Manila, May 1960
The day started with beautiful sunshine, vivid blue skies and just a touch of breeze. But my mother, having lived in the farm -- farm activities depended much on the weather if they could foretell it close enough -- thought there was something odd in the air. She was supposed to have washed the sheets, but she changed her mind and she said she would do it tomorrow.
We went about our chores around the house and, as usual, at noon, we sat down to eat lunch. Simple stewed fish and boiled rice. Mother kept saying all morning that there was something odd in the air. The skies couldn't decide if they were blue or gray or a mixture of both colours. Then we noticed that water was flowing inside the house. Outside, the streets suddenly became flooded.
Mother said, "The river is rising in the middle of the day." High tide at noon wasn't normal in our place. Also, my mother commented, there is a strange noise with the rising water which by now is ankle deep for her. I was seven and small for my age so my feet were above ground when sitting. Still, we continued to eat.
But within two minutes, the water rose up to her knee and almost to the bench we were sitting on. She ordered us to carry our plates up the stairs to the second floor of our house. By the time we finished eating, just at the top of the stairs, the water inside our house was almost near my mother's waist, her skirt billowing in the water as she carried some foodstuff from the kitchen.
By this time, the strange noise that came with the steadily rising water became louder, but not as loud as the noise of panicking neighbours. The old lady in the house behind us wailed and asked God for forgiveness and to save her soul. She yelled at her grandchildren: "You little pests, come up here and pray with me. It's the end of the world, you sons of a bitch, and all you can think of is swim in that stupid flood!"
Another neighbour turned on their radio and tuned in to the news. Apparently, hours earlier, an earthquake has struck in Chile and what we were experiencing was a tidal wave, the tail-end of the much larger scale tsunami that had travelled across the Pacific Ocean.
-o0o-
387 words. this was previously published in my blog, "a matter of distinction" in December 2010.
i doubt that i had posted this photograph before so i'm using it for this segment. it is not a tidal wave, just a pretty wave i shot during my holiday in palawan in 2011.
Wow!!! Vikki your mother was quite perceptive and calm. You have really held my interest in this story that you remembered from your past. You are quite the writer. Wonderful capture to go with the story.
I don't remember this story but then I don't remember much at that time at all - too busy with being young and living life in the present! What an awful thing to remember and particularly for your mother! Nice wave here though!
As much as l love the ocean the thought of a tidal wave keeps me from ever moving there! Wow- this shot is such a contrast to your story. I'm glad that the flood did not do more damage to your home and the family was safe. It must have been such an odd feeling.
My town here has tsunamis. Over thirty with two quite destructive in the last 50 years. But even your mom could probably not have just served food during the one here in 64.
There's a kind of suspense here. Does the water stop rising??? Love the voice of the old lady and the image of just continuing to eat as the water rises.
