The dialogue in the introduction was confusing. I had no clue what Pinoys or o.t.’s were, until I was done reading the story. The dialogue made a little more sense to me after I read the rest of the story, but was still a bit baffling. I enjoyed the story, and the descriptive passages. I got a good feel of the Philippine traditions, and Santos cleverly added the culture into his story.
I felt I was able to predict the end of the story. I had this feeling that Monica was interested in Alipio. She was so kind and flirty with him. I knew something was up because Santos kept mentioning the awkward eye conversations the two girls were having. An example of this “eye” dialogue is “ Their eyes kept on talking a deaf-mute dialogue. Mr. Zafra: Just when everything was going fine, you quit…Monica: I can’t. I can’t anymore. It’s too much”(441). I mean at this point it is obvious that the two women are planning something. Other than food most of their conversation consisted of love and marriages. Santos said “He remembered seeing two women on the porch. There was another one, who looked like Seniang’s sister. Had he been imagining things? Then the thin one materialized, close behind the other, who walked in with the assurance of a social worker, about to do him a favor”(429). In a sense, Monica did do him a favor, by providing Alipio help by marrying him. Alipio would no longer be lonely with only his food and fish; he would have a woman to keep him occupied. This quote could be possible foreshadowing to later events in the story. I thought it was interesting that Alipio found the word extension intimate. Santos said “Extension? Alipio repeated the word. It had such a familiar ring like “visa” or “social security,” it broke into his consciousness like a touch from Seniang’s fingers. It was almost intimate” (441). I think Alipio likes the romanticism of marrying a mysterious woman. Why else would he think the word extension or visa is intimate? I must say it is something that perplexes me in this story. I have also noticed that the phrase “God dictates” is used often in the story. It seems that Alipio is accepting of whatever comes to him. He is accepting of his loneliness, of not having a lot of friends, or not being able to walk, and of willing to marry Monica. I think this has to do with his strong belief that god chooses how his life will be and he just has to accept “god’s dictation.”
I was also able to predict how this story was going to end. For me, Mrs. Zafra’s personal story was like foreshadowing of what was to come. Since she too found a man to marry for citizenship, Monica would likely try to do the same. However, I also agree with you because I definitely sensed that she was trying to flirt and become comfortable around Alpio. It seems unconventional but I guess they really would be helping each other out. Win-win situation?