Sa prisinto ka na magpaliwanag...!

I hate explaining myself to anyone especially if I know that my actions are void of any malice. It's an ordeal for me therefore to ride the public train every morning. As you already know, I am in my second trimester of pregnancy and as such I have earned the privilege to ride the "off limits" section of the train reserved for senior citizens, handicapped, employees, officers of LRTA, women with children below 4ft., AND pregnant women. The problem is, at this point of my pregnancy, I don't look pregnant at all. Sure I appear bloated or busog but definitely not pregnant. The last time I tipped the scale, which was a week ago, I weighed a frail 112lbs. That already includes the 3 1/2 month old person inside my tummy. So you can just imagine my "acting" skills whenever I attempt to ride the special section in the LRT which honestly I myself find ridiculous. Because I don't look preggers, I try so hard to protrude and project my tummy just so I can get past the guardia civil manning the train. And everytime, and I really mean every single time, the guard would scrutinize me like I was some kind of a criminal.
"Hindi ka pwede dito," to which I would meekly reply while pointing to my tummy, "Buntis po ako."
This is exasperating and frustrating at the same time. But I don't want to blame these guards who I know are just doing their job. Besides, they haven't and will never experience being pregnant so how the hell will they know if a woman is pregnant especially if she's only in her first trimester like me? Perhaps they don't have a choice but to take our word at face value, believing in our innate sincerity. Unfortunately, there are people who are just so makapal ang mga pagmumukha. I have been a witness to countless encounters wherein these unscrupulous women who try to sneak past the guard to get prime seats during rush hour. Can't they read the sign? Or they just choose to be ignorant?
Haayy, some people just don't learn.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well...you know how it is here. :( hangga't makakalusot, lulusot...hanggang makakalamang, manlalamang. :( I guess, in my case, the closest thing to (almost) cheating in a public transport was at the MRT. May special train kasi (bandang harap) for women, oldies and the handicapped. Pag may kasama akong guy, I tell him to limp big-time (yung pag maglalakad sya parang maikli kunwari isa nyang leg)...pero syempre I was just kidding, hehe.