The Gossiper's Prayer

4:30 A.M.         Reaching towards the clamoring alarm clock to snooze, I stretch my arms upward in a yawning manner. I stood and went near the window, staring at the dimly lit street with an echoing silence in its every corner. It is Monday, and we have to prepare for the whole-day chores waiting, and wake up my 17-year old daughter, Amina, to help me cook viands that serve as our daily small-scale business.         In the kitchen, a lizard rapidly puts out its tongue to catch the diminutive swirling buzz of flies. The ignited fire slowly lick and heat the pile of woods inserted inside the made-up cemented compartment where the concave metal container can sit upon the reigning ember, glowing wildly. Onions, garlic, and a string of vegetables are evenly cut into pieces before mama place them in the different recipes; some sautéed, and some simply drowned into the boiling water. Different meats like chicken, por

             It had been three years since I was sent by my parents to study Bible school and I knew it would be a great opportunity for me to take the footprints of my dad to become a pastor in our congregation and I would be having my internship this semester which one of the requirements was to immerse ourselves to the community. This was a boarding school where students were taught the fundamentals of Christianity and would love our lives in selfless availability on the mission to serve Christ to His people.            Here I was serving the purpose and dream of my parents. Obedience to their words had become the guiding rule which I needed to follow. I had met a lot of challenges to be here and I had to finish this course so I could proceed to my secular education which I dreamed to become a nurse.       &n

             How would I tell Miguel that I am conceiving to our child? I asked. I bought this pregnancy test which turned out to be positive. I was so supposed to tell him that day he confessed me that he was not single where in fact he was a married person. How could he ever keep such lies to me and even to the people he was dealing with. No one knew about this except my sister Aileen whom she was surprised but I was happy that she could be trusted.            It’s Sunday and for sure Miguel would be having his preaching today.  Wait, I smelled something.            “Eliana!” my Mudra had called me, “the rice you cook on the pot smelled burning!”            Without responding to my mother, I hu

It had been three months ago since I was turned over by my mother to her elder sister who told her to grab the opportunity to work abroad in Middle East.                 Every night, the moon witnessed my tears falling behind the window of my room and I asked back in silence when I would see my mother again. I badly missed my mother—her smile, her voice that made me experience the safety of her presence. I also recalled my playmates in Malaysia and I remembered what my friend told me to look up the sky where the moon brightly shone to manifest that we saw the same moon despite the long distance we had. I hoped my friend would not forget to take a glimpse to the moon. “Are you okay?” asked Jessy, my first cousin, eldest daughter of my aunt Aileen and I was just two years older than her. I quickly wiped my eyes with my right arm and long deep sigh was the only response my cousin heard.

I coughed as I had smoked in my last cigarette stick and threw it inside the flowerpot.“Sweety, I have to go and I will see you around and I love you.” I whispered. As I stood, I deleted immediately her registered number in the history calls.The acridity of the cigarette was still evident around the Balcony. I checked my watch. 10:23 P.M. Time for me to go down.As I was about to go inside our room, I had noticed that Aileen my wife was talking inside the room of Amina.I came closer and stayed near the door without being unnoticed.It seemed that they were very serious. I did not know what was going on.I was taken aback when Aileen stood before me.“Oh, Mon. I thought you’re already in our room now but it seems you are still outside. Busy calling someone at your phone?”Did Amina know and tell Aileen about someone whom I called on the phone a while ago? My mind was now bothered.“N