Goodbye for now, Aslum!

It felt as if our vacation was over before it even began.  We were sad to say goodbye to Aslum and its glorious sunsets.  On our last afternoon there, we trooped down the beach, all six of us bakasyonistas, to watch our last Aslum sunset before going back to Manila.

On the gray sand, I spread a colorful sarong–a gift from a friend who knew me so well–and set up a little ‘picnic’. Nearby, a couple of little boys laughed as they attempted to fly their kites while their dogs barked at them excitedly.  It was all music to my ears!

Mushroom ran around as ecstatic as ever. He had found his very own sandy playground here. In the glow of the afternoon sun, it all looked so magical.  Days later in Manila, he couldn’t stop talking about ‘the beach’. He said he’d like to go there for a swim, unaware of just how far away it was.

Maybe the kid is right. Maybe it’s simpler to pretend that Aslum is just  across the street from our house here in Manila. That way,  I can tell myself that I can always go home to our tiny cottage by the sea whenever I want to.