A Girl Name Betty

I've been living in my cocoon for a while now. Not checking my messages here on friendster nor updating my blog. But tonight, I felt compelled to tell you a story about a girl name Betty.

I was having dinner with my parents last friday, and we were just talking about my nieces and nephews and how fast they've grown up. When my mom started to talk about a girl name Betty. She said, before, her and my father had my oldest sister they adopted a 9 years old girl, and her name was Betty. My parents said that they use to see Betty on there way to work everyday digging in the public garbages trying to find stuff she can sell, re-use, or maybe eat (Mind you, this is in the Philippines, so when I say public garbages I mean an empty lot full of trash.) Betty would always say hi to my mom everytime she sees her, and my mom would give her some change.

One day, my mom talked to my dad about adopting Betty. My Dad said yes and they went to Betty's mother and asked her if they can just keep her and send her to school since my mom is a school teacher. They said, Betty's mom didn't really care, and Betty was ecstatic to go with them.

Betty moved in and my parents loved her. My mom said, that everytime it would rain on her way home from work, she would see Betty standing on the street corner holding an umbrella waiting for her to get off the jeep ( Jeep-Philippines transportation for some of you who don't know) making sure my mom doesn't get wet. Then,  on the nights when it's not raining, they would take a walk in Luneta park and sit by the bay. This was 40 years ago, so I imagine it's a bit safer back then. My parents said that they really loved Betty and Betty really loved them.

Then one night, my dad couldn't sleep, he smelled an odor and it was coming from Betty's bed. My Dad asked her what that funky smell was, Betty got up and took a shower. That incident became more recurring. My mom said that everytime they would ask Betty about that smell, Betty would get up even if it's 9 at night and take a shower. They also noticed that Betty was always hiding her hands from them. My parents became really concerned and asked her to just show them her hands. My mom said that Betty developed some kind of infection that she started loosing her fingers, and that's where the odor was coming from.

They took Betty to the hospital, and to their complete and utter shock, what Betty had was leprosy. This is the same week that my mom found out she was pregnant with my oldest sister, so my dad was extremely worried. They knew it's contageous.  A few days later, my dad had convinced my mom to give Betty back to her real mother. They didn't tell Betty the day they were going to give her back, they just told her that her mom wanted them to visit her. They didn't think Betty could handle it, had they told her. When Betty was talking to her mom, she notice that my parents were missing. She ran out the door and saw my parents already in the jeep. My mom said, that she ran after the jeep crying and screaming "Ate! ate! huwag mo akong iwan, maawa ka sa'kin ate" (Please don't leave me, have pitty on me.) She calls my mom ate, which is what you call your older sister. My mom said that after that, my dad and her did not speak for a week and would cry almost every night. They really loved her and did not want her to go, but with Betty's condition my parents were afraid to take the risk of getting infected, specially with my mother's situation. My mom said that, she went back to visit Betty, to find out how she was doing. Betty's mom said that she sent Betty to a leprosy colony in Palawan. That was the last time my parents heard anything about Betty.

After my parents shared this story with me, I was unable to sleep. The image of a young girl running after my mom, begging and pleading not just to take her back, but to save her from the poverty that she's known her entire life, it just broke my heart in ten thousand pieces. It's been 40 years since this happened, but how many Betty's are out there right now. Up to this day, millions of children around the world are born in poverty. They're stuck in situations they did not asked for. Now, I know there's a lot of homeless kids out there, and that stories like Betty's are just one of many. But to hear my own parents tell her story with such heartbreak in their faces, it really struck a chord. I've heard people say, "count your blessings", "appreciate what you have", but I never really stop to let it sink in, not just in my head but in my heart until now. I have a family who I know will not abandon me in time of need, I have friends who will help me get through tough times. But for children like Betty, who will hold their hands and comfort them.

I don't know why the world is so unfair! I don't why kids like Betty have to go through what they've gone through. If you have read this post, please say a prayer for all the children in poverty around this crazy world that we live in . I know it's sounds corny, but I know prayer is one thing we can do to reach out to them. I don't know what happened to Betty, but her story made me appreciate my life and really acknowledge the epidemic called poverty. I pray that where ever Betty is right now, she's found the peace and comfort she was looking for.

Comments

[Lewelyn]

thanks for sharing the story. I was really touched and napa iyak tuloy ako ...