cynics and hopefuls
the conversation drifted towards celphone purchases, and a friend jokingly complains that he will never have a reason to buy a new unit since his he could never get rid of his old one. once, he left it in the mrt (slipped out of his shorts pocket). before he realized it, he was already off the northbound train in quezon avenue station. but as soon as he did, he dashed across the station bridge and waited for the train to make its return.
after the train traveled to the last station (north avenue) then back to quezon avenue, my friend enters the train to search, and alas, it was still there on the seat!
i was amazed. i was awestruck. IMAGINE THAT. no one stole it! and it’s not like his phone was some chupipay, uncolored, out-of-style, uncool "junk". it was one of those dirt-/dust-/shock-proof nokia models with a colored screen and everything.
it was a quick story but it stole made my insides to a quick backflip. all hope is not lost, i thought. there remains honest filipinos.
then, of course, another friend jumps in and says that’s impossible for people not to have stolen it. that it was mistaken for a bomb. kasi ganon nangyari sa lrt diba; may iniwan na celphone sa tren at ng may pumulot at pumindot nito, biglang sumabog. and he is certain that that’s the reason why no one picked up the phone.
…
it makes sense. i suppose a large majority have been incited with fear. but i’d rather place my bet on the contrary: that at least one, un-paranoid person saw the celphone, and decided to leave it be. crazy it may seem, but i want to believe that there is still some (if not heaps of) good left in us.
