but leaving a flat iron semi-on at the risk of burning down the entire house may just tip the scales in my favor.
i was at the end of one of my calls when i realized, i don't remember unplugging the damn thing. so i turned that thought over and over on my mind and went through everything i did before i left the house.
i remember plugging it on, turning the heat to the max. ironed my shirt (at least tried to) then my cellphone rang. my supervisor was calling. new schedules. apparently, i have to choose among the 3: an 11pm sched (sun-mon), 10pm sched or 12am sched (fri-sat). since i am a morning person, the only thing that would matter is the rest day. either way, the scheds are all tae for me. it's a good thing it's already may. i don't know how long i could last. i chose the 11pm - 8am sched since i have a sunday morning class at 9am. how to get there within an hour was a problem i was not able to think about until later. the last thing i remember was my supe telling me that it's nearly 7am and i'm still in the house. (i'm gonna be late, i know).
after that, i grabbed my shirt. removed the lint with a scotch tape because i sit beside zai who is OC about removing lint from black/dark clothes. after that, i grabbed my bag and went out. shit, there goes the iron.
at about a quarter to 9am, for some unknown reason i started to think about the iron. i don't really recall unplugging it. i sent an sms to my sister and my brother to go to the house and check the iron. but my sister is already in qc and my brother is in manila attending his class. bummer. my father is in sta. rosa, laguna. tough luck there.
my 2 siblings were sending me sms like, "you what?!!!" my brother sent me an sms saying "i can't concentrate on my review because *** *** how can you leave the damn thing on. somebody's house there just burned down a couple of days ago!. you have to go back." i thought of going back around lunch but of course by then it might be too late. i remember telling edel that if i burned down the house, i'm never gonna show my face on that place again. and she said, well there's nothing to go back to =) thanks for the comforting thought tita E.
i recall the time when my sister left the electric stove on. when i got home i went to the kitchen and wondered 'why the heck is it hot as hell in here?' then as i checked the stove, it was still on to the max and the coils are glowing fiery red. the house didn't burn down then but it looks like that house may not be so lucky this time. and i'm just the one to do it. ***sigh*** our neighbors will prolly flay me alive.
i had to go home (thanks marcy). on the way there, i passed through the fire station. counted the fiery red fire trucks. three. nothing seems to be amiss. everything's calm. so my place seems to be intact.
then as i stepped down from the jeep and walked to aurora, i heard the 'clang, clang' of the bell. since there was a fire about 5 houses away from our place last week, so the sound sent me into panic. but instead of running. i was literally frozen on my place. it was so damn hot outside but i felt like somebody just doused me with cold cold water. i felt my heart dropped down to my intestines and then felt like throwing it up. as i looked down the street, there was a fiery red truck parked just before the narrow street that leads down to the house i was staying in. and the only thing that went over my mind then was "oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." i wondered whether i should go continue walking or call my dad. what the heck am i gonna tell my dad? and my landlady?! that i left my stupid iron on and burned down the entire house? oh dear...
i looked at all the people gathered on the street and felt everyone looking at me. of course i was right smack in the middle of the street and just staring dumbly at that red truck. i started walking towards it, i never bite my nails but i found myself biting three out of 2. all the way saying "oh shit" like it was some kind of mantra when i should be praying.
as i got nearer, i can smell the stink. it doesn't smell like a burning house. it smells like trash. as i edged closer to the truck. what do you know? a garbage truck. duh. no wonder there are so many people outside. oh shit. so i ran like hell to our street, banged the gates and took the stairs two at a time. when i opened the door, i can smell the burning banana leaves that have now turned to black. i use banana leaves instead of those commercial stuff they sell to make ironing clothes smoother (or whatever) and it smells nice too. not too mention hazardous when you leave the iron on. i unplugged the iron and switched the electricity off of the entire house. i don't remember turning the knob on the iron to a minimum, but it was on turned to the minimum level. i must've done it unconsciously as i answered the phone.so Someone UP there have not forgotten me. it was only past 9am but i feel like turning in and calling it a day. another incident like this and my heart will give out on me.
as i was going down the stairs, i met my landlady who exclaimed her surprise at seeing me. i told her i forgot something so i went back. little did she know...
Life is an unbroken succession of false situations. -
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