An Unlikely Hero

Tweet

Pin It

Today, I had an awakening, a realization of some sort, of what scares me the most. It's not the day when I'll lose my material possessions like money, our house, and my gadgets, or my job. It's the fact that I cannot control what goes on around me and around the people I love the most, and I can't keep them safe.

Earlier today, my brother came home way past midnight from work. He knocked on my door in a hurried manner and his voice worried me. So, I left my computer (I work at night), jumped off my bed and opened the door. He was pale and the words that came right out of his mouth had my heart skipping a beat. I distinctly remember not being able to breathe for a few seconds, especially after I saw wounds on his right arm. They turned out to be scars from his work (he's an aspiring chef).

The jeepney he rode going home was held up by robbers who were ready to be deadly and violent. He didn't hear what they were saying 'cause he had earphones on, but he vividly remembers 3 robbers with knives with them. Thankfully, he and most of the passengers with him got out alive and unharmed. One of them did get hurt and was wounded, possibly because he was carrying a big bag with an MSI logo on it. The robbers knew he had something of value in there.

My brother had experienced something like this before, the jeepney he was riding in got held up and he was sitting in front and thankfully, nothing happened because they were close to a barangay hall. I wrote about this here.

While he was recovering from shock after his gruelling spree to escape the robbers, he continued to tell us what happened. He said 3 guys approached the jeep. One guy was pointing his knife at the passenger in front, one held a passenger on his neck. The other guy, I can't remember what my brother said, but I think he recalls one of them pointing a blue knife right at them, scaring them into not doing anything to fight them off.

Thankfully, my brother was able to take off and run. Most of them were able to escape. He remembers seeing the only girl passenger tripping right before they could take the first turn during the escape. He and his fellow male passengers who were already on a running spree and were far away didn't dare come back 'cause it was pretty close to where the robbers were. And as soon as he said it, I told him, "Mahirap na, di mo alam kung maabutan pa kayo." (translation: "You'll never know if the robbers were still close by.")

As soon as those words came out of my mouth, I felt pangs of guilt. I realized I can never be a hero... I can never be someone who'll put my own life, or any of my loved ones', at risk to help a stranger. If that someone in need was a loved one, I'll definitely go back. But, if it was someone else, I know I'll never have the guts to come back and help. Well, unless I had a weapon with me, probably.

And I told my brother that it was not the time to be a hero. I know, that sounds selfish, but I can't imagine how much pain I'd feel knowing he was badly hurt. Yes, maybe learning he helped someone would change how long before I can move on, but I know the pain will not lessen a bit.

I am now praying the woman is safe and sound. I hope she was able to stand up and run for her life and to safety. I hope and pray no one was hurt badly or killed from this incident, except the robbers. Karma will avenge the victims.

I know this incident will haunt my brother for days, but I really hope he'll be too busy to think about it. I hope and pray this won't happen again. I wouldn't wish any of this violence on anyone.

I don't know what I could've done if I was in his position. I don't know how I would feel if I was the woman who tripped. But, I pray earnestly that I will never have to find out.

Dear God, thank you for keeping us safe. Thank you for keeping my brother and mother safe as they travel to and from work. Thank you so much.

Stay safe everyone!