C3 3: Bail

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" a policeman greeted Esang. She was with her siblings and her grandmother Sarah. The policeman with a huge stomach greeted them when they stepped inside the precinct.

"I am here to give bail for Salvi Asuncion."

The policeman in front of her laughed at the information desk. “Salvi Asuncion? The former model and actress who went crazy You're late for coming here. She is dead a week ago. ”

Esang widened her eyes at what she heard from the man. No! It can't be! Her mother is not dead!

“No! That is not true! ” she shouted while her two hands are fisted. She could not stop her tears flowing down her cheeks. That is not true, her mother is not dead. No!

"Mom is not dead yet!" Macky seconded while screaming in disbelief.

Her grandmother Sarah approached her and held her by the arm.

"My daughter is not dead. You must be mistaken," grandmother Sarah said, her voice is calm.

The policeman grinned and Esang didn't like that kind of smile.

"I'm sorry, but I'm telling you the truth. She was found naked inside the jail. Her whole body was full of small marks, and it causes by cigarettes. According to the autopsy result, she was raped after committing the heinous burning cigarette. If you do not want to believe, just go to the morgue and get the body of Salvi Asuncion. ”

Esang's hand went numb as she stopped crying.

“Get out of here. Your stench is infected. Beggars! Go away! ” One of the cops interrupted.

Esang's eyes glazed over as the two of them before went out of the precinct.

When they finally got out, they decided to go through the morgue. They ended up walking the distance. But when they got there, they did not find the corpse of their mother. Salvi's body was not there. Their grandmother Sarah asked the guardian of that ward about where the corpse was, but the man replied nothing.

Esang's mouth tightened until they left the morgue.

“There is something wrong with what is happening, Grandma. I'm sure they did something to Mom. ”

They were on their way home to the shack while she was still clutching the purse where the bail money was.

“I can't quite imagine, that's what your mother went through inside the jail. If Salvi was dead, her body would have been in the morgue. But we got nothing, the guard is not talking about the missing body of Salvi, ” said Sarah while thinking deeply about the situation.

“Sis . . . Is mom dead? Can't we be with her anymore? ” Macky asked, his eyes are swollen.

Esang grabbed her brother on the shoulder and comforted him. She stopped walking and faced him while bowing.

“Right now, Macky. . . your sister can't answer that yet. Let's just wait and see what happens, okay? There is a possibility that Mom is still alive because we have not seen her body yet. Let's just pray, okay? ”

Her two brothers nodded. She smiled and messed up Macky and Cardoy's hair. She looked at her Grandma Sarah and she smiled as she stared at them.

“Grandma. . . how about this money? ” she asked while showing the money she had for the bail of her mother.

“Let's just hide that first, granddaughter. By now we will go home and I will cook a delicious dinner. Marinated spinach and fried rice! ”

Her siblings jumped up and excitedly ran ahead into their shack. She smiled and shook her head. She remained standing and let Grandma Sarah walk away ahead of her.

She looked up at the sky and wished for their Mother Salvi condition; she hopes that she is still alive. She could not cope up with her mother's death.

She took a deep breath and continued her walking. She needs to be early tomorrow to find a job. She had long planned to enter as a maid in the town. The money she earns was for her two siblings' education. It is not enough for her to just wash the houses and clothes. That was not enough for the bills and their needs every the end of the month.

It is very difficult to live in Tondo, Manila. Especially when a high-paying person like her does not have a permanent job. When someone is uneducated, you have no place in the world. An embarrassment and inability to develop one's strategy; is how some people think of their poor and living in the water. There is a lot of discrimination in their country — one's countrymen will fall for their countrymen.