Beautiful Carmencita and other short stories

Where Do Superheroes Go?

It was a scenery she could never forget: surrounded by tall grasses, her feet nearly sinking in the mud, she extended her tiny brown hand, trying to catch the dancing dragonflies underneath the beautiful clear blue sky. A warm calloused hand caught hers, and then carried her little body into his arms. His arms were lean but warm and strong. His face was wrinkled, eyes sunken, and hair a playful mixture of white, black, and gray. He smelled like raw wood and cement. This man who she called lolo was her grandfather. And, she believed he was a superhero.

According to the child, it was after her nanay (mother) and tatay (father) left her so that they could sleep inside wooden rectangles that her lolo was chosen to be a superhero.

In fact, at first, she did not know that he was a superhero. That was why whenever he went to work and left her to her tiya (aunt) for a whole day or, sometimes, for days, she came to believe that her lolo was not interested in taking care of her. The child, however, did like her tiya and like visiting the woman's home. Her home, like the home where the child and her lolo was residing, was small and made of patched wood and yero (galvanized iron sheets). The child always played with her cousins whenever she was sent there. Sometimes, they would go out and find wide streets where they could run around. Her worries came during the nights. After the sun had set, she would sit at the house's doorstep and hope that her lolo would soon pick her up. Sometimes, he would fetch her at night, but sometimes he would rather sleep at some place she did not know. During those times, she would come across her tiyo (uncle) who always came home late at night. Her tiya was a kind thin woman who always gave her food to eat and even occasionally gave her candies, meanwhile, her tiyo was a big burly man who would not talk to her nor look at her face. When she slept with them and her cousins, their bodies squeezed against the wooden floor of the cramped house, she would hear her tiyo's displeased grunts and whispers saying "sikip" (cramped) and "pabigat" (burden). These were followed by her tiya's words trying to silence the man. She thought her tiyo was a scary man. Why would her lolo leave her with a scary man? At that time, she did not understand but did not dare ask her lolo, too afraid of what he would say as an answer.

One night, when the child and her lolo were inside their own tiny house, she went close to him. She noticed something different about her lolo. She asked him a question. "Lolo, why are you wearing a cloth over your mouth?" She found it strange and a little bit funny.

The light from the candle between the two was sullen, illuminating only half of the old man's face. He looked at his granddaughter through tired but smiling eyes and answered, "Because I am hiding my face."

The child tilted her head, "You're hiding your face? Why?"

"I'm going to tell you a secret. Can you keep it?" He asked teasingly.

A secret! The innocent child enthusiastically nodded her head.

"Don't tell this to anyone, okay?"

She nodded again.

"Promise?"

"Promise!"

The old man paused as if considering whether she was worthy as a keeper of his secret. The bright smile that could be seen through his eyes seemed to dull the brightness of the candle's light. "I was chosen," he finally said.

"Chosen? Chosen for what?"

"One day, as I was walking down the street, I saw a very very old lady--even older than me. She was carrying a big bag full of glittering mangoes. When she stumbled and fell, the mangoes were scattered on the street. I went to her, helped her pick up her mangoes, and then helped her carry her bag. Then she said to me," at this part, the grandfather tried to imitate an old woman's voice, "because you have such a kind heart and a beautiful granddaughter--"