The rain murmured through the cemented roofs making the people sleeping dream a bit sweeter. The cold breeze of the morning air arrested all Belle’s capability to finally rise. She was clutching her blanket, feeling the security and warmth it brought her. The rain mellowed down, she could hear the busy street outside of her house. Vegetable vendors lined up the road, enticing the early risers and joggers to buy some of their produce. Belle was used to the noise outside. She didn’t mind, but she hated waking up too early in the morning every single day especially in a weather like this. She was still hooked in the softness of the mattress and her comfortable pillow. But, she needed to work. The store was not going to tend itself.

She begun her day with a quick shower. Boiled some water for her coffee and placed it in a thermo regulated bottle water. Before quarter to five am hit, she was already opening the store. It was like that every day. On her own, she carried some heavy boxes and plastic crates of her merchandise for display. Next she’d pour four containers each containing seventeen kilos of cooking oil into smaller bottles, after the oil would be the vinegar. She was getting tired of her life. The repetition of it was draining her. There was not much rest, even on Sundays she remained open. There was always a lot to do. She would repack a whole sack of sugar, cornstarch, flour, and other basic necessities and sell them per half kilo to the people. Even during sickness, she had no choice but to tend the store. It was like that every day. She’d be so busy that there wasn’t much time to talk to her neighbors. Although there’d be some occasional exchanges of smiles and commenting about prices going up, but that was it. Belle was worn out. Although she was still able to smile seeing her earnings at the end of the day. But it was tiring. She needed help. She would hire someone, only if she could afford it. But, taxes, rentals, permits, electricity, and of course the store had to keep running. There wasn’t much money left for her to be able to hire help.

Editha, a middle aged woman, awoke at 1am. The rain was pouring hard. There were some buckets placed inside her house catching the rain that went through the holes in her roof. Her roof was made of Nipa leaves. She was lucky to still have a roof after being hit by a strong typhoon. She quickly rose from her hard bed made from bamboo. She had her cold shower which instantly woke her senses up. Before 2am hit the clock, she was in the road with her merchandise and awaiting for a vehicle to pass. She didn’t care if it was raining hard. She was armed with her granddaughter’s umbrella and a basket full of fresh vegetables and bananas. She waited for 20 minutes before she was able to get a ride at a passenger vehicle heading to the town’s market. At  3am, she had secured her selling spot by the road. The rain had mellowed down, and she had laid out an on the wet ground an empty sack to place her merchandise. She had cabbages, okras, eggplants, and bananas. She took out a small stool and presto, she was waiting for customers. She told the vegetable vendor next to her to keep an eye on her goods. She stood up and went to a nearby store and bought some cheap 3in1 hot coffee.

It was past 7am, it was time for them to leave the side of the road or they would be fined. Only half of her vegetables were bought that day. She needed to go house to house to sell some more.

Around 8am, Editha sold most of her vegetables. For her, that was a good day. She went to Belle’s store to wait for the passenger vehicle to pick her up. Every ride cost her a hundred pesos, so she was patient to wait for other passengers as well. If she was alone, she’d pay three hundred and most of her earnings would be allotted only to her fair back home.

At 9am, her ride was there along with the other passengers. She bid Belled goodbye. Thankful that finally she was going home.

When she got home, there was no time to rest. She took some bread and water, proceeded to harvest some vegetables on their hill. She walked for three hours before reaching their vegetable garden. She arrived at noon. There she ate her bread, rested for a while and started to pick some ripe bananas and vegetables. Before 5pm hit, she was on her way down the hill along with the fresh produce.

Editha reached her home just before 8pm. At this point, she was too tired. She was glad there was dinner waiting for her. Her daughter brought her fish and rice. It was a good day. She ate heartily while having a lively conversation with her daughter and granddaughter.

“How do you do it, grandma, at your age?”, her granddaughter asked, she was around ten.

“Well, there is lot of perspectives in the way you live your life, honey. You can focus on the highlights of it as if that was all that happened all day. For instance, having you here. That is my precious gift. Or, you can let the tediousness of life drive you insane.”

Two different lives, two different people, but leading to the same routines and monotonous lives

End. Thank you so much. You have a wonderful day.