by AA Lee
“Follow your advice. Let’s try our luck on the opposite bank.”
Kenda picked up the whiny cat and crossed the river. The slow current allowed them to cross faster. The water reached her waist, but Kenda didn’t mind her clothes getting wet. She held the cat above her head to prevent it from getting wet.
Lucy said, not moving in Kenda’s hands.
Kenda did not reply. She was focused on reaching the other side of the river. The river was wider here compared to its meander beside her village, and it took Kenda about five minutes to cross it. She was thankful that the morning sun was hot enough to prevent her from getting cold. Intent on avoiding anyone spotting her doing what she was planning to do, she decided to cross the river first. Upon reaching the other bank, she picked a black rock to sit on to rest for a while as the sun dried her clothes.
Kenda walked closer to the edge of the river, squatted down and put her hand in the water. Closing her eyes, she pictured what she had seen when she was young and asked the river to give her gold. The water rippled in answer.
Opening her eyes as she felt the ripple, Kenda found that the river continued to move, but there was no gold in sight. A few minutes passed, and still nothing appeared. Kenda went back to the riverbank where the cat was sitting, transfixed.
Kenda’s eyes lost their sparkle as she tried to think of any other way to survive in the city.
The sun was high in the sky and Kenda’s sweat trickled down her body, but neither she nor the cat started to move back to the other side of the river. Kenda was deep in thought when the cat’s words suddenly brought her back to reality.
Kenda looked at the river and saw the water coming toward them. The water was clear, and as the wave came near, she saw that there was something shiny at its crest. She gasped in surprise as she recognized it.
The wave stretching to her fingertips, Kenda held out her hand, palm upward, to accept the gold that the river was offering. It was about half the size of her fist and far larger than any of the pieces she could remember Goni having showed her. She bowed her head in gratitude.
The wave curled toward the other side of the river, looking toward the shore where Kenda and Lucy would collect the trash. Kenda touched the water and immediately understood what it meant. No words were spoken, no visions were shown, but the message was clear. It was almost as if Kenda and the water were sharing their thoughts.
The water seemed to bow upon hearing what Kenda had said.
Overjoyed, Kenda and Lucy ran into town to sell the gold. She knew how to read some English words, and she looked for stores that displayed photos of jewelry and gold. She skipped those which appeared crowded, as she didn’t want to attract attention. Her grandmother had warned her not to flaunt her wealth if she ever became wealthy. Her words came back to Kenda as she searched for somewhere to sell the gold: “Jealousy is an evil trait and is often seen in people that will covet, steal, or kill to take what is yours.”
They finally spotted a store with no customers. Although the sign included other words that Kenda had not studied yet and so didn’t know how to read, it clearly stated that the store would buy gold and old jewelry. As much as she wanted to read the words, she stopped herself from being curious and gathered her will to focus on selling the gold.
The store displayed golden watches, bracelets, necklaces, and other types of jewelry in a display case that separated Kenda and the store owner. The display case was made of wood and a transparent material that made Kenda initially think that there was nothing covering the jewelry. When she leaned over, she felt the smooth, cold, solid material, finding to be as hard as wood.
“Alin aton?” The store owner looked at her, trying to hide his disgust at her appearance. He was middle-aged, with skin so pale that Kenda presumed he probably stayed indoors most of the time.
Kenda passed her annoyed reply via her mind.
Kenda put her hand in her pocket and took out the gold. She leaned in closer to the counter, extended her hand, and opened it near the store owner’s face.
“Diyos mio!” he gasped.
“In the mountain,” Kenda explained, making an inverted V with her two hands to show the mountain. “Far away.” She waved her hand backward to emphasize her words.
The owner opened his hand, expecting Kenda to give him the gold. Kenda gave it to him without hesitation.
The owner placed it on top of a square machine, pressed some buttons, and waited impatiently for a few seconds.
“Diyos miyo! Tood gid ah.” The man’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Kenda nodded her head. The store owner’s eyes showed disbelief. He looked at her clothes, then back at the gold.
“May ID ka nga daea?”
Lucy replied.
The store owner must have sensed her confusion when she gave him a blank stare. His hand disappeared in his pocket and brought out a wallet. He opened it and took out a thick and square paper. He held his hand up for Kenda to see and explained what it was.
“No, I don’t have any ID.” Kenda shook her head.
“Sa baeay nyo?” The man gestured an inverted V for a roof.
“No, I don’t really have one.” Kenda shook her head again.
“Ano baea ang obrahon ay?” the man said to himself, not seeming to know that he was speaking aloud.
“Uwa ka it ID kaya sekreto eang ra ha?” He made a zipping motion across his lips with his fingers.
Kenda nodded. The owner looked at his measuring machine again, counted out some kwartas, and handed them to Kenda. He made the zipping motion one last time before letting go of the money. Kenda counted the money as soon as she got it. The store owner had given her ten thousand kwartas in exchange of the gold. She did not ask for more. She didn’t have any idea how much the gold was worth, but one thing she was sure of was that the man had probably given her less than its true value.
“Excuse me, can you give me some clothes?” Kenda touched her clothes
and pointed toward the man’s clean clothes.
“Uwa ako kaeobot.”
Kenda touched her clothes and made an X with her hands, trying to indicate that she didn’t like them. She pointed to the man’s shirt and made a thumbs up.
“Ah! Gusto mo bag ong eambong?”
Kenda nodded.
The man fished a square device from his pocket. He pressed it, and it lit up. He spoke into the device while holding it next to his right ear.
“Maliya anay. Daea ka it eambong. Mga para sa katorse it edad nga baye. Iya lang kang do bayad.”
“Ma bayad ka galing it tunga it kwarta.” He showed her one kwarta and folded it into two.
Kenda gave back one thousand kwartas to the store owner, and he quickly gave back her change. He gestured for her to follow him and she did. Inside the store was a small room containing an oblong object. There was water at the bottom, and Kenda thought it was a well.
The man tried to catch her attention upon seeing that she was fascinated by it. He gestured drinking and shook his head. Kenda nodded in understanding.
“Para sa ihi ag pagbawas da.” He pretended to squat. Kenda wondered how it was possible for someone to relieve themselves in such a shallow thing. In their village, they dug big holes in the ground to use as their toilet, covering it over with soil once the hole was full.
The man turned something next to the wall, and water came out from what looked like a vine. The end was big and round where the water came out, like a waterfall. Kenda was mesmerized, like she was watching one of her Uncle Goni’s tricks, and it made her sad thinking about him. She didn't know if he had survived. If he had, he was surely being punished.
The man turned off the water and gestured for her to wait. A woman’s voice was heard from the counter. There was a little argument, and Kenda guessed that the woman was probably curious as to whom the clothes were for. The woman left angrily, and the store owner returned to help Kenda. He showed her how to turn the knob, and to open and close the door. Then, he left her to herself.
Chapter 19
Kenda
Lucy burrowed her nose into her hair.
Kenda used her mind to communicate as people brushed against her. It was Thursday, and the market was crowded. People didn’t seem to care when they bumped into another person, and they didn’t say sorry when they stepped on someone’s foot, which really annoyed Kenda. But, as she didn’t know how to tell them otherwise, she just looked at the culprits murderously when someone stepped on her feet. She bought a new pair of pink slippers, and she felt ecstatic. Previously, she only used to wear slippers when there had been gatherings in the village.
The market was enormous, and Kenda struggled to find the lady’s store where she had first asked for work.
Sure enough, after reaching the end of the vegetable section, the place seemed familiar to her. Kenda took five cents from her pocket as she came closer to the lady’s store.
She picked up an apple and gave the money to the lady. The lady looked at her with recognition.
“Ah,” the lady said as she put the money in her pocket. “Nag adto ka iya para mag obra?”
Kenda nodded.
“I want to help, but I don’t have money to pay you,” the lady said in the town’s language. She showed her money and gestured a little with her index finger and thumb.
“Ok lang,” Kenda said. She had learned how to say ‘it’s okay’ in the town’s language after spending more than a week there.
The lady smiled in wonder.
“Sige!” Kenda answered excitedly, agreeing with the lady.
Chapter 20
Nora
Nora held a purse containing fifteen hundred kwartas and a nugget of gold that was as big as her thumb. The day had come for her to settle half of the debt owed to Datu Hula, and she estimated the gold to be worth at least two thousand kwartas.
Nora stood at the edge of the village facing the river, watching as Jinja and his men made the climb up to Daa. Several of the villagers also stood beside her, eager to see the visitors after what had been a quiet few weeks for the village. Nora was able to clearly discern Jinja from his men, his red attire sharply contrasting with the black worn by his men, as if he was trying to show himself from afar.
Nora walked back to her house, which was about a five-minute walk from the end of the village. She decided that she would meet them inside her house. She put her hand inside the purse and rolled the gold between her fingers. Goni had suggested that they should pay the full balance outright so that they could look for Kenda and bring her back, but Nora had refused. She didn’t want the village of Nayon to think that they were rich.
She sat down on the floor in the middle of the house, where the lunch was set. It was a simple lunch in comparison to that which had been prepared for when she had first welcomed Datu Hula and his family to the village, but she didn’t want to make a fuss. There was no need to try to impress Jinja. If not for her role as high priestess, she would just hand over the payment and send Jinja home, but there was certain etiquette that a priestess must abide.
Cesar came out from the kitchen. “Aren’t they here yet?” Cesar was a man of few words during gatherings, but he was talkative when they were alone. He swallowed his pride during meetings and gatherings and stayed quiet to allow his wife to do the talking, in deference to her being the high priestess. He hadn’t even been by her side when Datu Hula and his family first came to their village. As a man, he was often the topic of debate in the village. A man was normally the head of his household, with the woman following his wishes. In Cesar’s case, things were different, but he had known before marrying Nora that his life would not follow the same course as the other men in their village.
Jinja bowed his head in greeting as he entered the small house. Nora motioned for him to sit, and he did, opposite Nora. The men guarding him sat close by.
“You have to eat first,” Nora said. “Tell your men to eat as well. You have had a long journey, and the return will be equally tiring.”
“You don’t have to worry, High Priestess. We have prepared well for this trip.” Jinja was once again assuming the role of charming representative for his village, rather than the snake that Nora knew him to be.
“Just taste our food and then we will proceed with the payment.”
Jinja did not argue. He motioned for his men to eat and started eating quietly. Nora followed suit, and they spent several minutes focused entirely on their lunch before she decided to speak.
“So, considering that you didn’t have a good experience here, I was surprised that you came yourself to collect the payment.” Nora drank a glass of water as she finished her meal.
“My father wanted me to come here for this important matter. He couldn’t trust it to his men.”
“I see.” Nora clutched the purse and felt the gold against the smooth cloth. “Since you have finished eating, let’s go ahead and discuss the payment.”
Jinja nodded politely, and Nora’s ey
es sharpened with anger. No matter how much Jinja pretended to be a good man, she knew that he was deceitful.
“I have fifteen hundred kwartas here.”
“But…”
Nora held up her hand to silence him. “And I have gold that has been passed down to me by my mother, which she received from her mother. I am extremely sad to let this go, but with this debt hanging over me, I don’t have a choice.” Nora opened the purse and took out the gold.
Jinja’s eyes widened, and he gasped.
“I believe this is worth more than two thousand kwartas. I am giving this to you out of respect for your father.”
“Of course, High Priestess. Thank you for treating my father with such respect.” Jinja’s eyes never left the gold nugget in Nora’s hand.
Nora extended her hand to Jinja, and he received the gold with both hands. He reminded Nora of a hungry dog. She took the rest of the money from the purse and handed it to him.
“I would like you to pass a message to your father.”
“Of course, High Priestess. I will be glad to pass on the message.”
“Tell your father that we will do our best to collect the remaining amount, and that I am thankful for his patience.”
“I will tell him, High Priestess. Word for word.”
There was something disconcerting about the smile Jinja gave Nora, but she tried to ignore it. Quite simply, she couldn’t wait for the young man to leave.
Chapter 21
Kenda
Kenda wove the straws together to make the body of the Christmas lantern. She chose red, green, and white from the sack of straws she had collected from the river.
“Wow! I hope I can be as good as you!” Daniel exclaimed. Biting his dirty fingernails, he concentrated on Kenda’s movements. Shortly after starting work at the fruit store, Kenda had been rearranging the stock one morning when the young boy who had first shown her how to collect trash and exchange it for coins came begging for food. Kenda had pleaded his case with the store owner, Lita, who had kindly allowed him to take a small quantity of fruit in exchange for his name. Since then, Daniel had been a frequent visitor to the store, if only to see Kenda.