Long ago in Agamaniyog, the
best-known, wealthy couple were Solotan sa Agamaniyog and his wife, Ba’i sa Agamaniyog.
They were so wealthy that they owned almost half of the land in Agamaniyog.
They had large herds of cows, carabaos, and horses. One morning, when the
couple went down to the lakeshore to pray, they happened to pass by the small
hut of a poor couple, Lokes a Mama and Lokes a Babay, who were quarreling and
shouting at each other.
The quarreling couple blamed each
other for their misfortune in life. Lokes a Babay blamed Lokes a Mama for being
lazy and not knowing how to raise a family and to make a good living. On the
other hand, Lokes a Mama put the blame on his wife who, he said, did not know
how to be thrifty.
Overhearing the quarrel, the Sultan
and Ba’i of Agamaniyog stepped in and admonished Lokes a Mama and Lokes a
Babay. When they got home, the Sultan and Ba’i of Agamaniyog talked about the
quarrel between the poor couple until they themselves began to argue. Solotan
sa Agamaniyog blamed Lokes a Mama for being incapable of making life prosperous
for his family. Ba’i sa Agamaniyog put the blame on Lokes a Babay. She said,
“If Lokes a Mama were well managed by a good wife, he could be a good husband
who could make a good living.”
The Sultan and Ba’i could not keep
from arguing, each one insisting at being right, until their argument resulted in
a serious quarrel. Each swore that he/she could reform the poor couple by
managing one of them. In the heat of their argument, the Sultan and the Ba’i of
Agamaniyog agreed to part ways.
The Sultan brought Lokes a Babay to
live with him and Ba’i sa Agamaniyog in turn went to live with Lokes a Mama.
Before she left the torogan (royal house), she said, “Someday Solotan sa
Agamaniyog will pick up the leftovers of Lokes a Mama.” The sultan smiled and
swore that, as long as he had the strength and the means, such an event would
not happen.
The Sultan offered his new companion
everything she wanted. Lokes a Babay demanded to have livers of a cow and
carabao to eat every day at every meal, and these were given her.
One day the Sultan of Balantankairan
came to visit. Solotan sa Agamaniyog was very embarrassed at the dry welcome
that Lokes a Babay showed his royal visitor. She served neither his visitor nor
him. It was at this time that he became convinced that Lokes a Babay was lazy
and capricious. He also realized that his wealth had gradually vanished.
Meanwhile, Ba’i sa Agamaniyog could
not even climb up the small hut of Lokes a Mama because it had no ladder. When
she told him to make one, Lokes a Mama answered that he had no tools. She said,
“You’re really silly. Why don’t you have any?” She gave him her knife and told
him to use twigs if that were what it would take to make a ladder. Once inside
the hut, Ba’i sa Agamaniyog told Lokes a Mama not to come near her, because in
reality she was not yet divorced from her husband but had only a temporary
arrangement with him. She asked him for food, but Lokes a Mama could not offer
any. She told him to gather ferns from the forest for dinner.
Ba’i sa Agamaniyog would often send
Lokes a Mama to the forest to gather plenty of firewood. Sitting by the window
one day, she saw a huge tree that stood out from the others. She asked Lokes a
Mama about it and learned that it was kaya-o sandana (sandalwood), a very
useful tree. She told him to cut down the tree, chop it to pieces, separate the
branches from the trunk, and store all the pieces under their hut.
The Sultan of Balantankairan was looking for sandalwood. Lokes sa Mama told him
about the sandana stored in his hut. He said that in Agamaniyog no one would
find such a tree except the one he had. The Sultan, very much interested, said
he was willing to pay any price provided there was enough sandalwood to fill
his boat. He said he was willing to leave behind all that he had in the boat,
including his seven maids and seven servants. Lokes a Mama immediately led the
Sultan to his stored sandalwood and the Sultan took all aboard his boat, paid
Lokes a Mama generously and left.
Ba’i sa Agamaniyog and Lokes a Mama
became rich. A beautiful torogan was soon erected, and Ba’i sa Agamaniyog
ordered two kanter (beds). She bought a sultan’s tobao (headdress) for Lokes a
Mama and changed his name to Maradiya Dinda. She was always surrounded by her
seven maids, and Lokes a Mama, now Maradiya Dinda, was always escorted by his
seven male servants.
One morning Solotan sa Agamaniyog
found a tobao and was told that it was Maradiya Dinda’s. Taking it with him, he
went up the torogan of Maradiya and saw him lying in bed like a sultan, while
on the side was his former wife, whose demeanor teasingly reminded him of the
good fortune they had before they were separated. Upon seeing him she said, “My
dear Solotan, do you remember when I said that someday you will pick up
leftovers from Lokes sa Mama?”
Blinded with tears, the Sultan
hardly found his way out and went home. He then became sickly and nearly died
from all his heartaches.
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