wooden cart

ben

Of all the second-hand stall vendors I had talked to, there was only one person who stole my heart. He's there in the bus station market. I also saw him in the Wednesday night market and even in the Walking Street market. I thought at first he was just there to accompany his son or anyone in the family because he's quite old for this job. The next time I went to the market, I saw him alone again. So in order for me to believe that he was just by himself, I got to the market earlier one evening. And expectedly, he was there alone opening the sacks of second hand shoes to be sold to the passers-by. I was wrong. He was really all alone.

But that's not it. What touched my heart was when I saw him one late night pushing his wooden cart carrying those sacks of shoes home. "No wonder he's got a hunched back," my mind was thinking. After a few minutes, I offered a hand and he yessed to it. I was able to experience and  follow his turtle-like pushing routine at night. I lost track of time. It took him and me 2 hours to reach his home. More than that, it tore my heart so much when he shouted a name in front of his house and later found out that he was talking to his 90-year old wife who had been bed-ridden for some years because of old age. At that time, I realized that he was working not for himself but for his better-half. As I turned my face back to glance at the couple after I bade goodbye, I saw this 85 year-old man feeding his wife with the rice porridge he bought when we stopped by near his house.

free

ben

"I suppose you killed someone. Or maybe you robbed a bank? Let me guess, you were accused guilty in a court for a crime you didn't do?" an inmate teases Ramon, a new prisoner, as they go to bed in a prison cell. But Ramon never reacts to the inmate at first.

The morning after, this inmate tries again to dig the case of Ramon while eating. "Come on, Ramon, tell me what happened? Did you hurt, rape, or kill someone? Did you burn a whole community? Tell me why you're here?" Still, Ramon keeps his mouth zipped.

A month has passed, and the inmate has forgotten why Ramon is behind bars. One night when Ramon is about to go to bed, he tells something to the cell-mate, "You know what, I like it here."

The inmate is stunned and replies, "Strange. Why you like it here?

Ramon answers, "Outside, no one cares about me. Outside, I need to beg for alms or food. Outside, I always worried where to go when rain was heavy.  Here, everything is free. I don't need to worry about having money. Here, I don't need to buy any. Here, I don't need to worry when rain comes because shelter is for free. Food,  library, education,sports are all available here without any cost. Bed, clothings...all is free." He suddenly paused for a moment.

Then he ends, "And these are the reasons why I am here."

a newbie

ben

"Congratulations, Becky. You are now the title holder of the best gymnast in the country," Kathy whispered to Becky's ear as their names were being recognized and camera flashes were like lightning on a three-divided-stage in the dome.

"Thank you, Kathy. My parents would be so much thrilled for this." Becky happily whispered back to Kathy.

When Kathy went home, her parents' gestures were like someone had died in the family. Her family was so disappointed with what happened in the competition.They asked her what was the reason why she failed to bring home the bacon and got only the second post. But Kathy never told her parents the real reasons why she lost over Becky who was just a newbie.

On her room, as she closed her eyes to sleep, she made a simple prayer, "Dear God, I know Becky is so happy with her family about the victory she received. Thank you for the five years of making my family happy. Thank you for making them proud for five years. Now, I also want to do what my heart wants. I want to pursue my dreams. I want to be proud of myself, as well. Guide me, O, Lord. Amen."

the doll

ben

It was her favorite doll. It was really a nice one because it could turn around as if it could dance when a button was rotated counterclockwise. It was beautifully dressed in pink gown with laces on its collar and on its hem.
 
Hanna sobbed so deeply. She even rebelled against her Mom at that moment when she was not granted to have it. She ferociously asked her Mom to buy the doll for a couple of times, or even more. She cried more and more, louder and louder, and she did all the possible means just for the Mom to buy the dancing doll. But she failed!


Hanna did not talk to her Mom until they went back home. As she was about to go to bed, she heard a familiar sound at the kitchen where her mother was. So she slowly tiptoed going to the kitchen where that sound was. All she saw was her mother flooded with tears on her eyes. She saw a piggy coin-bank on the lap of her mother. She drew closer to her mother and asked, "Mom, what are you doing?"

The mother quickly wiped her cheeks with tears and answered Hanna, "Nothing, Hanna. I am so sorry for not buying the doll. All I wanted was to buy it but I couldn't. Forgive me, Hanna." The mother couldn't help but cry so excruciatingly.

Hanna answered, "Mom…I really want that doll. Maybe some other time, Mom."

The mother ruefully interrupted and explained with tons of tears coming out from her eyes as she held the piggy coin-bank, "These are just the only money we have. I am so afraid that I couldn't bring your sister to the doctor. How are we able to survive if these money are gone?"

The only thing Hanna could do was to turn her eyes on her twin-sister, who had been attacked by poliomyelitis, sitting in an old wheelchair.