Collected Philippine Short Stories

Lirio | Peter Solis Nery

Translated from Hiligaynon by Prof. Celia F. Parcon

According to Lola Pansay the midwife, all the butterflies went wild when Nanay Rosa gave birth to Lirio, the Mute. The old woman could never forget that birth, a curious event. That was the only time she had ever seen a large gathering of butterflies. In her estimation, all the butterflies in Barrio Jardin and other neighboring sitios flocked to witness Lirio's birth.

When the midwife patted the baby's buttocks, it did not make a sound. The old woman then slapped its butt, but still the baby did not cry. Then the butterflies hovered around the old lady who had the baby in her arms. For a while these unusual visitors stopped flying, as if they were poised in prayer. The baby in Lola Pansay's arms smiled, and that was all.

The old woman put down the baby beside Nanay Rosa who was almost unconscious. It was a difficult delivery; the mother lost a lot of blood. But Nanay Rosa smiled when she felt her baby by her side.

Thousands of butterflies were at the baby's christening. They frolicked and danced outside the chapel. Their wings were like nuns' hands in prayer: open, close, open, close. The baby smiled.

When Padre Rafael asked how the baby was to be called, Tatay Manuel gave the name: Lirio, after the lily. The father said the name Lirio suited her well, for the baby was very fair-skinned. If Lola Pansay were to be believed, in the long time that she had been midwife in Barrio Jardin, Lirio was the fairest of all the babies whose umbilical cord she had cut. This was a source of great pride for Tatay Manuel whose ancestry bore dark sunburned skin.

On the day of the christening itself, the barrio chapel was flooded with white lilies because Padre Rafael was officiating a wedding after the baptism. But it was only Nanay Rosa who noticed the very white flowers; everyone else had their attention on Lirio's very fair skin, especially because the baby looked even more enchanting in the white frock its mother put on her.

Lirio glowed when Padre Rafael made a cross of holy oil on her forehead. She smiled when water was poured over her head, and she soundlessly chuckled as she gazed at the butterflies peering through the chapel windows.

Tatay Manuel proudly cradled his child as the godparents lighted candles. Many had thought that one of the couple was sterile because they had remained childless after almost twenty years. But now in their advanced age, they were blessed with a beautiful and unique child, Lirio the Silent One.

Lirio was greatly loved by her parents, but she grew up without friends. She had wanted to join in the many children's games like hide-and-seek and others, but the other children did not give her any attention. She was often sad because, being mute, she was always made fun of. Thus, she directed all her time to her books and her crayons.

***

Lirio had a rare intelligence, so that she was admitted into the first grade even if she could not speak. Tatay Manuel desired to send his child to a special school, but a mere farmer could not afford to send his beloved daughter to the city to study.

Lirio really wanted to attend school, so all Tatay Manuel could do was provide Lirio's teachers with a sack of rice each from his harvest, in exchange for their understanding of his child's circumstance.

In school, Lirio became a very close friend to Yasmin Buenaflor, a transferee. Like her, Yasmin was also unique: she was pinkish fair. Even the hair on her head and on her skin was white. From a distance, her eyes looked like they had no pupils: entirely white without the dark centers.

Both of them were subjected to their classmates' teasing, but Yasmin was bold. She wrestled with those who taunted and mocked them. She was a bit of a tomboy and many feared her. Even the teachers feared Yasmin's father, who was a captain in the army. (That was actually the reason Yasmin was always a transferee in school: she and her mother went wherever her father was assigned.)