“Haaayy…”
I let out a deep sigh before starting my Saturday, hoping to clear my mind from the exhausting world around me. It was almost six in the evening when I decided to go for a run in a public place. A cool breeze seemed to embrace me, as if reminding me that everything would eventually be alright. This had become my routine every Saturday because somehow, I always felt lighter after five days of battling the challenges of life.
I started by putting on my earbuds and connecting them to my phone. I had been listening over and over again to the song I had been practicing, but somehow, I still couldn’t gather enough courage to sing it in front of a crowd, even though I had practiced enough. It wasn’t my first time singing solo, but the nervousness I felt this time was different because a special celebration was going to be held at our church.
I became so caught up in my run that I didn’t even notice I had already completed five kilometers. Feeling thirsty, I reached for my water. But as soon as it touched my lips, I felt a strange sting, as though there was a small wound there. I ignored it for the meantime and endured the slight pain as I drank my water. The streetlights had also begun to turn on as the surroundings quickly grew darker. I could already feel myself getting out of breath, so I decided it was time to head home.
The barking of our neighbors’ dogs seemed to announce my arrival at our little home. Curiosity had already taken over my mind, so I immediately went to our rectangular, white-framed mirror and pouted my lips. There, with my own two eyes, I saw a small reddish bump on the inner part of my lower lip. I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to sing the next day, and I worried that this little obstacle might keep me from doing it. I hurried to my mother like a child who had just been denied a piece of candy and immediately told her what I was worried about.
"yung Ni-yo, solusyon dyan"
"Nemo?"
I couldn’t help but furrow my eyebrows, wondering what Finding Nemo had to do with my problem.
"Ni-yo! As in N-E-O, Para d'yan sa singaw mo"
Without a second thought, I took the small green-and-white container my mother handed me, which somewhat resembled my inhaler. I followed the instructions she gave me, delivered almost like a rapper because of how quickly one instruction came after another.
“Hugasan mo muna yung kamay mo, kumuha ka ng cotton buds, kasi parang gel yan. Tas mag-pump ka ng kaunti dyan, bukas tanggal yang singaw mo"
Wanting it to heal as quickly as possible, I didn’t allow any negative thoughts to fill my mind. All I could think about was my solo performance the next day. After cleaning myself up and getting ready for bed, I immediately used the cotton bud to apply the white, honey-like gel onto my lip. It felt cool, with a slight sting at first, but after a while, it brought a soothing sense of relief.
The next morning, even with my eyes still half-closed, I quickly grabbed my phone, opened the Camera app, and pouted my lips to check how it was doing.
I was amazed by what I saw. It was as if that small but mighty Neo HC gel carried a little magic of its own.
The sting of my SINGaw had completely disappeared.