Short story: The Balot Vendor

It was a cold December night, and the only thing lighting the alley was the flickering street lamp. In the distant, the sound of the cars echo, but in this alley, a lone man walks in the middle shouting, “Balot! Balot! Balot mo dinha!”

Various people approach this man and bought the delicacy. Even some pale skinned and haired men came up to him to try it out. He smiled and thanked them in his broken English, “Thanks, sir. Is yummy, noh?” And the foreigners nodded in agreement as they paid him.

Once the delicacy was all gone. The vendor walked back to his little shanty, sneaking a peek at his two children and pregnant wife who were sleeping. He took out his earnings, counted them, and placed them in a jar. It was morning by then, so he started cooking for his family a small breakfast of egg and buwad. It wasn’t much, but he wouldn’t dare touch his earnings for a better breakfast. That was for another day. For his wife and for his son’s tuition.

The next night, he positioned himself along the road, shouting, “Balot! Balot! Balot mo dinha!” A few people came by, but this was not a good night for him. Upon going back home with a few eggs still in his basket, he saw a ragged teen cross the road. His basket fell, breaking the contents, as a pick up truck hit the unknowing kid. The white truck stopped for a while, but then it started to move forward.

“Hoy! Nakaligis ka! Baliki! Tabang! Tabang!” He shouted. But no one was around.

As the faint light of the truck disappeared, he approached the bleeding kid. There was nearby hospital, so he took him by his arms and carried him to the hospital. The people in charge were asking him various questions he didn’t know the answer to. “What’s his name? What’s the plate number of the truck? Where does he live?” But he couldn’t hear any of them, his heart was beating fast as the kid was placed in the emergency room. He wanted to know if he was going to be alright.

A few days came to be, and the boy was awake. With the little money that the balot vendor had, he paid the hospital due to its policy that if there was no payment, the boy will be thrown out. The boy toothly smiled at his hero, thanking him. The man just shook his head and said, “Basta okay naka, mao na ang salamat na akong madawat.” The boy then stared at the ceiling and asked his hero, “Naa kay phone, kuya? Pwede ko mo howam?”

The man did had a phone with him and gave it to the boy. He went out as the boy talked to someone in the phone.

That afternoon, a well dressed couple came by. They were the parents of the boy.

“Asa man ka gikan oy? We were worried! Now look what happened to you. If na unsa ka, Diyos ko, my heart would have died.” His mon cried out, while the father stood there motionless.

“Okay raka?” His father asked him.

“Yes, pa. This man saved me.” The boy answered.

“Salamat kaayo sa pag dala sa among anak dinhi. Let us repay you for your kindness. Dawata ning kwarta sa pag bayad sa iyang hospital bill. Salamat jud kaayo, nong.”

The father handed him the envelope but the vendor refused to take the money. The man insisted saying, “Para sa imong anak, nong. Dawata lang para mo gaan akong dughan. Imong gi tabangan akong anak. And now, ni balik na siya kanamo. You deserve more than this paper. So please, dawata lang.” The father was crying then.

The vendor took the envelope and hugged him. “God bless you, sir.” He whispered.

The vendor then went home bringing his family a little treat of Jollibee and thanked God his family was safe and so was the boy.