By Mc Haven Adinail B. Tuason
It is a blazing evening, and in the bustling marketplace of a town, a loud voice echoes.
“Get back here! You thief!” Shouted by the vendor. But the supposedly-called “thief” keeps running, budging her way through the crowded marketplace of the town. Eventually, the ‘thief’ managed to outmaneuver the pursuing vendor and hid in a dark alleyway, trying to regain her composure.
“One, two, three… I only stole this much bread?” in a disappointed tone.
“I guess there will be no share for me.” She added.
She started reflecting on why she was doing all of this. She then described the situation that caused her to start taking these actions.
In her memories, we get to know her as Lelorei, a mother of three children. The father had left them years ago, so she had to provide for them all by herself. A few weeks ago, Lelorei was suddenly informed that the manager had to remove her from the job. Lelorei begged and reasoned with the manager not to remove her.
“We are tight on funds right now, sorry.” The manager explained.
Lelorei pleaded for the manager not to do this to her, “I have a family to provide. I will do any job you give me! Please!”
The only answer the manager gave was pure silence — Lelorei realized nothing would change the manager’s mind. And so, Lelorei left in frustration.
A few days pass, and Lelorei is struggling to make ends meet. She could only afford multiple pieces of bread for her family, and she knew this money would not last long. And eventually, Lelorei’s money had run out.
After arriving home empty-handed, trying to find a job, one of her children approached and asked her.
“Mommy, is there food today? Is it bread again?” The child asked
“Sorry dear, I could not bring any food home today.” She replied while patting the child’s head.
Lelorei thought, “Am I providing enough for my children?”
When the answer became clear, Lelorei was mad at herself. Lelorei did not want her children to stay like this, so she tried to find ways to provide dinner for her children. The only possible solution she could think of was to steal, though she wasconflicted by her beliefs about being a good citizen.
“As a parent, you would do anything for your children’s well-being, right? That is called Parental Love.” She thought to herself. Without any hesitation, Lelorei made up her mind and decided.
The following morning, Lelorei wore a cloak to disguise her identity. She promised her three children that she would come back later with bread. Lelorei then blended herself along with the crowd in the street market.
Lelorei sees the bread stall and quickly devises a plan to steal the bread. The plan was that once the seller got distracted, Lelorei would take this chance to swiftly steal as much bread as she could before the seller realized it.
The plan was carried out, and while the seller was distracted talking to customers, Lolerei grabbed as much bread as possible, but unfortunately, the seller caught her red-handed. Lolerei blitzes her way away from the seller, and a pursuit ensues.
Now, we are brought back to the present. As Lelorei tries to regain her composure, she hears a loud voice.
“That is where you are! Hand me that bread you stole! Or else! I will call the guards!” The seller shouted.
“I need to provide for my children! I do not have a job!” Lelorei shouted back.
“If you could have asked to work, I would have let you! Besides, I am lacking in staff right now!”
After those back-and-forths of echoing replies, it turned awkwardly silent, as Lelorei could have asked to work instead of stealing. Both she and the seller talked and explained her situation. The seller understood the image and empathized with her. She was offered to work at the seller’s stall for a handful of coins, which she accepted.
As the children were playing around the house, they heard the door open and saw their mother, Lelorei, holding bags of bread and vegetables. They all sparked joy as they could eat tasty foods once again.
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