Juan Tamad (Lazy John)

Every day, in the morning, the whole town would hear Juan’s mother shouting. “Lazy Juan! Get uuuuup! Lazy Juan, it’s almost noon!”

Even if the sun was already up high, Juan would still be snoring in bed. He could not be relied on to work inside and outside their home. Whenever he was asked to do something, Juan would have an excuse. “My feet hurt, Mother,” he would say when asked to fetch water from the jar. “My hands are numb, “he would say when asked to wash dishes. So Juan would end up sitting around the whole afternoon.

Every afternoon, Juan would lie down under the tree and just gape around. “When will you change?”

Even their pet rooster would wonder. “Why are you so lazy, Juan?”

Source: Lampara Books (Manila, Philippines)