*Note this story is in Tagalog
- ‘Yung batang babae sa palengke. Hindi maayos ang pagkakabalot niya sa mga gulay.
- ‘Yung buntis na sumakay sa pinapara kong taxi. Nagkamali ka, pero hindi ibig sabihin noon ay pagbibigyan na kita.
- ‘Yung tsuper ng dyip na muntikan nang makasagasa sa ‘kin. Hindi siya nararapat na magmaneho.
- ‘Yung babaeng sumingit sa pila sa tren. Dahil lang mayroon siyang bag na Louis Vuitton, akala niya puwede na niyang gawin ang kahit anong gusto niya.
- ‘Yung batang lalaking hindi tumitikom ang bibig. Sumakit ang ulo ko sa kakadaldal niya.
- ‘Yung tinedyer na umubo sa tabi ko. Malay ko ba kung anong mga sakit ang puwedeng dala niya. Dapat siyang turuan ng magandang asal.
- ‘Yung sekyu sa istasyon ng tren. Silipin mo na lang ang bag ko nang mabilis tayong matapos. Muntikan na akong maiwan ng tren dahil sa kaniya.
- ‘Yung nagbebenta ng fishball. Sobrang mahal ng presyuhan niya.
- ‘Yung batang babaeng ‘yon. Akala niya sa kaniya umiikot ang mundo dahil lang maganda siya. Maghintay ka lang. Mamalasin ka rin balang-araw.
- ‘Yung mga turista. Akala ba nila ay puwede silang mambastos sa bayan ko? Hindi ko ‘yon papayagan. Malalaman nila na kailangan muna nilang magbigay-galang bago sila galangin.
Ibinaba ng matandang babae ang kaniyang panulat at bumuntong-hininga siya. Talagang nakakapagod ang araw na ito. Sobrang daming taong sumubok sa pasensya niya, at, siyempre, nabigo silang lahat. Tumingin siya sa labas ng kaniyang bintana at inisip niya ang lahat ng pinagdaanan niya para lang makauwi. Baka mas maganda ang araw niya bukas.
- ‘Yung batang lalaking may alagang aso. Hindi niya kayang kontrolin ang alaga niya, nalawayan tuloy ako.
- ‘Yung mga batang nagtatatalon sa parke. Hinintay kong may mabagok sa kanila pero walang nangyari.
- ‘Yung tumatakbo na nakabangga sa akin. Dapat niyang tingnan ang dinaraanan niya.
- ‘Yung tsuper ng taxi na naghatid sa ‘kin pauwi. Ibinaba niya ang bintana at nanutsot ng babaeng dumaraan. Ang kapal!
- ‘Yung deliveryman. Sabi niya, darating ang package ko nang alas kuwatro ng hapon at naghintay ako hanggang alas singko. Ang pangit ng serbisyo.
Palala na ito nang palala. Labasan lang dapat ng sama ng loob ang listahan kung saan niya maibubunton ang mga kagustuhan niya nang hindi kinakailangang gamitin ang kaniyang salamangka. Ngunit palagi na lang may mga taong nakakaabala sa kaniya. Mga taong walang laman ang mga ulo ngunit kung makaasta ay tila mas magaling sila. Mga tao na kung makaasta ay tila pag-aari nila ang mundo.
Siyempre, kinamumuhian niya silang lahat, maging ang mga taong walang ginawa sa kaniya. Dahil makakasalamuha niya sila ‘di kalaunan at kakailanganin niyang itikom ang kaniyang kamao para masigurong hindi niya maitataas ang kaniyang daliri. Napalayas na siya sa maraming bayan nang malaman ng mga tao kung ano talaga siya.
Hindi na iyon mangyayari muli. Pangako niya iyon sa kaniyang sarili. Daragdagan niya lang nang daragdagan ang laman ng listahan at mawawala rin katagalan ang kaniyang galit. Kailangang mawala iyon.
- ‘Yung pusa na gumising sa akin. Tuwing umaga na lang, nang-iistorbo siya.
- ‘Yung mga hangal kong kapitbahay. Ayaw nilang tumigil sa pang-uusisa sa buhay ko. Hindi ba nila puwedeng tantanan ang isang matandang babae?
- ‘Yung naglalako ng taho. Ayaw niyang tumigil kakasigaw sa umaga. Masahol na nga na palaging dumadalaw ‘yung pusa, problema ko pati siya.
- ‘Yung mga misyonaryong may dalang Bibliya—————-
Tama na. Tama na ito. Ni hindi niya kayang malampasan ang umaga nang hindi kumukulo ang dugo niya sa poot. Marahil ay isa itong pahiwatig mula sa nasa ibaba. Kailangan niyang ibalik ang dati niyang pagkatao, kumawala sa gumagapos sa kaniya, at ipaalam sa mga tao na mas mababa sila.
Binuksan niya ang pinto at itinaas ang kaniyang kamay nang nakaturo sa kalangitan ang isang daliri.
Magsisimula siya sa pusa hanggang sa matapos niya ang pinakakinamumuhian niya.
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English Version
1.The girl at the market. She didn’t pack the vegetables right.
2.The pregnant woman that took the taxi I was hailing. Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean I have to bow to you.
3.The jeepney driver that almost ran me over. He doesn’t deserve to drive.
4.That woman that cut the line at the train. She thinks that just because she has a Louis Vuitton bag that she can do what she wants.
5.That little boy that wouldn’t stop talking. His incessant yapping gave me a headache.
6.That teenager that coughed beside me. Who knows what kind of diseases he might have. Someone should teach him manners.
7.The security guard at the train station. Just look through my bag and be done with it. Because of him I nearly missed my train.
8.The fishball vendor. His prices were robbery, plain and simple.
9.That girl. Thinking she can own the world because she’s beautiful. Wait and see, one day you’ll get what’s coming to you.
10.Those tourists. Thinking that they can be rude in my town? I will not let that happen. They need to know that respect begets respect.
The old woman put her pen down and sighed. Today was so tiring, there were so many people that tested her patience, and, of course, all of them had failed. She gazed outside her window and imagined all the things that she had to go through just to get back home. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
11.That boy with the dog. He couldn’t keep his animal under control and it slobbered all over me.
12.Those brats that were jumping around at the park. I waited for the moment one of them would crack their skulls but it never came.
13.That jogger that bumped into me. She should look where she’s going.
14.The taxi driver that brought me home. He rolled down the window and catcalled a woman passing by. The nerve of him!
15.The deliveryman. They said my package would arrive at 4pm and I waited until 5. Such shoddy service.
It was getting worse. The list was supposed to be an outlet, one way where she could sublimate her desires and release them without resorting to her magic. But day in and day out there were those that got in her way. Those that thought they knew better even if there wasn’t anything inside their heads, those that thought the world belonged to them.
She hated all of them, of course, even the ones that did nothing to her. Because eventually, they would cross her path and she would have to ball her hand into a fist to make sure she didn’t raise her finger. She had been chased out of many towns when the people found out what she was.
It wouldn’t happen again. That’s what she promised herself. Just keep adding to the list and all the anger would eventually stop. She needed it to stop.
16.That cat that woke me up. Every single morning it’s there.
17.My stupid neighbors. They won’t stop snooping into my life. Can’t they just leave an old woman alone?
18.The taho vendor. He won’t stop shouting in the morning.
Bad enough the cat is there, I have to deal with him too.
19.Those Bible bearing missionaries—————-
Enough. It was enough. She couldn’t even make it though the morning without boiling over in rage. Maybe this was a sign from down below. She needed to be herself again, to let loose and make the humans know their place.
She opened the door and raised her hand, one finger to the sky.
She’d start with the cat and work her way up from there.
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**Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Maui Felix
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Maui Felix
Inspired by the Tagalog Hukloban legends
Diwata Illustration by Kristienne Amante
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