Finally, it passed . . . the non-stop noise and feasting.
Yan.
Iyan ang pasko sa aming nayon.
Putukan para raw alisin ang malas.
Sayawan para mag-aliw at magsaya.
At walang kamatayang tsibugan
sa mundong haharap sa darating na hamon
ng bagong taon . . .
There. That's christmas in our town. Fireworks to remove bad luck. Dancing to be merry and non-stop eating in a world about to face a challenging year ahead.
At nandoon lang ako sa bahay ko. Tipong nagmumukmuk. Nandoon ang halong takot at inis sa putukan, pag-iwas sa mga inggay at gulo ng mga bisita at labis na antok. Aba eh masarap ata matulog nitong mga nakaraang araw at gabi. Sabi ni Lui namnamin ko raw ang kakaibang lamig na ito kasi sa summer sobrang init ulit. Naku, hindi na niya kailangan sabihin ito. Tingnan ko lang ang bahay ko, ina-antok na agad ako!
And I just stayed in my house looking grumpy with a mixed feeling of fear and irritation of firecrackers, trying to avoid the noise and flurry of guests and fighting the feel of drowsiness. It is quite tempting to sleep these past few days and nights. Lui said I should enjoy this rare cold weather while I can because by summer it will be too hot again. But she did not have to remind me. One look at my comfy house and I get sleepy right away!
Oras na rin maglinis ng kapaligiran. Mahaba ang bakasyon kaya't ayun si Luchie, umakyat na naman sa bubong ng bahay para magwalis. Aba oo! Winawalis ang bubong, hoy! Kapag nabara ang daanan ng tubig ulan ng mga ligaw na dahon tiyak masisira ang bubong ninyo. Ang masaklap pa, aanayin ang kisame. Susmariamakiling! Ayaw na ayaw pa naman namin ng anay!
It is also the time to clean the surroundings. The long holiday vacation left Luchie up on the roof to sweep again. Oh yes, you sweep even on the roof! When the drain gets clogged by fallen leaves that will destroy your roof. And the hardest part, the termites will attack the ceiling! And we hate termites!
Sa tuwing umaakyat si Luchie sa bubong sa pamamagitan ng pag-akyat sa puno ng chico naming si Chicky, waring gusto ko ring pumanhik at maki-usyoso sa itaas. Malamang maganda ang view doon. Sigurado tanaw ko ang buong paligid sa taas ng bahay! Pero, paano naman ako bababa? Madaling umakyat, mahirap bumaba. Sabi ni Lui kung tatalon raw ako pababa, tiyak bali ang buto ko. . . . Parang buhay di ba? Madaling umakyat, masaklap bumaba.
Every time Luchie climbs the roof by passing through our chico tree named Chicky, I feel the urge to climb and see what's up there. I am sure the view is great from up there. For sure I can view the whole surroundings from the top of the house! But, how will I get down? It is easy to climb, but difficult to go down. Lui said if I jump going down, I'll end up with broken bones . . . This sounds like life, isn't it? It is easy to climb to the top but harder and painful to go down.
Hmp, maka-ihi nga lang. Minabuti ko na lang markahan ang kapaligiran. Iyan naman talaga ang ginagawa naming mga hayop sa tuwing na-aaberya kami. Ang tao tsimitsibog pag inis. Kami dyumi-jingle sa paligid. Pang alis inis. Waring nagsasabi "hoy galing dito si Sumo!" astig di ba?
Hmp, I better pee instead. I'd rather mark my surroundings instead. Anyway that's what animals like us do when we get frustrated. People eat when they get frustrated. We pee everywhere. To release stress and to say "hey, Sumo was here!" Isn't that cool?
Pero paano naman ako mag-re-relax eh panay ang tawag ng kapitbahay kong si Doggy. Nakup, mistulang wala sa sarili siyang humihiyaw at tinatawag sina Lui at Luchie. Tingnan mo ang mukha niya. Waring nakaukit sa mga mata niya ang pighati. Waring nagsasabi "hoy, ampunin naman ninyo ako!" Eh bakit kamo? Ayun, umalis na naman ang amo niya at nawala ng ilang araw na hindi man lang nagbilin sa kapitbahay na alagaan ang aso nila! Waring kampante silang isipin na kusang aalagaan ni Lui ang aso nila sa tuwing umaalis sila! Saksakan na halimaw talaga ang mga ganyang tao. Parang mga hindi nag-aral! Naku, talagang naiinis ako. Panay tuloy ang tawag namin ng pamilya ko kanila Luchie na siya namang pilit na tumatawid at binibigyan ng pagkain at tubig sa bawat araw na wala ang walang pusong amo nila!
But how can I relax when our doggy neighbor kept calling us. Doggy was frantically barking and calling Lui and Luchie. Look at her face. Her eyes seem to mirror her dilemma. Her eyes seem to say "hey, adopt me!" And you know why? Doggy's owner left her again for a few days without even telling the neighbors to watch over her while they are away. As if her owners are confident that Lui will just take care of her everytime they leave! These people are a bunch of uneducated beast! I really hate it. We often alert Luchie who always try to go over with food and water for Doggy for all the days that her owners were out!
Balang araw matatapos na rin ang hirap ni Doggy. Darating ang araw mararamdaman rin ng amo niya ang hirap na nararanasan niya. At sa araw na iyon ako mismo ang tatahol sa tuwa para sa kanya . . .
Doggy's pain will end someday. And the day will come when Doggy's owner will experience the very pain that Doggy is feeling right now. And when that day comes, I will bark with joy for Doggy . . .
*English translation by Bogart.
