Lex was always told by a foreign priest friend, “life is a jungle out there, you don’t have to be friendly to everybody.’’ The world is too different now a days. Young generations, the so called millenials are not as respectful compared to the young generations during the time of Adna. When older person speak or says something, the young one listened and obey. This time young boys are already very clever, they already know how to smoke cigarettes, and even go into drugs. One night, when Adna went to fetch Azia from work late at night, there were groups of young boys who overthink that they are so strong and can be afraid of, then the police patrol car was coming, one shouted to his peer group, ‘’run there is a police patrol, run’’. They all ran away far from the policemen having patrol who would capture minors who are still roaming around the streets late at night. Azia just laughed watching the brave young boys afraid to be captured by the police. One time, Adna was sitting at the side of the vendor of cigarettes outside a fast food restaurant which operates 24 hours. Adna was waiting for Azia to arrive from her work as she would go with her friend so Adna just waited for her instead of going to Azia’s workplace. Another group of young boys, so dirty and among them few dirty looking young girls. The cigarette vendor told Adna, ‘’do not trust them, they have victimized many and had snatched a lot of cellphones.’’ Adna answered, ‘’really?, but they are too young and looked innocent.’’ She told Adna, ;’’they are here because they would sell their snatched cellphone to me. Later, Adna saw one of the boys, he could be their leader, he took from the pocket of his dirty short pants, and it was a nice cellphone He then showed it to the cigarette vendor and gave his price for the cellphone. Adna now believed what the vendor told her about the group of boys bad doings. Adna started to speak to one of them, the young girl, ‘’why are you still outside your home when it is too late at night?’’ She answered, ‘’they are my friends and I just live near this place.’’ Adna inisisted, ‘’it is not safe for you to be out late at night, you have to go home now and sleep.’’ Adna asked, ‘’where is your mother?’’ She answered, ‘’she has not come home yet as she is playing cards with our neighbors.’’ You mean playing cards with bet of money, so your mother is gambling? She answered, ‘’Yes’. Adna asked, ‘’where is your father?’’ She answered, ‘’he is in jail due to drugs.’’ Adna told her, ‘’go home now and sleep and study hard, your life is full of hopes, do not ruin your life. Make your own life, do not go astray because your parents are no longer taking care of you. You still have your grandmother, right? She said, ‘’yes, she is the one taking care of me, she is at home and she is asleep.’’ Adna told her, ‘’you are so blessed someone is loving you, love her in return.’’ Adna continued, ‘’while your grandmother is still strong, do not waste the time , you have to do your best and become a better person so that when time comes when she is already old and weak, you would also take good care of her in return to her kindness and care to you now.’’ Adna told her, ‘’make good in your studies and you will for sure become productive when you grow up. Expect the good things coming from you, not from your parents who now neglect you, just pray always.’’
Some of her group friends were also listening to Adna and then they said, ‘’we are sleeping at the pavement of the streets. The only means to survive is to steal or snatch cell phones so that we can buy food.’’ Adna replied, ‘’but why you also use cigarettes, you are still very young, that is not good for your lungs,’’ There is also a department in the government that will house you and they will provide you with food and education.’’ One of them answered to Adna, ‘’when we were captured by the police, we were brought to that department, but at first delicious food then later days, not delicious food already. They won’t give us money also, it is nice to stay on the streets because there is money.’’ You can leave the department of the government when you finish your studies and have work, it is not all the time of your life that you would live there. Time will come that you will also have your own family, when you marry and also have your own children. You don’t want that your future children will be like you that at your tender age you are now bad on the streets, stealing things, snatching cell phone. They were just staring at each other and the vendor did not buy the cell phone though the price was very cheap. The girl told her friends, ‘’i am going home now, my grandmother might be looking for me.’’ The other girl told her, ‘’can i go with you and sleep in your house?’’ Then they went home together. The other boys, were just talking to each other with a low conversation. One of them threw his cigarette which stick was still long. He understood Adna that it is not good for his health, it would develop a lung problem in the soonest time.
The third secret of life is making use of TIME. It is always the belief of a person that he is strong because he can lean on to another person he looked up to. It is not that way, one must be strong coming from his very own self. All persons pretend to be strong, but deep inside they are also weak. It is the will power and the strong determination of the inner self which must prevail. Remember that you are not alone, God is always with each and every creation. Life is worth living if you have a God in you. God is the only one who would love you no matter what. Just make use of the time he lend to you. Have joyful experiences with family first, not other people first. When Lex was still young, the priest who told her, ‘’life is a jungle out there, you don’t have to be friendly to everybody’’ had visitors who were also priests, one of them was his superior. Adna and Al left riding a motorcycle to buy pizza pie for all of them. Lex was left and she was surrounded with the visitor priests. One of them asked, ‘’why most people here are all smiling, they seemed very happy’’. The very young Lex answered, ‘’Oh they are just smiling outside, but they are crying inside’’. All of them were amazed with what Lex answered. They told Adna about it and Al just smiled. Lex is the favorite of the priest and he taught a lot of things to Lex. When Lex decided to take up nursing, the priest went to four different Universities and talked with the Deans respectively. He then called Lex at home through telephone and instructed her to get a pen and paper and take down the requirements of the University which he thought was good for Lex. He then told Adna, ‘’that University is not teaching contraception, they are pro-life so Lex must enrol there. Adna also had the chance to have quite a long conversation with the superior priest, he invited Adna to visit their country but Adna said, ‘’thank you, but I only ask you to pray for my family’’. The priest who is also a columnist in the local newspaper weekly had compiled his newspaper copies and for five year compilation, he brought all during Lex high school graduation. She gave it to Lex as his graduation gift for her. It is a faith column and he also asked Adna to write one time. The priest also was the one who was assigned to find a place for their seminary close to the University where Lex, Azia and Al the second studied. Adna just came to know the priest when she was still working in the government. Adna just offered him help in finding a property near their place. He told Adna that he had been looking for a place all over the country and he had been here for a year but he did not like one. Most a of the agents were somewhat clever so he did not trust. Adna called her friend, a doctor turned to be a licensed realty broker. The priest trusted her and they found a property. The broker had her commission, a big commission. Late at night, the priest called Adna, “”I will not release the checks if the broker will not give you any money. She made a lot of money because of you so you have to have a share. Adna told the priest, ‘’my intention was only to help you find a place where you could build your seminary. I am not thinking of money.’’ The priest said, ‘’the checks are with me but if she won’t give you, then i will hold the payment. Later, someone called Adna, the broker, and told Adna, ‘’please accept the little money i would share to you so that the priest will release the check.’’ Adna was the one who referred the priest to her, so she said, ‘’call the priest and tell him, it’s okay to release the checks’’. Adna shared the money to the younger brother and sister of the broker, and right in time, Adna had to transfer the destroyed house of Papa Mar, she was able to buy some hollow blocks and cement for the foundation of the house. Thank you to the priest, he was not just an ordinary friend of Adna and her family, he was a genuine friend and though he left back to his country, Adna never forgets the time they spent with him while he was still here. Adna would still celebrate his birthday on July 31. Adna used to bring him spaghetti during his birthdays. He was such a conservative priest. He would scold Adna if she takes off her blazer and wear a blouse without sleeves. Adna would say, ‘’it is too hot and i am sweating and besides my husband Al is with me’’. He answered, ‘’you don’t know what other men think of you. I must buy you a cover of your shoulder.’’ Another woman was coming wearing also a blouse without sleeves, so Adna told him, ‘’Oh, there’s another one.’’ He just said, ‘’i know’’. Adna knew his intention was good, and she must be grateful to him.
