*Note this story is in Cebuano
Nahimamat nako si Mita duha ka semana ang milabay. Kanunay kong moagi sa samang agianan pagpauli, maglakaw gikan sa estasyon sa MRT, apan niadtong adlawa nakahukom ko nga mosulay sab kog bag-o. Natingala ko nga nakit-an siya sa dalan, natulog siya sa pipila ka hugaw nga mantalaan ug adunay usa ka itoy nga naghigda sa iyang tupad. Dili siya mahimong sobra sa unom ka tuig ang pangidaron. Gipukaw siya sa itoy ug nakita niya ako. Miduol siya nako ug miingon nga “muamin ko” mikuha sa akong kamot paingon sa iyang agtang ug nangita kog ikahatag niya, pero akong bag kay mga sketchbook ug lapis lang ang sulod. Giingnan nako siya nga wala koy mahatag niya unya ug niingon siya “Sige lang, matulog nako!” uban ang masanag nga pahiyom. Nisaad ko niya nga mubalik ko sunod adlaw ug tagaan nako siya ug siya nipahiyom ug nipadangat ug lain na pasalamat kanako.
Mao kana kung giunsa nako pag-adto dinhi kada adlaw. Kanunay kong naniguro nga dunay makaon si Mita sa dili pa ko mopauli sa balay ug siya walay lain mapadangat gawas sa pahiyom. Gipangutana nako siya kon nganong nag-inusara siya ug unsay nahitabo sa iyang mga ginikanan, ug giingnan ko niya nga wala siya mahibalo. Kanunay siyang nagpuyo sa dalan, apan para niya wala lang ang tanan, kanunay siyang makasalig sa kaayo sa mga estranghero nga mudangat ug tabang kaniya.
Karon gipangutana nako siya kung igo ba ang pagpakilimos alang kaniya, kung naa ba siya makaon sa matag adlaw. Gisultihan ko ni Mita nga naay mga higayon nga moagi lang ang mga tawo, kasagaran nila magpaharung-ingnon na wala sila kakita niya ug mao nay makapaguol niya usahay, apan anaa kanunay ang iyang manggigiyang anghel nga motabang kaniya.
Gisultihan ko niya nga adunay kanunay nga mabination nga anghel nga magbilin sa iyang mga bulak matag oras nga siya matulog. Nalingaw si Mita sa ilang kaanyag, apan dihay mga adlaw nga wala siyay makaon. Giingnan ko niya nga lami sila sa tam-is nga prutas, sama sa mangga. Murag gikumot ang akong kasingkasing pagkadungog niana, sa akong hunahuna dili ingon niini ang mga butang, kinahanglan nga wala’y kinabuhi nga sama ingon niini. Gihatagan nako siyag pagkaon sa Jollibee nga gi take out ug giingnan nga makigkita ko niya ugma. Ang pagpasalamat ni Mita kanako. Ang kanunay moabut uban sa usa ka dako nga pahiyom. Sa akong paminaw dili nako kini makalimtan.
Ang sunod nga adlaw walay pulos. Nagbaktas ko pauli sa pagsalop sa adlaw ug dihay polis nga mibabag sa dapit sa dalan diin didto si Mita. Wala ko maghunahuna nga mihunong ko sa paghilak sa akong pagkadungog sa balita. Siya naningkamot sa pagluwas sa iyang itoy ug giduso kini gikan sa dalan sa usa ka taksi. Wala niya kini nahimo. Ang polis nangutana kon nakaila ba ko niya ug nangutana kung nakaila ba ko sa iyang mga ginikanan. Gipauga nako ang akong mga luha ug gisultihan siya sa akong mahimo, apan wala kaayoy gipahibalo kanako si Mita.
Nagpabilin ko sa eskina sulod sa pipila ka oras. Kadto ang pinakagamay nga akong mahimo para niya. Ang iyang lugar nanimaho gihapon sama sa mga bulak, ug ako nag-ampo alang kaniya samtang ako didto.
Gitan-aw nako sa katapusan ang lugar nga akong nahimamat niya ug nakita nako nga adunay mga bulak didto. Kahibalo ko nga dili nako makalimtan ang babaye nga nagpahiyom. Naa pay laing nakaila niya kay naa koy nadunggan nga tingog nga nagtawag sa iyang ngalan sa layo. Gisulti nako ang akong katapusang panamilit ug milakaw pauli sa balay.
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English Version
I met Mita two weeks ago. I would always take the same route going home, walking from the MRT station, but that day I decided that I might as well try something new. I was surprised to find her on the street, she was sleeping on some dirty newspapers and there was a puppy lying next to her. She couldn’t have been more than six years old. The puppy woke her up and she saw me. She walked up to me and said “mano po” taking my hand to her forehead and I tried to find something to give her, but my bag only had my sketchbooks and pencils. I told her that I couldn’t give her anything then and she said “Ok po, have a good night po!” with a radiant smile. I promised her that I would be back and give her something the next day and she smiled and gave me another thank you.
That’s how I ended up going here every day. I always make sure Mita has something to eat before I go back home and she’s nothing but smiles. I asked her why she was alone and what happened to her parents, and she told me she didn’t know. She had always lived her life on the street, but that didn’t matter to her, she could always count on the kindness of strangers to help her.
Today I asked her if begging was enough for her, if she had something to eat every day. Mita told me that there were times when people just walked by, they always pretended not to see her and that would make her sad sometimes, but there was always her guardian angel to help her.
She told me there would always be this kind angel that left her flowers every time she slept. Mita enjoyed how pretty they were, but there were those days when she had nothing to eat. She told me they tasted like sweet fruits, like a mango. My heart broke a little after hearing that, I don’t think this is the way things should be, no one’s life should be like this. I gave her some Jollibee take out and told her I’d see her tomorrow. Mita’s “Thank you Ate.” Always came with a giant smile. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.
The next day was senseless. I was walking home at sunset and there was a policeman blocking off the area of the street where Mita was. I don’t think I stopped crying as I heard the news. She was trying to save her puppy and pushed it out of the way of a taxi. She didn’t make it. The policeman asked if I knew her and asked if I knew her parents. I dried my tears and told him what I could, but there wasn’t much that Mita let me know.
I stayed at the corner for a few hours. It was the least I could do for her. Her spot still smelled like flowers and I said a prayer for her while I was there.
I took one last look at the place that I met her and saw there were flowers there. I know that I won’t be able to forget the girl with that smile. Someone else must have known her because I could hear a voice calling her name in the distance. I said my last goodbye and walked back home.
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*The Cebuano language, alternatively called Cebuan and also often colloquially albeit informally referred to by most of its speakers simply as Bisaya (“Visayan”, not to be confused with other Visayan languages nor Brunei Bisaya language), is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 21 million people, mostly in Central Visayas, western parts of Eastern Visayas and most parts of Mindanao, most of whom belong to various Visayan ethnolingusitic groups, mainly the Cebuanos. It is the by far the most widely spoken of the Visayan languages, which are in turn part of wider the Philippine languages. The reference to the language as Bisaya is not encouraged anymore by linguists due to the many languages within the Visayan language group that may be confused with the term.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Cebuano Translation by Kien B. Mayorga
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Kien B. Mayorga
Inspired by the Kamanan Daplak entry in Myth Museum. Medina. 2015.
Kamanan Daplak Illustration by Kayla Teodoro
Tumblr: mikaylateodoro.tumblr.com
