A man sat blankly under the tree in the Cathedral that shaded him from the merciless rays of the ten o'clock sun. He had brought with him a big water jug to clench his thirst in times like this. As if he was certain that he would be experiencing the kind of situation he had now. But there was a thirst inside him that cannot by clenched. His trembling hand removed the sweat on his forehead. And he continued his walk.
It was 12 noon when Mrs. Lee's fierce voice echoed on the street of F. Tañedo. Her finger garmented with golden ring pointed Mang Pepe evidently directing the poor tired man to get out of her hardware shop. "Get out! I do not have money to lend you nor have I job to give you on my shop. You see? I already have vigorous hands to serve my shop. I don't need an old man here." the morena businesswoman said. It was clear that everybody on the shop and those walking along the shop heard her voice. Stranger ears heard her fiercing words to Mang Pepe. But nobody bothered to stop her since all were busy on their own businesses.
"Okay. If that is how you consider me Maria.'' Mang Pepe said to the forty-year-old owner, who went to her place where she can enjoy her electricfan and continue drinking her cold lemonade, perspiring like the man who went out of her shop with a broken heart and torn spirit.
Mang Pepe stared at his silver watch and walked directionless. Ignoring his growling stomach, he reminisced the day when his younger sister gave him the silver watch. It was fresh in his mind how he opened this gift. He removed the golden ribbon of the small blue box. Gently, he opened the box and heard his younger sister say, 'Taaaaran! That's for you kuya. Happy birthday!' He was ten years older to his sister. Both of them have the morena skin they inherited from their father. He can still recall how his younger sister smiled sweetly at him while he remained stunned on the sparkling watch he received on his thirtieth birthday.
"Indeed. Time flew so fast. It was not only the spark of this watch that was gone, but also the sweetness of the smile of my loving Maria." he murmured to himself. He wiped the rallying sweat on his forehead and walked toward any places that can give a fifty-year-old man a work to have a living.
"Sorry." This is all that they can say.
It was eight o'clock in the evening, the street was starting to be quiet. Stores were closing. The rain began to pour dramatically, washing away the dust from the slippers of the unfortunate man who wallked endlessly on the street. Mrs. Lee's hardware was closed. She and her family were enjoying their dinner on the second floor of her house. On their dine sitted were Mr. Lee, a fifty-six-year-old Chinese businessman whom Maria had married fifteen years ago, and their two kids. They were talking about their day, Mr. Lee's business trip in Tagaytay and their kids schooling. Maria did not say anything about the man he sent away with a forlorn heart and robbed hope from their shop. She just boasted about their growing business and how her kumare on the nearby store praised her new dyed hair. All were happy. All were contented with their lives.
Outside the sleeping stores and shops, on the street showered by the rain there was Mang Pepe who was moving toward the shop that had witnessed his humiliation. On the closed gate of the hardware shop, he looked up to the glittering window on the second floor. His left trembling hand hold his empty jug while his right hand wiped his foggy eyes. His tears joined the rain that soaked his thin body. Then, he remembered the day that he received his silver watch. It was October 22, when his sweet genuine sister Maria hugged and surprised him with the gift. There was tears on his eyes on that day too, but it was not like his tears now painful and sad. He can recall how sweet his tears of joy was. He remembered how Maria said sincerely, "When I go to Manila kuya, I will not only give you watch, I will help you so you will not work as watch repairer in F.Tañedo."
"You used to dream for us." Mang Pepe whispered to himself. As the rain poured endlessly, Mang Pepe decided to knock at the metal gate of the shop. Hoping that her sister might hear him and opened their home for him, he knocked again and again. "Maria?" Nobody opened the gate nor looked out of the transparent window.
Inside, Maria seemed to hear the sound of their metal gate yet she decided to continue her story and ate their sumptuous supper. Anyway, for her nothing would be more important than her happy life with her family now. Even it meant that she will forget her family, the simple family she had with his kuya Pepe.
For the tenth time Mang Pepe was about to knock, but suddenly an excruciating pain stabbed his spinal cord. He found a man with face covered with black mask stabbing him. He fell, unable to protect himself. His jug fell as the robber stole his silver watch and ran away. Maria was relieved to hear nothing but the rain pouring on their roof and the laughter of their kids. It means that her brother was not there any longer, if ever he was there, or if he was there he decided to go home after realizing that she had given more than enough to help him - to fulfill the promise she made long time ago.
Outside Maria's safest haven and fulfilled dreams, there was Mang Pepe lying and breathing his last breath on the rainy night of October 21. Hope was gone like the stolen silver watch he got twenty years ago on his birthday.
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