TNP's 1st One-Shot Story Writing Contest Pt. 2

Entry #135

Impediment

by annie

It was another boring evening, rain lightly drizzling outside. I quickly went towards my television set, as I always do, to turn it on and watch the news. I overslept! I hope I wasn't late for the headlines!

"Justice served as Atty. Emmanuel Villareal won Madrigal's controversial case." the newscaster stated.

I smiled to myself; that kind of smile that says I knew you could do it. I knew this man is capable of achieving such things, and he deserves every bit of it.

Once again, I felt that familiar pain on my chest as I remembered the bittersweet memories that I tried so hard to forget for years now.

~

Back in college, Emmanuel Villareal, called Emman by his close friends, wasn't the studious type. You could tell that I was his opposite; the typical grade-conscious student.

"Argh! How did you even get a perfect score despite of having no review?" I would always complain right after any examination or quiz.

As usual, Emman would always laugh at my rants. Despite being the easy-going type, he always managed to be on the Dean's Lister. And he would always tell me to enjoy the moment while it lasts.

"Ms. Valencia, you won't need advanced reading if you are the great Emmanuel Villareal!" he said cockily, in a joking manner.

We've been the best of friends since we were little and our families are quite close, too. As cliché as it sounds, we became officially together right before entering college.

We both passed the entrance examination for our dream university and the both of us took up Accountancy. No, we did not talk about our desired degree; but we share almost all the same interests.

Our relationship was a rollercoaster ride for the both of us. We had encountered bumps and conflicts but we were able to talk things out and prevent those from becoming worse.

We were in our third year in college when I realized that I never actually asked him about his plans for the future.

It was a cloudy afternoon; we were sitting at a park bench as we watch the children play with the skies turning to orange. The wind causes his hair to sway slowly, and I could tell that he really looks good.

"Why did you take up Accountancy?" I asked randomly.

"I wanted to be a lawyer, CPA lawyer to be exact. Just how cool would that be?" he answered with much enthusiasm.

"My childhood dream was to become a lawyer. I always dreamt of helping people who were deprived of justice. I wanted to be a public defendant, a lawyer for the poor. I had always seen injustices every single day, and it breaks my heart when no one likes to stand up for the unfortunate just because they could not afford legal fees. In this unfair society, if no one dares, then who will speak up for them? The difference in the citizens' life status isn't helping at all. A corrupt politician can get away easily from his wrongdoings, while a beggar accused of shoplifting will not be heard at all. That's why I always have this strong urge of helping people in defending their rights, defending their sides." as he said those, I saw his eyes glistened because of passion.

"But right now, going to law school is out of my plans." he added, which caused me shock.

"Why not proceed to law? I know you'll do great!" I encouraged him.

I can almost picture him sitting behind a pile of papers, reviewing cases, and standing in a platform to defend his client.

"Hmm. Good question, Lorraine. Taking up law means studying for ten years or so, and I don't have all the time in the world to do that. I don't want to be thirty years old on my first paycheck." he chuckled as he said those.