Yesterday was Labor Day, meaning Holiday.
What made this holiday better than other holidays is that it lies near another holiday, that of Election day. So in a stroke of luck, a friend had a friend who was chums with a political candidate. Earlier, the said political candidate had given out free passes to the pools for his supporters. Since there were many passes given around, one came to me, eventually.
So that was how I came to be on a diving platform more than 10 feet above ground with a friend. Of the 15 or so crowd that gathered on the top, 3 girls were around. Apparently, they had been there for a long time already, and none of them was diving in the near future. The same case went to the rest of us. The children, however, seemed to have no qualms diving down to the 16-foot deep pool.
We were afraid, and none was brave enough to say it out loud, at least not that loud. None was also brave enough to surrender, fearing the jeers people would give when he or she steps down the ladder. And because more and more men wanted to try diving, but not actually dive, the number grew. Some people would have to jump for the comfort of those left behind.
In an event that can only be explained by psychology, our attention was drawn to the girls.
"
Ganina ra mo dira. Pangambak namo uy," a guy said.
You've been there a long time. Just jump."
Dili diay mi. Kamo diay," a girl answered.
We're not. Why don't you(plural) do it?"
Hadlok mo no?," the guy said.
Are you(plural) afraid?"
O sige. I-escort tamo," another guy said while offering his hand to escort the girls.
Oh alright. I'll escort you down."
Dili diay mi." a girl said.
No, we don't want it.But by then, all the guys were already laughing hard, fully aware that there's nothing like a little projection on "weak" girls to hide masculine fear. Fearing another wave of jeers, one of the girls decided to jump. Thunderous applause went from the guys' corner, gathering the attention of everyone else in the pool (A pool that has a 16-foot deep part could only mean that it's big).
All eyes were on the diving platform when the second girl jumped. Applause thundered again. This time, people not on the platform were participating. The third girl didn't want to hear from the guys again, and so she jumped to another round of applause. And thus the female population was decimated from platform.
Silence descended. None of us dared follow the girls. Then another guy said. "
Wala namay babae. Naa bay bayot diri?"
The girls are gone. Is there anyone gay here? The laughing time that followed was quickly silenced, when everyone was reminded of his fear of jumping the high platform. It would be a long time before a man would make the jump. The children, however, had a good time jumping and then climbing up the platform to jump again.
And so I discovered that the fear of what other people may think of you is sometimes more powerful than what you think the outcome of a situation would bring.
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