The Silver Ring

Her dark locks were pulled back in a loose ponytail; a few strands of hair littered her heart-shaped face. She was clad in her prescribed uniform⎯a coral-blue blouse with a neckerchief attached to it and navy blue slacks. A silver ring was seated comfortably on her index finger, which she kept on twisting with her thumb. She checked out the time on her black sports watch, which seemed too big for her slender wrists. It was half past three. The mid afternoon sun shone brightly, it’s blinding rays mercilessly pounding on the asphalt road. The humid weather caused Anita Cabanatuan to become restless. She adjusted herself on a white monoblock chair and toyed with her ball pen’s cap, which made a sharp clicking sound.

“Gusto ko sana maging pulis (I wanted to be a police officer)”, she started off in a melodramatic tone. “Subalit nagkulang ako sa preparasyon at determinasyon (However, I lacked preparation and determination)”. There was a mixture of yearning and defeat in her voice. She looked away for a moment, as if regretting her lack of effort. 

Anita Cabanatuan is unlike any other woman her age. She is a dormitory guard and it is her responsibility to ensure the safety of the residents in the Ateneo dormitory. What this lady likes most about her current job is that she gets to meet a lot of new people and become acquainted with them. “Masaya ‘tong trabaho ko kasi kahit na guard lang ako, nakikilala ko na rin yung mga dormers pati na rin yung mga ugali nila (I love this job because although I’m just a guard, I get to know the dormers and their personalities)”, she stated with contentment in her voice. “Nag-eenjoy ako dito (I’m enjoying it here)”, she smiles, her eyes sparkling like black onyxes, the deep furrows on her brow disappeared. She has been working as a dormitory guard for one year now and also hinted that she is planning to work as one for a little longer.

The third out of six children, her family came from a small town called Bislig, in Surigao del Sur, which she briefly recounted as “rural” and “quiet”. When she was questioned about her childhood, her dark brown eyes lit up, like a little girl who has received a doll for Christmas. She related vivid memories of her youth such as running around in vast, open spaces and catching dragonflies. She described herself as a bit of a tomboy during her wee days. As a child, it was already her dream to become a cop. “Gusto ko talagang makatulong sa ibang tao (I want to help others)”, she said rather seriously.  After a second, she broke into a fit of laughter. “Char! (Nice!)”, she said, her face flushed from her previous remark. On the contrary, her parents didn’t want her to become a police primarily because she was a girl and studying to become a police officer would be more costly since she needs to study in a big city. Instead, she was forced to take up Computer Science when she was in college . However, she never gave up on her hopes of becoming a cop.

Upon graduation, she immediately set foot in Manila to prove to her parents that she could also be independent. Initially, she worked as a guard for SM North Edsa for almost a year. “Hindi ko gusto dun (I didn’t like it there),” she shrugged her shoulders. She then worked as a village guard for a police agency  called Acropolis for only a few months. Afterwards, she was employed by DLSU-Lipa. Once again, she quit her job because she didn’t like the feel of the place. For the fourth time around, Uniface, a company that specializes in computers, hired her, but she didn’t last long. As fate would have it, it was when she was working temporarily for University Athletic Association of the Philippines(UAAP) that brought her to the Ateneo.

“Reliever ako noong UAAP tapos may nag-recommend sa akin dito, kasi kulang sila ng guards at that time. Sinubukan ko tapos ayun, nagustuhan ko na rin (I worked as a reliever for UAAP then someone recommended me to work here, since they lacked guards at that time. I tried the job and ended up liking it.)”

The 26 year old looked away and flashed a toothy grin when the topic of love came up. “May boyfriend na ako (I have a boyfriend)”, she confessed, a sly grin appeared on her face. She stole a furtive glance at the silver ring on her index finger and shyly admitted that her boyfriend continually motivates her to pursue her dream of becoming a police officer. When asked about her plans in the future, she stared blankly into space for a millisecond before saying that she is still uncertain. “Magulo talaga ang isip ko (There are a lot of things on my mind)” she said. What is truly certain about Anita Cabanatuan though is that she is a diamond—a rare breed and one whose spirit is difficult to shatter.

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