an old man knocked on our gate the other day. he was a limping old man, who made use of a long stick as a support when he walked. he wore a dirty long sleeved tshirt, with his grey hair tucked in a cap.a white plastic bag he held on with his other hand. he had an earring, a fake silver one, on his left ear. he looked crabby but the encounter touched me more than anything else. he was not shy. he was greeting me long before i had finally come to face him. it was his birthday he said and he needed to bring something home for his grandchildren. his face was worn maybe because of the heat of day.it was almost noon, and the suns heat was scorching. my eyes were creased as i look at him. i noticed his smiling eyes just like tatangs. that he was asking for rice as a pasalubong to his grandchildren on his birthday melted my heart. i made him wait a little as i got the rice. when i went back, he said " ay, thank you! the rice looks special. i told him it was not, its not even a commercial rice, we got it straight from the rice fields. he said " all that people give are beautiful". i smiled. he added, " you are beautiful. your lips reminds me of ms cruz." i know he was lying just to make me see that he was thankful. and when he said , "you are beautiful because you have a kind heart", i felt happy. he said he had a letter for me to read. i said no its ok. i looked up at the sky and remembered the heat of the sun. he gave the letter anyway. and i read it. it was his 70th birthday and he needed some food to bring home. it was all written in good english. funny how good the old man is in english. the words i wrote here were his exact words. it wasnt used in filipino. i told him he reminds me of tatang my grandfather whos dead for years, with the cap, and his eyes and his speaking in english...he said that he finished second year of high school. so that's why. he greeted me even with "belated condolence"! we both laughed. and then again he said thank you and that i should always take care of myself. he said, "dont put your confidence in the tricycle drivers, you'll never know who to trust. even here. you take care of yourself. God bless you".

i still think about it a lot of times throughout the day. his words, his face.i felt touched with my encounter with him. i dont know why but it made me think of good thoughts like God. and again this will add up to one of my many good thoughts.