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Sunday, October 02, 2005
One-armed mountain biker
By Peter Michael M. Babao
WE WERE on our way to Cagayan de Oro City to spend post-Christmas vacation with relatives last year and I was going at 110 kph when a bird flew across our path, hitting our windshield. The impact was like a popping sound produced by a gunshot with a silencer, shattering the glass and prompting me to a sudden break in the highway.
We were still in Manolo Fortich, some distance away from our Cagayan and I wanted to reach that city before darkness falls. I stared in helpless fascination at the glass that was slowly breaking into tiny million pieces, making it look like a show window splattered with myriad lines and designs. But I couldn't just go on staring.
Fortunately, a car shop was located some 300 meters away from where we were and I slowly I guided the car to ask for assistance. I told the mechanic about our predicament and he said that it was good that the windshield was tinted all over, thus preventing the shattered pieces from disintegrating.
"Can I still drive the car and have it repaired in Cagayan?" I asked.
He assured me that I could, provided I don't drive too fast. He need not tell me that because even if I wanted to hurry, it required quite an effort straining my eyes to see the road clearly through the shattered glass.
To make the story short we reached the city safely and had the windshield replaced the next day, thanks to the generosity of my brother in-law Ed who volunteered to pay for the damages. We had a good vacation and went home to Cotabato City four days later.
Going around the city without a tint in the windshield just wouldn't do. It was frustrating especially with the extreme heat we were experiencing at that time, so I took my car to the shop in front of the St. Peter School in the city for tint replacement.
While my car was being taken care of, I noticed a man with just one arm cleaning a mountain bike. From his physique, I could tell that he was a biker. Being a biker myself, I gave in to the instant rapport I felt with him and started a conversation.
I learned that he was Manong Boy and he was once a truck driver for a logging firm in Alamada, Cotabato. Unfortunately he lost his left arm in an accident but he did not lose hope and worked harder to live a normal life. He has a son who works for the shop where I brought my car.
Manong Boy is soft-spoken and is a nice person to talk with. He actually gave me tips of where I should buy second-hand bikes, which are more durable than the new ones being displayed in stores, and maintenance tips as well.
We had a nice chat because our common interest in bikes made us relate to each other easily. My dad bought me a bike in high school, which I remodeled and used for four years. I loved that bike and I used to stroll to the Old Airport area where a new road is now located. The road was not yet even paved at that time.
Anyway, Manong Boy really is an inspiration. Here is one guy who is left with one arm but didn't stop from providing for his loved ones.
If you happen to see mountain bikers along Sinsuat Avenue in Cotabato on Saturdays and Sundays, you might be lucky to see him along with his club members. Yah, Manong Boy is one true inspiration for all of us.
(Peter Michael M. Babao writes sports columns for a Cotabato City-based weekly newspaper)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (October 2, 2005 issue)
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