A Sad Encounter

“**** **A! Ang laking bahay pero walang pagkain!” relayed by a Nanay referring to a lady who once stayed in the foundation. This was the complaint statement of that lady she murmured as she looked up the house.

Here came the Nanay who heard what she said. “Eh wala na talaga kasi naubos na.” The lady turned her back and went straight to the door. It was about 2 in the afternoon, naturally there was no more food even left over.

Living in the street influenced her manners and way of foreseeing life. She’s one of the first recipients of the foundation. I believe she must have stayed in one of the homes, therefore, she was treated with care, pampered by the house parents and was given the basic needs a human deserves.

I wonder why after all those things given to her, she still treats the staff like that-at least behind the staff. However, even if the person is not looking, she must have considered that they were still the people who took care of her when she was younger. Her manners surely affected the people who reared her.

Recently, I saw her in the main office while her male friend awaited her outside the main lobby. She seemed not the lady I knew and last seen in the centre before. She was wearing a loose, almost torn, big size, dirty, stained brown t-shirt and a very short dark pants. Her hair was thick with dirt and her skin became darker especially her face which was whiter the last time I saw her. She became thinner. I was so surprised with her transformation.

She recognized me while I was intently looking at her. I noticed she was barefooted. “Ate, nandito ka pa rin?” she called. She is actually 2-3 years older than me but she used to address me like that. I smiled and went near her. “Oo, nandito pa rin ako. Ikaw? Hindi na kita nakita sa ** Centre nung huling dalaw ko dun,”

“Kasi umalis na ako do’n.”

“Bakit naman?” I asked. She stood beside me, shrugged her shoulders and answered “Ayaw ko na do’n.”
I smelled something familiar but could not remember what it was. I tried to recall. It was like the glue I always used on my project when I was in high school. It was an adhesive solvent popularly known as rugby.

My gosh! She was high on that and she was in the office. She approached one of the program heads seated on the couch behind the information desk. While I was going down the stairs, I heard the PH irritated voice while talking to her. She must have smelled the solvent as well.

As I went down, I saw a man lying on the floor while his left hand with a blue plastic bag was on his nose. I suspected he was sniffing a solvent and I was alarmed because there were some children coming inside. He didn’t know how to hide what he had in his hand when he saw me looking at him.