Illustration by: Noel N. Villarosa using Mircrosoft Word Clip Art and Shapes
By: Noel N. Villarosa
October 9, 2017
It was in the year 1973 when
Filipinos first came in Saudi Arabia. During those years, Saudi Arabia has
become the job destination for OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers). With a flourishing
economy and high wages offered, the fears and worries could no longer stop
Filipinos in looking greener pastures abroad.
Leo, a hardworking, family
oriented Filipino decided to avail his early retirement and applied through an
agency to work in Saudi Arabia, luckily he was accepted for a job in a company
recognized as one of the largest desalination plants in the middle east.
They were ten Filipinos who
landed a job at the same company. Leo remembered the principles that must be
followed while traveling in Saudi Arabia that if one will bring old bad habits,
they should not come in this place. One must obey their laws and show respect
to their culture, and you will not meet any troubles.
When they arrived at Riyadh
airport, they were greeted and welcomed by the company's representatives and
have led them into a domestic airline that would bring them to Dammam. It was a
very tiring destination considering the weather condition was so humid. Upon
getting off the plane, they were escorted to a bus that will bring them to the
plant site. Most of them have already visited Saudi Arabia, but for Leo, it was
his first time to go in a foreign country. Nobody knows that it was Leo's
birthday when they arrived at the accommodation. At first they were happy with
the fact that they were with their fellow Filipinos, being friends and all
staying at the temporary apartment, and they were only for a couple of days to
be together, and later will be dispatched to the flat which should be inhabited
for the rest of their stay was a dismal moment. Leo and one Filipino whom he
met during the pre-departure orientation in the Philippines has become his
closest friend. It was the month of August where humidity was at elevated scale
when Leo and his friend searched for their flat. The condition of the
surrounding was moist, and unexpectedly Leo's left knee struck pain
uncontrollably. Leo almost squeezed his legs just to get a fix of the pain. The
two Filipinos continued and did not want to delay the search for their flat; what
made it harder was the numbering of the houses was confusing because it was
inconsistent with the sequence of the houses.
When they identified their flat,
they were very thankful and they were welcomed by their fellow Filipinos. In
the flat, there were other three Filipinos that will be living with them. Leo
has accepted the reality that living with others that were not blood-related
would be difficult of getting comradeship with others.
Many months passed and turned
into a year. Leo has accepted the fact that the rest of his stay will be empty
and the painful truth of having an intangible communication with loved ones.
But in all the more admirable news that gave the kindest regards into Leo's
existence was the vital information heralded by his wife that Leo will soon
become a father. In Leo's uncontrolled excitement, he told this to all his
housemates and declared that all of them will be his son's godfather, while
everyone acceded, they shared the feast that Leo has prepared.
Just after a year and a half,
Leo's friend was not taking it so well to stay longer in his assigned
department and not for long; Leo's friend went on vacation and did not come
back. Only four Filipinos were left in that flat. And just after three years
another Filipino resigned and transferred into another company with a high
salary and more attractive benefits. From the original five now down to only
three Filipinos staying in the flat. After seven years, another housemate
decided to join another Filipino in another flat and permanently moved there.
Now only Leo and another Filipino named Rolly were left on the flat. In Rolly's
account that he will be soon retiring, only waiting for one year more and only
Leo will be left in the flat. Rolly preferred to leave a good memory for Leo and
he learned that Leo was not easy to get along with somebody who's having bad
manners; he decided to acquire a mynah bird and planned to train it to talk. He
had taken one fledgling that had dropped from its nest and immediately took
hold of it and run away from its mother chase. He brought it home, put inside
the cage but apparently, the mynah bird was indisposed of its new home. Rolly
tried hard to comfort the bird, gave it water and food to consume but the bird
did not respond to the kindness and eventually died from intentionally refusing
to eat its food.
That was the first attempt of
harboring a bird inside the flat. Rolly was not giving up in finding another
mynah bird, he looked again for another mynah fledgling, and someone taught him
that a brood of chicks was easy to teach a language. One day, as Rolly opened a
door leading to the terrace, he saw a fast flight of a mynah bird, when he
looked around at every paved area of the terrace, just at the top of the door
was a collected twig, leaves and grasses forming a cup-shaped empty nest. Rolly
began to think that any time the mynah bird will come back and will lay its
eggs. Rolly took time to wait until after a week he quietly made a furtive look
at the nest while the mother bird was away foraging for food to feed its chick.
Rolly was surprised to find a tiny unsteady chick. Rolly decided to take the
chick out of its nest and brought it inside his room. This time Rolly changed
his approach in taking care of the new bird. Every day he would sit nearby the
cage and would talk to the bird, he even let the bird out of its cage and
freely roamed around inside the flat; he also put a mirror to reflect its image
and tricking it to be with another bird. The new fledgling developed its wings
and builds and introduced the bird to Leo. Leo started to befriend the bird and
every day he would introduce simple words for the bird to imitate. In the
morning, Leo would greet the bird "good morning" and upon leaving,
Leo would say "goodbye." Leo let the bird knew its name, in every
talk, he would say "hi mynah" and pointing to the bird, "your
name" and pointing to his self, "I am Leo."
Every day this has been the
routine until the bird got acquainted with all of these. It was like another
roommate had come to fill camaraderie. Leo started to feel complacency with the
newly found friend. The flat was filled with fun for the three companions.
Mynah was allowed to roam around the flat and whenever the two Filipinos will
leave and attend duty for work, they will provide foods for mynah. After one
year, Rolly reached his retirement age and it was time to exit. Leo and Rolly
made a promise that they will see each other when back to the Philippines. That
moment was so sad; Leo accompanied Rolly to the airport and parted ways. Leo
returned to his flat feeling empty and all alone, but all the loneliness was
relieved by the sound of mynah who greeted him "hello welcome back,"
and that phrase made Leo come alive again with so much hope to sustain a
longing companionship. Leo has still three years more to keep before his
expected retirement, with his companion mynah, he made every single day
ordinary and more interesting with setting a family talked on the other side of
the phone or video call, it made him everyday struggle of homesickness into the
negligible matter. After one, two and the third year and final year for Leo, it
was time for his most awaited retirement and to be reunited again with his
loved ones was also a feeling of melancholy for such an occasion that he will
also be separating from his companion mynah bird. It was past three in the
afternoon, all bags were packed and ready to go. Leo held mynah for the last
time and whispered to the bird, "Thank you my friend, for the years that
we established a good rapport with each other, but we have come to the point of
our life that we need to part ways and say goodbye, we are both destined to
meet and fulfill our dreams, our purpose and most especially finding what
happiness really means to us, I have come to select you and be my companion and
you by chance accepted the fact that I needed you, and in return gave you a
gift that other birds won't have and that was the ability to talk, keep that
skills as unique just for you and maybe that will hold our communication alive
again, who knows maybe we will meet again, for God is so kind to make
everything possible, who knows." Mynah bird bobbed its head and said,
"Goodbye" "I will miss you."
Leo held mynah and massaged its black hooded head and they both went to the balcony where there were many trees, and Leo put his hands holding mynah outside the window and softly released mynah from his hands and waved goodbye.
Leo picked up all the luggage,
one more time looked around at every corner of the flat where he lived for
almost 20 years and went down the stairs, but at the very moment that he will
be embarking inside the car, he heard squawks of mynah just above the rooftop
of the flat, again Leo waved his hands to mynah and went inside the cab. Leo
saw mynah flew around making one more contemplating of the place and then
vanished completely.
In our life journey, we have been
accompanied by somebody and somewhere in an amazingly circumstances by an
unexpected someone who by the good gestures of our great creator has been sent
to us for a purpose.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Noel_Nicolas_Villarosa/1158366
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