clothespins and band-aids

painted buddha with big belly and little children crawling all over her
round dining table with lazy susan
rattan rocking chair with yellow multi-colored plastic weaving
turned upside down and it was a mountain on the outside, a cave on the inside
streets named after luzon, visayas, mindanao

her family left this childhood house of in marikina to move to a new subdivision in Rizal
it was new housing development exclusively for employees of MERALCO
track houses that each family tried to personalizeher dad picked a lot at the culdesac that ended in the mountains
it was at this culdesac that she learned to ride her bike. after 2 weeks, she was an expert.she was bike

one summer, her cousins from the states visited. they stayed at a hotel but they broughta balikbayan box full of american goodies. avon products, pink pather tooth brush,shiny apple pencil sharpener, plastic clothesline clips in the basic colors.
later that summer, the laundry clips were gone and their newly handwashed clotheswere on the ground
her parents suspected it was the mountain kids who had taken the laundry clips soshe was sent up to the mountain with her yaya to find it.
they walked to the end of the culdesac and up the hill. crossed streams and up the mountain.a white snake slid from the mountain to the stream, but too busy to pay attention to them.
they found some huts inhabited by the mountain people and there on the clotheline were the
plastic clips in the basic colors. red, yellow, and bright blue stood out in the plush green
scene. on a clothesline tied to mango trees full of the fattest yellowest and most fragran mangoes

she didn't care about the clips. a boy her age came out of the hut and offered her a mango forthe tree. who cares about the clips. they had bright beautiful mangoes and they shared.
they went back to their house empty-handed. no clothesline clips.

days later, she was playing scrabble with her parents in the livingroom. there was a knock onthe door. it was her friend from the mountains with a box of mangoes.
he was shy and just said hi. "these are for you", and he took off.
she was teased by her parents " oooh, he likes you.... he brought you mangoes".
she was embarrased.

she and the boy became friends. one day he came down from the mountains and playedwith her and the other neighborhood kids-- the let's throw rocks at each other game.
she was on her bike and he just ran around. they threw rocks at a each other.
who knew throwing rocks at each other would be so much fun they most mostly missed but it was fun until one rock landed right above his brow. and before she could say a word, his head started gushingwith blood.

she was shocked as if the ribbons of red wrapped around her mouth and muted her.and instead of saying sorry, or helping him out,, she ran off, riding her bike into their gated house andinto hid her room. was it pride? fear? shock? that stopped her from saying sorry and helping her friend.

that night, she was watching tv with her yaya and brother in the dark living room when a there was a knock on the door. her yaya went to open the door and by the bright light from the tv she saw 2 figures.it was hear friend and his older sister. "Excuse me po" said the sister. "we are just here to ask if youmight have a band-aid that we can use kasi Rachel hit my brother on the head and made him bleed." she was so ashamed and guilty. especially to know that her mountain friend's family did not have band-aids.