The 18th Month Letter

Chapter 2

"What you did is just so offensive! It's his first day at job and you should be a little further compassionate!" told Nix as he barged in my room.

I raised a brow. "Don't you know how to knock? E, ano naman ngayon kung unang araw niya sa trabaho? Dapat nga ginagawa niya ng maayos ang trabaho niya. Hindi yung tatanga-tanga siya!"

He sighed. "He's still learning, Far. You don't have to disrespect him like that!"

I scoff. "Learning? Ang mahirap na tulad niya ay hindi na kailangang matuto dahil hindi naman nila iyon deserve. Besides, he's too inadequate to know a thing."

Napailing-iling siya. "You're intelligent but you need of compassion. Far, not all underprivileged like him don't know a thing. If you only realized they're more prudent and experienced than we are."

Hindi ako sumagot.

"Lahat tayo ay natututo. We deserve to learn a thing, mayaman ka man o mahirap. Wala sa estado ng pamumuhay ang pagkatuto. We don't have to pull down someone just because they're from an indigent level. Let's not take motive of their vulnerability. We're still learning and you have to recognize that we are still equal no matter what the status of living we're in."

"They're not unprepared. It's just that in vitality... We occasionally have to commit missteps to understand, because how will we learn if we don't make a mistake? But, none will understand since we grew up being fearful of giving rise to a blunder. We came from an elite ancestry, yet the only disagreement is that, I understood them while you don't."

Remembering what Nix had said that night gives me a headache. He's totally incorrect about it. Dad's exactly right, why should I sympathize with them? It's no longer my problem why they're inhabiting like that. However, I couldn't sleep well last night dahil sa mga salitang binitawan niya. It's like he's pointing out to me na wala akong alam tungkol sa mga taong nasa baba dahil lang sa privileged ako. Siguro nga may alam ako, but I chose not to understand...

I stared at the white folder on my bed side table. A folder that comprises data about Mason. Yes, I told our family's right hand to do a background check about him due to my inquisitiveness, and I found a lot.

He does appeared from a disadvantaged neighborhood and works two jobs at a time. He's the same age as us. I'm rather shocked to find that he's the same birthmonth as Nix. Too, he's living with his ill mother and twelve year old brother. His father left them with a huge obligation, perhaps that's his reason why he has to work two jobs at a time. Likewise, I'm stunned to know about his academic success, it turned out that he's in the same university with us, taking up Civil Engineering.

I didn't know he's going to our university since I haven't seen him there often. Just my luck to fulfill my plan. Yes! A plan on putting out of order his life. Bakit naman hindi? Mukhang masaya kasing sirain pa ang buhay ng isang taong matagal nang nasira. Well, this is me. Farrah Abe, and this is how my life runs.

"What's this?" nagtatakang tanong nila Andrea nang ilapag ko sa harap nila ang folder.

Kinuha ito ni Perry at binuksan habang bakas pa rin sa kanilang mga mukha ang pagtataka.

Binasa nila ang nakalagay sa papel at kita ko ang unti-unting paglaki ng kanilang mga mata dahil sa gulat. Pagkatapos ay tinignan nila ako.

"Is this for real?" Andrea asked in disbelief.

"What makes you think it's not?" I asked back.

Perry stared back at the folder. "Well, we could still consider him being on the working class since he's working two jobs at a time."