better homes and other fictions by connie maraan

8/6/2019 Better Homes and Other Fictions by Connie Maraan

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FIXED

A camera! exclaimed Noy as he opened the large,

fancilywrappedboxhisparentsgavehimwhentheclock

struckmidnightthatChristmas.Hisfatherheldhismotherclose as they watched their youngest son take the gift

carefullyintohishands.Heheldthecameraandlookedat

it,notquitebelievingitwasreal.

Do you like it? his father asked, certain what the

answerwouldbe.

Noygrinnedandsaid,Itsbeautiful!But...thismust

havecostyouafortune!

His father and mother looked at each other and

smiled. It was good to have Noyhome from school for


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theholidaysthehousehadbeensoquietnowthattheir

children were grown and away. His mother explained,

YourKuyaBensentusachecklastmonthhisholiday

gifttoyourfatherandmyselfand,sincewewereableto

payoallthatweowedandstillhavealittleleftover...

well,wedecidedwewouldbuyyousomethingnice.

We knew you wanted one ever since you took that

specialclassinhighschool,and,sinceyouvedonesowell

attheuniversity Andyoureanhonorstudent!hisfathersaid,giving

hissonapatontheback.Youvemadeusveryproud,Noy.

Youdeservealittlereward.

Noysmiled,thinkingthatthecamera,formidablewith

itsweightinhishands,madehiseortsatschoolworthit.

Hewasluckytohaveparentswhohaddonesomuchforhimandhisbrother.Youtwomusthaveusedupwhatyou

earnedonthefarmthisyear,hesaidwithconcern.

His father sat him down and placed a reassuring

hand on his shoulder. It wasnotall that expensive, he

explained.Igotthiscameraataverygoodpriceitwas

almost a giveaway! A business acquaintance in the citytoldmeaboutalittleshopownedbyafriendofhis,and

theownergavemethecameraandtheseaccessorieshe

pointedouttheash,azoomlens,andatripodwitha

verygenerousdiscount.

Father!saidNoy.YouwereinthecityandIdidnt

evenknow!

His father laughed. Yes, son. And Ireally did want

tovisityouandseehowyouweredoing!ButhowcouldI

withthishugebundle?


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Youwentallthatway

Actually, I had an appointment with someone who

was interested in marketing some of our produce. Temeeting turned out quite well. Well be supplying their

grocerychainforthenextyearonatrialbasis.Now,there

isreallynothingforyoutoworryabout.Whatyoushould

beconcernedwithishowthiscameraofyoursworks!Lets

giveitatry.

Noysmiledandloadedthecamera,securing its lock.Hisfatherandmotherwatchedwithinterestastheirson

adjustedallthesettings.Whatasmartboy,theythought.

Okay, saidNoyasheprepared toshoot.Smile for

thecamera!Andthis is justwhathisparentsdid, quite

cooperatively,untiltherstlightofthatChristmasdawn.

***

Itwasnot longbefore the entirebarrioknewof the

giftNoysparentshadgivenhim.Hewasouteveryday

takingphotographsofneighborsandtheirchildren,farmer

friendsintheeld,womenvendorsinthemarket,andofcourse,allofhisrelatives.Wheneversomeoneranintohim

hewasgreetedwithasmileandapose.Itwasntlong

beforeNoyhadusedupthetworollsoflmthathadcome

withthecamera.

Evenwhenthelmhadrunout,Noyalwaystookhis

camerawithhim.Hebroughtitalongwhereverhewent.Hewouldgoobyhimself,intothewoodsandnearthe

river,andpracticereadingthelightmeterandsettingthe

lensopening.Heimaginedthetypesofimagesthecamera


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would produce, capturing lines, shadows, or color at his

command.Hedrewgreatpleasurefromthethoughtofso

manypossibilities,andfromthebright,shuingsoundof

theshutter.

Oneday,ashewentwalkingabout insearchofnew

subjectstoshoot,Noylookedupandbaskedinthesunas

itshinedthroughthetrees.Hesaidtohimself,Tatwould

be beautiful on lm! I wonder what the meter reading

wouldbeifItriedthis.Heraisedthecamerauptohiseyeandfocused,adjustingalltheknobsfortheshot.He

pushedtheleverforward,andsnapped.Hepusheditonce

more,andsnappedagain.Hetookhalfadozenshotsof

thesunandthesky,pretendingtherewouldbewondrous

results.

He then moved on and tried composing shots withtrees.Helookedthroughtheviewnder,andpushedon

thelever.Buttohissurprise,theleverwouldnotmove.He

triedpushingalittleharder,butitrefused.Noywondered

what was wrong with it. It only remained xed in this

positionwhenhislmwasusedup.Andhehadspentthe

entiremorningpracticingwithanemptycamera. Noy sat himself down at the trunk of a nearby tree,

frowningashethoughtofwhattodo.Hewonderedwhat

hehaddonewrong,whenonlyamomentagothecamera

hadbeenworkingjustne.Tenitoccurredtohimthat

hehadprobablyuseduphisbatterieshehadbeenusing

thecameradailyforoveraweek.Hetookthesparesetofbatteriesthatwereinhisutilitypouchandreplacedthe

onesthatwereinthecamera.

Hesettheknobsonthecameraoncemore,andtried

focusingagain.Heaimedatalargemangotreestandingat


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theedgeoftheeld,composedtheshotandtriednotto

anticipatetheworst.Hewantedtobenonchalantaboutit,

wantedtogoaboutsnappingimaginaryphotographsashe

didearlier.Butashehadfeared,theleverremainedstuck.

Hishandsgrewcold.

He had broken something in the camera, he knew.

Hecouldnottellhisparentsaboutwhathadhappened

theyhadalreadyspentsomuch,andhadplannedsolong

to reward him with this gift. o tell them that he hadbrokensomethingsoexpensive,insoshortatime,would

onlyhavemadethemworry.Itwouldhavebeensucha

disappointmenttothem.

Hesatandwonderedhowhewouldsolvehisproblem,

withonlyatreetocounselhim,andthesunsinkingslowly

intothehorizon.

***

Temanwith thegreasy face took the camera from

Noyshandsandturneditaboutinadisturbingway.He

dismantledit,handlingthefragilepiecesrathercarelessly.Acigarettehungfromhismouth,andecksofashdrifted

intotheopenbody.Noyreasonedwithhimselfthatthis

manwasan expertat dealingwith suchequipment.But

watching him handle this precious gift was almost too

muchtobear.

It wasnt the batteries, Noy explained to the man,who was dressed in an old undershirt, black pants, and

tatteredslippers.Hehardlylookedlikehecouldbetrusted

with expensive equipment, and looked even less like


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someonewhocouldrepairit.Itriedusingnewones,Noy

continued,butthatdidntwork.Televerjustrefusesto

move.

Terepair shopNoyhadcometowas lodged in the

citys commercial district, where fresh fruits and photo

equipmentweresoldonthesamestreet.Aclassmatewho

wasanamateurphotographerhadgivenhiminstructions

onhowtondtheplace,whichwasaconsiderabledistance

from their school. Once he had found the street, Noywanderedaboutforawhile,tryingtodecidewhichshop

lookedmostreliable.Eventually,hechosetheonewiththe

mostimpressivewindowdisplay.Hehopedhischoicehad

beenawiseone.

Now,hewasnotsosure.Te insideof theshopwas

generally clean, but camera repairs were done in a backroomwhichseemedtohavebeenneglected.Initsdarkness,

Noycouldseetheshelvesonthewall,lledwithcameras

ofdierentmakes.Tougheachhadajobtagattachedto

it,itdidnotseemlikeanyofthemhadbeeninspected

recently.Noywonderedhowtheownersofthesecameras

couldhaveleftthemunclaimedforsolong. Temanwiththegreasyfacebegantotestthecamera,

dgetingwiththesettings,windingandsnappingquickly.

Tehaphazardmanner inwhichhehandled the camera

madeNoyuncomfortableandfearfulthatthemanwould

doevengreaterdamagetoit.Noybegantoregrethaving

giventhecameratothisman,andthoughtthatmaybeheshouldtrytakingitsomewhereelse.Butafterwhatseemed

anagonizinglylongtime,themannallysetthecamera

downonthetable.


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Leavethecamerahere,hesaidinainagruvoice.

Noyrealizedhewasnotgivenasayonthismatter.Te

mantookadragoofhiscigaretteand,withoutlooking

athisclient,returnedtotheouterroom.Tecameralay

mutilatedandspreadoutmiserablyonthetable.

Noy looked at the pieces of his camera and did not

know what to do. He followed the man into the outer

roomandasked,incredulously,Youwantmetoleavethe

camera...here? Come back for it next week. Te man crouched

behindacounter,openedacabinetandtookwhatlooked

likeatoolkitfromit.

But,Noysaidhesitantly,couldyoutellme...could

youtellmehowmuchitwillcosttorepairit?

Illgiveyouanestimate,themanrepliedasheshut

thecabinetandippedopenabookletonthecounter.Init,

hewroteoutthecameraspecications,andtherepairjob

thatwasrequired.Hetoreoutthetopsheetandhandedit

toNoysaying,Heresyourclaimslip.Callmetomorrow.

Temantookthekitandreturnedtothebackroom,

closingthedoorafterhim.Noylookedathiswatchand

realizedhehadtoreturntoschoolforhisnextclass,so

hethoughtitbestthatheshouldjustleave.Hefoldedthe

claimslipandputitintohiswallet,lookinghopelesslyat

thedoorthathadbeenshutonhim.

Inthedormitorythatnight,Noylayawakeinbedforalongtime.Helistenedtothetickingofhiswatchinthe

darkness,wonderinghowmanypiecesittooktomaketime

run.


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***

Susanwasabitontheheavysideandherpantswere

severelytight.Noystaredatherbacksideasshetookdown

theorderofayoungcoupleseatedatableEight.Itwas

dark andsmokey in thepizzaparlorwherehe wasnow

onhissecondweekofworkinghehadbeenhiredasa

waiterandwasassignedthenightshift.Whenhewasnt

busywipinguptablesorhandingoutmenus,helikedto

stationhimselfneartheendofthecounter,andlistentothefolksingersplayheartbreaksongs.

Afterbringinganothertrayofemptybeerbottlesinto

thekitchen,Noystoppedtolookatthebigcalendarnear

thedoor.Onthecalendar, thePresidentoftheRepublic

smiledundertheglitterofhisocialseal,immaculatein

hisjusi barongandpoisedwithpeninhand.Noycounted

thedaysthathadpassedsincehevisitedtherepairshop,

andthoughtabouthiscameralyinghelplesslyonaback

room shelf. When he had called to inquire about the

estimate,themanhadtoldhimthattherepairwouldcost

athousandpesos,andthatNoywouldhavetoclaimthe

camerawithinsixtydays.Ifhefailedtodoso,hewouldforfeithisclaim,andhistreasuredgiftwouldbepawnedor

auctionedodependingontheshopownerswishes.

A month had already gone by and Noy had only

managedtosaveupthreehundredpesos.Hetriedasking

Susantoloanhimsomemoney,butshesaidshehadrent

topayandwasalreadylatebytwomonths.Hedidnthave

anythingofvaluethathecouldpawnforextracashhis

watchwasreliable,butitwasmadeofplastic.AllNoyhad


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tohisnamewashisgoodgrades,butnow,withhisjob

eatingintohisstudytime,evenhisGPAhadsuered.

Noy worried about whether he would be able toretrievehiscameraontime.Tethoughtonlymadehim

moresad.Heseemedtobesoaloneinthiscongestedpizza

parlor,whereeveryoneelselaughedwithsuchabandon.He

missedhisparents.Hemissedhavinghiscamera.Andhe

missedconjuringupvisionsoftheworldashesawit.

Noy! he heard Susan call as she rumbled into thekitchen.Shewasaboutasdemureasasteamroller.Shewas

perspiringunderhervisor,fanningherselfwithamenu,as

sheshoutedabovethedin.Teresamesswaitingforyou

onableTree!Makesureyoubringalotofragswithyou!

Andmakeitfasttheresapartyoftwelvewaitingatthe

door! akinguphistrayandanarmfulofrags,Noyturned

anddecideditwasasgoodatimeasanytotellher.You

know,hesaidashebrushedpast,youreallyshouldwear

skirtsmoreoften.

Really?Susansaid,surprisedatwhatseemedtobea

well-placedcompliment.

Yeah!Noycalledout,thenmumbled,...theyrenot

aslikelytoburstwideopen.

***

Noybroughtthecamerauptothelightandchecked

themeterthepointerwentupanddown,justasitshould.

He held his breath and then pushed on the leverand


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breathedeasywhenitturnedandsnappedback.Teman

haddoneashepromised.Tecamerawasworkingagain.

Okay? asked the greasy-faced man as he startedmakingoutthereceipt.

Yes,Noyreplied.Asighbrokeinhischest.Heasked,

HowmuchdoIoweyou?hopinghecouldperhapsgeta

discountontherepair,butalsodreadingthepossibilitythat

thefeehadbeenjackedupinthetwomonthsthecamera

hadtakenupspaceontheshelf. Onethousand,themanreplied,tuggingontheslip.

Noy took out his wallet, counted the bills he had

sacriced so much to save, and put them down on the

counter.Tetransactionhadbeencompleted.Tecamera

feltgoodinNoyshands.

Hewasabouttostepoutoftheshopwhenthegreasy-

facedmanaskedhim,Youworkinapizzaparlor,huh?

Noyturned,surprisedthatthemanhadknownabout

hisjob.Hehadneverseenhimattheparlorduringanyof

hisshifts.Yeswell,Iusedtoworkatonenearmyschool.

Part-time.Haveyou...eatenthere? Te mannodded asheput thebooklet away.I saw

yourpictureontheBestEmployeedisplay.Dotheypay

yougoodmoney?

Noylaughedwhenhethoughtofthesorryamounthe

gotinexchangefortheexhaustingnightshehadworked

there. Well, he replied, they pay me enough. I mean,enoughtopayforabrokencamera,atleast!

Temandidnotsmile,butcontinuedtonodasthough

he understood.Te boywas surely adiligent worker, he


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thought.Teboywouldnothaveadiculttimeearning

money.

Noywonderedforawhilewhythegreasy-facedmanwasinterestedinthejobhekept.Hedidntstrikehimas

thetypetomakesmalltalk.ButtherewerethingsNoyhad

todo,andpictureshehadtotake.Hedidnthavethetime

tostayaroundtochat.Hesaidthankyoutotheman,

tookhispreciouscamera,andwentgratefullyonhisway.

Teworldwouldbehisinasnap.

***

Tegreasy-facedmanstoodoverhisworkingtable,on

whichwerescatteredcogsandspringsleftoverfromthe

repairshehadmade.

Didthatboycomeforhiscamera today?askedhis

wife,comingintothebackroomlaterthatafternoon.

Yes,themananswered.Heheldoneoftheminiscule

partsuptothelightandsquintedatit.

Howmuchdidyouchargehimforxingit?hiswifeasked.

Athousand,hereplied.Heturnedthepiecewithhis

thumbandforenger,observingitasthoughitwereagem

tobeadmired.

Hiswiferaisedaneyebrow.Onlyathousand!shesaid

angrily.Youshouldveaskedhimforatleasttwicethatmuch!Howwillwepayothedebtweowetotheboss?

Teinterestalonehasgottensobig...


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Sshhh,themanconsoledher.Dontworry.Hetook

thelittlejaggedpieceandputitgentlyintothepalmofher

hand,closingherngersarounditsothatitwouldnotfall.

Heledheroutoftheroom,andturnedothelight.

Te boy will be back, he said, gently shutting the

doorbehindhim.Hewillbeback,verysoon.

(1989)

better homes and other fictions by connie maraan

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