amor

I was a college freshman when I first met Amor, one of the kids who sold hairclips and scrunchies around AS in UP. I had long ugly frizzy hair then so I became a regular customer who bought 3 scrunchies a day at P20. Evenutally I got hold of every color and pattern imaginable (more than enough for me to start selling them myself!), so I had to look for another way to help this child get through sixth grade with her earnings. She eagerly told me that she was the class president and she loved to write, so I made a deal with her to write essays or stories for me for P20/day (instead of buying scrunchies).

However, Amor couldn't keep up with a daily deadline for her compositions, so we decided to drop the idea after a month. Her writing was good, but inspiration didn't come easy, what with more important things to worry about like if they'll have anything to eat for the night or if she has the money to pay for her exams. Then I had a drastic haircut that couldn't be tied up with a scrunchie and around that time Amor started selling barrettes for me to buy and collect.

Come second semester of my sophomore year, Amor met me in PHAn one evening and started crying. She claimed to have been molested in the university chapel by a man who worked there. I was supposed to go to an org party but she seemed so helpless for me to abandon, so I dropped her off at a friend's house to stay for the night and went with her the following morning to a local child abuse support facility, then took her back to her place and prayed that things would get back to normal.

Yet soon after that she would disclose to me that she has learned to earn a bigger amount of money through prostitution. She has since quit school and got pregnant at least three times (and I think one ended in a miscarriage). By then she was but a child of 14 years.

I saw her again about 2 weeks ago at the parking lot of a supermarket, carrying a baby in her arms. She says she quit selling sexual favors and opted to help her mother peddle banana que and other sweets instead.. Times are tough especially for people like her, but she manages to smile and appear contented (resigned?) with her plight.

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