Unforgettable...

If I were to ask you to identify a scene, from a very ordinary day in your life, that left its mark on you, what would that be? Asking myself that question, I would have a difficult time answering, for there are many of them. But this definitely will be one of the candidates.

I was spending time with my then-girlfriend at the Marikina Riverbanks. We bought some chips and soda and sat on one of the benches there, then passed the time talking about just anything that two people in love would normally talk about. We talked about our relationship, our families, and our dreams for the future. Nothing unusual, nothing special. Just another day of unwinding for us. Then we noticed that the sun was already setting, a signal that we had to leave soon, as I had to get her home to Antipolo and take another one and a half hour trip home to Pateros. It was then that a child beggar came up to us and asked for alms. As compassionate as I would like to think that I am, I hadn’t developed the habit of giving money for alms. Since we still had some leftover chips (we even had one bag of Piattos unopened), we gave some to the boy. What struck me most was what happened next. The boy called another child (perhaps his sister) and passed on all we gave him to her. He didn’t even bother getting some for his own! I was so touched by what he did that I beckoned him to us and gave the rest of our snacks.

Looking back, I wish I had done more. Perhaps I could have asked for his name, how old he is, what brought him there, what his dreams are. But words had failed me. It was a very pleasant surprise to see someone giving even when he had really nothing to give. He was no older than 8 years old based on his looks. And yet, he was already taking care of his younger sister (I assume) in ways that even older boys do not. No other act as simple as that had left me as impressed and amazed.

In my subsequent visits to the place, I kept wishing that the boy would come up to me again. But there was no way I could remember his face, so even if I did see him during my next trips there, I wouldn’t have been able to identify him. I sometimes wonder what has happened to him and his sister since. Are they better off now? Are they back in school? Or are they already too engrossed in the perils of their world that they are now the same as other streetchildren? I must remember to include them in my prayers, especially the boy, for people as good as he is deserve something more out of this world. I hope you’ll pray for them too.