Author's POV
Gia did not approach right away.
From the side of the waiting shed, she simply remained standing there, watching the elderly couple. Between them was a single styrofoam cup of porridge. Far too little to count as dinner for two people who were obviously hungry. And yet, from the way they spoke to each other, they still seemed rich enough to keep putting one another first.
"You eat first," the old woman said softly.
The man shook his head. "You."
"You need it more."
"No."
It was such a simple scene. No drama. No crying. No begging from the people passing by. And maybe that was exactly why it struck Gia even harder.
They were suffering in silence.
That was the kind of hardship she could not bear to look at.
She took a slow breath, then finally walked toward them.
The old woman noticed her immediately and paused a little. Not because of arrogance on Gia's part, but because of the way she had arrived. Too polished for that waiting shed. Her skin too clear. Her face too soft. Too refined to belong, at first glance, to dust and roadside heat.
"Do you need something, hija?" the woman asked carefully.
Gia did not answer at once. She only looked at the two of them properly. The faded bag beside them. The cardboard that was probably where they would sleep later. The way the old man held his chest ever so slightly. The exhaustion on the woman's face, still trying to remain calm.
Then she lowered her gaze to the cup.
"The two of you are sharing that."
It was not a question. It was not judgment either. Just a quiet observation.
The couple exchanged glances. After a moment, the old woman gave a faint smile, the kind that was not happy so much as long accustomed. "Maybe we can still buy more later."
Gia felt that familiar irritation stir in her chest again.
Not at them.
At the answer.
At that kind of answer, the kind used too often by people who had no choice but to make peace with too little.
She crouched slightly so she was level with them. Even in that position, her face still looked unbearably soft, as if it did not belong to a woman who knew how to punch and kill. But when she spoke, her voice was quiet and steady.
"Tatay, you eat first."
The old man looked startled by the way she addressed him. "Oh, hija, no need"
"Nay, please hold this for a moment." She took the styrofoam cup and placed it properly into the old man's hands before turning to the woman. "I will be right back."
She did not wait for a response.
She went straight to the small eatery at the corner and bought three packed meals, bottled water, bread, and a few pieces of bananas she had seen had just arrived. She also stopped by the little pharmacy beside it and picked up basic medicine for cough and body pain after asking the shopkeeper a few quick questions. She did not know the old man's full condition, but she knew the look of a body that had been enduring too much for too long.
When she returned, the couple was still there.
They had not left.
They had not even seemed to expect her to come back.
And somehow that made it easier.
She set the bags down beside them. "Please eat properly first."
The old woman's eyes widened. "Hija, no, that is too much"
"Please." Gia said it softly, but the point was clear. "There is no need to be embarrassed."
Only then did the old woman's gaze toward her begin to change a little. It was not hope yet. Not dependence either. More like surprise that someone with Gia's face and bearing could speak with that kind of quiet respect.
"What are your names?" Gia asked.
"I am Nena," the woman said. "And this is my husband, Lando."
Gia nodded once. "I'm Gia."
She did not give a surname.
The two of them did not ask.
Carefully, Nena opened one of the meal packs and immediately tried to hand it to her husband. Lando, instead of taking it, once again tried to push it back toward her.
Gia paused at that and shook her head slightly.
"Tay," she said more gently, "there are two meals. You do not have to fight over them."
The old man looked almost embarrassed when he heard that. Nena, on the other hand, gave a small laugh, the kind of tired laugh that was still real.
That was the first true sound of warmth Gia had heard from them.
And it was irritating how much she wanted to hear it again.
They ate quietly for several minutes. Gia did not interrupt. She only stood by the post of the waiting shed, one hand on the strap of her bag, watching the road as if waiting there for them was not a big thing. But the truth was, she could not leave without first making sure the two of them were all right.
After a while, Nena was the first to speak.
"You are not from here."
It was not an accusation. Just an observation.
"No," Gia answered.
"Do you have somewhere to go here in town?"
"I'm still looking around."
"Looking for work?" Lando asked.
The corner of Gia's mouth moved slightly. "No."
Silence again.
Then, gently, she asked, "Tay, Nay, why are you here?"
They did not answer immediately.
The silence lasted longer than she expected, and she knew it was not because they were thinking of a lie. People who lied to gain something answered much faster than people ashamed to say the truth.
In the end, it was Nena who spoke.
"We have children," she said. "They each have families of their own now. We did not want to add to what they were already carrying."
Gia looked at her. "Do they know you are here?"
The old woman lowered her gaze. "We did not explain it properly anymore. We were ashamed."
Lando added quietly, "They already have expenses. They have children. They have their own problems. It would not be right for us to still expect them to support us."
There was no drama in their voices. No blame aimed at their children. No bitterness forced into the words. And because of that, it hurt even more to hear.
In Gia's world, many people knew how to shift blame even when they were the ones at fault. These two had clearly suffered, and yet they were still the ones trying not to become a burden.
She looked away for a moment.
The afternoon was hot. Tricycles passed by. A group of students laughed at the corner across the road. The surroundings were ordinary. But the sight of the old couple on cardboard was anything but ordinary to her.
"Are you sleeping here tonight?" she asked quietly.
They looked at each other.
Then Nena nodded once.
That was enough.
Gia picked up the old bag beside them before they could react. "Come on."
"Huh?" Nena looked startled. "Where, hija?"
"You are staying somewhere tonight."
"Oh no," Lando said at once. "You have already helped too much."
Gia turned to him. Her face was not harsh, but there was no room in her voice for refusal. "Tay, I cannot leave you here."
The two of them fell silent.
That kind of silence that did not dare hope, yet had been touched by kindness in a way they did not know how to hold.
"We do not want to trouble you," Nena said softly.
Gia did not answer right away. Instead, she adjusted the strap on her shoulder, stepped a little closer, and gently took Lando by the elbow.
"You are not a burden. You are only hungry and tired." Then she looked at the woman. "Come on, Nay."
They stopped protesting after that.
The three of them walked to the next street, where Gia had earlier noticed a small inn. It was not nice. It was not filthy either. It was simply enough for a night when two elderly people would not have to sleep on cardboard.
At the lobby, Gia did not waste time. She got two adjoining rooms and paid in cash immediately.
"One room is enough," Nena said softly. "We are husband and wife. The other would be wasted."
Gia looked at her, then slowly shook her head. "I will be in the other room."
That surprised them.
They probably had not expected she would stay after paying.
When they went upstairs, Gia opened one room first for the couple. It was small. It had a proper bed, an electric fan, a simple bathroom, and clean blankets. Not luxurious. But for two people who had been about to sleep on the street, it was already too much.
Nena stopped at the doorway.
Lando, meanwhile, slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, as if only then had his body truly felt the full weight of its exhaustion.
That was when Gia's voice finally softened.
"Please rest first."
Nena looked at her. "Child, why are you helping us?"
That question again.
And honestly, Gia did not want to unpack it.
She did not want to admit she had a weakness for people like them. She did not want to say that out of all the people she had known, two old people trying to force one styrofoam cup on each other had stopped her more easily than every man who had ever tried to intimidate her.
So she answered simply.
"Because I can."
Silence filled the small room.
Then Lando asked, not suspicious, not doubtful, only careful, "Are you a good person, hija?"
Gia looked at him directly.
Her face looked soft under the small room's light. So soft that at first glance, no one would think that woman was capable of hurting anyone. But in her eyes there was a kind of exhaustion and coldness that did not belong to such a face.
She did not answer right away.
In the end, only the truest thing came out.
"I'm trying to be."
They did not smile widely. They did not turn dramatic. They only nodded, as if that answer was enough for them.
A few minutes later, once she was sure they were settled, Gia stood by the door.
"There is something I want to say."
They looked at her immediately.
"I am planning to move to a quieter province." She took a slow breath. "I am not settled yet. I do not have a house yet. I am still going to look."
They listened in silence.
"If you want, you can come with me."
The two of them did not speak at once.
Neither of them agreed immediately. Gia liked that. They did not cling to the offer just because a door had opened. They thought about it first like people who still knew how to hold on to dignity even when they had almost nothing left.
"We do not know you very well, hija," Lando said carefully.
"I know."
"And you may end up having problems because of us."
"I would rather have that problem than know you are out on the street."
Nena looked at her for a long moment.
Then softly she said, "We will not come with you just to depend on you."
Gia nodded. "That is up to you, Nay."
"If we do come," the old woman continued, "we will help however we can."
"Okay."
Nena's face grew more at peace at that. "And you will not hide us away like something shameful."
A small smile touched Gia's lips. "Nay, if I take you with me, I will take you properly."
That was the first time both elderly people smiled, even just a little, in front of her.
When Gia stepped out of their room, she quietly closed the door and moved into the room she had taken for herself across the way. It was small too. Warm even with the fan. Plain. But enough.
She left her sling bag on the table and sat on the edge of the bed.
By morning, the next step was already clear in her mind.
First, a place to live.
Once she was there, she would figure out how the place worked.
Then she would move from there.
That night, as Gia lay on the small bed in the inn room and listened to the low hum of the electric fan, only one thing was clear.
She was no longer alone.
And for the first time since leaving Spain, her new life in the Philippines was beginning to take shape.