Day 10, forty-day writing challenge, Dramatic Experience

I rode a jetski. I was in Cebu with Ed. We went to a resort that day. We were supposed
to go to a place where you can swim beside the whales. However, my cousin Mally said
that it was very smelly there, and Kat felt it was cruel to the whales because it prevented
them from taking their usual course through the waters as they normally do. And so we
were in a resort where I was disappointed by the small sharks, although we did have
a nice buffet.

I had wanted some very strong interaction with water animals, and I was just looking
down at the little sharks in a pond. Ed was grouchy as usual. I saw that a jet ski could
be rented for a full hour. I doubted that Ed would ride the jet ski, but I took a chance
and reserved it for one hour. We lay on the beach, put on sunscreen, and I walked
to the jetski.

I think the guy who rode the jetski had never had an experience quite like me. All I could do
from start to finish was scream. A jet ski isn't like riding a bike. The waters have waves, and
a wave can go any direction, from left to right to forward and backward, all at the same time.
Jetskiing is more like riding a motorcycle on an unpredictably movable road. And I am a
senior citizen and I didn't think about trying to understand the waves so I could just mow
through them. Instead, I just screamed.

To calm myself down, I sang “Magellan” by Yoyoy Villame. you have to sing
it with a deliberate Cebuano accent. "Martch seexteen feefteen hundred tweyntee
wan. Win felepeen was descobered by Mahgehlaaaaan. Dey were sayleeng
diy and night acorss dee big oh Shawn, until dey rich de smol Leemasawan
I lan."

Then I looked far down the waters and saw an island. I asked the man if the jetski could

take us to the island but he said no. I asked him to sing a song, and he said he knows
only childhood songs. I asked him to sing one and he wouldn't. He seemed however not
to like my singing because as I sang -- shouted was more like it -- he tended to interrupt
me with a question. I'd answer the question and then sing again.

With time I became more confident of my jetski skills although I was still frightened. I sang
Spiderman, the old fashioned version of the song which was my new anthem of
empowerment. This was the song when Spiderman was just a cartoon and there were no
Marvel movies then. Spiderman, Spiderman, friendly neighborhood Spiderman. I saw a
collection of red boulders with small water lanes between them, and I told my guide, "We
can go in and go out on the other side."

I realized, however, that we could possibly hit a rock and injure his jet ski, which is
his livelihood or injure myself or him. He calmly said, "Okay ma'am, let's go that
way" and his hand turned right -- opposite from the direction of the boulders.

I was a bit miffed, but it was my first time in a jet ski, and it was his jetski.
After 30 minutes Ed still refused to ride the jetski, and I didn't think I could
take anymore. I barely was able to get off the jetski. I had to wait a bit to do
it very slowly, then I walked straight to my chaise lounge and slept.

I heard him talking quietly to his other friends in Cebuano. I know he was amused
by the tone of his voice. What was he telling his friends about our historic and
cultural and enigmatic ride on a jetski? I wonder if he still remembers me now.

Here is the song of Magellan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUl3Yyxyjy8