My friend Dax is sitting in a backseat of a taxi crawling
through hot midday traffic. The aircon conks
out, so he rolls down the window. The
taxi is at a full stop when a scrawny little girl selling garlands of
sampaguita (Arabian jasmine) walks over by the car window. She looks like she’s 10. Possibly older. She waves the sampaguita at Dax and with a
forced smile says, “Sir, buy sampaguita. For your lady friend. Or your
mother. Very cheap.”
“No, thank you.”
“Please, sir. I
really need money. Just one. I need to buy food.” she responds in a
monotone. Dax shakes his head. “Please?
Just one? I’m very hungry.” she
insists, yet with an unchanging tone in her voice.
“No.”
Then the girl takes one garland and throws it into the open
window, landing on Dax’s lap. “Take it.” the girl says, her face blank. “That’s my gift to you.” She turns her back and slowly walks on to the
next car.
“Hey!” Dax calls out to her.
He tosses the sampaguita back out the window and she catches it. “I said, no thank you!” The girl flings it back at
him. “Keep it. It’s a
gift.” He tosses it back again. “I don’t
want it.” She catches it and throws it back. "It's yours now." It’s becoming ridiculous.
“Fine. Let me pay for
this one.” Dax says, holding on to the now bruised sampaguita garland and takes
out his wallet. He hands the kid a
20-peso bill. It’s more than what the
garland is worth. She takes the bill,
pauses and throws it back to Dax.
“Keep your money. The sampaguita is a gift. Enjoy it.” They then resume
one round of playing catch with the 20-peso bill.
Finally the traffic starts moving and Dax tosses the 20-peso
bill at the scrawny 10 year old girl, the one who looks possibly older, for the last
time. She catches it.
The taxi drives away and Dax looks back at the kid. She is slowly walking over to the sidewalk still with her dead expressionless face. She takes all
her garlands of sampaguita and starts violently whipping them against the concrete wall.
