"MAIS......MAIS....."

This little compound we live in is composed of less than 20 houses, mostly bungalows, duplexes and 2-story buildings. The compound, 'tho private has an access to the public who might want a short cut from the Diversion Road to the street at the back going to the National Highway. Most of those who use this "secret passage" are the vendors who sell fish, vegetables, mais (corn) and pandesal. Everyday, at 6am I can hear the pandesal vendor shouting "pandesal" in his bicycle, and between 8-9am and 1-2pm, men and women or even teenage kids with a basket they carry on their head or arms shout "mais....mais...". Mais is sold for 5 pieces for 25 pesos, 5pesos more expensive than that in the market. It's the season for corn so there's more than one in the area who do sell the native, sticky mais everyday. At times that I crave for mais, I would wait for someone who would come to my doorstep to sell me the best corn on the cob for either snacks or breakfast. Knycole has preference over those sellers. She knew who sells the best mais while I buy from the first available vendor who would come to the compound. 

Most of the time, I pity these vendors. It's summer time and the heat under the sun all throughout the day plus the heavy load they carry to sell their products were such a challenge for a business like this. As I look at them, a thought came to my mind: maybe if they've finished college, they won't be on the streets selling mais. Or if they were born to a rich family, they would never experience such a difficult life. And there's more "ors" and "ifs" in my mind as I ponder their situation. On the other side, I admire the hard work they do. I knew it isn't easy and I also knew that given the chance, they wouldn't be on the streets walking and enduring the heat of the sun carrying a basketful of mais everyday. But then again, no matter how hard it is for them to do their work, these vendor deserve one thing- respect! They maybe doing an odd job and earning a meager income but the job they do is, in Filipino, MARANGAL NA TRABAHO!