New Year's Eve
Ernesto's household didn't get to eat chicken that night, nor the next night, nor that whole week. Even with all their effort that day, they couldn't afford the promised dinner without worrying about what to eat the next days. But instead of a lost hope, their hearts and mind found a common ground that evening. They decided to save up for a small business after Pablo suggested to instead eat "chicken skin" that night.
Pablo now roams the street not to look at other people's trash but to sell food. They saved up that entire year and owned a stall of chicken skin and a bicycle. It doesn't mean that everything is fairytale happy ending after that, no. There were days when sales are low and the rain swat their customers, needless to say, the struggles of any other person doing what they're doing.
Times are still tough but their family is even tougher. And as for the promised chicken? Of course they didn't forget about that. They ate the damn thing that New Year's Eve. Not just one but three juicy chickens. All was well.
Pleasant Afternoon
"How can you do that to him?! We both know that the only way we'll be having chicken for dinner tomorrow is if we all DIE and go to heaven!" Teresa said forcing her voice to stay low while pinching her husband. Ernesto knew this was coming, and as they lay in bed, he wrapped her in his tired but warm arms and squeezed her tight just like how she wants him to.
"Relax, love. I'll find a way. You know I'll do." He said. "I know you'll TRY." Teresa replied. There are a thousand things running in her mind right now, most of them about how on earth they're gonna get that chicken.
The next day was Monday, which meant that Pablo was supposed to go to school, which his parents thought he did. What they do not know is that Pablo heard their conversation last night, and he decided to help. He skipped the afternoon class after pretending to have a stomach ache and then proceeded to his friends' classrooms. The children then made their way to finding scraps. It was like any other day, except this time, Pablo was a little more enthusiastic. The prospect of being able to help his parents have a delicious dinner that night made him continue to find valuables even after his friends went home.
Teresa, on the other hand, went to her customers. Eventhough Monday is not her usual day of laundry, she approached the kind family as if Monday was the new laundry day that she decided herself. "I'll even wash your clean clothes if you want. Just please let me do the laundry today." And she succeeded.
It was a good weather that day for Ernesto. The sky was cloudy and the constant breeze allowed him to feel less tired that afternoon. He knows that whatever performance he put out at work that day, he wouldn't get any wage increase. He still worked better than he usually did, knowing that Teresa was probably doing her best too.
CABANATUAN CITY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
CABANATUAN CITY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
All that Ernesto could do was put on a strong face in front of his family. His boss had talked to him one on one regarding the deductions to be made on his already low salary. And as much as he wanted to argue that it wasn't his fault the the cement mixer has stopped working, he only swallowed his words for he knew that talking back would be fruitless. He also knows that Mr. Sonny was only venting out his anger on him and that talking back would not do him any good.
That brings us to the current situation- there's nothing but rice, hot water and salt for dinner in their household tonight. His wife, Teresa knew something was wrong, based on her concerned face. But he chose to ignore it for now and put on a straight face while he tried to put food in his mouth. " I can't let my son be familiar with only salt and rice as food. I can't just let my Teresa lose weight with this stupid excuse for a food." Ernesto thought.
And just then, his son spoke, putting him out of his thoughts, "Hopefully tomorrow we'll have Payless for dinner! What do you guys think?" .
Ernesto almost cried at his son, Pablo's words. Almost. But what he did next surprised all three of them.
"Payless? No. We'll have chicken for dinner tomorrow!" Pablo's excitement over the prospect of delicious and rare food tomorrow drowned out the sound of frustration that escaped his mother. Teresa swears to God that as much as she loves her husband, they both know he can't afford the promised dinner. They just can't. Not even on her birthday were they able to, nor in New Year's eve, nor in his own birthday. Just no, it's not possible.
The Promised Dinner
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JOHN CHRISTIAN DELOS REYES
Another Day Under The Sun
It was another day under the scorching heat of the summer sun and Pablo was with his friends rummaging other people's trash for something to sell to a local junk shop. Nothing could have made that day any more ordinary than the constant grumbling of their stomachs. But they must endure, at least until they've collected enough; although enough is a word that has eluded them lately.
No one in their neighborhood can be called wealthy so as they pass the big houses of a subdivision not that far from home, they can't help but wonder what was going on inside. Those people seem to live a life so opposite from their own that they can only dream of even entering the gardens of those big houses.
And as the sun reverts back to its home, so does the little boys journey back to their own fragile houses while counting every single peso that they've achieved that day. Each bottle and tin can and plastic that they collect means food on their table for a meal or two.
Children their age should be in school but instead they are in the streets struggling for survival. Being only 11 years old, Pablo couldn't help but wonder when this pitiful, tiring life would end. And if there ever was an end to begin with.