This morning ‘Maw’ and I decided to buy some bitter melon for her lunch dish today. So we went to our local Asian grocery store at 99 Ranch, which is only two minutes from our home. I parked at the usual disabled lot, placed her placard on the rearview mirror, waited for her to hobble out the passenger side of the car and with the maroon aluminum cane (bought from Longs Drug store) in her right hand made the rest of the way.
We suddenly were intercepted by a short, stout-faced stranger — a Filipino lady by the name of Leila. She had a ‘Bad Boys Bail Bonds’ key strap around her neck, wore this bright pink-red lipstick, which was slightly smudged and hobbled also on her aluminum cane. Her knees are as bad as ‘Maw’s but she is only 55 years old. So they spoke about life and how they came to being injured in the knees.
Initially, ‘Maw’ didn’t seemed interested to speak with the lady but was nice enough to exchange a few words as we made our way slowly into the entrance of the store and with our shopping carts, well, which I got later on after ‘Maw’ wanted some pumello fruits to eat. We spent almost $10.00 for these thick-skinned, almost grapefruit tasting delights.
Leila was the dark skinned variety but had spunk as she continued on her idle chit chat, which refreshed me since I hardly talk to anyone nowadays from being indoors most of the time from lack of work and enthusiasm to explore or maybe fear of injury due to lack of expensive HEALTH insurance.
The old lady then told the tale about her divorce — how she put up with her old man for dating a younger woman, gave him three months to go to her or come back, off and on for a year until Leila decided enough was tolerated and how she will not remarry an interested suitor of a good friend. The family of the guy gets along well with Leila, by the way.
Unlike ‘Maw’ who has ‘removed her rose colored glasses’ just recently last year, Leila learned early at 15 years of age that not all people is always to her best interest and that others DO take advantage of her kindness, like ‘Maw’. According to her, some Filipinos are hypocrites as churchgoers who later chit chatting about others behind their backs.
That’s why the old lady stopped attending any religious functions from her 7th Day Adventist, Catholicism and later Jehovah Witnesses. ‘Maw’ then told her about how the Jehovah’s limited their fun of partying, gambling and drinking but some ‘deserters’ do whatever they want without their ‘elders’ knowing of their free-will. She basically prays to ‘God’ in her own special ways.
‘Maw’ then in tears told the stranger that she doesn’t use foul language or speak nasty to other people. This is where the final conversation usual hits home base: The reality is each person is better off left alone after doing many good deed in life for others and taking so much ‘trials’ that the only thing left is taking care of oneself in a more calmer, peaceful and stress free status in life.
I noticed she wore a golden necklace of what appears to be a double, winged design with some sort of crystal in the middle. All I know is that she is one of many messengers that ‘Maw’ needed to help her overcome the ‘trials’ of not fully understanding the existence of mean and hurtful people.
The basic message from Leila (and like so many others we’d meet recently) is to treat others as you’d be treated. All others who have ill-willed thoughts and done wrong in words and actions will have their fates dealt with by ‘God’ and returned to them later on in some way. This is the truth that someday those who have strayed from the narrow path will remember the true light of loving each other unconditionally.
Copyright © 2008 by Fluffy von der Flynn. All rights reserved.