The commotions that could be heard from our neighborhood has already gotten me used to hearing, if not a heated argument bet. a husband and a wife, a woman bluntly reprimanding her young housemaid on what to do.
On one lazy afternoon, I found out from mother that the housemaid has been fired. I hate to eavesdrop a conversation esp. when it won’t do me good at all. However, I couldn’t help but listen to the reason why this housemaid got fired. She threw a leftover dried fish( the head part; sa bisaya pa- “ulo sa bulad”). Well as I overheard the conversation, my mother said that the woman(who fired her housemaid) came from an impoverished family back in the province when she was still younger and unmarried. There, she experienced exactly what life was in the midst of just having dried fish set on their table.
For some of us who might have lived in convenience, where food is served if not lavishly then just enough to satiate our appetite, surely we won’t ever give importance to a leftover dried fish, considering its head part, one would probably laugh at the idea. And that the reason for firing the housemaid was only small matter. Perhaps, we’ll find the woman being so antagonistic in a way. Hence, coming from different status in life, I realize that there is actually a very big difference from the level of importance we set for one thing than the level of importance others set for some thing, regardless. In other words, what’s so little for me may not be exactly as little to others. Status quo in life do matter with the way we see things as small or big.
In my heart I empathize with the housemaid. Yet, setting importance for little things that may be big things for other, I tried still to understand the woman’s sentiment..though her manner is such a cacophony to me, bluntly ranting her housemaid for the houseworks missed.
Sigh!If only that leftover dried fish weren’t thrown.
