Joy Jaramillo stood in front of a small globe and spun it
gently between her hands. After a few moments, she caught it between her hands
and planted her left pointer fingers firmly upon two opposite sides.
While her left pointer finger covered Sarangani Bay at the
top of the globe, Norman, Oklahoma faced directly away from her, shrouded in
the darkness. It was a fact that did not escape any of the children, no matter
how wildly impressive it truly may have been.
Brian Rudie and the students of his class all sat
expectantly at their seats, waiting for a call from the other side of the
globe. When the video call rang on Brian’s laptop, each child jumped from his
or her seat and rushed for the best spot around the desk. It didn’t matter if
the children knew Miss Sasfy or not, the biggest children all pushed their way
to the front.
“Answer it, answer it!” ordered Maria.
“Hold on to your britches for a moment, would ya?”
Brian pressed the “ANSWER WITH VIDEO” button and a familiar
face appeared in the video window and it seemed as if Rosalia Sasfy was right
there in Baluntay once again.
“Magandang Tanghali Po! How is everybody doing out there?”
“Just fine, ma’am,” replied Maria, “How about you?”
“I suppose I’m doing just fine, too.”
“I see a lot of new faces in the crowd. Where did we get all
of these students?”
“They’re from all across the Sarangani province. We’ve been
working with the local orphanages to take care of all these beautiful
creatures.
“I wish I could come back and teach again.”
“I’m sure they’d love you to come back.”
“We sure would,” said Maria, “Why don’t you come back?”
“Well, I’ve got my hands full right now, I’m just preparing
for my new teaching job here in Oklahoma. I‘ll be teaching fourth grade.”
“You’re teaching fourth graders all day long?”
“Yes, but it’s a very big class; almost fifty students.”
“So many children,” Maria purred.
“Yeah, but I’m excited for the challenge.”
Everyone remained silent again as the children watched Rosie
sit there quietly by herself. However, Joy had one thing that still bugged her,
even though she already knew the answer.
“What time is it in Oklahoma?”
“It’s 11:30,” replied Rosie, “just like Sarangani, but it’s
the middle of the night instead of the middle of the day.”
“I
know,” said Joy, “but it’s so strange that you’re half the way around the world.”
“Let me show you,” said Rosie.
She stood up from her place in the living room and took her
laptop out the front door. Beyond the flickering incandescence of the porch
light, the world outside Rosie’s childhood home was as black as midnight itself.
Meanwhile, it was both bright and sunny in Sarangani.
“I wish you were here,” said Joy.
“We all wish you were here,” said Maria
“Well, guess what? I’m buying another ticket right now and I
wanted to know when I should come.”
“How about tomorrow?” asked Joy.
“That might be a little expensive,” chuckled Rosie, “What if
I come during Christmas Break?”
“Aww,” groaned Joy, “It’s only June. Christmas is so far
away.”
“Just be patient, it’ll be here before you know it.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that...”
“Just leave it in God’s hands. He’ll take care of
everything.”
“I guess,” sighed Joy.
“What’s the latest news on Jaki Gomez?”
A sad look grew on the children’s faces.
“What did I say?”
“Do you remember her brother Marco?”
“Of course I do! What happened?”
“A rocket-propelled grenade exploded near his helicopter and
he got knocked out of his seat and fell to the ground. He died instantly.”
“Oh my goodness! How is Jaki holding up?”
“She’s doing fairly well, but her campaign for Province
Auditor has been put on hold while she attends to family matters.”
“Yeah, yeah, of course; somebody send her my prayers.”
“We will,” said Jonny.
“What about Ralj? Is he hurt?”
“Nope,” said Brian, “Luckily none of the other crew members
were hurt in the blast,”
“Thank goodness for that.”
“I just don’t get all these senseless wars down here in the
South,” said Jonny, “No God approves of killing, yet people build big walls and
buy the biggest guns just so they can get a small piece of land.”
“It’s the way of the world,” said Rosie.
“Yeah, but the greatest kings were not happier because they
owned the most land. In fact, I’m guessing it was quite the opposite.”
“Well, I suppose
you’re right,” sighed Rosie, “but there isn’t a thing about it, so let’s change
the topic.”
“Fair enough,” said Jonny, “You pick it.”
“How’s the weather?”
“Same as always – six months of sun and six months of rain.
How about you?”
“Same as always – 3 months of Spring rains, 3 months of
Summer Heat, 3 months of autumn harvest, and 3 months of Old Man Winter.”
The conversation traveled about aimlessly after that and
Rosie made her promise to visit during the Christmas Break, but by the time
October rolled around, Anne-Marie had been driven from her job because of
illegal dealings involving big government contracts and close business friends.
Jaki Gomez ran unopposed and won the Province Auditor job hands-down. It was a
good fit for her, but some new laws made it harder for Arvind Construction in
South Mindanao. Other than that, life in Southern Mindanao seemed to business
as usual. The typhoon season came and washed hundreds of Filipino homes to new
places, jobs were scarce and people survived off the land, the sea, or any way
they could, and The Philippine Army still skirmished with the rebel
separatists. Through it all, the Filipinos leaned on friends and family and
found a way to survive.
+++++
“This is Mya Amores reporting from North Cotabato in Central
Mindanao where a bomb exploded early this morning in one of the local malls.
Thirteen people are dead and dozens were injured in the blast. Local hospitals
are filled to capacity and people are urged to stay away from the hospitals
unless they are in dire need of medical attention or have direct family members
injured from the blast…”
..
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