dusk beneath the city lights | Buenvenidez Series #4 [COMPLETED]

8

"You should pack your things, Richela. Uuwi tayo sa Bicol ngayon.."

Kunot noo akong bumaling kay Mommy pagkatapos ng maikling tawag ni Caius sa akin. She was the one who sent me my dinner here at hindi ko inaasahan ang sasabihin niya sa akin.

"Hindi tayo mag-iibang bansa, Mommy? Uuwi lang tayo sa probinsya?" Tanong ko pa.

Mommy nodded ang smiled weakly as she sat beside me on my bed. Marahan niyang sinuklay at inayos ang buhok ko habang ang mga mata'y para sinasaulo ang bawat parte ng mukha ko.

"Is there something wrong?" I couldn't help but asked.

Mabilis na umiling si Mommy ngunit hindi ako nakumbinsi noon. Things are getting out of hands. First was Daddy's relationship with the Torreses, second was my connection with the Buenvenidezes and the last is this.. uuwi kami sa probinsya.. nang hindi ko alam kung bakit lalo na dahil wala namang ispesyal na okasyon.

"Just.. your dad's work.. we need to take a break from it for the mean time lalo na dahil malapit na ang eleksyon at mabigat ang kalaban ng partido ng Daddy mo.." Aniya.

"But hindi naman  tatakbo si Daddy since it's a presidential election right?" Tanong ko pa.

"Oo nga anak.. pero kita mo naman kung gaano kabusy ang daddy mo, hindi ba? This is stressful so we've decided to just spend the vacation in the province at saka nalang bumalik sa Manila kapag nagsimula na ulit ang klase mo.."

I stared at Mom. She then smiled to convince me but unfortunately, hindi talaga ako kumbinsido.

I've grown.. a lot.. kahit noong bata palang ako, alam ko na naman ang ilang bagay sa politika. I know it's not always safe.. based on experience since I was always almost kidnapped.. but right now, I just feel like our life are at sake behind those rifles and guns from the men of Daddy's apprentice in the party.. hindi ko makumbinsi ang sarili ko dahil pakiramdam ko ay may mali talaga..

At hindi nga ako nagkamali.

Right after we arrived in a far land my Dad owns in Bicol, I could see a lot of changes. Daddy asked me to not contact anyone in Manila for the whole week. It was quite hard, lalo na dahil bago ako umalis ng Manila ay palagi na akong tinatanong ni Faith at ang tanging nasasagot ko lang ay magbabakasyon kami.

All I know is that they're as worried as I am. Habang nagaalala sila sa akin dahil hindi nila ako makausap, ako naman ay nagaalala kay Daddy lalo na nang hindi ko sinasadyang marinig ang pagtatalo nila ni Mommy.

It was something about politics.. trafficking.. truth.. witnesses.. and ambush.. hindi ko masyadong maintindihan dahil medyo malayo sila at sarado ang pinto ng kwarto nila pero tanging takot lang ang namuo sa puso ko noong mga oras na 'yon.

Daddy for all I believed was the man who dedicate his life to work and who is passionate to help the community that's why he entered politics.. but then.. after hearing that he was involved in a trafficking and a witness to an ambush is just too much for me.. because how? How is he a witness? Hindi ko maalalang may ganoong pangyayari sa buhay namin noon.. I couldn't remember any single time where he was involved in a bloodbath.

Bawat araw na lumilipas sa probinsya, mas lalo lang akong natatakot sa mga hinaharap namin. At first, I thought it was just because I overthink a lot.. but when it goes by, I realized that the wrong and the chaos has came.

Dad was forced to resign from his position after a warrant of arrest regarding a drug trafficking that happened in NAIA just days ago and is currently under supervision, monitoring and suspension.. at hindi lang siya.. kung hindi ang buong pamilya namin.

It was a whole week of fear about what could go wrong the next days.. Nakakatakot dahil wala parin akong masyadong alam. Mommy didn't want to disclose anything until we ge broader protection from our men. Kaso nga lang, hindi ko na rin mapigilan ang sarili kong mapatanong.