Rory sensed that I wanted to be alone so he arranged to meet me later that evening, then he flagged a jeepney to take him to Smokey Mountain. I just wandered around town.
It was strange to be alone. I had thought before then, you could never be alone with the sun always shining so brightly.
In Manila people never looked alone. There was always too much noise for that and yet I walked along the side streets past endless concrete-walled buildings and never saw a soul. You could be alone in Manila if you tried. Cars sped by as if it was not a place to be seen and a black burning heat bounced off the streets. Dunkin’ Donuts was always empty and I went in to get something to eat. The pastry stuck together in the heat and the sun made my mouth dry. I threw the doughnut away and I walked back to the main stream of life on Mabini Street. It wasn’t that I felt sorry for myself. Affairs, when they came to an end, always took me by surprise. And then it hit me.
Jeepney photo is by Shankar S via Flickr.
March 1988
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