The Depths of Rain
“Late na tayo,”
Upon hearing a voice, I turned around to see who it was. My classmate, Rain, was the one standing behind me. Both of us were rushing to get to our first class on time. When I found that I wasn't the only one who had arrived at class late, I felt a sense of relief. We are both running our arse off the stairs ‘cause we sure don’t want Miss Dons to get mad.
Actually, Rain and I have been acquainted for quite some time now. We both attended the same university. If memory serves, I've known her since we were in grade school together. However, we never were more than casual friends and certainly never classmates. It wasn't until the start of this school year that I found out we'd be in the same class.
I would say that Rain is incredibly generous and nice if I had to characterize her. And I do mean GENEROUS when I say that. I've observed that anytime somebody requests a favor of her, she does it without delay. Being classmates makes it more likely that I'll notice, as I'm always paying attention to the little details of my environment. Never once did I witness her being unkind to a fellow student. She has a constant, pleasant demeanor and a broad grin plastered on her face.
Eventually we became partners in a particular performance task. In this task, we needed to get to know each other. And this was not just the shallow parts of ourselves but instead, we needed to get in depth with each other. At first, I wasn’t really sure if we’d make a good team. I wanted someone who I am already familiar with. But then I realized, It's actually refreshing to have an in-depth conversation with someone I don't already know very well.
“Just accepting myself and trying to be better.” These were the words she said that struck me. When I inquired as to what areas of her life she was working to better, she responded as follows. We sat in the far corner of the room and swapped anecdotes about each other. In talking with her, I had the impression that she let down her guard a bit, allowing me to learn more about who she really is.
One of her difficulties, she admitted to me, was keeping her temper in check. The possibility that Rain inherited this trait from her dad was mentioned. "It's terrible," she says, to share a home with someone who can't control their fury. In which the smallest annoyance would cause her father to lose his cool and lash out at those closest to him. This is something I also struggle with, so it really hit home.
She said this was a major cause of her anxiety. In an effort to avoid her father's wrath, she began to resort to hiding from him. She is finally of age to realize that this is not the kind of upbringing she desires. Although she did admit that there was a period where she was almost like her father. In an effort to make amends for her past mistakes, she is currently working to improve her character.
In light of knowing that Rain had been through such terrible things, I began to wonder how many other people in the world are just like her. Putting up a false front of happiness in the face of overwhelming suffering. But how well do we know those closest to us? Maybe we're only getting a glimpse of their outside appearance and not who they truly are. Rain’s story taught me to become more empathetic because we are not aware of what a person is going through, so the least thing we can do is to be kind.
