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Chapter 24 Tessa´s childhood days
Tessa 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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BUNGLED Chapter 25 The chase begins
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.
BUNGLED Chapter 26 His escape
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
BUNGLED Chapter 27 Alone on the road
On the same day, when the sun dipped to a close, they started their journey in different directions. Tommy headed back to the city while JC drove south. JC was relieved to have found a way out, still, he was in a quandary. His mind was hard in recalling one important thing he had left at the condo. The tape was with him, his wallet, identification, and credit cards. What was it that he forgot? JC had gone for miles. The humming of the motor would have made him sleepy, but his adrenalin won’t let him. It kept pumping on to keep him awake, giving him the boost to keep going. At the same time, he was ever on the lookout for his pursuers. With only a map to guide him, the world seemed an interminable vastness. He did not pray for deliverance for he believed in no miracles. Instead, he prayed for Tommy’s safety. JC knew something was missing without which it wo
BUNGLED Chapter 28 His passport
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
BUNGLED Chapter 29 Tessa Lopez
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
BUNGLED Chapter 30 The long trip to safety
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
BUNGLED Chapter 31 Love deepens
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.
BUNGLED Chapter 32 Under Tessa´s care
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
BUNGLED Chapter 59 His last visit to the Raj Guru
BUNGLED Chapter 58 The wedding
BUNGLED Chapter 57 Tessa´s visit to the States
BUNGLED Chapter 56 Their next date
BUNGLED Chapter 55 Celia and Jeanie
BUNGLED Chapter 54 Tessa´s invitation
BUNGLED Chapter 53 Love´s first enounter
BUNGLED Chapter 52 JC´s return
