BLOWING BUBBLE DREAMS

The rainy season has started after a long summer bringing a relief to the dried open cracks of soil in which farmers are waiting for. If the rain continues and the rice paddies are filled with rain water farmers have to bring out their farm equipment. They used to fatten their farm animals but technology took over to till the soil and prepare the rice paddies This time Faustino arrived for vacation to pick up his parents who felt melancholic nostalgia of his childhood. Two decades ago as a growing child he went along with his father to till the ricefields with their only beast of burden the carabao to till their parcel of land simply to provide their household consumption paying their landlord after harvest. It was like a hand to mouth existence that after harvest not much was left after paying the landlord. Most of the farmers in the village have the same situation whereby the few landlords collected all their harvest. Faustino and Constancia were classmates at the elementary school where they graduated Being neighbors Faustino would walk along with Constancia to school and they play during Physical Education period. One time their teacher asked them to bring soap to make soap bubbles. The teacher told them that bubbles are dreams that can go away easily but if they hold on to their dreams these bubbles will carry them up high to reach their dreams. Faustino and Constancia listened intently and understood that dreams coukl be realized. Not long after. they were called sparing partners wherein they found themselves to be fond of each other. There were trees lined up at the edge of the school yard and children climbed them up to play jumping from one branch to another and Faustino would climb a tree just to play with Constancia .One time Constancia's mother became worried when she did not come home on time. She found out her daughter went with Faustino to cut young trees to fence their schoolyard so trespassers cannot get in to steal vegetables from their garden plots. They planted tomatoes, long beans climbing on bamboo trellises bitter gourd and pechay. How delighted were their parents when they brought home something to cook. But Constancia's mother was not happy at all when she learned about her daughter going with a group of boys to the forest,, Faustino assured Constancia was safe that he was there to protect her , When the school principal learned about it he held a meeting to inform the parents that it will not happen again. This incident was not taken lightly which cause their separation not to go to the same school the following year when they entered secondary school. The only time they would see each other was taking the same ride going to school. During class breaks they would meet at the school yard or the municipal park to see what they can do to help each other with their assignments and spend a few minutes at the public library, When there was a school meet where the two high schools compete each other in sports. Faustino was very good in basketball while Constancia does not engage in sports at all but watch the tournaments where Faustino participated. He also excelled academically and Constancia fell behind except in English trailing the upper level of the honor roll. While both of their parents were farmers. Faustino's mother helped in the fields tending wider parcel of land while Constancia's mother was a merchant. During planting season farmers helped each other to plant rice , cooperatively in order to reduce their individual farming expenses. Harvest time was near. The ricefields were colored with rice golden grains and fruits in season are beginning to ripen. It was not expected that a strong typhoon was coming. Not just the normal one but a Supertyphoon was coming. Weather experts warned that this kind of typhoon was caused by climate change so the Emergency Response Unit prepared all their needed equipment to help residents when the typhoon lands on the area. The weather forecast broadcast that there maybe landslides and flooding in low lying areas. It so happened Faustino's and Constancia's village were near the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and there was a possibility of tsunami to flood their ricefields and wipe out their wooden semi=concrete houses. The Supertyphoon Romina brought strong rains with a speed of 250kph coupled with gusty winds of the same 250 kph and the strong waves easily caved in the semiconcrete houses and the small shacks were totally wiped out. Since it happened at the middle of the night the only thing to be heard were loud voices shouting for help. Rubber boats may have been dispatched, only the light of big flashlights can spot where the residents were. Faustino's and Constancias family were able to be rescued to safety when a rubber boat and the responders pulled them out from their houses bringing them to the third floor of a shelter. This was a scenario Faustino and Constancia will not forget or will be erase in their memory during their lifetime. Since their crops were all gone and their houses were heavily damaged by the supertyphoon they promised to leave their place They talk to each other to go to the bigger city where typhoons rarely visit to earn a living on their own. With Faustino's school credentials he obtained a scholarship to continue his studies while Constancia tagged along until they were able to graduate. Not much hope to land a lucrative job Faustino decided to leave his country to find a greener pasture with Constancia to be always on his side leaving together to a country that accepted them to work in the same hospital. When they were able to work for sometime they decided to bring their parents to visit them. Was it worth to leave a country whom they love? Is it worth to live in a new country with a different culture? It must be hard for Faustino and Constancia. They have decided to start their own family in a place where there are similarities in their traditions and culture. Here they are free to exercise their religious beliefs, the method of instruction is English and its all the same that they can go to visit many places locally. Their parents may be able to attend their wedding under the Christian tradition and ceremony and the location they have chosen is a public park. Constancia is busy preparing about the details of their wedding while Faustino have prepared all the travel documents to bring their parents to attend their wedding. The couple doesn't want to look back what brought them to a foreign land. It is their dream to lift up their economic life to a better one to follow their dreams. There in the park where they will express their marriage vows were red balloons and there are big bubbles where. they will be inside. With hopes and dreams to lift them higher like balloons going up in the air.