WORK OF ART

ONCE UPON A TIME IN A BARBERSHOP

Reese was walking on her way to school when a memory came flashing in her mind.

It was rainy night, sumilong si Reese sa may entrada ng barber shop. She's only fourteen years old that time, a grade nine student who wished nothing but to graduate and make her parents proud of her, but suddenly, fate decided to ruin her.

She was silently praying for the rain to stop dahil baka nag-aalala na sa kaniya ang kaniyang mga magulang. Ayaw niya pa namang pinag-aalala ang mga ito dahil pareho itong may sakit subalit nagtatrabaho pa rin para itaguyod ang kanilang maliit na pamilya.

That night, the rain was pouring from the dark sky heavily, at gustuhin man niyang sumuong sa ulan ay hindi p'wede sapagkat siya'y sakitin. Ayaw niyang gumastos na naman ang magulang niya kaya't naghintay na lamang siya, ngunit sa hindi inaasahan, bumukas ang pinto ng barber shop kung saan siya sumisilong.

A man in his early forties came out of the shop and stared at the young lady near the entrance. "Hija?" She turned around to face the man who called her attention.

"Po?"

"Gabi na, bakit hindi ka pa umuuwi?" He questioned, sounding concerned but the spark in his eyes says otherwise.

"Ah, malakas pa po kasi masyado ang ulan. Hinihintay ko lang pong tumila," magalang na sagot niya sa mama.

"Kung gayon, 'lika sa loob at malamig r'yan. Baka magkasakit ka pa lalo't basa ang iyong damit," sa sinabi ng mama'y bumaba ang tingin niya sa kaniyang uniporme at nakitang basa nga ito, bumabakat sa manipis niyang blouse ang suot na undergarment.

"S- Sigurado po ba kayo? Baka makaistorbo po ako sa mga costumer niyo," ang inosente nitong mukha ay nabahiran ng hiya at pag-aalala.

Natawa ang lalaki saka bahagyang umiling iling. "Hindi mo sila maiistorbo, baka nga'y matuwa pa sila sa isang magandang bata na katulad mo."

"Eh? S- Sige po," nahihiyang aniya, walang alam sa kapahamakang parating na magbibigay ng malaking dagok sa kaniyang pagkatao.

That rainy night, she was raped. Binaboy siya ng tatlong customer at apat na barbero, kabilang na ang may ari ng shop na iyon.

A tear escaped in her eyes as she remembered how broken she is that night. Hinayaan siyang makauwi subalit pinagbantaan siyang papatayin ang kaniyang pamilya sa oras na magsumbong siya. Durog na durog siya noong mga panahong iyon, wala siyang ibang nais gawin no'ng mga panahong iyon kun'di ang mawala nalang ng tuluyan sa mundo.

A month later, she realized that she's pregnant. Ayaw niya mang ipaalam sa kaniyang mga magulang ay hindi niya iyon naitago. Her parents cried helplessly after learning that their daughter, their only hope was gang-raped.

She gave birth to her daughter at the age of fifteen. Pansamantala siyang tumigil sa pag-aaral upang bantayan ang kaniyang anak, ang anak niyang nais ipaglaglag noon. She was so depressed during her pregnancy to the point that she thought of aborting her child, her own blood and flesh.

She doesn't want her child to grow up suffering at the thought of having no father, she doesn't want her child to know that she's a mistake, a nightmare.

When her child turned three, bumalik siya sa pag-aaral, and here she is, a graduating student of Junior High school. She's now nineteen years old, a single mom who got pregnant at the age of fourteen.

She wiped her tears as she let out a heavy sigh. It's been four years, kaya dapat ay ibaon na niya ito sa limot, but everytime she sleep, the faces of those guys who ruined her life always haunts her in her dreams.

Muling nagpakawala ng malalim na buntong hininga si Reese 'saka pinilit ang sarili na ngumiti bago pumasok sa loob ng university na kaniyang pinapasukan. She's a first year college student, a scholar and a working student.