The Kid

Yesterday at church I saw a former student. With her was a little girl. The kid asked a lot of questions. Normally, nosy kids annoy me (to be fair, nosy adults annoy me too). That time, I wasn’t, either because I was at church, or the kid’s not abrasively nosy.

Her questions were stupefying.

1. “Bakit may balbas at bigote sya?” (Why does he have beard and mustache?) I shave once a week, and Sunday wasn’t the schedule. She couldn’t believe that I was a teacher once. Time to teach the kid not to judge someone by his appearance.
2. “San ka nakatira?” (Where do you live?) Normally, if an adult asks me this question, my answer is simple: if I answer your question, will that matter at all? Anyway, I answered her question, and she shared where she lives (as if I wanted to know).
3. “Ano pangalan nila?” (What are their names?) She was referring to my two brothers. So I gave their names, and introduced them as my brothers. Which led to the next question.
4. “Kapatid mo sila?” (Are they your brothers? The tone was incredulous and unbelieving.) This question has been asked since Heaven knows when. Yes, I am that ugly.

Sensing that I was getting annoyed, the student told the girl to hush. In fairness, she is a bright kid, she knows how to ask questions. She boasted that her grades are currently B+, but I told her to aspire for A+, and then maybe I’ll admire her.

And the icing in the cake:

5. “Gusto mo sumama sa amin? Kain ka ng meryenda?” (Would you like to come with us? Eat some snacks?) See, the girl’s bright. Of course I declined. Thanks anyway.

PS: She also inquired about my birthday and my age. Heck, she even inquired about my mom’s age!