I've been waiting for about twenty minutes here in the terminal, but there's no shuttle coming.
Nagpakawala ako ng malakas na buntong hininga at muling pinag-antay ang may dadaan nang sasakyan kahit jeep.
"Ate." I jumped in shock when I heard a young kid calling me. Nangunot ang noo ko nang makita kung gaano s'ya karungis, ang buhok n'ya ay magulo at ang damit naman n'ya ay punit-punit at nangitngitim na sa dumi.
I think she's 9 or 10 years old.
"Oh?" tanong ko, pero may iniabot lang s'ya sa aking kahoy na lalagyan na naglalaman ng mga kaha ng sigarilyo at kung ano-anong klaseng tig-pipisong kendi.
"Bili ka na Ate, pangkain lang," malungkot na saad n'ya. I just stared at her with pity, and in just a second, my eyes began to water when I realised her body was too skinny for her age.
Pinawi ko ang luha ko at umupo sa harapan n'ya upang magpantay kami. "Anong pangalan mo?" tanong ko habang may magandang ngiti.
"Xhi-xhi po. Xhi." I smiled widely when she uttered her name with a sweet smile, as if she weren't going through hard times in her life.
"Ang gandang pangalan," I said, not leaving her gaze.
"Oh 'eto, wala pa akong sweldo, eh. Ayan muna, ah?" I got out my pocket and handed her a hundred pesos with my teary eyes. Pigil ko ang hikbi nang makita kung gaano kasaya ang mga mata n'ya nang makita ang perang inilabas ko.
"Thank you, Ate! May pangkain na rin ako! Wala na kase akong nanay, eh, patay na tapos si tatay walang trabaho. Salamat po!" I just smiled and watched her walk towards the store to buy some foods.
I remember my youth with her. She lost her mom at a young age, while I have my parents, but they didn't treat me as their own. I smiled bitterly as I remembered the time that they sold me as a slave. The world is really unfair, huh? Or people are.
