Keep the Faith by Ana Tejano

Author:Ana Tejano
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, filipino, romanceclass
Publisher: Ana Tejano

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Manang Rose, or Inay, as Nico called her, was not his biological mother. She lived with her family of four at San Antonio de Padua in Tondo, in a yellow house with a red roof, along a row of other brightly-colored houses. She hadn’t always lived there, though. Several years ago, she used to live with two other families in a shanty near the river. She had moved from the province in hopes of a better life. Her husband had died because of untreated dengue fever, leaving her to take care of their daughters alone. They lived by the river for years, with Manang Rose and her eldest daughter doing odd jobs, until the informal settlers along the river were relocated to a housing community created by another non-profit group that Nico worked with while he was taking his Master’s degree.

“I painted the walls inside this house,” Nico said as we partook in Manang Rose’s birthday feast. She had a modest but generous spread, and she welcomed Nico and me like we were part of her immediate family.

“Is that why you have a graduation picture over there?” I pointed to his young face hanging between the family picture and the college graduation picture of Manang Rose’s eldest daughter.

“Yeah. Inay asked for a copy.” He turned red, and I resisted the urge to reach out and pinch one of his cheeks.

“Cute,” I said instead, just as Emie, Manang Rose’s six-year-old kid, climbed onto Nico’s lap. I watched him tickle the little girl while I ate cake.

After dinner, we thanked Manang Rose and bid her family goodnight. Nico and I went for a walk around the community.

“So you’ve been going here for what, three years?” I asked.

“Four,” he answered with a peaceful look on his face.

The streets were illuminated by soft street lights and were still bustling with activity—from mothers sitting by their front doors and talking with their neighbors, to kids playing and making the most of their time before they had to sleep. Some of the older kids arrived from school and the adults were just arriving from work, their tired faces showing joy and relief when they spotted the houses they could call their own, thanks to the generosity of the people who built the place.

Nico told me he had been going back here even after they finished their project for grad school because he had formed a special bond with the people here. He watched over the kids on days when Manang Rose had to work, and he was invited during their birthdays and fiestas, and visited even on regular days when he just wanted to get away from stress. Just like when we went to Tarlac, Nico blended in, but not so much that he became invisible.

And I saw him. I really saw him.

“Volunteering here affirmed in me what I wanted to do,” he continued, “which is to serve people.”

“Didn’t your parents have any objections? After all, you were already a professor.”

He shook his head. “They’re supportive about these things.

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