Pity

Yesterday, I went to a store to buy something. The store was near our house and can be reached just by walking. So, I went there wearing a sleeveless shirt and plain old pants. By the time I reached there, an old lady thought of me as a worker of that store. She was not an ordinary old lady, she was skinny, wore tattered clothes, hair undone and was carrying a large black plastic cellophane. Inside it were things which we, average people, consider as trash, and for her, treasures. Around her belly, she tied an old open can where she puts her money.

That lady said, "pula lang ug itom palihug"[Translation: Red and black ones only please]. I did not knew what she meant and after all, I was not working there, so I just gave her a quick smile and went back to my business.

A real worker arrived. The woman wanted to buy a yarn with colours red and black. Still, I didn't mind them. I paid for the item I had bought and went out the store.

At the same time, the old lady took her can and turned it upside-down and all her coins dropped to the ground. She was counting and counting to pay for the yarns she bought. This was the time I felt so much pity for the old lady. I walked away from the store thinking how unfortunate that woman is for having that life. I inserted my hand inside my pocket and reached for money. Gradually, I stopped, thinking that I should go back and sacrifice this little amount of money for that poor old lady. And so, I went back and asked the employee waiting for the lady's payment,"Pila diay ang iyang bayrunon kuya?"[Translation: How much should she pay?]. The lady answered me, "pun.e ug singko dong palihog beh"[Translation: add 5 pesos please]. This time, I really felt that she was worried. She was short in money. I felt, so much pity for her. Her eyes were sad, with tears, that almost fell because of worry. I immediately handed her a 20-peso bill. "Salmat kaayu. God Bless Dong, Merry Christmas ug Happy New Year"[Thank You. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. God Bless]. She was happy, and I was too. I felt her relieved. I felt her happiness. We both smiled.

I immediately walked away hiding my smile.