The jeepney driver's hair was all gray. He resembled KFC's Colonel Sanders. But a little gaunt and Asian. And instead of an affable grin, he had a sullen expression. In hindsight, he did not resemble the colonel at all.
He was also hard of hearing. The passengers had to repeat their destinations to him at least twice. They had to yell "Para!" louder or miss their stop by a few meters. No one seemed to be annoyed at this inconvenience even if it was a rainy rush hour. Maybe they gave him leeway for his gray hair. Or his sullen expression. Or his remote resemblance with Colonel Sanders - but only if he was a little gaunt and Asian, of course.
A couple of blocks ahead, the jeepney stopped at a gasoline station and an old man and an old woman clambered up. The woman stepped in first and she held her husband's hand as they made their way inside the jeepney and sat down. The other passengers took a moment to notice the couple and their unusual eyes. They both had narrow squinting eyes, almost slits, and they did not seem to have lashes. The old man especially had a vacant stare and he sat upright with an unmoving head. Without changing his posture or moving his gaze, he unzipped his bag, reached inside, and pulled out a candy. He unwrapped it, placed the yellow candy in his mouth, and pocketed the wrapper.
His wife was a little more restless. She bent low and rummaged through her purse and pulled out a fifty-peso bill. She inspected it right under her nose and after confirming the denomination, she reached it out to pay to the driver. "Dalawang Taft. Kasasakay lang po."
When the driver got the bill, he asked, "Saan ito?"
"Taft. Dalawa."
"Sa inyo ba ito?"
"Opo, dalawang Taft. Bagong sakay lang po!"
Without saying another word, the driver reached and gave back the bill. When it was passed back to the old woman, she straightened it and held it two inches away from her eyes. She looked momentarily confused when she found out that she was handed back her own fifty-peso bill. Immediately, she reached it out to pay, "Manong! Dalawang Taft po yan!"
The driver waved it off, "Wag na po."
"Ha?"
"Wag na po!"
She turned towards her husband, "Ano daw?"
The other passengers almost collectively said, "Wag na daw po kayo magbayad."
She laughed somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Ay, ganun ba? Naku, maraming salamat!"
Her husband also called out his thanks, a friendly smile on his face and a gaze still fixed straight ahead.
The jeepney moved on. In fact, it always sped on and on every time a passenger yell out "Para!" the first time. The gray-haired driver is blissfully oblivious to the fact that he is unloading his passengers a good block farther from their stops. Or to the fact that he resembles Colonel Sanders. But, no, not really.
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