HOPE in little GOOD things
Last Friday, I walked along Jacinto Extension after I had my coffee at Bo’s Coffee Club. I was planning to take a taxi but I decided to walk until I reach Ponciano Street where I can wait for a jeepney. The sky was dark then, there were only few stars, the wind touched my hair softly as if it whispered that a rain was coming. But I did not care; I was so busy observing the scenes in my surroundings.
I passed by a construction site, there were men still working, some were joking at each other while others were complaining about the tiredness they felt that time. After a while, I passed by a group of adults, as what I heard, they were talking about a certain crime happened in the City just a few days earlier while others were complaining about the crisis they are currently experiencing. On the other side of the road, I saw some children playing around, and then a mother suddenly shouted “Nak! Uli na kay gabie na, undangi na ng dula” (Go home and stop playing it’s getting late). After few yards, I passed by a series of restaurants or more like a “tambayan” for beer drinkers. Many people from all ages were there drinking beers and doing videoke, on the other side groups of men were shouting and howling at each other. There were also young men and women flirting, there were old men who were joking around with this group of young girls (they look like prostitutes which most probably is true because that area is one of the hot spots for pick-up girls), basically, it was a portrait of one of the faces of modern day society.
When I finally arrived at Ponciano Street, I took a jeepney and while watching the people and establishments passed by, I saw some children in the street sitting in the sidewalk. They were singing “hawak kamay” and they were smiling while singing. A few meters away near San Pedro Church, there was a taxi got stuck in the middle of the road, the driver called out some help with the bystanders there, and they did not hesitate to help the driver. When we were in the corner of San Pedro street, we stopped because the traffic lights signaled red, then a “Badjaw” asked for some coins and I gave her 2 pesos. Finally, when I stepped down the jeepney, I helped an old woman with her things and we crossed the street together.
I was happy to end my day that day, in spite of some not-so-good realities I saw in the society, I saw a pinch of Hope from the little good things that happened later that day.
