She was walking in the pavements streets of the local city, lurking and looking for that one meal of the day that will suffice her needs. She had been homeless since her mother was jailed because someone told the police her mother was peddling drugs (which she does not know whether true or not), she had been begging for food for days since her father had been busy taking care of her mother's well being. She does not have brothers or sisters and she had been going through the neighborhood for food. She had experienced being mocked by those she begged food with and she tried asking those open stores, she was lucky because she did not have to beg for food long because usually she will be able to get free food from one of the stores in the neighborhood or from a "carinderia". However, it was sunday and there were no open "carinderia" today so, she just walks back and forth in the neighborhood until her little feet led her to the city.
She had been cursed by the "jeepney driver" and the lady she bumped while walking. The whether is a little sunnier today and she feels the hunger creeping in her belly, she feels hunger and anger at the same time. In the past week when the incident happened, she felt anger taking a toll at her and she feels angrier whenever she is hungry and these days, it has been often. She sees an apple and she grabs it from one of the side walk open stores when nobody was looking, she felt powerful then. She ate the apple after she run from stealing the fruit. She then saw a knife lying in the street, she picked it up and she feels she owns the world.
She feels that she can take over those who had ignored her plea and taken her for granted when she was pleading for mere cup of rice or simply a viand. She sat beside the beggar in the middle of the street down in the city thinking is she will go home and kill their neighbor for laughing at her or that lady who always say that her mother was a demon that will never have any future. She felt t he anger, she felt the pain of being a minor and someone that lives below the poverty line. She was about to get up when she was taken aback to see the guy who was selling the apple, he was full of tattoos and was chocolate colored skin due to being under the sun all day.. she got up but she does not know where to run. She was about to go the other way when the hand of the vendor guy catched shoulders and said..
"You're the girl who took the apple earlier?" She turned around and nod her head in fear that he might hurt her above the fear of being humiliated. "How did you know that?" she said, hoping that the guy will suddenly not recognize her--but he did. "Here, takes some oranges too. I heard your mother is being interrogated and your father is currently helping her. You might be really hungry" She was dumbfounded, she did not know what to say. She asks herself, why is this man like this.. then he said "I live near your barangay (local term for neighborhood) and I recognize you when you ran with the apple. Your mother always give me free food when she goes here and always talks about you. Don't worry I will talk to your father about what happened and I can tell him you can help me with my store and I will provide food and look after you when he is not home. I have two daughters who will be like older sisters to you. For now, go home and rest. You look tired."
She was amazed by the turn of events and how this tattooed guy was more caring than all the people she asked food from. Maybe that is what they say when God works in mysterious ways. She let go of the knife and she went home. After a week of walking and begging, she did not feel alone in her home anymore. She felt safe. Like God said "everything is going to be fine"