|
|
|
May the Lord fill your heart with forgiveness and understanding towards those who do you wrong, for He is a merciful God and he has forgiven your sins. Tin-Tin disappeared. My parents and I went to a restaurant at the Manila Peninsula one Sunday to have our weekly family lunch-out after Mass. When we returned, one of our helpers had been missing for hours: so was a big gold bracelet my mom left on the dresser. Tin-Tin was definitely the main suspect. We wanted to press charges but we did not have tangible proof that she ran away with the jewelry. She must have left in a hurry, because she left most of her things in her room. The other helpers did not know anything. They thought that she had just stepped out to do some errands for my Mom, but started worrying when they had not seen her return after more than six hours. She had been working for us for only a month and she seemed like a very nice and simple person. She was from South Cotabato, where a war between Muslim rebels and the military was raging, so we doubted she had returned to her province. One week after her disappearance, a letter for Tin-Tin arrived. It was from her mother. We opened it to see if there was news about her whereabouts to gather some evidence or any proof that she had stolen my mom's bracelets, but it was dated one month prior to her disappearance and written in their native dialect. We called Boyet, a building janitor, native of Cotabato, to translate the letter for us. It read: " My dearest Fatima, We are now in Esperanza, staying in your Tito (uncle) Ghadzali's house. We escaped from Sitio Manirob because the Moros (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) came with their guns and went from house to house, taking all the food and rice they could find. We were among the lucky few who managed to run away. Our neighbors did not make it. They are stuck in their homes because the military helicopters are attacking the town. We could hear the cannons while we were running away, your father and I. We were able to take a hen and a few clothes with us, but all the rest of our things are still there and only God knows what happened to our house. We are so thankful to have a bowl of rice with salt to eat today. There is nothing in our village. Last month, old Adan's sari-sari store (convenience store) doubled its prices because the highway was blocked by the military and no new supplies could reach our area. After two weeks, old Adan had little left to sell and believe me, most of the people who had nothing started eating grass out of starvation. There is nothing in the hospitals either, not even alcohol nor bandages to assist the wounded with. Do you remember Teng, the fat clotheswasher? Her son died of measels because there was no vaccine available and no medicine anywhere. Teng was so devastated, she could not speak nor eat for days, not that there is much to eat anyway. She is not fat Teng anymore. The villagers call her Tulalang Teng (Dazed Teng), for we fear she may have gone crazy. Your brother left for Sabah on a boat two months ago. He found a job in a poultry, but he says that the Malaysians who claim to be our brothers, do not treat Filipinos well. Once, he wrote me, a kababayan (compatriot) accidentally fell on one of the chickens and killed it. His boss seized him and punished him by tying him up and leaving him all day under the scorching sun. I can feel that your brother is not happy there and that he longs to come home, but I told him to endure and be patient because there is nothing for him in Mindanao. I don't know where we will go next, Fatima. We cannot stay in your Tito's house forever. He already has six children and two more mouths to feed are a burden for him. We had to kill the hen and feed it to his familyI just pray to God that this war ends, so your father and I can go home, if there is anything left of it. I hope you are well and happy. I hope your amo (master) is treating you right. Just be thankful that you are safe and sound in Manila. You have our prayers, Nanay at Tatay (Mother and Father)" After reading, Boyet was pale. I'm sure he was deeply affected by the letter as much as we were. We did not press charges. We just prayed for her and for the useless war to end. That was the right thing to do. And forgive us our sins,for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Luke 11: 4 |
This is original work by Catherine Morandi, do not reproduce without her consent