On a Market Day

I can't remember the last time I went with my mother to the market. So I decided o go with Mama this Sunday. It felt like the old days were I hold on to Mama as we roam around the busy market buying all those stuffs we needed. I remembered my wide-eyed awe to the different people working in and out of the market.

I found myself still having that wide-eyed fascination to the people from all walks of life roaming around and busy to make both ends meet. I felt like a little child again. Our city’s market has been transformed into a much likeable and clean place to shop around. I no longer felt icky when walking on the moist and dirty part of the wet section. Everything is in place. My Mama just tugged me along to the different sections of the market. Buying food is a breeze. The meat and fish, vegetables and those dry goods are place in each section of their own.

Anyways, my habit of looking into the faces of different people was exercised on this trip to the market. Let me tell you the scenes I witnessed on a two-hour stay at our market...

Nothing much has change on a busy day at the market. I still saw those kids who were sometimes barefoot selling their plastic bags for Php2.00. "Ate, bili ka ng plastic,oh!" they would shout but sound like almost begging to those people to buy their plastic. I get to buy one from a mother with her daughter in tow who was selling calamansi. They said their thank you to me and even ask me to buy some calamansi...

I found a guy sleeping soundly under a vegetable stall. Despite the sweltering heat and the noise of the people around he found time to take a nap...

As Mama buys some 'bangus" an old man came rushing on my side with his pushcart. On it was what they call a 'banyera' full of fish. Hs skin was burnt by the sun and he has earned some gray hair. He was a bit small for an average man. I saw him struggling as he unloaded the banyeras to the stall near me. I was not able to see his face but I know he is too old with that kind of work...

As the plastic I am carrying gets heavy, Mama told me to just stay put in one place and I'll just wait for her to go back for me. I said no. I found that I am still scared to get lost and not to be with Mama on a busy market day. To think I was already 23 years old and it is not that scary to get lost among the crowd...

I miss doing this. I was thinking of going with Mama again on one of her trip to the market. I get to observed those people from all walks of life and think of what kind of life they are living....