lito and cris

lito and cris are a married couple. I met them because i interviewed them for a book project, which tells of the transformation of people from being children of the world to children of God.
Their story, though, was never a transformation but more of an inspiration for people who think they’re getting the raw end of the deal in this life.
Lito and cris are not your usual couple. Lito is blind from birth while cris is lame. Lito sees through the eyes of cris while she walks with his legs and feet.
If you have by chance seen an odd-looking couple swaying here and there to their direction, it must have been them.
Lito holds her wife by the waist as he walks while cris tells him which way to go.
Oh, what a weight he carries around! I told lito when we settled down for interview at a fastfood corner that it must be the reason he’s lean as reed. Lito could only laugh.
I bought them a meal with a cup of coke. I made sure they had big meals so I let go of the drinks. I told them “hati na lang kayo” to which lito said in the direction of his wife, “o, wag mo akong dayain,” knowing fully well that with both eyes closed, he wouldn’t know what would the partition be.
But of course, he said that in jest. Lito, who’s below 25 years while Cris is near 30, is playful. I thought he's just a kid.
This could pretty much mask his desperation as a man without eyes. But no, there wasn’t a need to hide something. While aware of his state, I didn’t see any trace of him being bitter. Probably because he hadn’t had an idea of the light. But then again you can see so much even with your eyes closed.
Cris is the thinking one. She would shift from spiritual to philosophical to plain realistic in the course of the interview. She has big aspirations for people like them. But at the end of the day, she knows she would go far only with the help of other people.
I sent them home after a couple of hours and while waiting in Edsa for a ride home to Calumpit, Cris was slumped on the pavement. The rest of the population swirled by while she was closest to earth. I said to myself, how humbling could this be!
Yet like lito, cris wasn’t sorry for this state.
Lito and cris show how it is truly to be a child of God.