choloisms

Nino

By: cholo ayuyao

The afternoon was coming to a close as the last rays of sunlight barely illuminated the old wood pews of the chapel through the stained glass windows. Cracked through the ages, the chapel stood serene beside the giant acacia tree. Inside, the altar gleamed from the amber lights around while the candles from where the icon of the Virgin Mary was located caressed the angles and curves of the pillars supporting the main altar. Murmured prayers of dutiful old women cloaked in veil echoed all around the small chapel. Then a little boy entered with a half of a candle in his hand and immediately went in front of the Virgin Mary icon. In his innocence he prayed copying the murmurs of the old women around him. He has no idea what a prayer was suppose to be, but instead he drew figures on a piece of paper and drop it on the slot where donations were placed by people with intentions. He spoke to the icon as if it were alive. He lit up the candle and then talked to the icon again. “Mama Mary… sige na po… kawawa naman po tatay ko eh. Pakisabi narin po sa anak niyo na ito lang po hiling ko…” the kid uttered. Then after a while, he blew his used candle and placed it in his pocket. “uwi ko po muna ito… baka wala na po akong kandila na isisindi bukas para sa inyo. Sige po… babay!” then the kid waved at the Vigin Mary and ran towards the door of the chapel.

The little boy ran as fast as he could towards home, which was a couple of blocks away from the chapel. He hurriedly head towards the door and went straight to the kitchen. “Nino… ikaw ba yan?” a coarsely voiced man asked. “Opo tay, handa ko lang po pagkain natin” the boy replied. Nino immediately opened a can of sardines and some stale bread inside a plastic bag, hanging from one of the cabinets in front of him. “Tay… wala na pala tayong bigas…” Nino innocently uttered. But the voice from the other room didn’t answer back. In a rusty tray, Nino brought the food to where the voice came. There, a man laid on the bed was coughing and ill. His face was old, ashy, brows almost bald from years of plucking. “Kain na po tay” Nino invited. He assisted the man and sat him up, dipped the stale bread on the sardines’ sauce then placed it in the man’s mouth. The man looked at the kid in front of him. He thought that he was too young to do this, but both of them were all victims of circumstances and end up together inside the shanty that they called home. He was holding back his tears as he munched on the food that was fed to him.

“Tonette! Long gown na dai! Bilis!” the stage manager yelled. Running from the back stage was this beautiful transvestite clad in flowing chiffon gown with intricate glittering beadings. He faced the roaring crowd like a true beauty queen, regal and charming. He approached the center of the stage and waved at the adoring people below. After exiting the stage he faced the large mirror provided for the contestants at the backstage and there he took a glimpse of his transformation. Tonette knew how beautiful he was. And that night she won the title of that particular miss gay contest. “Tay subo pa po” Nino said and Tonette realized that he’s been still for a couple of minutes and placed his hands on Nino’s head and asked “saan ka na naman nagsusuot kanina bata ka?” Nino just looked at Tonette and replied “andyan lang po sa labas at naglalaro lang po.” After feeding Tonette, Nino went to the kitchen again and ate the leftovers. Then he approached one of the cabinets and placed the used candle inside and smiled. Nino heard a knock on the door and hurriedly went to answer who it was. Upon opening the door, a beautiful lady dressed in pretty frock asked, “Uy Nino… asan ang tatay mo?” Nino took a hold of her hand and placed it in his forehead as a sign of respect and then ushered him into his tatay’s room. “Tay si tita Paula po” and left them to talk.

Nino was washing the dishes as he heard the loud voice of his Tita Paula talking to Tonette. “Alam mo kase Tonette, ang tanga tanga mo. Andun kana, pinairal mo pa puso mo. Eh anong napala mo? Ayan baldado ka? Uwi sa pinas na parang walang kinayod? Kase baket? Lab layp? Jusko… di ka papakainin ng lab layp na yan!” Paula yelled. Tonette was just looking out the window trying not to cry, “tapos inako mo pa ang anak ng kapatid mo… eh di mo naman masuporta ngayun… asan ang kapatid mo? Ayun nagpapasasa sa asawa niyang bago… ikaw kamusta ka? Ha?’ she continued. Tonette just sat there, wondering of his bad decisions and looking at Paula, the only friend that never left him. He knew that Paula was telling the truth and if it weren’t for his stubbornness, he’s at the same position as Paula was. Both of them went to Japan to become show girls, while Paula pursued her career seriously and Tonette with his boyfriend back in the country in mind. Both have Japanese boyfriends, while Paula took good care of hers, Tonette continued with both relationships, only to be battered by the Japanese upon learning of his other relationship. This would all boil down to a scandal that would deport Tonette back to the Philippines with a battered body and half dead spirit. As he settled, he was left by the man he loved and a child to his possession.

Nino was barely two years old when her mother left him to Tonette. Tonette, though practically devastated from his personal debacle didn’t refuse and even embraced the grace of Nino’s arrival. He never really did see it as a burden to him, it’s more of offering a piece of future to his sister and a chance of starting anew for himself. Misfortune isn’t the right term to what has happened to him Tonette surmised, more of he was meant to be on that position and should be compelled to participate in the domino effect that was happening around him. As his resources dwindled, and a house reduced to a shanty, Nino grew up into an angelic faced young boy with a disposition of an adult. Now almost 6 years old, Nino was taught by Tonette not to make the same mistakes as he did, that prayers are his greatest weapon and this made Nino go to church whenever he can and tried to imitate how the veil clad old women inside pray. In his innocence, Nino thought that the prayers were only murmurs hence imitating the sound as it is, while his head bowed down and hands together. One time Nino met an elementary teacher on his way home and the teacher offered to teach him how to write. Nino got elated by the thought and soon was educated substantially from writing his name to how prayers should be done. All of this without the knowledge of Tonette who’s sick back home.

Time flew swiftly as Tonette’s illness progressed. Nino dutiful with his visits to the chapel carried on with his prayers and short letters that he placed inside the donation box beside the Virgin Mary icon. One day though, Tonette, now bed ridden and being taken care of Paula, was so ill he couldn’t get off his bed, noticed Nino went home tagging along a small item covered in fabric and went inside the kitchen. He asked Nino what it was and Nino just replied that it’s just the dirty laundry. Tonette just dropped his suspicions and slept it out. He wouldn’t be awaken until that evening when a group of priests from the chapel knocked at their front door. Paula let them in and one of them asked to talk to Tonette. Nino, awake from the people in their house peeked from the door where he was and saw the familiar faces of the church people. Nino could hear the priest talking to Tonette about something and Tonette kept on denying that it wasn’t Nino who did it. The priests were sure that it was Nino after talking to several witnesses. When he heard his name being summoned by Tonette, Nino, scared of what was about to happen ran as fast as he could, passing the group of people and out the house. A couple of seconds after that, a bang was heard from outside the house and people started screaming. Tonette forgot how frail he was, started running towards where the commotion was and there saw the lifeless body of Nino, heavily battered from the car mishap.

Tonette felt numb as he held the body of Nino. He can’t cry, not even a word came out of his mouth just the feeling of not feeling anything at all. Paula comforted Tonette and led him, still in shock, back to the house. As they passed the kitchen, Tonette saw a familiar thing sticking from one of the cabinets and immediately retrieve it from there. Gingerly he opened the package that he saw Nino was bringing earlier. From the fabric, came the icon of the Virgin Mary. Tonette was puzzled why it was there or why Nino took it from the chapel. He stood there, staring at the image and then fainted.

Tonette woke up and noticed the gleaming lights in the living room and saw Paula sitting there talking to neighbors paying their respects for Nino. Tonette stood up and realized that the lights came from the lamps surrounding Nino’s coffin. Slowly he approached the wooden box and saw the face of his beloved Nino. Then His face become warm and red and tears stared to fall from his eyes, wondering why this has to happen. Paula assisted him to be seated in front of the coffin and there Tonette sobbed non stop and was just interrupted upon the return of the group of priests that were in their home while back. Tonette stood up and nagged furiously at the priests, blaming them that Nino got killed because of them and questioning them with their presence in their home again. Tonette handed them the icon that was placed above Nino’s coffin and asked them to leave them alone. One priest was carrying a plastic bag containing papers and presented them to Tonette. The priest told him that they retrieved them from the donation box near the Virgin Mary icon. Tonette choked upon realizing that they’re from Nino, drawings of medicine tablets, sunshine and coins. Tonette fell on the floor with his heart drowned in emotions and one letter stood out from the rest and it was written in a child’s doodled letters and barely readable. The letter states:

“Isoli ko mama mo pag napgaliing mu na ang tatay ko

Sige po papa jessus asahn kop o yan”

Tonette’s heart melted upong reading Nino’s letter and placed it in front of his heart. He realized how such innocent behavior could change the life of people and specially him. The next evening Tonette heard murmurs from outside the house, prayers spoken in unison. Tonette went out to check it and saw a sea of people in front of their house praying and with candles in their hands. He saw lines of cars heading their way and more people coming to join the vigil. It was after the priest’s sermon of a little boy praying for his love one that the news spread like a wild fire and even gaining media attention. The touching story of Nino and how he did his prayers and how genuine his heart, touched everyone’s. Now, his story isn’t just about his sick uncle but transcended into a community in prayer for him, the boy who drew sunshine for prayers and kidnapped the Virgin Mary icon to get the attention of Jesus. Nino.