‘Esta, okay, esta…’

With revenue generation heading further south, there could be more days spent parading into court to justify non-payment of utility and other court-stipulated orders or payments. Yep! We’d be meeting the same judge on different days. But the issue remains the same—failure to meet our obligations per court orders.

I figure the judge would be sympathetic at the NMI’s mountain of financial obligations is compromised by lack of new revenues or cash flow. The guys and gals would be at the court gallery to listen to court dispositions, agreeable or disagreeable they may be. The Legislature would equip its snorkel and skydiving teams to show the court that it is also working hard, searching for pennies, nickels, and dimes.

But then the judge may get exhausted seeing the same pathetic faces and insist that the NMI begin paying or someone would be meeting the new DOC head under the cover of quick orientation tour.

I could hear the boys heading out the door chiming, “Esta, okay your honor, esta…” Walking to their cars with tails tucked embarrassingly between their legs, they’d wink at one another, lamely admitting that the judge isn’t taking excuses anymore. Enough is enough! “Esta…okay your honor, esta…”

The Superior Court would be much more tolerant against forcing payment. After all, it hasn’t paid its loan with the Settlement Fund either. Yep! Let he or she without sin cast the first stone!

‘You look me…I look you’
When people speak their mind, I’d listen regardless of the lingo used, rightly or wrongly. A quick glance into their facial expression is a tell-all. The volume of their voice is a further reflection of their sentiments. You’re lucky if the decibel level is still casually cool and conversational.

When fireworks begin spewing wildly, your best bet is to look like an innocent bystander and scram. Don’t chance looking like a scholar. You’d get nailed to your cross involuntarily. Either you scram or tell it like it is, like Magoo does all the time.

He suggested stronger use of communal sharing especially “in these bad days.” Said he, “Everbody suffering `nai. You look me…I look you”—look after one another! His mindset seems stuck in yesteryears when we could ask for some salt from the neighbor (when the island was comprised mostly of Chamorros and Carolinians) and not worry about it. These days even your next-door neighbor is from some far away land. He isn’t ready for “You look me…I look you” but look after himself.

Moreover, Magoo says that communal sharing includes food stamps from among family recipients. I could understand the culture of sharing but I wouldn’t brave what’s destined for the less fortunate members of our community. He insists, “You look me…I look you.” I respectfully disagree. Even a little salt bought with food stamps coupon is a maybe. It isn’t anywhere near “You look me…I look you.”

‘If I serious…’
Had a friend who fell in love with the conjunction “although.” He’d use it from dawn to dusk and about the only time he stops uttering the word is when he retires at night. I didn’t know one could suffer from what I’ve coined “lingovitis.”

“Although I’m going…although I’m hungry…although I’m ready…although I flunked my exam…although I don’t care about tomorrow…” He inundated Planet Earth with his favorite conjunction.

One day he caught me laughing of his lingovitis. He wasn’t happy for he thinks I’m making a mockery of his conjunction. Said he, “JR, watch out huh because if I serious I very serious.” I honestly couldn’t figure out how to hold back more laughter. It’s both a case of what he said and how he said it. “Watch out huh if I serious I very serious.” And I was like “And this is why I’ve spent years studying the English language?”

Sisyphus complex
The Sisyphus complex is now in full bloom. The guys and gals upstairs have tried rolling rocks up the hill then watch it roll down. In other words, they look at matters of state with a quick glance, ignore it, return, and ignore it some more. Mission accomplished!

And so ignoring a vital issue—a very sick economy—has become a commonplace. Are they really oblivious to the fiscal disaster it triggers that eventually land at the village level? Is this why the constant avoidance to buckling down to doing what’s right? Ignoring the economy that literally affects families here isn’t going to fade into history per your shallow assumptions!