August 23 2006
So i braved the rain. I was hoping to catch a ride with noah's ark but i missed it. It must have took a left turn somewhere. I headed towards the street which "i thought" was less flooded. Boy, was i wrong. I had no umbrella with me, only a not-so-rain-proof rain proof coat. One and a half hours of standing in the rain passed by before i noticed him. He was a man of medium built and height, around 60 + years old, one eye functional,one eye blind. He had no umbrella (like me), no coat (unlike me), and he looked hungry. He was a beggar. He wasn't an active beggar. He just stood there looking hopeless and tired. Nobody minded him. I took note of him but i did not mind him. where is that jeep? I saw this beggar kid approach the old man. Kid gives one peso to the old man. Old Man smiles. Kid handing old man everything. Old man refuses. Me getting chastised. I thought, if only I weren't a girl and that approaching him would not pose a possibility of harassment, i would give the old man money... Christianity is not about going to church on sundays. It's about feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. I let go of all my if's and amidst the downpour, headed towards the old man.
His name was mang bot. He used to be a house painter but when he got a stroke, half of his body got paralyzed and consequently he got unemployed. He had no wife nor parents, but he lives with his brother in some stall. In filipino lingo, that is tantamount to being homeless. I asked him if he ate lunch already, and he told me he only had coffee for breakfast and has not had any lunch. Mang bot did not ask me for money but i fished for a twenty peso bill and gave it to him. Mang bot smiled at me and told me that he was going to buy vegetables and bread for lunch. I thought that won't suffice. I usually have meat, rice, vegetables, soup and coke every day. My twenty pesos wouldn't get him through the day. I would never see mang bot again so i asked him to give me back my twenty pesos (which he did) and i exchanged my 100 pesos for it. He refused to take it saying it was too much. I insisted. He refused. The only way i could get him to accept the money was to tell him that i would get offended if he did not accept the money. Finally he took the money. He then looked at me with eyes full of tears and gratitude. I met those eyes with tears of my own. I don't know why i almost cried, but i did. He was so happy that i couldnt help but be happy too. God i felt good. Here was a man who was so poor and here i am having everything i needed. Such contrast! As mang bot walked away, I blinked back tears as he told me that he would always pray for me and that he would ask God to bless me.
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