Street Hopes

He is awakened by the sound of the first jeepney to pass along the highway. He moves around and felt the ground damp, "It must have rained". Mang Tasyo never cared anyway, so he stood up and felt a small tinge of pain in his back. He ignores it and went straight to his small box sitting just beside him. He never let this box get more than half-feet away from him. He opened it with mastery and felt the pieces inside it, he still has enough for the day. Carefully, he stood up with the box in his arm and found his way to the corner of the street. He started calling out to prospects and found a man standing beside a pole, not far from where he was standing.

The man sounded pleasant. Mang Tasyo imagined him dressed in a nice polo and denims and guessed that he must be on his way to work. Mang Tasyo tried to focus until he was near him. As usual, he pretends to be just standing there as if to tease. Surely enough, when the man saw him, he immediately asked fro two sticks. Mang Tasyo was delighted but did not show it. The man gave him 4 1-peso coins. Starved with the morning breeze, he went straight to the bakery, which he was so familir with, where a small lady with creased forehead greeted him and gave him one pan for a peso.

After his full meal for the day, he was ready to go back to the street again. He will stay there 'til he feels it was time to go home, where a neatly-spread box is waiting for him to lay down. When that moment comes, he will say a silent prayer, not to ask for his sight back, but to thank God for the good day that passed and for all the good things he sees despite both eyes in the darkness.