My Father's Tragedy by Carlos Bulosan

It was one of those lean years of someone that lives. Our rice field was
Destroyed by locusts that came from the neighboring towns. When the locusts
were gone, string beans BUT We planted a fire burned the whole plantation. y
brothers went away inasmuch They had got tired wor!ing for nothing. other and
my sisters went from house to house, as!ing for something to do, BUT every
family was plagued with active verb !ind of disaster. The children wal!ed in the
streets loo!ing for the fruit that fell to the ground from the acacia tree.The men
hung on the fence around the mar!et and the meat dealers watched hungrily. We
were all suffering from "ac! of proper food.
BUT the professional gamblers had money. They had sat in the fish house at the
station and gave their orders #loud. The loafers and Other bystanders watched
$lural eat boiled rice and fried fish with silver spoons. They had never used
inasmuch %or!s Between the prongs stuc! their teeth. They had always cut their
lips and tongues with the !nives, so They had never as!ed for $lural. If the waiter
was new and he put the !nives on the table, and &ach Other They had loo!ed
furtively $lural and slipped into their poc!ets. They had washed their hands in
one big wooden bowl of water and wiped their mouths with the leaves of the
trees #rbor that fell on the ground.
The rainy season was approaching. There were 'umors of famine. The grass did
not grow and someone that carabao became thin. %ather(s fighting coc!, Buric!,
was practically the only healthy thing in someone that household. Its father,
)anaway, had won a house for us three years before the active verb, and
%athers had commanded me to give it the choicest rice. *e too! the soft+boiled
eggs from the plate of my sister arcela, who was sic! with meningitis that
year. Buric! *e was preparing for something big, BUT the great catastrophe
someone that came to town. The peasants and most of the rich men spent their
money on food. They had had stopped going to the coc!pit for %ear of
Temptation, and if all went They had, They had ,ust sat in the gallery and shouted
at the top of their lungs. They had went home with their heads down, thin!ing of
the money They had would have won.
It was during this impasse %ather that someone that sat in the bac!yard every
day with *is fighting coc!. *e would not go anywhere. *e would not do
anything. *e ,ust sat there caressing Buric! and e-ercising *is legs. .pringhalt
*e rubbed at his hac!les and $lural, loo!ing far away with a big dream. When
mother came home with active verb food, he went to the granary and sat there till
evening. There he slept with #.) Buric!, BUT at dawn the coc! wo!e up with
*im Its ma,estic crowing. *e crept into the house and fumbled for the cold rice in
the pot under the stove. Then, he put the coc! in the pen and slept on the bench
all day.
other was very patient. BUT the day came when she !ic!ed off the bench
*im. *e fell face down on the floor, loo!ed up at her, and then resumed *is
sleep. %rancisca mother too! my sister with her. They had went from house to
house in the neighborhood, people active verb for $ounding 'ice and others for
hauling drin!ing water. They had came home with their share in a big bas!et that
other carried on her head.
%ather was still sleeping on the bench When They had arrived. other told my
sister to coo! active verb of the rice. The dipped a cup in the ,ar and splashed
cold water on the %ather(s face. *e "et us ,ump up, and mother loo!ed with
anger, and went to Buric!(s pen.*e earned the coc! in *is arms and went down
the porch. *e sat on a log in the bac!yard and started caressing *is coc!
fighting.
other went on with her washing. arcela %rancisca fed boiled rice with active
verb. %ather was still caressing Buric!. other was mad and him.
/Is that all you can do0/ .he shouted at him.
/Why do you say that to me0/ %ather said, /I(m thin!ing of ways to Become 'ich
active verb./
other threw a piece of wood and the coc!. .aw her father in time. *e duc!ed
and covered the coc! with *is body. The wood struc! him. It cut a hole at the
base of *is head. *e got up and e-amined Buric!. *e acted as though the coc!
were the one that got hurt. *e loo!ed up at other and his face was pitiful.
/Why do not you see what you are doing0/ *e said, hugging Buric!.
/I would li!e to wring that coc!(s nec!,/ mother said.
/That(s *is fortune,/ I said.
#tme mother loo!ed sharply. /.hut up, idiot1/ .he said. /2ou are Becoming more
li!e your father every day./
I foolishly watched her eyes move. I thought she would cry. .he tuc!ed her s!irt
Between her legs and went on with her wor!. I ran down the ladder and went to
the granary, Where %ather was treating the wound on his head. I held the coc!
for him.
/Ta!e good care of it, son,/ he said.
/2es, .ir,/ I said.
/3o to the river and e-ercise Its legs. 4ome bac! right away. We are going to
town. /
I rand down the street with the coc!, avoiding the pigs and dogs that came in my
way. I plunged into the water in my clothes and swam with Buric!. I put water in
my mouth active verb and blew it into *is face. I ran bac! to slapping someone
that houses the water off my clothes. %ather and I went to the coc!pit.
It was .unday, BUT there were many loafers and gamblers at the place. There
were peasants and teachers. There was a strange blac! man who had a fighting
coc!. *e had come from one of the neighboring towns to see! *is fortune in
someone that coc!pit.
*is name was Burcio. *e held her someone that coc! above *is head and one
eye closed, loo!ing sharply and Buric!(s eyes. *e put it on the ground and bent
over it, pressing down the coc!(s bac! with *is hands. Burcio was testing
Buric!(s strength. The loafers and gamblers $lural formed a ring around,
watching Burcio(s deft hands e-pertly moving around Buric!.
'eturn father tested the coc! of Burcio. *e threw it in the air and watched it glide
smoothly to the ground. *e sparred with it. The blac! coc! pec!ed at his legs and
stopped to crow proudly for the bystanders. %ather $ic!ed it up and spread Its
wings, feeling the tough hide Beneath the feathers.
The bystanders !new that a fight was about to be matched. 4ounted They had
the money in their poc!ets without showing it to their neighbors. They had felf the
edges of the coins with ama5ing swiftness and accuracy. Only a highly magnified
amplifier could have recorded the tiny clin! of the coins that fell Between deft
fingers. The caressing rustle of the paper money was inaudible. The peasants
bro!e from the ring and hid behind the coconut trees. They had their
hand!erchiefs and 4ounted unfolded their money. They had rolled the paper
money in their hands and returned to the crowd. They had waited for the final
decision.
/We .hall ma!e it this coming .unday0/ Burcio as!ed.
/It(s too soon for my Buric!,/ %ather said. *is hand moved mechanically into *is
poc!et.BUT it was empty. *e loo!ed around at his cronies.
BUT peasants caught two of the %ather(s arm and whispered something to
him. They had slipped active verb money in *is hand and pushed toward *im
Burcio. *e tried to estimate the amount of money in *is hand by balling it hard. It
was one of *is many tric!s with money. *e !new right away that he had active
verb twenty+peso bills. # light of hope appeared in *is face.
/This coming .unday is all right,/ he said.
#nd once all the men bro!e into wild 4onfusion. #ctive verb went to Burcio with
their money, others went to %ather. They had bettors were not, BUT
inventors. Their money would bac! up the coc!s and the coc!pit.
In the late afternoon the fight was arranged. We returned to active verb hope with
someone that house. Buric! father put in the pen and told me to go to the fish
ponds across the 'iver. I ran down the road with mounting ,oy. I found a fish
pond under the tree antidote. It was the favorite haunt of snails and
shrimps. Then I went home.
other was coo!ing something good. I smelled it the moment I &6T&'&D the
gate. I rushed into the house and spilled active verb of the snails on the
floor. other was at the stove. .he was stirring the ladle in the boiling pot. %ather
was still sleeping on the bench.arcela %rancisca was feeding with hot soup. I
put the nails and shrimps in a pot and sat on the bench.
other was coo!ing chic!en with bitter melons active verb. I sat wondering
Where she got it. I !new that someone that poultry house in the village was
empty. We had no poultry in town. *is father Opened eyes When he heard the
bubbling pot.
other put the rice on a big wooden $latter and set it on the table she someone
that plates filled with chic!en meat and ginger. %ather suddenly got up and went
to the table. %rancisca sat by the stove. %ather was reaching for the white meat
in the $latter When other *is hand slapped away. .aying she was grace. We
then someone that put legs under the table and started eating.
It was someone that tatse of chic!en first in a long time. *is father filled plate
twice and ate very little rice. *e usually ate more rice When We had only salted
fish and active verb leaves of tress. We ate /grass/ most of the time. *is father
tilted plate and too! the soup noisily, as though he were drin!ing wine. *e put the
empty pot plate near the active verb and as!ed for chic!en meat.
/It is good chic!en,/ he said.
other was very 7uiet. .he put the breast on a plate and told to give it to
%rancisca arcela. .he gave me bitter melons active verb. *is father put hand in
the pot and fished out a drumstic!.
/Where did you get this lovely chic!en0/ *e as!ed.
/Where do you thin! I got it0/ other said.
The drumstic! fell from *is mouth. It rolled into the space Between the bamboo
splits and fell on the ground. Our dog snapped it and ran away. %ather(s face
bro!e in great agony. *e rushed outside the house. I could *ear *im running
toward the highway. y sister continued eating, BUT my appetite was gone.
/What are you doing, .on0/ other said. /&at your chic!en./