It’s Friday and it’s early in the morning. The darkness from the night has not yet left the streets of Manila when I take off to the bus terminal. At the bus terminal I am met by Ate Donna who points me in the direction of our two Stairway boys. John Carlo and Nello are the main characters today and I myself feel a strange excitement. Despite the fact that it is only 5 in the morning the streets are full of busy people who, as the buses disappear, spread all over the place. And I guess the same is to say for us … It’s the first week of June and we are in the middle of a process that evolves around this exact thing. Our Stairway boys are now ready for a new world – a world outside Stairway, that’s just waiting for them.
We are sitting in the bus on our way to Sta. Maria Caviling Tarlac. It’s still early in the morning. The whole bus is a sleep except for John Carlo. He is sitting, starring out the window, letting his eye follow everything that’s happening outside. I see the nervousness in his eyes – a nervousness for the unknown and the new. A very understandable feeling. I put my hand on his back and he slowly turns his head and looks at me. I say nothing but only sends him a little smile. John Carlo seems to understand my silence because he doesn’t say anything himself either but only nods with a smile on his face and then closes his eyes to get some rest. Sometimes more things are said in the unsaid. We are all a sleep now and slowly we move towards north to our final destination which is the Rehobot Children’s Home.
After 4 and a half hour by bus, we have finally reached our destination. We step out on the small road which seems very desolated. On our right side runs another small road and a colored sign reads “Rehobot Children’s Home”. I look at the boys to try to decode their feelings about the whole situation. Both John Carlo and Nello seems calm but with a hint of excitement and nervousness. I get them and feel the same emotion, which I can’t quiet explain, come rushing over me. Ate Donna gets us a tricycle and we all squeeze together with the boys bags. A few minutes later we are at the “Rehobot Childrens Home” and it looks exactly like a home for children. The place is situated out in the countryside in the middle of nowhere. There is no noise from traffic and not a single tricycle passes. Instead of all this noise the sound of birds is present and the voices of children who are playing basketball or playing around. It’s very idyllic in a warm and homey kind of way. A middle-aged woman greets us and leads us to the main house. In the doorway we are met by a tall and slender boy who is wearing the well known Stairway t-shirt with the writing “Every human has rights”. I can see in John Carlo and Nellos eyes that the sight of the t-shirt creates a calmness – a safety there in the middle of all the unknown. The boy introduces himself as John Mark and Ate Donna tells us that he was a Stairway boy back in 2010. Shortly after another boy joins us with a big smile on his face. This boys name is Eduaro and is also a former Stairway boy. The two boys politely says hello and despite the fact that John Carlo and Nello are very quiet they can’t hide that these four boys share somethings special – they share Stairway and this unity quickly creates a safety for our two boys.
We are sitting outside while John Carlo and Nello’s papers are being looked through. The head of the place asks about the boys skills and what they are good at. The boys modestly explains about how they make dream-catchers, bracelets, draws and paints. The female headmaster knows exactly what they are both talking about since John Mark and Eduaro makes the same things. I see how both John Carlo and Nello’s eyes lights up when they really realize that the two other boys knows everything about Stairway. The talk continues about teachers, houseparents and the theater plays. John Mark starts talking about a certain theater play and John Carlo asks if maybe it is The Lorax, but John Mark’s batch hasn’t performed The Lorax. “What about The Snitches?” asks Eduaro. All the boys are smiling now when they realize that they have all been in this play only at different times. The talk continues with who played what parts in the different plays through out the years. John Carlo and Nello already seem comfortable and a sense of calmness has hit them. The nervousness from before has now being replaced by curiosity and comfort based on unity.
The talks also evolves around how the two former Stairway boys are doing. The headmaster explains how they are both in the top of their class. They are good both academically and their artistic skills are impressive. Eduaro is in the school band which doesn’t surprise Ate Donna. Both boys are sitting with a modest smile, nodding, while John Carlo and Nello follow the conversation with their uttermost attention. After the official paperwork is done we eat lunch. During lunch Stairway is still a conversational topic. We are sitting, eating, and calmly Nello asks where he can fill up the water pitcher. John Mark stands up quickly and the two boys walk to the dish washing area. I gaze at John Carlo who curiously looks around with a smile. Both John Carlo and Nello take the empty plates with hesitation and asks how the dish washing works – they already feel comfortable enough to get involved in the daily routines and they want to be a part of it. The four boys go over to the dish washing area together to do the dishes while Ate Donna and I are being shown around the premises. The place is not extremely big but the tone here is very nice. You feel welcome and at ease which is easy to feel on John Carlo and Nello.
When we get back from the tour, Nello is running around with Eduaro, playing basket ball. The two other boys are standing and talking. The adjustment came quickly I think and smile. Still I feel a lump in my throat though when I realize that soon it will be time for Ate Donna and I to go. It will soon be time to say goodbye and just the thought of it hurts, but the two boys seem unaffected by the situation. I know that it was hard for them when they left Stairway which is understandable and a normal reaction, so I wait for this to happen again. But it doesn’t … John Carlo and Nello seem to have accepted their new situation and on top of this, they seem safe and at ease. Their connection with John Mark and Eduaro has made them relax.
Together we walk to the small road to say goodbye. I feel a discomfort in my body – I am so bad at saying goodbye and it’s with mixed emotions because at the same time I am so happy for the boys. Happy that they are happy and so proud by the things they have accomplished. And there is no doubt … John Carlo and Nello are ready for a new chapter of their life.
We say goodbye and I hug both of the boys. When I let go of John Carlo he sees that I have tears in my eyes. He tilts his head and with a comporting smile he says “No crying Ate, always smiling and happy!” I can’t help smiling because he’s right. And I am happy … and hopeful … They have got so many good tools from Stairway to use in the future and I don’t doubt for one second that they will do great. And meeting John Mark and Eudaro seems to have helped the feeling of home and family for our boys. The four boys share something and that is a family – the Stairway family. Because by becoming someone’s friend, we can stand out from the general mass and become unique to each other – we become special for each other. It’s the invisible bonds we have between each other that makes us important. We are all just people, but when we spent time together and create these invisible bonds, we become unique to each other and we share something special that no one can ever take away from us. The four boys have a unique bond that no one will ever be able to take away from them. John Carlo and Nello both have huge smiles on their faces – they have sunshine in their pockets and they will do great.
Contributed by Sarah Staub