I was careful not to be notice by the girl who had conned me out of $200 (comparable USD) since yesterday. I stayed well behind her, hid behind the many small food vendors that sprang up by the morning busy breakfast hours. Passing by the “Banh Mi”, french sandwich stall, she stopped. The smell of freshly baked bread and the sight of yummy meat balls must have grabbed her attentions, she mesmerized at the foods for a few seconds and swallowed her saliva in wistfulness. Massaged her stomach and move along.
A long walk through the busy market into the end of the dirt road near a big dumpster. The smell of rotten fishes, and animal carcass gave name to the area as the market waste disposal. The girl entered a very small make shift house, it was more of a hut than a house, with it plastic bags for a wall, a blue tarp dangling on top, and aluminum roof unevenly nailed together.
I stood a about 20 yard away, held my nose debating whether to enter. I was expecting to hear her 3 brothers screaming inside or a mother yelling at the child for not bringing any money home in order for her to continue gambling. I was expecting some little truth within her lies, but I nothing happened inside. I was getting furious as moments went by, the thought of being unjustifiably lie to got the better of me.
I peeled off the front door and stepped into the hut. The sun penetrated through the many holes on the roof provided enough light for my eyes to make out the contents inside. Pots and pans littered the entryway, with rags piled into the middle of the room, and cans of various brand scatter around the small plot. It smelled musty mixed with lemon grass like someone had use it to steam when they are sick. On the right corner, lay a small bed, and on it was my con artist.
The woman held the little girl in her arms and together they slept peacefully. The bed was too small for the woman and the child, either one of them move would throw the other on the floor. Wrapped about the con artist was a woman in pale complexion, and her body was skin cover with bones. Her clothes were old rags that had worn far too long. The woman tremble uncontrollably, breathing hard and heavy. She started coughing. The girl woken up and saw me stood there, without looking at me she tended to her mother. Grabbed a cup of what’s look like medicine handed to the woman. The woman quickly drank it then settle to lie down and slept again.
As if the girl ashamed at my present, she stood there gazing at the floor. We both stood in silence. The emotions inside of was running like a freight train, thinking of what I could say. I was here to find the truth, and now here it is. Could I handle the truth?
Before I could answer my own questions, her stomach growl. The girl held her stomach to sooth the hunger. “Do you want a sandwich?” I asked. The girl nodded in reply. “But, please help my mother, she need to go to the hospital.” The girl pleaded, “I don’t need to eat, I can last.” Her soft voice startled me and tears running down her cheeks. Immediately, I thought of my child asking me to help her by taking mom to the hospital. How could I say no? My knees felt weak. Something about human being: we have weak spot regardless of how angry we were. Seeing a little girl pleading for help got the better of me. All the anger inside of my faded away. I wanted to do what I ca.
But I couldn’t, I didn’t know where to begin. I just couldn’t pick up the phone and called 911. How would I help her? I am not a doctor. The girl grabbed my hand and started begging, “Please help us, please.” Like water that had disturbed to the core, I wanted to get away. Frantically, I ran away from the house, down to the sandwich shop and call the local taxi.
Duped me once shame on you, duped me twice shame on me and if I were to leave without taking actions that would be really an embarrassment on me as a human being. The taxi arrived 15 minutes later. He was a nice decent man, willing to help when he saw the mother and child. I give the child all I had which was about $100 and $50 to the taxi driver for his troubles. When the taxi took off, I stood there hoping everything turns out for the better.
I went home and held on to the story, afraid of being labelled gullible again by my family. In the back of my mind, I hope the mother would get better for the sake of her child. I felt so sorry and so helplessness because what if the mother couldn’t make it and how would that little con artist going to survive? and what could I do about it? I am just a man in the world full of sorrow and hazards.
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