The Way We Were

A year ago today, if you were more or less like me a career woman probably in the upper middle-class demographic and working hard to enjoy life’s perks what were you doing?

You were probably at the office, and firming up plans for tonight’s after-office TGIF. You experimented with the best shades of lipstick today and were probably wearing the latest shimmery summer shade that you could show off with an effortless smile.

You may have had a business lunch, and you shook hands with the person you were meeting with. All meetings at this time last year began and ended with a handshake unless you were gearing up for war. (Well, you always washed your hands thoroughly, so no problem. Looking back, you wonder if everyone else at the time was just as scrupulous with handwashing.) Today, the only hand you can probably shake is your own.

Or, you had a lunch to celebrate a friend’s birthday and you swapped double kisses with almost each and everyone in the room. You thought nothing about it. It was normal. It would have been an affront to the person you were greeting not to exchange a beso-beso.

After work, you may have gone to Friday Mass. All pews were filled. You held hands as you sang the Lord’s Prayer with the stranger beside you, you lined up to receive Holy Communion. Now, I miss the taste of the wafer-thin host.

Or, you headed for the mall or the supermarket to stock up for a lazy weekend, and the only ones wearing masks were tourists from Hong Kong or Japan. No one even had “face masks” on themselves or on their grocery lists. Toilet paper and disposable gloves were aplenty. There were as many bottles of 70-percent ethyl alcohol on the shelves as there were bottles of Merlot or Chardonnay on the next.

You were also probably all set for a party as you could sleep in the next day. You arrived late because of the Friday night rush. Grabe naman the traffic in this country, was the night’s chief complaint. People complimented you on your bag or your tan or your waistline. If someone sneezed, someone would just immediately respond fondly, “Bless you!” No one headed for the exit for fear of dear life.

Some of us were working late, especially those from the media who were closing pages for the weekend edition. Others were swinging over to the latest event or the latest SSI product launch.

Poblacion, as usual, was packed. So were the hotels and their lobby lounges.

And the bands were playing.

***

A lot were sleepless a year ago today, excited for the next day’s flight. Some very lucky ones were preparing for a trip to Bora or Siargao for the weekend, eager to add another layer to their Holy Week tan.

In those days, airlines and hotels raced with each other to give travelers the best deals — if you booked early. So, those reaping the benefits of foresight (a.k.a. “promos”) were traveling business class to Europe and staying in first-class hotels. AirBnb was another attractive option that enabled families to travel together.

You patiently went through all the inconveniences of security checks (wrought by 9/11) in airports, took off your shoes, your belt, your watch, your jacket, your laptop and saw the foldable umbrella you forgot to put in your checked-in luggage confiscated. Ayayay. You hankered for the good old days when all you had to take off from your body for the X-ray conveyor belt was your carry-on. Now, you miss those lines and where they led to.

You could have been on an ocean cruise on the sunny Mediterranean or a river cruise on the Danube, sightseeing by day, and listening to music on the ship’s lobby by night. You never heard of cabin fever or social distancing. You put on your dancing shoes.

And the band was playing.

***

Or, before you turned in for the night, you were hoping you had more time to clean your closets, to read your favorite books or watch your favorite Netflix movie or series because you were dead tired after work and the whirl of meetings and presentations. And yes, so many parties during the weekend you couldn’t say no to.

You were excited to go to the salon the next day to have your roots done and your nails polished, and treat yourself to an afternoon in the spa.

Or, you would have gone to the malls or your favorite department store for some retail therapy, as your credit card offered three to six months’ installment, no interest. You didn’t mind the crowds during three-day sales.

Everyone, including yourself, was empowered because the business outlook in the world was as rosy as a teenager’s face after a brisk workout.

Before you went to sleep, you thanked God for a good day, but oh, how the details of your prayers have changed in a year! And before you drifted off to dreamland, you were already waltzing in your dream vacay.

And the band was playing.

***

That was the way we were.

Life will never be the same again. The band will be playing a different tune. A deadly virus has conquered the world and brought it to a standstill, changing not just the way we live, but dictating the way we change.

Till we find the vaccine, will we be able to shake another person’s hand again in greeting? Will lipstick be a relic of the past? Will we be able to smile only through our eyes? Will we be able to hear Mass again? Will we be able to attend a wedding again?

When will it be safe to travel again? For some, when will it be safe to love again?

People have likened this unsettling to God “pushing the reset button” on the world that has been spoiled by its own empowerment. Reports say the warning bell on the deadly virus was sounded as early as December last year but no one really paid attention to the iceberg ahead — because they couldn’t see even the tip of it.

In four months, the world has changed, like a glacier calving. That is one epic act of nature I cannot forget seeing in Alaska (during a Celebrity cruise where the captain deftly brought us as close to the glacier as possible). I watched in silent awe as a portion of a millions-old glacier broke away and fell to the water in a thunderous splash. The age-old glacier was changed — forever. Not quietly, but in a roar.

The world has changed like a glacier whose side has calved. The new normal beckons, and we cannot and should not go back to the way we were.