With a cup of steaming guinataan on my right hand and shopping bags on my left, I looked for a hallway with lesser people, but less here means more. Sobrang dami pa rin kababayan, kapuso, kapamilya and the new “it” word kasambahay. The Worldwide building’s every corner was full of Filipinos.
I stood at the entrance of a small printing shop. There’s a woman about 4″11 tall standing beside me with both eyes scanning my sandals, my bag, my face, my hair. She was staring like “sino si ate?”
Naku ayaw ko naman sumubo ng guinataan na merong nanonood.
I smiled at her.
Me———- “Hi, anong pangalan mo?”
She——— “Junie”
Me——— “Junie? Anong spelling? “
J———— Di, Eh, Je, Yu, En, Eh.
Me———- “Ano?”
J———— Je, Eh, Yu….. Dionisia ate. Dionisia ang tunay kong pangalan. Sabi ng bestfriends ko palitan ko daw Junie para may dating.
Me———-“Matagal ka na dito?”
Junie——-“Pabalik-balik lang ate”.
Me——— “Mabait naman ang amo mo?”
Junie—— “Mabait din. Minsan. Pero lagi akong tinatawag na stopid. You are stopid. You don’t know becos you are stopid.
Me——– Hayaan mo na lang, huwag mong pansinin.
Junie—– “Mababa talaga ang tingin nila sa Di-etch”.
Me——- “Anong trabaho ng asawa mo? Nasan sya?”
June—— “Wala na ‘te, pinatay ko na. (Laughs). Nangibang bahay baga.
Me——-(Laughs) Talagang ganun, yung nadun ka papalitan ka, lalo na kung malayo ka.
Junie—– tang___ nang____ yun, ayy (covering her mouth), bumili lang ako ng ulam sa tindahan, pagbalik ko wala, hinanap ko kasi kakain na kami, nadun sa kumare namin, magka ulayaw.
Me——– “Ha? malapit lang ba ang bahay nung kumare mo?”
Junie—– “Magkalapit kami, sa Pasig, para bang squatters, magkakadikit”.
Ang tsismosang si Annie——— “anong magkaulayaw? Naghahalikan?”
Junie——- “Hindeeeeeee, magkapatong”. Malandi talaga yung kumare ko na yun. palibhasa walang trabaho ang asawa….”
Me——- “Gabi?”
Junie—- “Tanghali, alas onse”. Okay lang, batugan naman sya. Ako lang ang nagtrabaho. NagSaudi ako pero umuwi agad ako anim na bwan, nalungkot ako. Tapos matagal na pala sila, kaya pala may bagong tv yung kumare ko at nakapundar pa ng tricycle. Walang hya, ay sorry ‘te.
Me——- “Anong sabi ng mga anak nyo?”
Junie—- “Wala kaming anak, meron akong anak. Pero binata na may asawa na nasa Catanduanes”. Okay naman sya.
(ubos ko na yung guinataan pero masarap ang kwentuhan namin, blend na blend ako sa kanila)
Me——- Nasan yung tatay nun?
This is Junie’s story.
When she was 22, she went to Taiwan and worked as domestic helper. That time there was a female recruiter who brought her to Taiwan. She paid P30,000 processing fee which included her passport, visa and one way ticket. She didn’t get scared or worried because there were several of them from the same town.
Her employers consisted of a Taiwanese couple with their two children, 10 and 12 years old. The husband works for a company but Junie doesn’t know where and what he does actually. All Junie knows about the wife is that she works from monday to friday and comes home around 6 pm.
After one year and four months, one morning, the wife informed Junie that their family is migrating to Canada and they no longer need her services. They have started packing and they gave Junie one month salary. The woman also gave Junie a used Coach bag.
The husband gave Junie US$200.
Junie stayed in Taiwan for two more months after her employers had left for Canada. She hopped from one friend’s house to another and accepted temporary cleaning jobs while waiting to find a new permanent employer. One day, she felt sick. She was always feeling dizzy and nauseated the past few weeks. Kala nya trangkaso buti naman daw wala siyang sipon at ubo. Her friend advised her to go to a clinic. They found a Filipina nurse who was accommodating and helpful. She gave Junie a free medical check-up.
Junie was 3 months pregnant.
Who’s the father?
(to be continued)
