Cordillerans and lowlanders alike, go about daily activities, in their little parts of this world that is a stage, where we, the mortals are actors and actresses, many are spectators and time draws the day’s curtain to a close.
So it was, last Tuesday, to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Region 1 (PDEA-RO1) in Camp Diego Silang in Carlatan, La Union, this poor specimen of a human being went, to retrieve official documents.
There, he was welcomed warmly by PDEA-RO1 staff, their smiling demeanor warming the bedraggled spirit of this unworthy peon.
PDEA-RO1’s SAO and con-current Public Information Officer (PIO) Bismarck Bengwayan personally attended to the needs of this ignorant laborer, that made his travel that day, a pleasure.
Transaction finished, Bismarck accompanied him to a bus terminal, for a ride back to Baguio.
For courtesy alone, Herald Express gives PDEA-RO1 thumbs up for its gentle politeness and courtly manners to whoever visits their office. In short, approbation!
At the station, he boarded a bus, and a ride unfolding a day’s drama, the bus, the stage. Everything went uneventful ‘til the bus stopped for diesel fuel at Bauang, La Union.
A female, seated beside this ugly-looking laborer with beard splattered over his face, alighted at Bauang. Before she left she smiling said to the laborer, “Dayta, mabalin kan maturog. Pansin ko ngamin itay na, agtugtuglep ka.” The laborer smiled and murmured thanks.
Aha! His seatmate gone, now he can have two seats for his comfort, like a rancho grande haciendero, the laborer thought in gleeful delight.
He’d just slouch like a king on two seats and snore away, till the bus reached Baguio. All know that having two seats for yourself in a bus is like slouching on a sofa at home.
In fact, the bus was half-filled, many passengers having alighted at Bauang, the remaining ones seated singly and silently by their lonesome.
“Swerte nga talaga, nu umisim ti swerte,” the addle-brained laborer snickered, yawned, pushing himself deeper into the seats for a slouch sleep.
But it wasn’t meant to be. Before the bus started to roll, two beautiful ladies boarded.
Ayna, pirme nga ag-ar-aruyut ti kinapintas dagidiay duwa nga balasang, prompting the remaining male passengers to say, “Mga beautiful, ditoy kayon agtugaw abay ko,” and offering the empty and adjacent seat beside them.
Unconcernedly, the ladies, ignored the offer. Instead, they scanned all seats.
Behind the daily laborer, sat alone a woman in pale-green shirt. One of the two ladies headed towards that woman and sat beside her.
Her companion stopped where the daily laborer sat and eyed him critically, like a doctor examining a patient or a police officer eying a suspect. She stared hard and long, like recalling something, or, about to bare her fangs that made the laborer cringe.
Satisfied the laborer couldn’t even put up a fight with anyone whose hands and feet are tied, she happily plumped herself beside him.
The laborer’s dream of bus-sleeping evaporated, like mist gone with the morning dew.
Hearing the two talk, he noted they were Cordillerans, both unmarried and having attended a workshop in Bauang.
By refined manners and civility of their language, anyone can easily discern they were well-bred and educated, unlike the ill-bred laborer.
With the lady seated beside him, he straightened from slouch and edged off further from her, else the lady be forced to bare her fangs.
The half-wit laborer sat ramrod-still while the bus sang its engine song along the road. Then events unfurled. Instead of the peon pining for sleep, the lady’s head started to droop.
Little by little, the lady’s head drooped some more, until it rested on the poor laborer’s shoulder.
The laborer couldn’t budge. If he inched his body forward, the lady’s head will – nobenta por siento – sag at the back of the seats, pulling her body in an awkward position where part of her buttocks will jut towards the bus’s center aisle. She was seated near the aisle.
Her companion noticed her sleeping friend and whispered, “Hoy, Silly, agriing ka man, ayna, ar-aramidem met dayta kaabay mo nga pungan,” by nudging her.
Actually, the laborer discovered during the time the two ladies were talking that the woman who sat beside him was named Precilly, but her companion called her by her nickname, Silly.
Silly, or Sili, startled, woke up, analyzed the situation, and stared at the laborer. Why she didn’t shriek in fright at the bearded and hideous-looking seatmate, puzzled the laborer. Instead, she smiled, as if to say sorry. She sat upright again.
But after minutes lapsed, her head drooped again, until it settled again on the laborer’s shoulder.
Again, her companion nudged her. But this time, she refused her friend’s pleading. Instead, having discovered she found a harmless mortal for a pillow, she settled and fell asleep.
Her companion, whispered to the laborer, “Pasensya kan manong, saan kami ngamin naturog idi rabii, ta late kami nangpalpas workshop output mi.”
The bus seemed to roar in glee at the laborer’s predicament, saying, “Aha! kunam sa sika ti maturog, now she’s in your protective custody. As my passenger lady sleeps, you be sure no harm befalls her.”
She slept, and the laborer wondered what she dreamt. Did she dream of the day she be wed?
Was she dreaming if she marries the right person, inaldaw tu ket Valentine’s Day?
Was she dreaming if she marries the wrong person, inaldaw tu isuna agpakamartir?
Was she dreaming if she marries a lazy person, every day for her will be labor day?
Was she dreaming if she marries an immature person, every day for her, will be children’s day?
Was she dreaming if she marries a cheater or a liar, every day for her will be April Fool’s Day?
Or, was she dreaming if she doesn’t get married at all, every day for her is Independence Day?
Then the laborer noticed the sleeping woman murmur unintelligible words; her lips formed an innocent smile.
Quen sabe! To see such an innocent-sleeping mortal exhibit sweet contraction of the muscles of the face to smile and to experience the pleasant agitation of the vocal organs (never mind if sounds are unintelligible) are comforts too great to be relinquished.
He likened the smile of the sleeping lady to a baby.
Think of a baby, the child’s first smile a measure of intelligence. A baby exhibits the divinity of where he/she came from. By smiling upon us, babies’ smiles are their first communication with the world. Babies understand, and smile by doing it.
And then, as worldly wisdom descends on the little creatures, they chuckle, accompanied by unintelligible sounds we associate as their wanting to communicate or talk.
Before the bus reached Naguillian and Guisad Roads junction where the traffic light is situated, the laborer had to alight. He gently tapped the shoulder of the sleeping woman. She woke up.
“Ma’am, ditoy nak agdis-saag,”” the laborer slowly informed the lady.
Crimping her eyes, the lady allowed the laborer to stand, who alighted from the bus while traffic was at stand-still.
Before he could board a taxi for home, he noticed the lady opened a bus window. She waved at him and said, “Good bye, Sir! Saan ko am-ammo sika, ngem nasayaat ka. Nakitkitak picture ken basbasaek column mo idiay Herald Express. Bye-bye! Hope I’ll see you again, Sir!”
Other passengers smiled and waved; the bus conductor smiled.
Humbled, the daily laborer smiled, waved back, the bus began to roll, as time drew the day’s curtain to a close.
