Borrowed Time (completed)

43. prepare

Meng had always wanted everything simple. She was always just quiet and observant of things around her that a lot of times, she would quietly blend into the background. When she was a little girl, Nanay would always remind Nico to walk behind and keep an eye on Meng because she had gotten left behind one time in the market when she didn't even make a sound or complain that she had been knocked over by the people walking around her.

After she had fallen, she picked herself up and moved under the shelf of one of the stalls, away from foot traffic. It was a good thing she was wearing her favorite yellow colored shorts and t-shirt so Nico saw her again after an hour of searching for her.

"Natulak po ako...nahulog nga ako e..." Meng explained calmly as Nanay gave her a bath when they returned home.

"Hindi ka umiyak?"

"Hindi po. Hindi naman masakit e. Madumi lang po saka mabaho..."

"Basta sa susunod na mahiwalay ka sa amin, lumapit ka kaagad sa pinakamalapit na security guard o kaya tindera. Sabihin mong nahiwalay ka sa Nanay o Tatay mo..." Nanay reminded Meng.

Years later, when she started driving the shuttle, Meng would just quietly drive after exchanging greetings to her riders. They would only hear her again when they alighted at the end of the ride. The general calm and quiet of the ride was only slightly interrupted by the soft music playing in the background. Meng engaged her regular riders to choose the radio station they would listen to but made it a rule that they would only listen to music and not talk-shows. Her riders seem to appreciate this as no one complained during trips.

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Rj grew up 'alone' as he only got to see his friends and playmates for a few hours a week and was not even allowed too much physical activity due to his heart condition. The slightest cough or sniffle would send Mama Rose into full scale panic. The otherwise peaceful atmosphere of hacienda life was regularly cut by Mama Rose's dramatics.

When Rj 'ran away' from home and lived with his Ninong Sam, he somehow felt relieved and 'free'. He was now free to do most of the things he wanted to do and tried to experience independence for the first time. It was a struggle for him who lived a life with servants at his beck and call. Mama and Papa showered him with material things but Papa and Yaya Beth made sure that he would not grow up to be a brat. Whenever possible, he still had to 'work for' and 'earn' the respect and dignity he rightfully deserved. His friends also knew how to treat him like any other person even if they had different social and economic upbringings. Papa talked to the hacienda people to treat the family as members of the community instead of their bosses and owners of the land they all shared. The hacienda people became family.

During the time when Rj became Meng's passenger, he discovered that they somewhat had similar traits. Some people mistook her quietness as being aloof and unsympathetic but in reality, Meng was just an introvert, and very observant of the goings-on around her. Rj was the same; he would rather spend time alone with his thoughts and observed more. "Less talk, less mistakes" was his motto. This also partly stemmed from Mama Rose's over bearing and over protective nature.