Monday greeted me with the same morning glow and sense of content as
always. Despite being my day off, I wake early to exchange stories and kind
eyes with Tita and Tito. The aroma of coffee fills my room and spotty calls
home bring a sense of calm. I wind my battery in hope of soaking each blissful,
work-free moment. I roll out my well used yoga mat, ready to practice. Thirty
minutes in Ate (Ah-tay) Vicky hollers from outside for me to close the slated glass
windows. Mosquito fumigators from the city are coming. Sun salutations, warrior
poses, and the like ensue fluidly. Slow, deep breaths, each with meaning as I
sweat out toxins and become centered.
The roar of a leaf blower sounding machine hums
distractingly outside for ten minutes, each second proceeding to knock my
concentration. Triangle pose…lotus….deep breath… I begin to choke on the
crack-strength Raid seeping through my windows, each breath burning my lungs. I
call yoga quits and opt to shower off then escape my repellent ridden room.
Stretching on my mat to cool off, I feel beads of sweat from a somewhat
successful session run down my shoulders. The beads tickle the crevasse on my lower back. I
lean forward toward my desk to grab my cell phone and off my back jumps a
cockroach, skidding away as a shriek/profanity combination exit my exasperated
lungs. Then the battle began…
Suddenly another cockroach creeps in under my door, rushing
to find respite behind a shelf. I grab my go-to cockroach killing device, a
Keen sandal, and begin chasing the two intruders with anger and zeal. One, two.
Clean up, disinfect area, wash hands. Done, right? I turn my back to see
another lowly bug perched on my yoga mat, as if to say, “@#&%*.” Kill,
clean up, disinfect area, wash hands. I turn around again, just in time to
catch another cockroach scurry under the door to seek asylum in the less repellent-dense space. Repeat steps 1-4 for ten more cockroaches of all sizes:
babies, daddies, fliers. I was more sweaty then before and out of breath in
those ten minutes. Every calmed muscle was now tense and my relaxed state of
mind nonexistent. After careful assessment and scanning every crack, corner,
and ledge I called the battle quits.
As I showered and got ready that morning, I was still
baffled by what had just happened. I can’t imagine the hilarity had someone
been watching me. Sounds like the case of “first world” problems, right? After
a few more cockroaches experienced the Keen method, I opened my front door to
head out for the day. And then I saw the battlefield. Within the 8ft x 20ft
space behind tita’s house there were hundreds of cockroaches strewn across the
concrete. Some still, others squished, and a few on their back with squirming
legs.
I began tearfully, gut-wrenchingly laughing with Ate Vicky at the hilarity of the bizarre, gross situation. The repellent drove out all the other pesky residents only to die of asphyxiation, stomping, or sheer stupidity. I suddenly felt much better about my low body count in comparison to the devastation (victory?) outside. After more laughter, shoulder shrugs, and “what can ya do?” looks, I was shooed away from the combat zone. On with my day I suppose. Nothing can be expected or counted on here, now what will this Monday bring?
 |
| only 1/20th of the fallen soldiers |
 |
| gathering the bodies for disposal |
I began tearfully, gut-wrenchingly laughing with Ate Vicky at the hilarity of the bizarre, gross situation. The repellent drove out all the other pesky residents only to die of asphyxiation, stomping, or sheer stupidity. I suddenly felt much better about my low body count in comparison to the devastation (victory?) outside. After more laughter, shoulder shrugs, and “what can ya do?” looks, I was shooed away from the combat zone. On with my day I suppose. Nothing can be expected or counted on here, now what will this Monday bring?
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