*Note this story is in Ilocano
Panpanunoten na nu ania a klase ti tao ti rumwar iti alas tres ti parbangon ti Sabado . Agtutubo nga agraragsak agingga a sumingising ti init wenno, dagiti mangop-opisina a malpas iti dis oras iti rabii, isuda dagiti kangrunaan a suspek. Daytoy a pasahero ket nakasuot ti pang opisina, su a pagarup na a ti naudi.
Linukatan ni Rolito ti arwangan para iti kabarwan a pasahero na ket inyuray na agingga a nakastrek. Nu saan na a kasapulan ti kwarta para ti apo na namnamnamen na kuman iti panag retiro na.
Pamilyar ti boses ti pasahero, nangngeg nan iti mamin gasut a daras- nadangran a puso, pannakapaay, lugi a negosyo, agpapada da.
“Simbaan ti San. Miguel.” inyarasaas tay nabartek.
Uray ket adda destinasyon toy maysa. Naglikko ni Rolito iti kannawan ket dineretsona ti kalsada.
Agar-arasaas tay pasahero na, pinadas ni Rolito a baybay-an ngum perdi diay radyo na su a anusan na ti dumngeg iti pannaki patang na iti bagi na. Napaliiw na ng ag bilbilang iti ramay na
1 Maysa
Pakawanen dak nanang kun tatang, napukaw ko ti iskolarship ko. Dimngeg nak kuma kada kayo, saan kuh a kadagiti gagayyem ko.
2 Duwa
Diak imbaga nga inikkat ko diay kondom. Ket adda ka dita, napintas latta. Ubbam ta anak ta- ta anak ta.
3 Tallo
Kasapulan nak ngum awan nak dita- ngem adda suna. Kasla kenka suna ken amin a saan ko rubbeng nga ayaten. Naka luklukneng tay bibig na. Naka luklukneng.
4 Uppat
Nasarakan nak tay dati a gayyem ko kut inikkan na iti pilduras. Tinumar ko tapnu may pakitak a parte ak iti gungglo, ngem pimmanaw da amin. Kanayon da a pumanaw. Ita addaak kadagiti awan inaramid da nu saan a mangted. Tinakaw da ti masakbayan diay agmaymaysa nga mangay-ayat kanyak iti awan kondisyon na.
5 Lima
Adda may kadwa a gundaway ko. Di kwan may katlo. Ken mayka uppat. Naka ala nak ti trabaho nga umanay mang biag kaniata, ngem ania ti inaramid ko? Tinakawak ken swinitik ko tay tao a mang kita ti kina awan alwad ko.
6 Innem
Nasipnget. Isapatak iti Dios, nasipnget. Ubing laeng isuna, saan unay nga inuna ngum ti anak mi. Kayak laeng ti umadayo. Tarkokak.
7 Pito
Napnu ti kina ulbod toy biag ko, aramidek amin a kabaelak tapnu magun-od ko ti kalkaligagumak. Agulbod iti ay-ayatek, agulbod kadagiti gagayyem ko, agulbod iti bagik. Awan bibiang ko, kina awan dayaw man ti rumwar iti bibig ko.
8 Walo
Tinulongan nak laeng ket tinawagak diay kabsat mo. Ngem nay tupak kenka ti kina dagsen toy lubong ko. Maysa laeng a tagay, ngem sobsobra, ngem saan nga umdas. Diak payen ammo nu nudta iti ayan mo ita, ngem ag biag nak a ti kina pudno na siak ti nangipan kenka dita.
9 Siyam
Ket ti kina udyanan na, inaramid ko ti kakas-angan iti amin a basol. Innalak tay banag a ti Dios lang ti rumbeng a mangala. Pakawanen nak. Pakawanen nak.
Nag tultuloy ti arasaas manipud maysa agingga siyam, a naulit ulit. Iti kasiguradwan a tiempo, agriyaw. Timmalyaw ni Rolito iti likudan na tapnu pag kalmaen na .
Ket nakita na ti rurog a naka suot iti narayray-at nga terno.
Nalagip nan nu nudta nakangngegan na diay boses ti pasahero. Nalagip na diay naudi a pannaka kita na ken diay ama ti apo na, kapada a terno, kapada a kurbata.
Nadanon da diay destinasyon da ngem ti laeng parte a nabati a pasahero ni Rolito ket tay narayray-at nga terno idiay nakin likod a tugaw ti taksi.
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English Version
He thought of the kind of person that would be out at 3AM on a Saturday night. Kids partying until the sunrise or office workers finished with the graveyard shift, those were the usual suspects. This passenger was wearing office wear so he assumed the latter.
Rolito opened the door for his latest passenger and waited until he got in. If he didn’t need the money to pay for his daughter’s new baby (Her husband was a good for nothing lout) he would have enjoyed his retirement.
The passenger’s voice was familiar, he had heard it a hundred times before from different people – broken hearts, failures, business deals gone bad – same old, same old.
The drunk grumbled, ”St. Michael’s church.”
At least this one had a destination. Rolito turned right and started going down the avenue.
His passenger was mumbling to himself, Rolito tried to ignore it but his car radio was broken so he had to sit through the soliloquy. He did notice that the drunk was counting his fingers.
1
I’m sorry mom and dad, I lost the scholarship on my own. I should have listened to you and not my friends.
2
I didn’t tell her I took the condom off. And there you were, still so beautiful. Carrying our child – our child.
3
You needed me and I wasn’t there – but she was. She was everything you were and everything I shouldn’t have wanted. Her lips were so soft. So soft.
4
My old friends found me and gave me a pill. I took it to show that I was a part of something, but they all left. They always left. Now I take from those that did nothing but give. And robbed the future of the only one who loved me unconditionally.
5
I had a second chance. Then a third. Then a fourth. I got a job that could sustain us but what did I do? I stole and cheated the one who would look over my indiscretions. He was such a kind man. But kindness never lasted with me.
6
It was dark. I swear to God it was dark. He was only a boy, not much older than our child. I could only drive away. I’m a coward.
7
My life was full of lies, I would do anything to get what I craved. Lie to my love, lie to my friends, lie to myself. Blasphemous things would escape my lips and I didn’t care.
8
You only tried to help me and I called you brother. But the gravity of my world collapsed over you. It was only one drink, but one was too much and never enough. I don’t even know where you are now, but I must live with the fact that I put you there.
9
And in the end, I committed the most terrible sin of all. Taking what only God could take. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.
The whispers continued going from 1 to 9, over and over again. At a certain point the man was shouting. Rolito looked behind him to calm the man down.
And he saw a skeleton in a tattered suit.
He remembered now where he heard the passenger’s voice. He remembered the last time he saw his grandchild’s father, it was the same coat, same tie.
They had reached their destination but the only remnant that Rolito even had a passenger were some tattered rags in the taxi’s back seat.
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*Ilocano is the third most-spoken local language of the Philippines.An Austronesian language, it is related to such languages as Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Maori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan and Malagasy. It is closely related to some of the other Austronesian languages of Northern Luzon, and has slight mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and the eastern dialects of the Bontoc language.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Ilocano translation by Felicity Amor
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Felicity Amor
Based on the Siyam-Siyam myth from Iloilo
Illustration by Leandro Geniston
From @Thatguywithapen
