As the sun begins to set, the city of Manila welcomes the gloom of evening time as the glittering starlight spreads throughout the sky like amateur splatters of white paint produced by one's inexperienced curiosity. Jaram, a ten-year old, leaned into a window of her room to observe the sky with a magnified gaze as her focus suddenly turned to the edges of the window. Quietly, as she examined to her notice it was full of blisters and cracks as a result of the ceaseless drive of termites. The house in the stumpy area where she and her family currently settle in had been standing for centuries but with it's fragile state, it's only a matter of time for them to move.
It was 2016, when El Niño dried up hectares of her family's rice fields in Cordillera, it was the most devastating moment of their lives. Her father, Mang Garo, poured out all of his blood and sweat just to cultivate a bounty of crops for their everyday meals, and also for earning profit. They weren't able to dwell that incident could happen to their lives. Massive portions of their crops withered in a snap. Misery filled the hearts of her family and it also resulted in intense famine within a week. Mang Garo decided to bring his family to Manila to temporarily live in their homes until he could find a job and earn enough to supply the needs for the recovery of their farmlands. Unfortunately, the devil pierced their feet - piles of challenges welcomed them as they stepped on the road of Manila. The majority of places charge huge monthly fees, and they couldn't afford it. The only option left for them was to sleep in the sonorous and polluted squatters area in Tondo. They have to survive until they can find a job and earn enough to supply the needs for the recovery of our lands. The incident also resulted in Jaram and his brothers being halted from attending their school and were decided to be home-schooled by their mother.
Mang Garo became a freelance mechanic in Marikina. He was paid about 300- 500 pesos weekly, which honestly was barely enough to provide the needs of his wife and his three kids. They only get to eat twice a day and would only eat sardines or shrimp paste. Elise, their mother, is suffering from shame and disappointment for herself, for she can't afford to buy real and delicious meals, and she felt like she was feeding her children some cat food. There was no electricity in their home either. Their only light was from the moon and from a traditional oil light. They kept on awfully striving to survive and they ain't progressing on their goal.
After a moment of reminiscing about their past lives, she suddenly recalled that she was able to solve a calculus problem and she wanted to show it to her parents. Jaram went downstairs with her scratch paper, and she saw her parents sitting by their doorstep. She quietly sat beside them and handed them a paper full of mathematical solvings. Frowns and confusion were painted on their faces. They honestly told her that they got zero ideas on what was written on the sheet of paper. She smiled, and slowly explained to them the solution. She told them that she secretly goes to a carinderia to use their light so she could read and study properly. She met a stranger who seemed to be a college student, dressed adroitly and has a scholarly look. The stranger handed her some sort of mathematical problems for her to study since she told the stranger that her mother doesn't know how to teach math on them.
"The lady asked me if we could go to Manila Bay to see the sunset. Can I go with her?" she asked her parents.
Both of them became far-fetched for a moment yet when they saw her lessons to their girl, they imagined that she may be a decent and trustworthy individual. It was also meaningful for them that their child was able to make friends with the people in Manila.
On the following day, at 4'o o'clock in the early evening, Jaram surged quicker than a wild cheetah while putting on her clothes. She kept scampering around the four corners of her room, looking for more decent clothes to wear. Because of her exaggerated excitement, she stumbled on a nail popping out of their wooden floor, and her pinky toe was injured. She stared at the blood flowing from the cut for a minute before tying it with a piece of cloth scissored from her old pajama. However, she didn't stop on finding clothes and she saw her mother's green dress underneath her dusty bed. She just shook off the dust on the dress and put it on.
She put on her only doll shoes bought by her father during her graduation two years ago. It was a bit tight on her feet but she had no other choice since that's the sole fancy shoes she ever owned. After brushing her hair, she went downstairs and bid a farewell to her mother and siblings.
"Will you introduce that lady to us? We also wanted to learn Math." asked by her youngest sibling.
She was stunned for a minute and thought of something. Gloom was written on her face. Their house was partially ramshackle, dusty, loaded with spider webs. It will be despicable to invite a well off lady to that sort of place. As soon she looked again on her siblings, she was able to see their eagerness to meet the lady without any second thoughts. A delightful smile formed on her lips.
She replied, "Soon, I'll try to ask her if she's willing to visit this house. I find it kind of embarrassing since she looked wealthy." and promptly went to the carenderia.
After some few minutes of standing outside, the lady finally arrived, dressed in executive clothing and a French bennett cap. She saw her carrying two large plastic bags filled with snacks. She smiled when she spotted Jaram in the corner of the carenderia and walked towards her.
"You looked so pretty today! I like your dress, it really suits you!" her compliments to the little girl.
Jaram bit her lips and tilted her head down. She was a bit disappointed. She wanted to wear something more extravagant so she could fit in with the standards of the lady.
"It was just my mom's old dress. We can't buy new ones." she uttered.
The lady couched and lifted her head. " You know, clothes won't define you. I would rather wear an old pajama than this coat. As long as you feel good and comfortable on your clothes, it's alright." she said to her and gave her the most sincere smile she ever had. It gave the little girl an immense spirit of confidence.
"By the way, I brought you some snacks and groceries to share with your siblings." And she handed the bags to her.
Tears formed in Jaram's eyes. Her heart can't bear the lady's overflowing kindness towards her. First, she taught her mathematics, Second, she complimented her outfit. And lastly, she offered her food to fill her family's stomach. How could she deserve to meet a good Samaritan like her?
She wanted to express her huge gratitude but she became speechless that time. The sole thing she did was embrace her tightly. The lady chuckled a bit and caressed her hair.
"It's alright. It's also your reward for being a good learner. So, shall we go to the bay? I really want to see the sunset." she said and led her to her car parking outside of the carenderia.
Jaram paused for a bit and hesitated to get inside the car. It was too "bougie" and a beggar like her wasn't fit to have a sit on that thing. The lady tapped her shoulder and told her that nothing is wrong for her to ride such a luxurious car.
They finally arrived at Manila Bay. They sat on a bench and watched a bunch of kids running around the shore, flying their kites and some of them were playfully throwing each other a handful of sand. The city's official just recently finished the shore clean-up and its cleanliness satisfied every visitor's sight.
Jaram glimpsed at the woman who was sitting close to her. She could see the unexplainable feelings in her eyes, similar to how she was thinking back to the past with bliss, distress, lament- it was similar to the flowing waters of Maria Cristina falls, loud and scenic.
When the sunset arrived, she gazed upon the sky - it was a bright red sky, like the God painted the Red Sea above. Her eyes widened, for she remembered what her father told her about the appearance of the red sky.
"My mother told me that the red sky represents good luck. Do you also believe in that?" asked the lady.
"Father also told me that. A lot of good things happen to us every time the sky turns red." she replied.
The lady smiled at her faintly and returned her gaze into the ruby-colored sun. Her expression confused her.
"Is there something wrong with the red sky?" questioned by the little girl.
"I was a farmer's daughter. My family owned a wide land in Negros. I truly enjoyed my childhood filled with the aromas of sugarcanes. Riding in the carabaos was my favorite thing to do every Saturday. We were able to eat enough meals everyday. I was so happy, my family was so happy. The only happiness I wanted to last, but it didn't. Our lands were plundered by the government. We paid our taxes but we were dropped out of our residence. We were afraid of the military. That incident made my father side with the violence. He left us and joined the guerilla squad. When he was about to be captured by the authorities, he told me to meet him in the middle of the field, of our former farmland. It was the last moment, that I saw his face, the last moment, that I thought I could embrace him again. Before I was able to run towards him, a flash of bullet pierced his brain. My heart skipped a beat during that time. I froze in my position and watched my father collapse on the ground. The sky was red that time, and it's redness blinded my heart."
After hearing her words, Jaram was too stunned to speak. Her young eyes shed some tears and the frustration built up in her chest made her clenched her fist. She wasn't able to ready herself with those words as she never heard that kind of story for the 10 years of her existence.
"And this might be our last meeting."
Her eyes widened when she heard it, but it became wider when she felt a group of people standing behind her. She turned around at the back and she saw a bunch of cops lining up behind them. They pulled out a piece of paper from a large briefcase. In the paper, there was something written on it.
"Warrant of Arrest"
"Ms. Perris Aganilla, you're under arrest for violating the R.A. 10951. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you."
The woman tapped Jaram's shoulder and as she turned back, she saw her sincerest smile yet in a flood of tears. When she stood up, they immediately handcuffed her and brought her inside the police car.
She was left alone in the Manila Bay, with the plastic bags beside her. She went back on the bench, sat and sulked for hours until the sun departed and the moon appeared in the night sky. As soon as she wanted to return home, she started to feel some grumbling on her stomach. She was surprised when she saw a book the moment she opened the bag.
"Ejecuciones Extrajudiciales: Where Rights are Silenced By Power. Written by P. Aganilla "
Looking at the title printed on the cover, it made her develop an interest in reading it. She flipped the page to the dedication page, and she was about to close it when she thought that it was written in full English language and she might not be able to understand everything since she only knew a few English words. Surprisingly, it was actually written in Tagalog medium.
"A reformist/propagandist once stated that " Children are the hopes of the country. "for they will forge the true democracy, and I believed in this one little girl who could bring the true liberation of our beloved country. I'm dedicating this novel to her. Till we meet again in the next life."
The last line made her shiver as it kept echoing in her mind. She rushed into the carenderia on where she often watch the television news. She was hoping that she will be broadcast in the national TV.
"News Report! 7:30 pm, a convicted doctor was shot in the brain by an unknown suspect. It was assumed that the suspect would possibly be a politician. The police are now investigating the incident. "
- END -