Michelle and Karina's Rough Night

I went back home to the tender arms of Charissa. It was already 6:00 p.m., and the rain outside became a mere drizzle.

One hour later, however, the city was once again drenched by heavy rains. Charissa turned on the television to catch up on the weather and the news became very unfortunate.

The typhoon had just made landfall in our area. Signal No. 2 was raised in Manila and its neighboring towns.

Then I received a tweet announcing tomorrow's classes would be suspended.

"Mother, there are no classes tomorrow," I remarked. "It's suspended."

"Christine, we can't go out tomorrow," Charissa replied grimly. "I expect to see floods inundating the street outside overnight."

"That can't be good," I commented bitterly.

The good thing about living inside a condominium is that we are safe from any floods. The condominium is 30 stories high, and we live in the 11th floor, thus putting us in a good position.

Unfortunately, Michelle was not as lucky. While Charissa and I finished our dinner, she called me from my smartphone.

Michelle: "Christine, I have some bad news."

Christine: "What is it Michelle?"

Michelle: "Our house just got flooded. Right now it's calf-high."

Christine: "Oh dear. I hope you're safe out there. By the way, is your mother with you?"

Michelle: "Yes Christine. Karina's here, and the maids are currently assisting her in carrying some of the valuable items upstairs. The floods are inundating our garage, but my mom didn't want to take anymore chances."

Christine: "Well I hope you're safe out here Michelle. Take care."

Michelle: "You too Christine."

"Michelle and Karina's house is being flooded," I promptly told Charissa just as Michelle hung up the phone. "It could reach their house any minute now. We must help them."

Upon looking at my smartphone, I witnessed lots of carnage on the metro. Streets became virtual parking lots and cities turned into ghost towns because of overwhelming floods.

Some electric poles also fell by the fierce winds. Consequently, several cities plunged into terrible darkness.

It was horrifying to witness this devastating storm up close. It was as if armageddon was approaching.

Moments later, Karina made a phone call to Charissa.

Karina: "Charissa, we need your help."

Charissa: "What's happening to you, Karina?"

Karina: "The inside of our house just got submerged by floods. Michelle and I are upstairs now, and we can't get out. Even worse was that we lost power and now depend on rechargeable lanterns for light."

Charissa: "Karina, stay right there. Going down may be too risky for you."

Karina: "We couldn't help ourselves. Michelle is freezing to death right now and she is covered in many blankets."

Charissa: "Calm down. You must wait for the flood to subside. We can assess the damage tomorrow. For now you need to get some shuteye and think positive."

Karina: "Okay then. We'll stay upstairs for now. Hope you're safe out there."

Charissa: "Hope the same for you."

"Gosh, Michelle and Karina's home just got submerged in floods and the area is plunged into darkness," Charissa informed me. "This is not good for them."

"I sincerely hope they're fine," I replied back. "Living at home is no cakewalk especially when a strong storm passes our local neighborhood."

Our condominium was fortunate to include a backup generator in case of blackouts. Otherwise, we would have endured the same fate as Michelle and Karina.

But Charissa and I felt extremely overwhelmingly concerned for our beloved friends. They don't enjoy the same luxuries as we typically do which is a shame.

The following morning, Charissa and I went outside and surveyed the street littered with mud and garbage. The rain has somehow weakened to a drizzle.

But we have no time to think sentimental stuff. We must help Michelle and Karina.

So Charissa and I hopped in her car and drove directly to Michelle's house. While on the way there, we heard from the local radio that the typhoon has naturally left land and the warning signals were downgraded.

But the damage has been done.

Charisa and I finally made it to Michelle's house and the first thing we saw were tracks of mud all over the garage. Even the family dog was not spared.

"You must be Charissa and Christine," Karina's maid approached us near the gate.

Knowing it was the two of us who were standing outside, the maid promptly opened the gate. Upon entering, we could not help but be saddened over the damage that Michelle's house sustained last night.

Inside, the floor was also muddy, and traces of water were splattered throughout. The maids and drivers were working round the clock to clean this mess.

Charissa and I slowly made our way upstairs where we found Michelle and Karina sleeping snugly together. Charissa made her way to their bed and stroked both of their foreheads.

"Karina. Michelle. Christine and I are here right now," Charissa softly whispered. "Don't worry, we'll take care of you."

At that critical moment I started crying which brought the attention of Charissa.

"What's wrong Christine?" Charissa approached me with concern etched on her face. "Why are you crying?"

"Mom I can't help myself," my tearful response to Charissa. "We haven't experienced such a calamity before, but this is something else. I feel sad for both of them."

Just then, Michelle and Karina woke up. The two walked towards us and embraced tearfully.

"Oh it was good to see you," Michelle said gloomily. "My mother and I had a very cruel night. We couldn't eat, sleep and function properly. Just look at me right now."

I looked at Michelle's face, and it was a hideous sight to behold. Her eyes were bloodshot red and her lips cracking amid the frigid temperatures.

Charissa also checked Karina and she worriedly felt the same way.

"Don't worry, you'll be all right," I informed Michelle. "My mother and I just wanted to help you in any way."

We convinced Michelle and Karina to live at our condominium for now. They agreed on the condition that Michelle and her mother would return home once their house is repaired.

After promptly delivering some final instructions from the maids and workers, they eagerly joined us for a short ride to my unit. Michelle and Karina conveniently carried along some important things, from clothes and essential toiletries to their personal gadgets.