I’ve Been Here The Whole Time! (Part 2)

**click here for Part 1 (this part 2 is kind of dragging but just stay with it 😅😂)

Part II: Girls have no sense of direction. (Little Rascals, 1994)

Off I go now to my next destination, Lakewood Plaza, for my morning cardio. Thank God for this place! It’s this new spot I’ve recently discovered that’s filled with trees, humming birds, a lot of shaded area (that’s why you can still do your rounds even when it’s late in the morning) and also just a looooot less crowded compared to my other running venue, Southwoods. No noisy people at all! I usually have a headset on when I do my cardio but in Lakewood, I don’t have to wear it. I’d rather listen to the birds singing and the sound of the leaves rumbling as they gently sway in the wind. It’s also a great time to rid your mind of any distraction and think things through…

What is it again that I’m supposed to say to that guy? Didn’t we leave things off in a bad place the last time we talked? If I remember correctly, there was great agitation and sarcasm with the way I spoke to him back in September last year…Didn’t he hang up on me? And just seen-zoned my last message? And now I’m going to have to face him again and ask for his help? My gooosh…what an embarrassing thing to do! 🙄 ugghh…Whatever…don’t want to rehearse my line anymore…Holy Spirit, guide me…teach me what to say…🙏

I’m talking about this guy, Ad (not the basketball player, alright–I wish!😅)…Just to give you a brief background, last Wednesday, when leaving for my afternoon Bible class, our gate couldn’t close automatically! The roller got stuck in the track–again, for the nth time–so it wouldn’t close properly!

Ugghh…this again…how many times is this going to happen?! What’s the point of having an automatic gate when I still have to get off the car to fix it! 🙄 ughhh…bummer…

Now the roller got stuck really bad–so bad that when we tried to fix it, our gate actually broke down and I couldn’t leave anymore for my Bible class.

It’s just too bad because it’s my first year anniversary with them and on top of that we’re going to talk about the papacy in line with the Church’s newly-elected Vicar of Christ, Pope Leo XIV! It was supposed to be a happy time for me but instead, a mishap replaced my happiness!

I don’t think I’m going to get out of here anytime soon… ugghh…

So there I was at 2pm, under the scorching heat of the sun, fixing our gate. As I’ve grown in my faith, I realized that nothing is really ever wasted as a Catholic; and that everything–really, everything–is grace. If the day was great, it’s a grace-filled day. If the day was bad, it’s a chance to suffer in grace and offer it up in union with Christ’s suffering for the greater scheme of things–which is probably what Jesus, the thorn-crowned King, would prefer.

I offer up this suffering for the poor souls in Purgatory, I prayed. Let’s just handle this well and get this thing done.

Now going back to that guy, Ad, he’s the agent of the gate automation company I had previously spoken to the last time we had the same problem last year. The technical team went to our place and they charged us P2,000.00 (about $40.00) for just spraying something on our gate, without even informing me beforehand that it actually costs that much! And now I’m going to have to face him again! 🙄😂

Whatever… I’ll just act like nothing happened…😅 wait a minute, I’m the customer and he’s the one who’s actually at fault last year, why should I feel guilty? ughh…whatever.

After getting done with my workout, off I went to their office located just about 4km from our home.

Now this is where the fun part comes in…😅

“Kuya, sa Altech Autogate.” (Guard, I’m going to Altech Autogate.)

“Lisensya na lang ma’am, pa-scan.” (Just let me scan your driver’s license, ma’am.)

As I drove inside the village where the company is located, I didn’t use Google maps or Waze anymore as I have already familiarized myself with their location.

But then again…

still…

I got lost… 😅

“Girls have no sense of direction.”

I felt like Darla when her boyfriend, Waldo, said this very thing to her during their racing tournament… 😅

I finally brought out my phone and checked Waze…

But still…

It didn’t help… (quite common of Waze if you ask me 😅)

Hera…Aphrodite…Dionysius…(their streets are named after Greek gods and goddesses, maybe they should have named it after Mama Mary’s titles or after the saints so that they could have made things easier for me. 😅)

Then there’s this narrow street I went through last time…

Wait…

I passed through all of that already…

What the heck…

Where is it now…

Hmm…I remember stopping at this very same spot the last time I went here because I got lost that time too…😅

After 15 minutes…

Just as much as I hate to admit defeat…😅

I finally just decided to just go back to the main entrance gate and ask the guard for directions…

“Kuya, saan ba ung Altech? Ano nga ba ung street nila?” (Guard, where is Altech located? Which street is it again?)

“Altech, ma’am?????” He replied, almost bewildered.

“Oo, ung Altech. So, nasaan?” (Yes, Altech. So where is it now?)

He just smiled–nay, he smirked–before he said…

“Ayan, ma’am oh...” (there it is) Pointing behind me.

Ano? Saan? (What? Where?) I replied confused.

Ayan, ma’am, oh…yang building na yan sa likod nyo… (there it is, ma’am, that building behind you right now).

AHHHHHHH…..okaaayyyyyyyy……. 😅😅🙄🙄 I didn’t know they had already moved from the inside out…😅😅😂😂

Could this day get any more embarrassing than it already is?? It’s not even past 12 and I feel like there’s an umpire somewhere in the world who wants to shout right to my face, “STRIKE 2!!!”😂🤣😂🤣 My gooosh…😅🙄😂

If the building could talk that very morning, it would have berated me and said, “What the heck is wrong with you?! Are you blind or something?! I’ve been here the whole time!!!” 😂🤣😂🤣

(to be continued…)