I got up from the bed to get ready for the upcoming important meeting that sir Nathaniel said. I hope that the president will not be there or he will just ruin my mood and I might not be able to control myself from causing a scene. Also, Sir Nathaniel mentioned that my cousin will be there, so I hope that I can clear some things up with him so that I'll be able to stay there again and stop bothering Sir Nathaniel.
I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready and mentally prepare myself if I ever do meet the most wretched man in existence. Just the thought of hearing his voice and seeing his hideously old face makes my blood boil.
As I head to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast for Sir Nathaniel and Francis, I noticed that the television was left open. It is broadcasting a message from the former senator or I guess the current senator Mr. Ben Inigo Atienza. I remember that he will get assassinated at an airport the moment that he landed. His death is what motivated his wife, Korlene Atienza, to start the great revolution that ousted the current president. The Atienza family will have a bad name and stigma in the present day because of the spread of misinformation and myths around them. Senator Ben Inigo is directly challenging and questioning the government system of the Fernandez regime through the television broadcast. No wonder why he got assassinated.
After some time, I finished making breakfast and set the table with fancy plates and silverware. I called sir Nathan to go eat and fetch Francis from his room and help him get to the table. The three of us gathered at the table and began to eat the breakfast that I cook.
"S-salamat po s-sir sa pagtulong nyo sakin." Francis said
"Walang ano man, sa susunod ay mag-iingat ka sapagkat masyadong maraming masasamang tao ang nasa paligid natin ngayon." Sir Nathaniel said
"Zach masarap ka magluto ha. Ngayon lang ako nakatikim ng ganito." Nathaniel said.
"Salamat po sir, natutunan ko lang yan sa nanay ko." I answered
"Asan nga pala ang magulang mo? bat sa pinsan mo pa ikaw nanunuluyan at hindi sa kanila?" he asked. My parents are not born yet in this time and technically I am still living at their house as it is the same house in the present, its just a little renovated.
"Ah sa may Cebu po kasi ako nakatira at magbabakasyon lang sana ako dito sa Manila kaso biglang nagkaroon ng Martial law kaya medyo mahirap makauwi." I lied.
"Gusto mo ihatid kita sa cebu? Sundalo naman ako at maspapadali ang pagpunta mo don."
"ah eh hindi na po, nakakahiya na po at madami nyo na naitulong sakin. At saka gusto ko po muna manirahan dito sa manila."
"Kung magbabago ang isip mo sabihin mo lang at ihahatid kita." he said with a genuine smile. His smile is so heartwarming to see it is so genuine and he looks cute while doing it.
"Nga pala sir, pede po ba ako sumama sa pagpupulong mamaya? Gusto ko po kasi ulit makausap ang pinsan ko bago lumalala ang lahat." I requested.
"Sige, pagtapos natin kumain ikaw ay magligpit at maghanda na." He agreed to my request.
"At baka nandun ang presidente, ipapayo ko lamang sayo na wag mong hayaan mauna ang iyong emosyon as iyo at maging sanhi ng eksena." He added.
"Opo sir. Ako ay magbebehave sa importanteng meeting mamaya." I said.
After he left, I helped Francis back to his room and also help him replace the bandages then gave him some medicine to aid his recovery. His wounds are so terrible that I personally don't think he can survive without professional medical help. But we can't send him to the hospital either as we can't risk him falling into the wrong hands. After all, the Fernandez has a lot of cronies and they definitely have a hold of everything in the Philippines including the hospitals. But maybe I can talk to Sir Nathaniel if he knows any trustworthy medical professional to help Francis.
As Francis went to go to rest, I went to go wash the dishes and clean the table. Then I went to the bedroom and wore a spare military uniform, it is quite large because Sir Nathaniel is a lot larger than me but it will do for now. Sir Nathaniel and I met up and went to the malacañang for the meeting. We were greeted by a lot of soldiers who seems to have high respect for Sir Nathaniel. I spotted my brother in the distance and we went to go sit in front of him.
"Pinsan? Ano ang ginagawa mo dito at bat kasama mo si General Lopez?" Juanico asked me.
"Ang pinsan mo ay sakin muna nanunuluyan, kami ay nagkakilala kahapon lang at sabi niya kailangan nya muna nag matutuluyan dahil kayo daw ay nag-away. Kaya ngayon ay sakin muna siya tumutungo." Sir Nathaniel answered for me.
"Patawad sa aking mga nasabi at nagawa pinsan, pero sana maintindihan mo na ginagawa ko lamang ang aking trabaho bilang sundalo. Sana ikaw na ay umuwi saking bahay at nakakahiya kay General Lopez na sa kaniya ka nanunuluyan eh hindi ka naman niya ka ano-ano." Juanico appologized to me.
"Naiintindihan ko naman na trabaho mo yon, pero sana mamulat ang mga mata mo sa mga injustices at sa mga kasakiman ng mga taong may kapangyarihan." I accidentally said that outloud causing most of the soldiers to glare at me.
"Paalala ko lang ulit sayo ang aking payo Zach, Huwag ka pagpadala sa iyong emosiyon." Sir Nathaniel whispered to me.
"Opo sorry po." I replied
"Ah tayo ay maghanda na at parating na nag presidente. At Juanico, sakin muna manunuluyan si Zach at madami pa akong ituturo sa kaniya" Sir Nathaniel defended me.
Moments later the president arrived. I can smell his evil stench from here and I can also sense his devilish aura and his greed for power and riches. He began briefing his plans and what he wants the soldier to do. Apparently, his wife, Meldy Fernandez, wants to build a film center right here in Manila for the "economy of the Philippines" and he needs a lot of workers as possible. If he truly wants the betterment of the Philippines' economy, maybe he should start by being not corrupt and keep stealing its riches.
"Kailgan ito matapos ng isang linggo, kaya ka-kailanganin natin ng madaming tao." He said.
"Isang linggo para matayo ang ganitong gusali? Parang napakaimposimble ng gusto mong mangyari!" I said.
"At ako ba ay iyong kinwekestiyon? Sino ka ba para may karapatan para kwestiyunin ang utos ng presidente!?" President Fernandez said. I can tell that everyone is looking at me with a lot of mixed emotions but mostly surprised. I noticed sir Nathaniel trying to calm me down but I didn't listen as the President's request is just too impossible. If he were to continue with this project, a lot of people can die as it is not safe to build a huge establishment in just a week.
"Sinasabi ko lang naman na hindi ligtas ang iyong gusto mangyari, madami tao ang pedeng mamatay sa proyektong ito!" I protested.
"At ano naman? ito ay sakripisyo lamang para sa ikabubutin ng ating bansa." He said. A lot of soldier were agreeing with the president and booing me. I can't belive that they are blindly following this guy to this extreme.
I stood up from my chair and slammed both of my hands on the table to assert my dominance.
"AT SINO KA PARA ISAKRIPISYO ANG BUHAY NG MGA PILIPINO!? HINDI MO BA ALAM NA ANG BUHAY NG BAWAT TAO AY MAHALAGA AT WALANG KATUMBAS!?" I said out of frustration.
"Ako ang presidente ng Pilipinas at alam ko ang nakakabuti sa bansa! Kaya ikaw na bata ka tumahimik ka nalang at wala kang alam!" I can tell that the president is getting mad, but I don't care at this point. Someone gotta stand up from the mouth of this spoiled president who is swimming in power.
"Oo Presidente ka ng Pilipinas, pero hindi ikaw ang may ari ng Pilipinas. Wala kang karapatan para isakripisyo ang buhay ng iyong mamayan para sa iyong selfish ambitions. At mas lalo kang walang karapatan gumamit ng dahas o ng kapangyarihan para patahimikin ang mga tao ng bansa na ito." I said sternly as I walked out of the meeting room slamming the door on my way out and into the coutyard of the malacañang to get some few breaths of air.
Welp, great job Zach, you did exactly what sir Nathaniel told you not to do and let your emotion get the hold of you. Now you made your president your enemy and now I have a huge target behind my back. I really messed up big time. I hope that the president won't send someone to beat me up or assassinate me.
"ZACH!"
BINABASA MO ANG
Love Letter From 1972
RomanceA young Filipino bisexual boy named Zach who is living in a household full of conservatives. His grandfather gave him his journal from 1972 a few days before he passed away peacefully. When Zach began reading the journal, he was transported to the p...
