What is a sarongutan? Part 3

“The heavy rain suddenly stopped when one of us put the sarong on. We were all amazed and one by one quickly put on the sarongs too. Before we knew it the rain stopped and the sun came out. We were so happy we danced, laughed and threw a huge party. It was known as ‘The Big Sarong-aton Bash of 88’. We‘ve never taken off our sarongs and we’ve held annual Sarong-aton parties right here to keep the sun shining forever. And that is why we call ourselves ‘Sarongutans’,” said uncle.

“Wow, that is an amazing story,” I said.

“One that you are a part of,” he replied. “You are a sarongutan too, my boy.” Uncle grabs a sarong and wraps it around my waist. I looked around at everyone and I see happiness. I see young sarongutans swingin’ with their friends. I see the elder sarongutans sharing a laugh. This is real happiness. This is what being a sarongutan means.

On my journey home, I find myself constantly smiling and needing to share this amazing feeling to as many as I can. What I saw at the village was too great to be kept secret. But how do I do that? Who would believe such a bizarre story? And then it hit me. What if I made people feel happy by reminding them of their good times with their loved ones? I tried it out over drinks with my buddies. It worked! The laughter and energy I saw was similar to the sarongutan village. I need to let everyone else know.

My name is Hugh Mann. My friends call me Hugh ‘da’ Mann. And I am a sarongutan. Let me remind you of your good times………