Of that Sunday

That moment when you thought scenes that we see in movies do not happen in real life. However, they do.

July 19, 2015 was perhaps one of the dates that our family would hardly forget. When we were supposed to relax and have our family time because it was a Sunday, we were brought to the realm of worries and disbelief on that very same day since my younger brother has lost his right leg.

Morning of that Sunday, someone called and informed my mother that my brother met a vehicular accident in Kapalong (roughly 90 km away from Davao City). The caller said that my brother’s foot was just caught by his motorcycle. Just that. After the call, my parents, my sister-in-law, and my nephew went to Davao Regional Hospital in Tagum City where my brother was confined. We weren’t actually that worried at first because then again, “his foot was just caught by his motorcycle.”

Few hours after they had left, everything went quite normal at home. My husband was busy reading news online. I was busy cutting posters for my classroom. The rest were preoccupied with their own agenda. However, at 1:43 PM of that same Sunday, my sister-in-law called me. She was crying. With the exchanges that we had, there was this one line that kept on ringing in my ears: Putlunon ang tiil ni Ruben (Ruben’s foot/leg will be amputated). A few minutes after I received the call, I told my husband. Then, I cried.

When my husband and I were on our way to Tagum, a lot of thoughts were running in my head. Perhaps, the people around could also sense that I wasn’t fine. I was appalled with the news. Really. I wanted to poke my brother on his nape or punch him hard on his arm. I wanted to scold him limitlessly. I wanted to ask him a lot of questions: Why did you have to go to Kapalong? Why didn’t you listen to your wife when she told you not to go? But, I couldn’t. All I ever did was weep and pray and admit that what happened wasn’t a movie. It was real.

As we arrived in Davao Regional Hospital, my parents welcomed us with poignant faces. “Putol na dyud (ang tiil), te,” my father remarked (His leg is finally amputated). I just couldn’t help but feel sad about what happened. Never have I thought that such circumstance would happen to our family. Despite this, I just came to realize that what happened on that Sunday had a purpose. It taught us a lesson. This lesson might have been learned in a very painful and distressing way, but we still believe that it happened for a reason. Perhaps, that was to bring our family much closer together.

As of this writing, my brother’s already out of the ICU and now at the orthopedic ward of the hospital. I was also able to speak with him through mobile phone, too. I was about to move to tears when I heard his voice, but above that, I was happy to know that my brother’s getting better.

Indeed, that Sunday was one of the worst ever. Nevertheless, I just hope and pray that I wouldn’t be able to see that very same scenario in our lives again which I have always thought only exist in movies.

Despite this, I just came to realize that what happened on that Sunday had a purpose. It taught us a lesson. This lesson might have been learned in a very painful and distressing way, but we still believe that it happened for a reason. Perhaps, that was to bring our family much closer together.