. Eventhough she has not spoken a word to Consuelo, except for the words “O kui” she called to her face, Mei Lu automatically assumes that she tried to kill Manuel, who was actually saved through Consuelo’s psychic abilities, and is only after Manuel’s money, which is not as much as Mei Lu thinks at all. In contrast, Consuelo’s character is not one which is racially prejudiced. It is said in the story that Consuelo chose to break tradition to be able to heal the “Oriental person”, Manuel. Although her mother-in-law is very much different from her, and not to mention cold to her, she whole-heartedly accepts this old lady as her mother-in-law, even as her own filial mother. Her character’s psychic ability contributes a lot in reinforcing the theme of the story. Just like a person is said to have a higher soul beneath the physical plane, one’s character cannot be seen by merely looking on the physical appearance. In effect, Ong seems to be telling us that the “invisible blockage” causing Mei Lu’s sickness is actually her racial prejudice, which is also hindering her acceptance of Consuelo. The use of contemporary language throughout the story is telling us that although the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the black slaves was made by Abraham Lincoln more than a hundred years ago, we have kept racial segregation quite intact. The story is set at a time when Cathay Pacific and other airline companies already bring people to their desired destinations, not when black slaves were compressed like canned sardines in a ship to be transported and sold in Europe. There are already such terms as illegal logging, labor costs and people, regardless of race, are supposedly entitled to equal rights. It is an age where the names Sonia Braga, Robin Padilla, PBA, Jaworski, and the wrestling world’s Roberto Duran are associated with entertainment, an...
