Short Stories

But the professional gamblers had money. They sat in the fish house at the station and gave their orders aloud. The loafers and other bystanders watched them eat boiled rice and fried fish with silver spoons. They never used forks because the prongs stuck between their teeth. They always cut their lips and tongues with the knives, so they never asked for them If the waiter was new and he put the knives on the table, they looked at each other furtively and slipped them into their pockets. They washed their hands in one big wooden bowl of water and wiped their mouths with the leaves of the arbour trees that fell on the ground.

The rainy season was approaching. There were rumors of famine. The grass did not grow and our carabao became thin. Father's fighting cock, Burick, was practically the only healthy thing in our household. Its father, Kanaway, had won a house for us some three years before, and Father had commanded me to give it the choicest rice. He took the soft-boiled eggs from the plate of my sister Marcela, who was sick with meningitis that year. He was preparing Burick for something big, but the great catastrophe came to our town. The peasants and most of the rich men spent their money on food. They had stopped going to the cockpit for fear of temptation; if they went atall, they just sat in the gallery and shouted at the top of their lungs. They went home with their heads down, thinking of the money they would have won.

It was during this impasse that Father sat every day in our backyard with his fighting cock. He would not go anywhere. He would do anything. He just sat there caressing Burick and exercising his legs . He sapt at his hackles and rubbed them,, looking far away with a big dream. When Mother came home with some food, he went to the granary and sat there till evening. Sometimes, he slept there with Burick, but at dawn the cock woke him up with its majestic crowing. He crept into the house and fumbled for the cold rice in the pot under the stove. Then, he put the cock in the pen and slept on the bench all day.

Mother was very patient. But the day came when she kicked him off the bench. He fell on the floor face down, looked up at her, and then resumed his sleep. Mother took my sister Francisca with her. They went from house to house in the neighbourhood, pounding rice for some people and hauling drinking water for others. They came home with their share in a big basket that Mother carried on her head.

Father wasstill sleeping on the bench when they arrived. Mother told my sister to cook some of the rice. She dipped a cup in the jar and splashed the cold water on Father's face. He jumped up, looked at Mother with anger, and went to Burick's pen. He gathered the cock in his arms and went down the porch. He sat on a log in the backyard and started caressing his fighting cock.

Mother went on with her washing. Francisca fed Marcela with some boiled rice. Father was still caressing Burick. Mother was mad at him.

"Is that all you can do?" she shouted at him.

"Why do you say that to me?" Father said. "I'm thinking of some ways to become rich."

Mother threw a piece of wood at the cock. Father saw her in time. He ducked and covered the cock with his body. The wood struck him. It cut a hole at the base of his head. He got up and examined Burick. He acted as though the cock were the one that was hurt. He looked up at Mother and his face was pitiful.

"Why don't you see what you are doing?" he said, hugging Burick.

"I would like to wring that cock's neck," mother said.

"That's his fortune," I said.

Mother looked sharply at me. "Shut up, idiot!" she said. "You are becoming more like your father every day."

I watched her eyes move foolishly. I thought she would cry. She tucked her skirt between her legs and went on with her work. I ran down the ladder and went to the granary, where Father was treating the wound on his head. I held the cock for him.

"Take good care of it, son," he said.

"Yes, Sir," I said.

"Go to the river and exercise its legs. Come back right away. We are going to town."

I ran down the street with the cock. avoiding the pigs and dogs that came in my way. I plunged into the water in my clothes and swam with Burick. I put some water in my mouth and blew it into his face. I ran back to our house slapping the water off my clothes. Father and I went to the cockpit.

It was Sunday, but there were many loafers an gamblers at the place. There were peasants and teachers. There was a strange man who had a black fighting cock. He had come from one of the neighboring towns to seek his fortune in our cockpit.

His name was Burcio. He held our cock above his head and closed one eye, looking sharply at Burick's eyes. He put it on the ground and bent over it, pressing down the cock's back with his hands. Burcio was testing Burick's strength. The loafers and gamblers formed a ring around the, watching Burcio's deft hands expertly moving around Burick.

Father also tested the cock of Burcio. He threw it in the air and watched it glide smoothly to the ground. He sparred with it. The black cock pecked at his legs and stopped to crow proudly for the bystanders. Father picked it up an spread its wings, feeling the tough hide beneath the feathers.

The bystanders knew that a fight was about to be matched. They counted the money in their pockets without showing it to their neighbours.They felt the edges of the coins with amazing swiftness and accuracy. Only a highly magnified amplifier could have recorded the tiny clink of the coins that fell between deft fingers. The caressing rustle of the paper money was inaudible. The peasants broke from the ring and hid behind the coconut trees. They unfolded their handkerchiefs and counted their money. They rolled the paper money in their hands and returned to the crowd. They waited for the final decision.

"Shall we make it this coming Sunday?" Burcio asked.

"It's too soon for my Burick," Father said. His hand moved mechanically into his pocket. But it was empty. He looked around at his cronies.

But two of the peasants caught Father's arm and whispered something to him. They slipped some money in his hand and pushed him toward Burcio. He tried to estimate the amount of money in his hand by balling it hard. It was one of his many tricks with money. He knew right away that he had some twenty-peso bills. A light of hope appeared in his face.

"This coming Sunday's all right," he said.

All at once the men broke into wild confusion. Some went to Burcio with their money; others went to Father. They were not bettors, but investors. Their money would back up the cocks at the cockpit.

In the late afternoon the fight was arranged. We returned to our house with some hope. Father put Burick in the pen and told me to go to the fish ponds across the river. I ran down the road with mounting joy. I found a fish pond under a camachili tree. It was the favourite haunt of snails and shrimps. Then I went home.

Mother was cooking something good. I smelled it the moment I entered the gate. I rushed into the house and spilled some of the snails on the floor. Mother was at the stove. She was stirring the ladle in the boiling pot. Father was still sleeping on the bench. Francisca was feeding Marcela with hot soup. I put the snails and shrimps in a pot and sat on the bench.

Mother was cooking chicken with some bitter melons. I sat wondering where she got it. I knew that our poultry house in the village was empty. We had no poultry in town. Father opened his eyes when he heard the bubbling pot.

Mother put the rice on a big wooden platter and set it on the table. She filled our plates with chicken meat and ginger. Father got up suddenly and went to the table. Francisca sat b the stove. Father was reaching for the white meat in the platter when Mother slapped his hand away. he was saying grace. Then we put our legs under the table and started eating.

It was our first taste of chicken in a long time. Father filled his plate twice and ate very little rice. He usually ate more rice when we had only salted fish and some leaves of trees. We ate "grass" most of the time. Father tilted his plate and took the soup noisily, as though he were drinking wine. He put the empty chicken meat.

"It is good chicken," he said.

Mother was very quiet. She put the breast on a plate and told Francisca to give ti to Marcela. She gave me some bitter melons. Father put his hand in the pot and fished out a drumstick.

"Where did you get this lovely chicken?" he asked.

"Where do you think I got it" Mother said.

The drumstick fell from his mouth. It rolled into the space between the bamboo splits and fell on the ground. Our dog snapped it up and ran away. Father's face broke in great agony. He rushed outside the house. I could hear him running the toward the highway. My sister continued eating, but my appetite was gone.

"What are you doing, Son?" Mother said. " Eat your chicken."

palms are sweaty knees weak arms are heavy, there's vomit on his sweater already, moms spaghetti he's nervous but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs but he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down the whole crowd rose so loud he opens his mouth but the words dont come out hes choking how everybody joking now clocks run out times up over plow! snap back to reality oh there goes gravity oh there goes rabbit he chokes he so mad but he wont give up that easy no he wont have it he knows...........................blah blah. its a long song. look it up. im a 14 year old girl and ik this!! c'mon!
Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity

To seize everything you ever wanted-One moment

Would you capture it or just let it slip?

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy

There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti

He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs,

but he keeps on forgettin what he wrote down,

the whole crowd goes so loud

He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out

He's choking now, everybody's joking now

The clock's run out, time's up over, bloah!

Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity

Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked

He's so mad, but he won't give up that

Easy, no

He won't have it , he knows his whole back's to these ropes

It don't matter, he's dope

He knows that, but he's broke

He's so stagnant that he knows

When he goes back to his mobile home, that's when it's

Back to the lab again yo

This this whole rhapsody

He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him

[Hook:]

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment

You own it, you better never let it go

You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow

This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo

The soul's escaping, through this hole that it's gaping

This world is mine for the taking

Make me king, as we move toward a, new world order

A normal life is boring, but superstardom's close to post mortem

It only grows harder, only grows hotter

He blows us all over these hoes is all on him

Coast to coast shows, he's know as the globetrotter

Lonely roads, God only knows

He's grown farther from home, he's no father

He goes home and barely knows his own daughter

But hold your nose 'cause here goes the cold water

His hoes don't want him no more, he's cold product

They moved on to the next schmoe who flows

He nose dove and sold nada

So the soap opera is told and unfolds

I suppose it's old partner but the beat goes on

Da da dum da dum da da

[Hook]

No more games, I'ma change what you call rage

Tear this motherfucking roof off like 2 dogs caged

I was playing in the beginning, the mood all changed

I been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage

But I kept rhyming and stepwritin the next cypher

Best believe somebody's paying the pied piper

All the pain inside amplified by the fact

That I can't get by with my 9 to 5

And I can't provide the right type of life for my family

Cause man, these goddam food stamps don't buy diapers

And it's no movie, there's no Mekhi Phifer, this is my life

And these times are so hard and it's getting even harder

Trying to feed and water my seed, plus

Teeter totter caught up between being a father and a prima donna

Baby mama drama's screaming on and

Too much for me to wanna

Stay in one spot, another day of monotony

Has gotten me to the point, I'm like a snail

I've got to formulate a plot or I end up in jail or shot

Success is my only motherf***ing option, failure's not

Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got to go

I cannot grow old in Salem's lot

So here I go is my shot.

Feet fail me not cause maybe the only opportunity that I got

[Hook]

You can do anything you set your mind to, man
ending of father's tradegy

THE SMALL KEY

"The Small Key" is a short story by Philipino author Paz Latorena. It is about a woman named Soledad who is married to a man named Pedro Buhay. They live on a farm. One morning Soledad finds herself knowing that the farm will produce plenty but that she still had some inner feeling of discontent. She planned to mend some of her husband's shirts, which were in a locked trunk. Pedro took out from his pocket a string which held two keys, one large and shiny and one small and rusty. He gave Soledad the large key to his trunk and put the small key back in his jacket pocket. Since it was hot that morning, he removed his coat before leaving to work in the field. When he was gone, Soledad began to fold the jacket and the small key fell to the floor. It is obvious that Pedro values the small key while Soledad fears it.

Soledad knows that the small key is a key to a different trunk. She tries to busy herself so that she will not think about what the smaller trunk contains, but she cannot stop thinking about it and reveals that the small trunk contains clothing that belonged to Pedro's first wife. She wonders why it is that he keeps her old clothing and why he seems to have a special feeling about them. She obviously fears that Pedro still loves his first wife even though she has been dead for many years by now. She reveals that she hates the things in the small trunk and worries that they will destroy the relationship between her and her husband. Despite her attempts to not think about the contents of the small trunk, Soledad opens it. At this point, Pedro returns home to find Soledad in bed supposedly with a fever. It turns out she does not. The next morning Pedro discovers a pile of ashes and half burnt clothing in the backyard. He realizes what Soledad has done and rushes to look in the trunk to confirm it. Soledad has indeed, burned his first wife's clothing.

Pedro is angry and bitter that this has happened and he expects that Soleda will explain things later. He thinks to himself that he will forgive her because he loves her but that even if she did it out of love for him, it will always remain a matter of some resentment toward her for doing it.