Chapter 2: In Her Perspective
Note: Guwardiya sibil= civil guards or police; Kwartel/ Kuwartel: Police station or prison.
________________________________________
The sun is already setting on the horizon, coloring the skies with an orange hue.
It was a long day and she, Isadora, could finally retire for the night. She packed her stuff, tidied her stall, and left. She walked through the streets of the now calm marketplace.
"Shipment of guns huh?" Isadora muttered to herself as she glanced at the walking people and the carriages making rumbling noises as they drove on the streets. Despite the time, there are still the Marites gossiping around, the men starting to drink, and a lot of children going home from their work.
Yes, this is normal; women gossiping, men drinking and children working. Children from the lower class of society work to help their parents and themselves to sustain the life they had.
Isadora looked at the children. Sympathy filled her well being as she saw them. Their faces, despite being filled with dirt and grim, were filled with smiles as they chatter about finally going home to see their parents.
She knew that feeling; the feeling of…
being excited about coming home from a long day of work and finding someone is waiting for you to come home. Then she would receive a sign of affection and a warm bowl of soup and rice waiting at the table for her to eat.
__________________
"Laura–"
__________________
A scream shot into the air and cut off Isadora's train of thought. She looked at the direction of the scream before sprinting to the direction where it came from.
It led her to a roundabout where a guwardiya sibil was hitting a poor woman with a whip as a form of punishment.
She tried to get in front to see who it was but to no avail, she couldn't. The people in front of her, members of the aristocrats, were watching the scene with joy and false pity on their faces.
Isadora didn't like that. And the fact that she can hear their comments towards the poor woman also didn't help.
"Poor soul…"
"It's her fault for walking around the street without her veil on."
"Did you really think a woman who dared to sell her body to multiple men would have money for a veil? Yeah, as if."
That particular comment…. Brings nothing but anger to her.
Isadora clenched her fist as she helplessly watched the woman scream for help. As she helplessly heard all of the derogatory comments these nobles made of someone below their status.
'I… I should have been used to this by now…' Isadora thought as she still clenched her fists till her knuckles turned white.
It's true. She should have been, she should have been used to this as she was also a peasant, yet, why…why cant she bring herself to look away, to shut her conscience that's begging her to help the woman.
.
.
.
.
The screams of the woman died down as she lay on the ground, blood staining her dress as she pants and sobbed, then she was carried by the guwardiya sibil to the kuwartel/ kwartel.
Isadora wanted to help but she couldn't, she couldn't find her courage.
As soon as the woman and the guwardiya sibils were gone, Isadora stared at the ground, eyes showing regret and trauma.
____________________
"Run— LAURA–"
_____________________
"Binibin?" A young farmer boy asked, causing Isadora to snap back into her senses.
"Are you alright?" The boy asked as he kept his hand on Isadora's shoulder. Isadora, in response, offers the boy a reassuring response before giving him a gentle smile. "Yes. I am. Thank you, young man. I will be going now." she answered and the young boy offered a smile in return.
Isadora continued walking till she reached the other side of the city, the dock or the ship port. As much as she wishes to see the sea tonight, she needs to get home. Her hunger needs to be quenched by a warm bowl of soup.
She turn into one of the alleyways till she found her home.
Her home is a small store that was once owned by one of the foreign merchants who tried to sell their goods in the Philippines. However the owner's business declined and soon became bankrupt so in order to salvage what was left, the owner decided to sell the place at a very cheap price. And that's when Isadora finally bought it and decided to fix it a bit to make it feel home- y.
Isadora opened the door and windows and also lit the lantern she had, prepared herself dinner and did the last bit of chores. She looked at the beautiful night sky from her window, her mind drifting to the scene she observed earlier.
She wondered what happened to the poor woman. Was her dignity truly stolen from her by the guwardiya sibils at the kwartel/kuwartel ?
As much as she tried to, her mind kept drifting to the poor woman before.
She holds her mask, the mask of the famous thief, Isadora. Isadora will soon show herself to the night again, to hoard the shipments of guns. But… would it be too bad if Isadora rescued that woman? That poor woman, who probably didn't even do anything.
And besides that woman looked familiar, she's just like her–
"Auntie…" she muttered before finally wearing her mask.
Isadora made up her mind; she would help and rescue the poor woman. After all; no one deserves to be humiliated and be robbed of their dignity like that.