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Chapter 24 Tessa´s childhood days
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2021-12-10 00:13:23Tessa Lopez’s childhood days never suffered economic downturns in spite of the national crisis. A good paediatrician, his father had a stable practice that never ran out of patients. He was a doting and devoted father who saw to it that his family had the best of everything. Her mother was once a model. So that in her married life, she did nothing but to spend all her time at the beauty parlour, which her father tolerated. The only responsibility she felt she had to do was to see that all of Tessa’s needs were fully met.
Oftentimes, Tessa’s mother would treat her to an ice cream sundae at Greenbelt Mall. They would take a walk around and shop. When her mother saw that she was tired, she would bring her to the ice cream parlour at the side of the mall.
Thus, they sat at a table by the glass window one afternoon. Young Tessa licked her ice cream at the sides to stop it from flow
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That night after the party, JC went home in Tommy’s car. On the way, he praised him for having a lovely family. He chose to be dropped at the corner so that he could walk toward his apartment building. While on his way, his intuition told him something inexplicable, out of the ordinary, was about to happen. A sudden sense of foreboding washed over him and a vague and uneasy vibrating chill rose up in his body. It was his daily meditations that had sharpened his third eye and enabled him to see what was coming. He was already at the lobby when he decided to go somewhere else, away from his condo, so he turned back. Just as he was about to go out of the building, he noticed a black sedan car that was parked about a few yards from the entrance. Its presence would have been imperceptible if the windows weren’t tinted dark. This alone raised his suspicions. He could make out the movements of two men inside.
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AFTER hours and hours on the road, JC believed that they were driving inward toward a plantation. The car chugged slowly when it entered a narrow dirt road. Its headlights threw dark shadows of the tall sugar cane at the sides. He looked back and he was blinded by dust recoiling upwards. Some blocked their view, so it was necessary to drive slowly to avoid swerving out of the road. The summer house was hidden completely and one who was unfamiliar could easily be lost in the dark. From this dusty road, the car slipped out into yet another mile of the dusty road leading to a house with an iron gate. It was a mansion by local standards. Surrounding it was the plantation that made it a dot from a far distance. It was one of those houses made of bricks and strong logs in the heart of nowhere, a complete hideaway, hidden from the rest of the world by tall sugarcane. JC saw a middle-aged man coming to
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He suddenly screeched the car to a halt. He made a c-turn, hoping it wasn’t too late. He stepped on the accelerator. He decided to take the risks and directed the car back to his apartment. They only knew Tommy’s Ford Escort, not the Beetle he was driving. Cruising on it at night was still safe. Finally, he was back in Makati, and now was hovering in the vicinity of his apartment. The car sputtered to a stop. He waited for any unusual movements. Left and right he scanned the streets. Not a soul to suspect. He opened the door of the Beetle, stepped onto the pavement, and crossed the street. Darkness became his faithful ally. The hallway was eerily empty and silent. The peculiarity of silence bothered him, but this barely deterred him from pursuing what he returned for. Almost on tiptoe, JC dashed for his condo, pushed open the door, and got inside. He knew it. Papers were all over the floor, the chairs
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The rain got stronger, the waiting was never-ending and the minutes seemed long. Twenty minutes passed and he was still waiting. The barking of dogs in the distance told him he was still alive. What brought me here? It’s my job. There must still be other reasons. He was sure. Then he heard a car approaching. It was Tessa. She came from the corner, rounded the curb then stopped below the neon sign. He checked to make doubly sure it was her and ran as fast as he could limping, got inside shivering with cold, then passed out. After ten minutes he woke up to the sound of Tessa’s car. “I’m bringing you to the hospital,” she said. He pleaded. “Please, no Tessa. That would not be smart. It would expose you to danger. If they caught up with me, they would start questioning. Eventually, this would lead them to you.” He was struggling
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THE Toyota revved then chugged when it hit rocky roads. JC was thankful it had a tight suspension, the bumps felt bearable under his butt, giving him little discomforts with his aching shoulder, even on potholed roads. He forced himself to get rest but the droning of the engine kept him awake all the time. This reminded him of the dull sound of the airplane, which was familiar. He was a patient lot but miles and miles on the road made Tommy notice that he was hurting. The way was paradise under the sun, with infinite lines of coconut trees along the way. Sea breeze came through the open window. It was a perfect combination of climate and scenery. On the right were the green mountains. On their left was the warm Pacific current. In spite of all the splendid view, JC found no time to appreciate all of them. Weakness and pain were making him delirious and hallucinations came in in
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Tessa cut the cantaloupe into squares and rectangles, and then served herself. She sipped her coffee. After three days of having breakfast with JC, an empty longing had crept up into her being. She was lonely. She asked herself what falling in love meant. She realized little why it was happening to her, gradually, in a wonderful way. Day after day, her feelings for him grew deeper and deeper. Then she started recalling the whys and wherefores. First, was how he reminded her every day how special she was. It was how he said it that she was enthralled, mesmerized by his words. Nobody could have done it better than the way he penetrated into her being. Second, was the way he delighted her with his stories, remembering how she laughed and laughed at some simple human frailties that he skillfully wove and crafted into interesting anecdotes.
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As soon as Tommy reached the Time’s office, he called New York. He had been expecting JC to be in touch with him. The following day, lunchtime, he still heard nothing from him. It was not likely of him to be silent for a long time. It was understandable though, considering that along the way in the provinces there weren’t many telephones available, even private ones. That was the reason he failed to call. But they had agreed that as often as he could, he would tell him where he was. What was taking him so long? Not after lunch and into the dusk of the first day, for in any restaurants or stores along the way, he should be able to call. He was already starting to suspect something had happened. He called New York for the second time to inform them of his disappearance. When Tommy came out of the Time’s bureau after office work, two military men picked
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BUNGLED EPILOGUE
The ambulance in the street was blaring. It was midnight and Gen Ver had no notion as to how this was coming to him. He sat alone in the shadows of his lonely apartment, in exile. No more men to order, no more leaders to follow. You were a loyal soldier . . . a great survivor. A voice came from somewhere inside his mind. Yes, he mused with a cynical smile. I've been a loyal one through and through - but loyalty turned zilch once I lost everything including the honor that I guarded so much. I'd rather die now with honor than to live in the shadow of disgrace. And disgrace hung over his head. He had bungled the plan to eliminate the senator in a very disgraceful way. There was no doubt he deserved to be hanged, to be ridiculed. His intentions had been patriotic, but nothing had gone as he had planned. There had been trials, accusations, and public outrage. He had served the strong man with honor
BUNGLED Chapter 59 His last visit to the Raj Guru
Hindu hermitage, Himalayas, Nepal. After the wedding celebration, when relatives and friends were preparing to return to their respective homes, JC found time to swing back to the Ashram. He hardly had the chance to talk with the raj guru when there were so many people around during the celebration. He thought that it would not only be a simple parting and saying goodbyes but to be alone with him for the last time. He went there the day following the party. Tessa wanted to be with him and he didn't want to leave her behind. When they stepped into the temple, a certain kind of awe struck him anew. There was a fresh and deafening stillness around. It was unusually strange to be in a place that had amazingly reverted to its usual silence and stillness after the raucous celebration. Suddenly he heard the murmuring of the waters in the river and the sound of silence. All memorie
BUNGLED Chapter 58 The wedding
Himalayas, Nepal. Having the civil wedding in the States was practically out of the question due to the paperwork involved and the visa processing which would have extended it longer. So, they went back to Makati to do it there in one of the courts, in a simple civil ceremony, witnessed by only two required relatives or friends. Then the religious imbroglio came to the scene. There was so much fuss over which religion they should celebrate their wedding ceremony in. Finding a common ground was contentious if not difficult. Tessa Lopez was Roman Catholic and JC's family went to the Evangelical church. To top it all, JC was agnostic. It was tough trying to meet in the middle. After several discussions and deliberations, they ended up having it on neutral ground. And that was to celebrate it in a simple rite in the Himalayas, Nepal. Tessa's parents had eventually given in to
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His father's house was a two-story modern building in a classy part of Norwalk. On the ground floor was Doctor Martin's clinic, where he practiced his medicine. They lived on the first floor. The open concept living room was wide and painted white with Renaissance paintings on the wall. The armchairs and the sofa were expensively furnished with upholstery from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Protruding at the back was an elegant glass-covered veranda where the family could frolic in summer. They had dinner in the open air with French wine. Doctor Martin prepared barbecue while Joan was in the kitchen with the salad and dessert. Marinated meat had been taken out and laid for barbecuing. Jacky, Tessa, and JC were seated around the table, chatting and drinking red wine, waiting to be served their first plate. There was Dionne Warwick music from a stereo inside the house that accompanied their celebration.
BUNGLED Chapter 56 Their next date
JC was triumphant when Tessa agreed to go out with him again. They had dinner and a little stroll. Without fear of any ramifications or punishments from the palace, now she was more confident that nobody would stand in their way when the reason for her rejection existed no more. After dinner, they promenaded along the bay freely. It was a beautiful evening; The sky was cloudless and the full moon shone brightly. The beach was calm and they were walking hand in hand as if they alone existed in the world. The bay was uniquely enchanting. “I used to come here with my dad and mom. We used to have picnics and they'd tell me stories. They called this place the 'Riviera of Broken Dreams'. They had secret names for every place we used to go. “Why the 'Riviera of Broken Dreams'?” he asked. “They said many disappointments in love are poured out here.
BUNGLED Chapter 55 Celia and Jeanie
Most of the guerrillas in the Cordilleras laid down their arms and started moving back to the city. A handful of them was transformed by the episode, their lives redirected. The change had come and it was time for them to move on with their own lives. The monster had gone. Becky Roberts went back to her province. She might go back to the university and take up Political Science or try to apply for vacancies in the pharmaceutical sector. Celia decided that she too should come back. With Rosemarie gone, she lost hope of staying in the Cordilleras. Jeanie was the reason for her to continue. Tucked by her side, she appeared on Rosemarie's mother's doorsteps for the first time. Shy as she was to show herself, she gathered all her strength for Jeanie. She knew beforehand that there will be an emotional encounter in the beginning. “I am Celia, Rosemarie's sister-in-law and this is
BUNGLED Chapter 54 Tessa´s invitation
At the hospital, they were all huddled around the bed, JC, Tommy, Carlo, Enlightened, Freedom, and Eloisa´s husband. They congratulated her for having a successful delivery. JC brought a bunch of roses, Carlo some chocolates, and Tommy a box of pizza. Then the nurse came in holding the baby in her hand. “She´s a baby girl,” exclaimed Carlo. “Then, what are we going to name her?” asked Tommy. “How about Voice?” retorted Freedom. “Let´s just make it simple and common, like Maria,” smiled Eloisa´s husband. All of them agreed to simplicity. They said that the child would probably have difficulties in writing it down. And her friends might have some difficulties in remembering it. Then, after a while another nurse came in, she announced, “Doctor Lopez gave this to me. It´s for Mr.
BUNGLED Chapter 53 Love´s first enounter
JC left at once, not knowing what would come next. He took the left-wing of the building and out onto the parking space. On turning the aisle to the left, his heart jumped when he sees her face. He asked himself, is this Tessa? Is she real? Yes, it was her. She was wearing a white uniform with a stethoscope hanging on her neck coming his way. She looked the same and was ever lovely. He stopped in his tracks. He was unable to take away his eyes from her demure face, wanting to watch her eternally, his joy matching his desire. She slowed her walking on seeing him and her face lit up. She stood there unmoving, not knowing what to do. As he gazed at her his longing shot through him in the same way as it always did when she was near. Three years had passed and he had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted her. It seemed she was even more beautiful than ever. In that instant, she was all he had desired.
BUNGLED Chapter 52 JC´s return
The chief editor’s door was closed. Outside, the other workers were wondering about what was going on inside the office. Through the glass window, they could only guess what the fracas was about. JC jumped to his feet, paced then sat down again. He was firm in his stand. What they saw was his hand jabbing in the air to explain something. Even Kate couldn’t make out what it was all about. “It’s me who should go, Mr. McMillan,” he said, insisting. Mr. McMillan remained seated, calm, and cradling a pipe in his hand. “Look JC. There’s a group there who’s after you. And I don’t want you to be harmed.” “I assure you nothing will happen to me, besides the reason has already disappeared. More than two years had passed. Despite the evidence, all those responsible got an acquittal. What is there for them now to go after me?” He blew smoke
