September 21st, 2008 by iyahthought
“Could you offer me something? Anything from your heart? Do you have coffee?” – These are the words that I heard that I thought I was dreaming and I’m not in my homeland.
But I’m not really dreaming nor I’m somewhere in America!
It’s so unusual in our barrio where I grew up to hear people speaking not in our native tongue. I was just at home. I checked the time on my phone and it’s only 5:30 AM. A bit earlier than I used to waking up every morning.
Grrrr… I was really awakened from a nice sleep, a nice dream. *=/ I opened my eyes and clear all my thoughts so I could clearly hear the conversation.
It was my mother who was talking to somebody – the coñotic one. She was busy doing her morning chores of opening our lil store. She already opened the window then putting up the breads/biscuits on its shelves will be the next thing to do but she didn’t get a chance to do it. She didn’t dare do it.
The coñotic woman kept on talking & asking too many questions as if she was interviewing my mother. No definite topic was at hand. Just “anything goes” out of her head! My mother answered all the questions thrown at her then this woman asked for a cigar. My mother refused to give one even when she asked for a coffee and bread to eat.
My mother is not that kind of person as u would think she is coz of her refusal. She is not “madamot”.
That “anything goes” questions give me inkling that my mother is having an irritable conversation with a lunatic woman. An indeed lunatic coñotic woman. I will let you call her in the name “Luna”
Not giving anything to her made Luna got mad. As mad as hell. She is shouting as if cursing the whole place, our barrio. Luna even told my mother that she need not address my mother respectfully as what she did in the first place when the conversation started. She said that my mother is not a good person. How dare her talked to my mother like that!
But anyways, like what they all say “ Ang pumatol sa walang bait, e ganun na din”– “if you let yourself be affected and argue with a mad/insane person, consider yourself as one”J
My mother really got irritated when Luna started to shout. My mother could not leave our store open knowing that Luna has all the capability of doing something bad. My mother asked Luna to leave our store and go somewhere else but she kept on yelling.
It would either be just there waiting for Luna to leave and not be able to do her chores or close our store. And my mother did the latter. At last, Luna parted our store with her voice barely could be heard from afar. I should say from anear. (is there a word like that? Har har har!) She just transferred to the next store which is just a few feet away from ours, my tita’s store. What the! I asked my mother if she warned them. And thank GOD she already did. J So they just ignored Luna.
There’s this man came. Luna asked him for a bread to eat in a disgraceful manner. He gave Luna a piece of bread. And guess what? Instead of being thankful, Luna reacted violently for just receiving a single bread!
They all just ignored her. Some of the people at the waiting shed near my tita’s store just laughed at what they’ve heard. Luna went there and they interviewed her. They’ve asked where she lives, her name, etc. But instead of answering these questions, she asked for a cigar.
“Kapag nabenta ko ung bahay ko, babalikan ko kayo! Tatandaan ko mga pagmumukha nyo! Malilintikan kayo!”–“If I have my house sold, I’ll come back here. I’ll remember all your faces and you will regret the way you treated me here!”– that was what she said when the guy whom she asked for a cigar didn’t give her one.
Then two of our Barrio’s official came. They asked Luna to come with them so they could bring her to the town proper. “Kayong mga palamunin ng gobyerno namin! Mga wala kayong kwenta!” – “All of you are useless! You who just depend on our government!”
“Dalhin nyo ako sa asawa ko pero kapag di nyo nakita, sa nanay ko na lang ninyo ako dalhin! Siguraduhin nyo lang na dun ang punta naten. Huwag sa mental hospital”– “Bring me to my husband but if you will not find him, just bring me to my mother. Just make sure that’s the place we’re heading and not the mental hospital!” These are the last statements that I’ve heard from Luna after our Barrio’s Official have her rode on a tricycle.
My mind laughed silently at that scene that I just saw.
It’s funny to have encountered people like Luna. Funny because of the words that you could hear them say. Those surprising words that sometimes could lead us to what they have been through and why they became like that.
But it’s scary too. More scary than funny for you really don’t know if they are just spying on our barrio, on us and our belongings. Looking for something valuable, really valuable that they could steal. They could just pretend that they are insane so people will not mistaken them as “akyat-bahay” gang. They already know which house will give them fortune if they will not be caught.
It’s funny to watch and hear them talk. Just be cautious of their actions and their eyes. BUT don’t ever make eye contact. You could be hypnotized.
You’ve been warned.
Beware.
Be careful.
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