Largesse

2. Lola Char and Nanay Straw

The lady in the jeep was not Naynay. Confused, Joseph just sat quietly as the jeep moved along. When the lady got off at the big church, Joseph followed, too.

Once again, Joseph was easily distracted by the colorful sights and sounds of the area. He lost sight of the lady with the bayong. Joseph walked over toward the stalls in front of the church. A man approached him and tried to lure him to come with but Lola Char spotted them immediately.

Lola Char had been a vendor in front of the church for some time now so she was familiar with the 'regulars' who frequented the church. This man didn't look familiar at all. She had seen Joseph walking alone just a few minutes before the man approached from the opposite direction. Sensing something odd about the whole situation, Lola Char sprang into action and 'rescued' the little boy from potential danger.

---

Because it was hot, Joseph was already tired and hungry when he got to the church. Lola Char offered him some food which he shyly accepted. From that moment, Lola Char knew that this little boy was a good, nice boy. He slept quietly by Lola Char's side and tacitly followed her at the end of the day when she said they were going home.

"Nay...kamusta ang araw nyo?" Strawberry said as she took her things from the kariton which was parked outside their little house.

Lola Char talked about her day. She was busy sorting through the clothes she bought for the little boy and had her back turned. "...andyan nga sya sa banyo ngayon...pakipaliguan naman pagkatapos...."

Strawberry didn't hear most of what Lola Char said. Their home was just on the side of the road and jeepneys commonly passed by.

Strawberry walked to the bathroom. She wondered why she could smell something bad from outside. "...Nay, sira na naman ba yung pang-flush natin?" She said as she pushed the door.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Little Joseph screamed as soon as he saw a little person enter the bathroom. Nanay Strawberry also screamed upon seeing someone sitting on the toilet.

Lola Char rushed into the bathroom. She gave the little boy a bath and gave him space to sleep between her and Strawberry.

"...Nay, saan nyo napulot yan?" Strawberry asked as she watched her mother put the boy to sleep.

Lola Char talked about how she saw the boy walking rather aimlessly and alone around the front of the church and about the man who approached.

"...feeling ko talaga sa sindikato yun e...kawawa naman itong bata kung mapupunta sa sindikato..."

"...hindi kaya hinahanap din yan ng mga magulang nya?"

"Maghapon syang nasa akin. Kung hinahanap sa ng Nanay nya, eh di sana nakita na sya at nakuha na sya. Wala namang dumating o naghanap...alam mo, nakakamiss din mag-alaga ng bata..."