In my mind, I was asking how could she draw when she doesn’t anymore have the hands? Will she succeed in drawing? Has she recovered from the ordeal and be fine enough to draw now?
I turned to Laura and asked Mary Joy’s mother how the young lady is doing during lull moments, when there are no visitors present?
“Lahi ra sya karon kumparar sa bag-ong pa ang hitabo, mam,” Laura told me as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
I can’t help but notice that Mary Joy looks just like her mother.
“Liwat nimo si Mary Joy, no?” I said and Laura just smiled at my remark.
No doubt, Mary Joy is a beautiful girl and one can tell that she has the “beauty that can launch a thousand ships”.
Although she lost most of her hair and still sports the scars and the missing hands, you can still tell that she is pretty.
My thoughts brought me back to the current issue: Can Mary Joy really draw much less write with her present condition? So I asked the young lady if she could.
Without any hesitation, she nodded and looked for someone. I learned later that she was looking for Jeffry Real, an occupational therapist from the Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital. Jeffrey was in the team of Dr. Macuno who ushered us into the place.
“Makasuwat diay ka, Mary Joy?” I asked in excitement as she stood and continued to look for Jeffrey. When the latter came, she extended her arms to him. I realized they are friends and that was not the first time they saw each other.
Mary Joy again extended her arms to him. I saw what I saw. Mikuha si Jeffrey ug duha ka kamot nga mura ug puthaw nga gaan. Si Jeffrey diay ang mihimo sa temporary hands ni Mary Joy. He “invented” the temporary hands of Mary Joy.
I started to sweat out as I was witnessing how Jeffrey Real was mounting or attaching or scewing the “temporary hands” of Mary Joy, I was awed at the genius behind Jeffrey. He was able to FIT TO A T the temporary hands of Mary Joy. And when the fitting was done, Mary extended her hands to me with pride as if showing to me that she now has her “hands”.
I wanted to hug her. I wanted to cry in admiration of the skill of Jeffrey. I wanted to shout in thanksgiving for the expression of gratitude which Mary Joy was showing with her “temporary hands”.
I whisered to Dave and said, “Luoya man na siya Dave, oy. Luoya man nang nahitabo niya nga kumpleto man unta siya sa una. Ngano man gyud nga nahitabo man to, no? Mura na man siya ug robot, Dave, nga gisumpayan iyang kamot. Pero dili man “fine” kaayo ang sumpay nga kamot. Pero maayo na lang no kay sa wala? Maka draw ba gyud siya?”
And I looked at my hands. I looked at the hands of Dave. I tried to fold my fingers into a grip. As if I was trying to make sure of the completeness of my hands; of the hands of Dave. How lucky are we to have complete hands.
As Mary Joy was preparing her materials for her drawing, I pretended I was not doubtful of her capabillity. I whispered to myself, “Kaya ba gyud?”
To camouflage my doubt, I looked outside and tried to search for reasons to say something different – away from her eagerness to draw.
Then I realized that the family has a neighbor. It is a house that is barely done. This is a newly built house as the ceiling was unpainted.
Laura, noticing that I was looking at the neighbor’s house, volunteered an information. She said, “Bag-o man mi dinhi, mam. Gibiyaan man namo tong karaang balay nga among gipuy-an. Kadto bang nahitabo-an.”
“Nganomg gibyaan man ninyo ang karaang balay?” I asked Laura.
“Giguba man ma’am; among giguba kay bwesit man ma’am. Dili na ko gusto makahuna-huna pa adtong hitabo niadtong dapita ba,” Laura said
I said, “Daku ba tong balaya, Laura? Unsay mas daku, kining inyong balay karon ug kadtong inyong gibiyaan?”
“Dili man pud dako tong balaya, mam,” Laura told me.
I asked, “Diha na ba poy mga laing taga media nga mi-anhi aron mangutana ninyo ug susama sa among pangutana?”
“Nagkalain-lain na man tong nanganhi, mam, apil na ang mga pulis. Giingnan man mi sa pulis nga maghilum lang kabahin sa nahitabo aron dili mograbe ang among panghuna-huna,” Laura said.
I asked again, “Ikaw, dili na gyud ka makigbalik niya sa imong gi-ipon?”
Laura answered, “Dili na ko mam oi. Ikaduha na man siya nahong giipon man ug nakahukom ko nga dili na gyud ko niya.”
I kiddingly said, “Naa na siguro kay lain.”
At this question, Laura gave me a smile.
With her smile, I was intrigued to continue asking, “Naa na kay lain, Laura, no? Di ba? Naa na kay lain? Wala kaha to siya magselos nimo? Mao tong gipahimungtan niya si Mary Joy? Di ba Laura? Mura no? Di ba?” (To be continued)