1he PapplesL 8oy ln Lhe World" !

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(1) !ullo, who had come from 1ablas Lo seLLle ln 8arok, was wrlLlng a leLLer, of all people, ka onso, hls
landlord, one warm !une nlghL. lL was abouL hls son, !ose, who wanLed Lo go Lo school ln Mansalay LhaL
year. !ose was ln flfLh grade when !ullo and hls famlly had lefL 1ablas Lhe year before and mlgraLed Lo
Mlndoro, because Lhe faLher had some dlfflculLy ln geLLlng some land of hls own Lo farm, Lhe boy had Lo
sLop schoollng for a year. As lL was, !ullo LhoughL hlmself lucky enough Lo have ka onso Lake hlm on as
LenanL. LaLer, when !ullo's wlfe lldela gave blrLh Lo a baby, ka onso, whl happened Lo be vlslLlng hls
properLy Lhen, offered Lo become lLs godfaLher. AfLer LhaL Lhey began Lo call each oLher compadre.
(2) "uear Compadre," !ullo sLarLed Lo wrlLe ln 1agalog, bendlng earnesLly over a plece of paper whlch he
had Lorn ouL of !ose's school noLebook. lL was many monLhs ago, when, [usL as now, he had saL down
wlLh a wrlLlng lmplemenL ln hls hand. 1haL was when he had gone Lo Lhe !"#$%$&$' ln Mansalay Lo flle a
homesLead appllcaLlon, and he had used a pen, and Lo hls greaL surprlse, fllled ln Lhe blank forms neaLly.
noLhlng came of Lhe appllcaLlon, alLhough ka onso had assured hlm he had looked lnLo Lhe maLLer and
Lalked wlLh Lhe offlclals concerned. now, wlLh a pencll lnsLead of a pen Lo wrlLe wlLh, !ullo was sure LhaL
he could make hls leLLer leglble enough for ka onso.
(3) "lL's abouL my boy, !ose." he wroLe on. "l wanL hlm Lo sLudy Lhls !une ln Mansalay. Pe's ln Lhe slxLh
grade now, and slnce he's qulLe a poor hand aL looklng afLer your carabaos, l LhoughL lL would be besL
LhaL he go Lo school ln Lhe Lown."
(4) Pe saL back and leaned agalnsL a wall. Pe had been wrlLlng on a low wooden form, Lhe sole plece of
furnlLure ln Lhe one-room house. 1here he saL ln one corner. A llLLle way across sLood Lhe sLove, Lo hls
rlghL, lldela and Lhe baby glrl lellpa, lay under Lhe hempen mosqulLo neL. !ose, who had been ouL all
afLernoon looklng for one of ka onso's carabaos LhaL had sLrayed away Lo Lhe newly planLed rlce-
clearlngs along Lhe oLher slde of Lhe 8arok rlver, was here Loo, sprawllng beslde a sack of &()(* by Lhe
doorway. Pe snored llghLly, llke a Llred youLh, buL he was only Lwelve.
(3) 1he kerosene lamp's yellow flame fllckered ceaselessly. 1he dank smell of food, flsh broLh,
parLlcularly, LhaL had been spllled from many a bowl and had drled on Lhe form, now seemed Lo rlse
from Lhe very LexLure of Lhe wood lLself. 1he sLark LruLh abouL Lhelr poverLy, lf !ullo's naLure had been
senslLlve Lo lL, mlghL have sLruck hlm Lhen wlLh a hard and sudden blow, buL, as lL was, he [usL looked
abouL Lhe room, even as Lhe smell assalled hls nosLrlls, and sLarred now aL Lhe mosqulLo neL, now aL
!ose as he lay Lhere by Lhe door. 1hen he conLlnued wlLh hls leLLer.
(6) ""1hls boy, !ose, compadre," he wenL on, "ls qulLe an lndusLrlous lad. lf you can only leL hlm sLay ln
your blg house, compadre, you can make hlm do anyLhlng you wlsh--any work. Pe can cook rlce, and l'm
sure he'll do well washlng Lhe dlshes."
(7) !ullo recalled hls lasL vlslL Lo ka onso's abouL Lhree monLhs ago, durlng Lhe flesLa. Pe had seen LhaL
lL was a blg house, Lhe floor was so pollshed you could almosL see your own lmage as you walked, and
always Lhere was a servanL who followed you abouL wlLh a plece of rag Lo wlpe away Lhe smudges of
dlrL whlch your feeL had lefL on Lhe floor.


(8) "l hope you wlll noL Lhlnk of Lhls as a greaL boLher," !ullo conLlnued, Lrylng hls besL Lo phrase hls
LhoughLs. Pe had a vague fear LhaL ka onso mlghL noL favorably regard hls leLLer. 8uL he wroLe on,
slowly and sLeadlly, sLopplng only Lo read whaL he had puL down. "We shall repay you for whaLever you
can do for us, compadre. lL's Lrue we already owe you for many Lhlngs, buL your %'!(+,- and l wlll do all
we can lndeed Lo repay you."
(9) 8eadlng Lhe lasL senLence and reallzlng LhaL he had made menLlon of hls wlfe, !ullo recalled LhaL
durlng Lhe very flrsL monLh afLer Lhelr arrlval from 1ablas, Lhey had recelved flve cavanes of rlce from ka
onso and LhaL laLer he had been Lold LhaL aL harvesL Llme he should pay back Lwlce Lhe number of
cavanes. 1hls was usurlous buL was sLrlcLly afLer Lhe cusLom ln Lhose parLs, and !ullo was noL Lhe sorL
who would complaln. 8esldes he had never LhoughL of ka onso as anyLhlng else Lhan hls %'!&(+,-
/&$,$0"(), as Lhey call lL, a Lrue frlend.
(10) Suddenly he began wonderlng how !ose would move abouL ln ka onso's household, belng
unaccusLomed Lo so many Lhlngs Lhere. 1he boy mlghL even sLumble over a chalr and break some
dlshes...Pe feared for Lhe boy.
(11) And l wlsh you would LreaL !ose as you would your own son, %'!&(+,-. ?ou may beaL hlm lf he
should commlL some wrong, and lndeed l wanL hlm Lo look up Lo you as a second faLher."
(12) !ullo felL he had noLhlng more Lo say, and LhaL he had wrlLLen Lhe longesL leLLer ln all hls llfe. lor a
momenL hls flngers felL numb, and Lhls was a funny Lhlng, he LhoughL, because he had scarcely fllled Lhe
page. Pe saL back agaln, and smlled Lo hlmself.
(13) Pe had compleLed Lhe leLLer. Pe had feared he would never be able Lo wrlLe lL. 8uL now lL was
done, and, lL seemed, Lhe leLLer would read well. 1he nexL day he musL send !ose off.
(14) AbouL slx o'clock Lhe followlng mornlng, a boy of Lwelve was rldlng a carabao along Lhe rlver-bed
road Lo Lown. Pe was very puny load on Lhe carabao's broad back.
(13) Walklng close behlnd Lhe carabao, Lhe faLher accompanled hlm up Lo Lhe bend of Lhe rlver. When
Lhe beasL heslLaLed ln crosslng Lhe small rlvuleL LhaL cuL Lhe road as lL passed a clump of bamboo, Lhe
man plcked up a sLlck and prodded Lhe anlmal. 1hen he handed Lhe sLlck Lo Lhe boy, as one mlghL glve a
preclous glfL.
(16) 1he faLher dld noL cross Lhe sLream buL only sLood Lhere by Lhe bank. "Mlnd Lo look afLer Lhe
leLLer," he called ouL from where he was. "uo you have lL Lhere, ln your pockeL?"
(17) 1he boy fumbled for lL. When he had found lL, he sald, "no, 1aLay, l won'L lose lL."
(18) And Lake good care of Lhe carabao, !ullo added. l'll go Lo Lown myself ln a day or Lwo, Lo geL LhaL
carabao back. l [usL wanL Lo be done flrsL wlLh Lhe planLlng."



(19) 1hen !ullo sLarLed Lo walk back Lo hls house, Lhlnklng of Lhe work LhaL awalLed hlm ln hls clearlng
LhaL day. 8uL he LhoughL of someLhlng more Lo Lell hls son, and so he sLopped and called ouL Lo hlm
agaln.

(20) And LhaL leLLer," he shouLed. Clve lL Lo ka onso as soon as you reach Lown. 1hen be good, and
do everyLhlng he asks you Lo do. 8emember: everyLhlng."
(21) lrom aLop Lhe carabao, !ose yelled, ?es, 1aLay, yes," and rode away. A sLand of abaca planLs, Lhelr
green leaves gllmmerlng ln Lhe mornlng sun, soon concealed hlm from vlew.
(22) lasLened Lo hls saddle was hls bundle of cloLhes and a llLLle package of rlce, food Lo lasL hlm all
Lhrough hls flrsL week ln Lown. lL was cusLomary for school boys from Lhe barrlo or farm Lo provlde
Lhemselves ln Lhls slmple manner, ln !ose's case, alLhough he was golng Lo llve aL ka onso's, lL could noL
be sald LhaL hls faLher had forgoLLen abouL Lhls llLLle maLLer concernlng food.
(23) 1hlnklng of hls faLher, !ose grew suddenly curlous abouL Lhe leLLer he carrled ln hls shlrL pockeL. Pe
sLopped hls carabao under a shady Lree by Lhe roadslde.
(24) A blrd sang ln a bush hard by. !ose could hear lL even as he read Lhe leLLer, [umplng from word Lo
word, for Lo hlm Lhe dlalecL was qulLe dlfflculL. 8uL as Lhe meanlng of each senLence became clear Lo
hlm, he experlenced a curlous exulLaLlon. lL was as Lhough he were Lhe happlesL boy ln Lhe world and
LhaL Lhe blrd was slnglng for hlm. Pe heard Lhe rumbllng of Lhe sLream faraway. 1here he and hls faLher
had parLed. 1he world seemed full of blrd song and muslc from Lhe sLream.