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Saturday, February 08, 2003
Flavier: The parable of the old man
By Juan Flavier
AT EIGHTY-FIVE years, the farmer was evidently aged. His back arched in a moderate stoop as his hands rested heavily on a bamboo cane. Between labored breaths, he sobbed quietly as he sat on a long bench. The other passengers in the bus station milled around him, unable to determine the problem.
"Could we direct you to your bus?" inquired a man gently. The old farmer just shook his head without muttering word. But he continued to sob.
"Are you in pain? Tell us so we can bring you to a clinic," said a teenaged girl who could have pssed as his grand-daughter. Still no response except a light shake of the old man's head.
Soon a town policeman arrived to see what was wrong. By then a sizeable crowd had gathered.
"What is the problem?" asked the policeman in a rough and authoritative tone. "I will have to bring you to the presinto(police station) if you do not reply."
Suddenly the old man blurted out, "I just married a young girl only twenty-one years old."
"That is great!" shouted the policeman as the crowd followed with a chorus of cheers and applause.
"Congratulations!" shouted a man hoping to appease the old man.
Then the old man continued, "Every morning, she prepares a hot meal. And she showers me with hugs and kisses."
"Why, that is wonderful!" commented the policeman now seated beside him.
"And at noon, she cooks the most delicious lunch," narrated the old man. "And she showers me with hugs and kisses."
"That is the best!" said the policeman to the delight of the crowd.
"And in the evenings, we have romantic dinners before she invites me to bed where she kisses me all over."
The policeman stared at the old man and said, "You just married a young woman. You get so much attention and loving. Well, what is the problem? You are crying as if someone just died."
The old man sobbed even more. He massaged the folds of his wrinkled forehead as he replied, "I don't remember where I live and I can't recall the name of my new wife." |
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