A CHANCE ENCOUNTER AT THE DUMPSITE
Sugilanon: Julie and Romy
Street of Junquera, Basak-San Nicolas, Cebu City
JULIE and her grandmother, Lola Masay, stumbled upon a trove of aluminum cans and plastic bottles hidden in a discarded wooden cart one sunny morning. Julie, now thirteen, was careless with her thoughts, for her mother, Mama Dayan, had been gone for quite some time. Her mother, once a lively woman, had been replaced with an elderly woman who was bittersweet in her company. Her mother's friends at the beerhouse took her place, and one, in particular, had captivated her.
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"America's a long way off, isn't it, Lola?" Julie asked, skeptical.
"More than you'd think, sweetheart," Lola Masay replied.
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"I guess so, but I'll definitely find her," Julie declared, determined. Lola Masay had to humor her.
A group of men approached their cart, "Good morning, Lola Masay, Julie!" one of them called out, Romy, presumably in his mid-thirties.
"Good morning, Dong!" Lola Masay greeted him back.
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"Good morning!" Julie echoed. "I'm packing for America. Isn't that right, Lola?"
"Looks like it, sweetie. And you're learning English?" Lola Masay inquired.
"Yes! I won't let the Americans beat me!" Julie proudly showed off her latest acquisition.
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Romy smiled. Julie playfully poked him, "Come on, laugh it up. Lighten up a bit!"
Two garbage trucks rumbled down the street. Julie and Lola Masay stood separate from the collectors, instead heading towards the mound of trash that the trucks left behind every night. Julie pushed her cart, followed closely by Romy, who helped her load it.
Under the cover of darkness, they sorted through the refuse on a makeshift platform they built on top of a sturdy wooden crate, overlooking the street.
"You're my buddy, Rom, right?" Julie found herself leaning on Romy. "Yeah, we're buddies," Romy agreed.
"I like you, Prehas Paulo Avelino and Kim Chiu," Julie confessed, pointing to a photo in Romy's pants pocket. Romy was still trying to catch his breath after fleeing from a woman. Julie seemed to have caught his eye, and he couldn't help but notice her. Several women were eyeing them from afar. It wasn't until Julie handed Romy a bronzed bracelet that he managed to compose himself. "We've made a deal," Julie said. Romy slipped the bracelet into his wallet, pulling out a plastic keychain in return. "Here, it's from me," Romy said. And thus, Lola Masay was put to bed.
The following morning, Julie went to her cart, only to find Romy there, loading her cart from the other end of the street. She was overjoyed. She ran over to him, calling out his name. But a motorcycle blocked her path, and she collided with Romy.
"R-Rom, I found your Mama in America," Julie cried out. "W-Wh-What?" Romy stuttered. "B-But, Bray, R-Rommy!" Julian wept, her eyes welling up with tears, and her body contorting with sobs. Romy noticed the plastic keychain. It was the one he'd given her. In her hand, she held a bronzed bracelet, the one he'd given her the previous night. It lay nestled in her palm, her lips worn and dry from constant biting. Romy's heart ached as he watched the tears streaming down her face, pooling in the dirt beneath her.
(Note: It appears that the stories in question are Cebuano-language "sugilanon" by Lamberto G. Ceballos, but they seem to be set in a local Philippine context rather than America as the original prompt suggests. The provided data suggests that the characters, Julie and Romy, appear in a story where they are scavenging at a city dumpsite, but the specific details about their relationship and the circumstances leading up to this encounter are not immediately clear without access to the full text of the story.)
- In the street of Junquera, Basak-San Nicolas, Cebu City, Julie and her grandmother, Lola Masay, discovered a hidden trove of aluminum cans and plastic bottles, sparking Julie's plan to find her mother in America.
- Julie, now thirteen, was determined and spent her days learning English, eager to avoid being beaten by the Americans in her new home.
- Romy, a man in his mid-thirties, was a regular at the dump site, often helping Julie load her cart with salvageable materials and conversing with her.
- Under the cover of darkness, Julie and Romy formed an unlikely friendship, bonding over their shared struggle to build a better life amidst the debris and hardships of their surroundings.
- One evening, Julie managed to find Romy's mother in America and returned with the news the following morning. Upon seeing the plastic keychain Romy had given her, Julie wept uncontrollably, her heartache evident as Romy's heart also ached, witnessing her sorrow.
