Do unto other

Photo from Stephen
It has been my habit of reading newspaper every time I travel in the morning while riding in a passenger jeep or an FX.
This morning was just like those ordinary days when my attention from reading was called by the lady who was seated just across mine.

Lady: “Shoks! Mama may barya na ho kayo sa P1, 000.00? Nakalimutan ko po magpapalit!” (Shoks! Mr. Do you have a loose change for P1, 000.00? I forget to have it change!) Sounding apolegitic.
Jeepney Driver: (While raising his right hand with a couple of P20.00 bills neatly folded between his fingers)” Ito lang ang kita ko ineng!” (These are my entire earnings lady!).

Without even thinking I reached for my coin purse and gave her P15.00 because I never got to know where he joined the ride to SM North Edsa.

She hesitated and shyly smiled perhaps thinking I am a dirty old man.

Me: “Somebody did this to me before and I am only returning the favor”.

She accepted and gave me profuse thanks that I must count it to be 6 times including the one before she alighted. Her fare was only P 7.00 so she returned to me the excess.

Yes it is true. An old lady paid for my fare during the time I was in same predicament such as hers.

I was in my first year of study at the Manila High school that morning, many summers ago. In my hurry I forgot to get my P0.25 cents allowance. (Funny huh!).
Fare then was P0.10 and “kandong”(a passenger sitting on a lap of another passenger) or standing on “stribo” was free.
There’s no free ride now! Right.

I was already perspiring very badly from searching all over my pockets where could have I placed my money. I must invert my two front pockets but still there were no signs of my beloved centavos. All the passengers were now looking at me. Suddenly, my savior, the lady sitting across mine reaches out a P 0.10 centavos telling the driver that it was for my fare.
I must have thanked him a lot for saving me from shamelessness. Before alighting I shyly asked the old lady how I could repay her.
“Just do this to people in your situation and you are considered fully paid”, she answered me while smiling and reaching for my hair and carefully shaking them.

This event in my life keeps flashing in my memory every time the same event happens and I would never get tired doing it again for the sake of the old lady.
I think I have paid it fully well for I have done this countless of times.
(Huwag lang airplane fare!)
The moral of the story:
Do unto other what you want others do unto you!
And bring extra coins in your pocket!

Hanggang sa susunod na kabanata!