FEU Secret Files

My Heart broke because of the Jeepney Driver

So just like the usual, I'll enter the jeep and then pay my fare which is 8 pesos (sometimes 9) since i'm a student. However, ther was this time where the weather was so hot and one girl who was pissed shouted "Manong kulang HO sukli niyo saken, 2 kami 50 binayad ko!"

As per usual I'll act like i didn't witness what really happened. plus, we were only 6 passengers in that jeep at that time (one was seated at the front and five of us at the back aaand we're all scattered)

Then after what she claimed the driver replied "neng 20 lang yung binayad mo, dos ang sukli."

The girl got agressive "KUYA 50 NGA BINAYAD KO DIBA P*^TA NAMAN OH"

The driver tried to calm the girl down but the girl was so mad about it. Her friend was just quiet tho.

While they were arguing I can see how it was heartbreaking for the driver to hand over to her what she claimed as "kulang" So the driver gave her what she wanted, I was not able to count what he gave but I saw a twenty pesos bill along with some coins.

The girl and her friend went down and some people went in the jeep, This is where i got pissed.

I heard her friend saying "uy, 20 pesos lang binayad mo ang alam ko" and then the aggresive girl replied "$H@T P@TA  weh? T@nGin@h hayaan mo na atleast nagkapera pa"

ugh, wtf. After that i got really pissed. I wasn't able to say something cause the jeep was slowly moving away from them. So i looked at the driver and he was so problematic I heard him murmuring "yung anak ko may sakit pa, imbis na kumita nababawasan pa" something like that.

He was distressed of what happened, he was about to cry but he hid it so that the other passengers won't witness it. That's where my heart broke, he couldn't do anything about it cause he gave HIS money already.

I realised that what we thought a "small amount" could be such a big deal to someone who badly needs it. I tried doing something not-so-obvious to help, so i paid 9 pesos again in hoping that he wouldn't notice that i had already paid.

He saw what i did and told me that i had already paid but i lied and said i haven't. the passengers noticed what i did so most of them, who were also a students, paid 9 pesos instead of 8. He also noticed that and couldn't help but to cry.

I wasn't able to witness most of it because my destination was near so i have to be ready. However, as soon as i was about to leave the jeep, he called and said words i've already heard from different people but felt different and more sincere.

"neng, maraming salamat."

at that moment i just smiled and left, kunwari strong pero i broke down after walking away. Seeing a father to cry for his daughter really hits me.

Lesson: All jeepney drivers, let's include workers, janitors, guards, and the likes. have stories that we haven't heard of. Let's all be kind, always.

@leuuun: Angela.