Dear Cat 4

The Seamstress She was short and plump. In spite of her short legs, she walked briskly and fast. When I met her at the fashion boutique , she was in her early thirty’s. Despite the big age gap we became friends instantly. Single as she was, she boarded in an apartment of a family with another old single lady. She was a good seamstress and a good aunt for her nephews and nieces from her much yoiunger sister. Oftentimes, she would sew me a dress from the beautiful cloth that she saved from some materials that were too small for the client to bring home and too big a cut and too beautiful a fabric to be used as rags. She would stitch it with some other fabrics and came up with a beautiful creation. She wanted to dress me. She told me that I just looked like a doll (of a witch) . Except for her roommate, she had no other friends. She had no more parents. If there were relatives, I did not see any. The explanation came to me after a few months of knowing her. She invited me to sleep over in her apartment in preparation for an early wedding where we would have to bring the whole bridal ensembles’ gowns and dresses. Her room was clean and neat but what were those men’s pants and coats doing in her closet. I did not know that she had a brother or a friend whose suits and coats almost filled her cabinet. Then there was a knock at the door. It was a man, older than she was. Ooops, I thought I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Without a word, the man started removing the suits, pants and men’s shoes and placed them all in ann empty suitcase that he brought with him. I saw the tag, his last name was same as hers. I thought she was single? She cried after he left. I do not know what to say or to do. I went out of the room to give her privacy. Her landlady explained to me everything. He was her cousin whom she sent to school. He was also her lover to the dismay of the relatives. They were first cousins. The man studied law full time while he was being supported by my friend from her lowly profession-that of being a seamstress, She hardly finished elementary. She can read and write but still she did not possess the intelligence that her cousin-lover had. It was supposed to be the last semester of his cousin in the College of Law. But he was leaving her. The family who disowned him for living in with the cousin was taking him back. Worst of all, they arranged his marriage to a lady they want to be the in-law. He was asked to abandon the cousin since it was an embarrassment for the clan to have two kissing cousins in the family. When I went back to the room, she was already asleep but I can see her moist pillow. She woke up early as planned as if nothing happened the previous night. From then on,I alwayscaught her looking out the window while sewing. I saw the sadness in her eyes. The same sadness that I saw in the eyes of the couturier. Then there was the baby. It was her sister’s seventh baby and they have no more room for her. She adopted her and I was made one of the godmother. She was my first god child at age 16. Now she had someone to take her of her when she got old. She saild she would never fall in love again. She attended my graduation when I invited her. She gifted me a beautiful graduation dress. My mom felt sad for what ??I have done. To her, she misinterpreted that I gave my friend more importance by inviting her to my graduation. To me, I thought I was saving my mom from going out to attend my graduation when there were no sitters to look after my younger siblings. Indeed, young people do not realize that they hurt the parents without intending to. I was preoccupied by my college studies that I did not have the time to visit my old friend . When I found time they had moved. The last time, I saw her, she was with a little girl. Must be my goddaughter but then I was in a hurry . I will be late for my licensure examination. I was not even able to get their address. I just caught her last sentence about me as an idol of her adopted daughter. I have never seen her since.