Ortigas station

If you take the MRT and go down the Ortigas station right beside SM Mega A between 9am-5pm, you'd find people utilizing assorted methods of collecting alms. There's the old woman at the bottom of the stairs of the overpass connecting the South and North-bound stations; sometimes I wonder if she knows me considering i always pass by her post practically everyday. Just ahead her post, located right in the middle of the overpass are the slightly more opulent blind musicians. compared to the beggarly appearance of the old woman, the musicians look more moneyed and well-nourished. They should be, considering the equipment they're using aren't worth peanuts in the first place. They do covers of Rey Valera, Air Supply, Freddie Aguilar, and all other music acts that achieved musical stardom before the first People Power Revolution. After their post, going down the stairs towards POVEDA and Robinson's Galleria is the mother and daughter team. when I first saw them several months ago as I started on my current job I had an overwhelming urge to stop and ask what's wrong with the girl.

The girl is probably between 8-10 years old, and had healthy-looking frame far better than the emaciated looks most of the poverty-stricken kids here suffer from. The mother looks like she's 45 but I suspect she's a lot younger than that. Her daughter has half her face swallowed by a huge lump that looked too much like a tumorous growth to an average person without any medical background. Just looking at her made my entire face ache as if I had it myself. I was walking relatively fast but the first time I passed them time slowed to a torturous slowness and stop-motion clarity.

I stopped to stare. It wasn't a few seconds but I know they noticed. They stared back pleading. I passed by them accelerating my pace; I never felt fear and pity so potently mixed into a tasteless brew that ate you up so fast. One can get used to it. I should know. I pass by them everyday.

Callousness is the word of the day.