where rustic huts still line its murky banks. Farther in the distance, the Mango trees hiding the plush mansions in Blue Ridge gives way to the cliffs of Katipunan. If one would look closely at the towering structures in the horizon, he would never mistake the Burgundy Tower for something else.
Yet it was already dark when I decided to gaze outside the confines of my temporary home. For two nights, I was once again the guardian of Papu's abode.
It's been seven months since he last entrusted his place to me. Apparently, Papu was satisfied with the way I run things around while he and his partner were away. Back then, I had a companion with me. Since I could not take over the responsibilities for several nights alone, I asked for Roy's assistance. In the nights that I could not make it, he was the one sleeping over.
Papu's reasons for entrusting his home (and the valuables that he kept within) remain a mystery. As far as we know, he wanted someone to take care of Alec, his Persian cat who apparently does not enjoy being alone. If not for the spoiled cat, I would have had second thoughts of staying over. It's not because of my namamahay habit but because of the huge responsibility that comes with looking after someone's little kingdom.
Papu never emphasized these responsibilities however.
The truth is, it wasn't me who is his first choice to stay over. It was Roy. Perhaps he understood that despite being capable of doing the job effectively, he knew that I have a family to look after as well. However certain events lead to a change of policies at home. Instead of imposing severe isolation while trying to finish my papers in school, I was left looking for a place to stay for the night.
It was because of my sister. She was rushing her thesis for today but due to some stroke of bad luck, her computer broke down last Friday. With no other option to finish her thesis on time, I made a supreme sacrifice of letting her use my computer instead.
As a show of gratitude to my selfless act of giving up my room, my mom allowed me to stay elsewhere to beat my own paper's deadline.
---
Looking after someone else's place was not an easy undertaking.
First, I had to adjust to my new surroundings. Papu lives in an upscale condo somewhere in Libis. His unit maybe slightly smaller than my mother's two-story apartment, but his home is full of lavish objects that I could never buy with my own paycheck.
Second, in the face of being surrounded by valuables that I could never afford, I felt suppressed gawking on luxuries that I could actually use to amuse myself. Papu never said anything about utilizing them for my own entertainment. I could have spent all night watching comedy films if I was daring enough to operate his expensive dvd player. However, out of fear that I might break something due to my ignorance, I stayed away from his electronic appliances that I don't know how to operate.
Better accept my ignominy rather than face the consequences of my stupidity later .
So I spent the first night surfing the web. I tried to download and copy as much mp3s as possible but constant distraction prevented me from exploiting the full potentials of Papu's DSL connection.
The sleazy websites are just a click away and with boredom and deafening silence gradually killing me, the temptation of taking advantage of my isolated situation disturbed the stillness of my thoughts.
Nevertheless, I continued browsing the sleazy websites.
But Papu's moral compass kept on crossing my mind
---
-tobecontinued-
If not for the condominium's twin tower partially blocking my window, the entire portion of Sierra Madre that rises in Antipolo, with its chocolate green hills and newly developed subdivision houses would have been the sight that would greet me in the morning. The Marikina River snakes down below, where rustic huts still line its murky banks. Farther in the distance, the Mango trees hiding the plush mansions in Blue Ridge gives way to the cliffs of Katipunan. If one would look closely at the towering structures in the horizon, he would never mistake the Burgundy Tower for something else.
Yet it was already dark when I decided to gaze outside the confines of my temporary home. For two nights, I was once again the guardian of Papu's abode.It's been seven months since he last entrusted his place to me. Apparently, Papu was satisfied with the way I run things around while he and his partner were away. Back then, I had a companion with me. Since I could not take over the responsibilities for several nights alone, I asked for Roy's assistance. In the nights that I could not make it, he was the one sleeping over.
Papu's reasons for entrusting his home (and the valuables that he kept within) remain a mystery. As far as we know, he wanted someone to take care of Alec, his Persian cat who apparently does not enjoy being alone. If not for the spoiled cat, I would have had second thoughts of staying over. It's not because of my namamahay habit but because of the huge responsibility that comes with looking after someone's little kingdom.
Papu never emphasized these responsibilities however.
The truth is, it wasn't me who is his first choice to stay over. It was Roy. Perhaps he understood that despite being capable of doing the job effectively, he knew that I have a family to look after as well. However certain events lead to a change of policies at home. Instead of imposing severe isolation while trying to finish my papers in school, I was left looking for a place to stay for the night.
It was because of my sister. She was rushing her thesis for today but due to some stroke of bad luck, her computer broke down last Friday. With no other option to finish her thesis on time, I made a supreme sacrifice of letting her use my computer instead.
As a show of gratitude to my selfless act of giving up my room, my mom allowed me to stay elsewhere to beat my own paper's deadline.
---
Looking after someone else's place was not an easy undertaking.
First, I had to adjust to my new surroundings. Papu lives in an upscale condo somewhere in Libis. His unit maybe slightly smaller than my mother's two-story apartment, but his home is full of lavish objects that I could never buy with my own paycheck.
Second, in the face of being surrounded by valuables that I could never afford, I felt suppressed gawking on luxuries that I could actually use to amuse myself. Papu never said anything about utilizing them for my own entertainment. I could have spent all night watching comedy films if I was daring enough to operate his expensive dvd player. However, out of fear that I might break something due to my ignorance, I stayed away from his electronic appliances that I don't know how to operate.
Better accept my ignominy rather than face the consequences of my stupidity later .
So I spent the first night surfing the web. I tried to download and copy as much mp3s as possible but constant distraction prevented me from exploiting the full potentials of Papu's DSL connection.
The sleazy websites are just a click away and with boredom and deafening silence gradually killing me, the temptation of taking advantage of my isolated situation disturbed the stillness of my thoughts.
Nevertheless, I continued browsing the sleazy websites.
But Papu's moral compass kept on crossing my mind
---
-tobecontinued-
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