Marketing Day

I stood in the middle of the market and drank in the smells, the sights and the energy of the place. I could feel the whole place throbbing with a life of its own. Most of them there were individuals trying to make a living – some in a traditional, honest way, and for some, maybe in not so honest way (Bolo and I got ripped off last week. We paid for a kilo’s worth of fish only to find out we were given less than what we paid for.). For a moment I wondered what kind of lives do the people there have and live. What were the issues that they have to contend with everyday? What were their dramas? What were their stories? If I were to sit with them and exchange experiences, what would they tell me?

Bolo and I must have stood up somewhat in the crowd of people there because not only once have I felt and seen the stares being thrown our way. Maybe as I wondered about their lives, they were also probably wondering about our own. We probably looked fresh to them, naïve. Sure enough, Bolo and I often have to ask what kind of fish they are selling and how best to cook them. I knew we reeked of youth - being a young couple that we are. I wondered if we reminded them of how their marriages used to be – fresh and new; exciting and so full of expectations. Most of the people there looked resigned, the lines of acquiescence etched all over their faces. It’s as if they felt they have already seen all there is in life and is just living day by day as it comes to them. There was no element of fire in their eyes, no excitement and openness as to what else life may have for them around the corner… As I wished on them the fire that still lit my spirit, I wondered if some of them we’re also thinking that Bolo and I were fools who believe life is one exciting ride and is in for a big surprise.

Ah but these are grim thoughts. While the above observations may be true for some, there were also those who eagerly served us. Every time Bolo and I would ask if what we’re buying would be fine for a few months old baby, or for a lactating Mom, we would receive tips and suggestions and advice of all sorts. And all of them were being given sincerely, and whole-heartedly. As we made our way from the maze of stalls I felt myself energized somewhat, pensive and amazed at the amount of reflection I’m having from just being in the midst of all of that.

When Bolo and I found ourselves in the middle of the meat section, I grew dizzy and nauseated from the smells and the energy of the place. I may have only imagined it but the whole section reeked of decay to me. I knew the same could be said of the fish section but it was different there somewhat. Maybe because fish, even tuna, looked minute compared to the carcasses being butchered left and right at the meat section. Bolo pointed out to me at one time how “threatening” it is to be loitering around there seeing vendors yielding big carving knives and hooks.

Sundays have become a marketing day for Bolo and I. For two Sundays now, we have awoken up early to jog our way to the market and buy food stuff for the house. We lingered the most at the vegetable and fruit section. Ah and at the ukay-ukay too but rarely do we find anything worth buying there. Last Sunday, we had to walk back home since Bolo spent our last penny on some crabs after he found out I’ve been wanting some.

All in all it was a novel experience for me, something I could do again and again without tiring because I know it’s going to be a different experience every time. Life, in fact is like that. In truth, no every day is really the same. There may be times when life may prove to be one routine on top of the other – doing the same things all over again, everyday. But if one would really stop and reflect on it, life is one “heaven” of a ride. There are magical-moments, aha-moments, lurking in some corner or the other if only one knows where to look. No, it’s not even that. It’s the attitude really. If one expects life to be exciting and full of promise then that is the kind of life that he’ll find. If one looks at it differently, and see only the drudgery of it, then that's what he had to live with.

“To flit and fly and explore life’s many possibilities.” I remember writing that part in the personal credo I wrote perhaps four years ago. I still adhere to that until now even when life have already dished me quite a few unpleasant experiences. My life is not without its piece of bitter pill that I have to swallow on some days. Bolo and I, in fact are trying to work out some knot in our relationship at the moment – a very stubborn one at that. We have history and years of conditioning as an enemy. But we face it everyday. Work at it everyday. Everyday I’m learning more about what commitment really means. And there are times I don’t want to learn about its meaning at all hehehe But I stick around, albeit as an unwilling student at times because I know, it the end,the lesson I'll be learning would weigh much, much more than the drudgery I'm feeling.