Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Being in jail is no walk in the park. Hardened criminal were caged like animals. Caged animals constantly fought for respect. Everybody wants to subdue each other. But Angelo learned the tricks early on. To be respected, you have to fought back.

The first few days was a nightmare for him. Boredom almost crushed his sanity. Every punches he received in every fight almost destroy his limb and soul. He attributed his suffering to Arnald Lopez. His father that was never been. In his childhood he already despised the man.

After that first meeting with his father’s wife and child, he tried to get back to the condominium and watch them from a far. Once or twice, he saw his father and the girl getting out of the car. The girl was well dressed and seems so happy with her father. Not like him. He usually suffered hunger in his childhood. His shirt and pants rugged and old. A total contrast.

In Angelo’s mind, Arnald Lopez was a man without conscience. How can he dumped his mother and marry another woman? Abandoned him as a child. Delivered him to so much sufferings. And deliver him in jail. Cage like animal. Fighting for his life in every essence of it.

His reverie was disturbed by sudden commotions. A new arrival was being taunted by the inmates. It was a practice to welcome new arrival thru baptism of fire. There are at least twenty inmates in the cell. Everyone punch the new comers. The inmates became irritated when the new arrival never answer their questions. They perceived such action as sign of arrogance. The new comer's face was already swollen and flowing with blood. Trying to evade all punches but to no avail.

The new comer uttered incoherent words with pleading gesture. Angelo immediately came to conclusion that the new arrival was not a Filipino. The language is like those spoken by the Chinese in the china town.

“Stop! “Angelo said with authoritative voice. “Are you planning to kill him?”

Angelo had already gained respect from other inmates. His words is lethal and can subdued even the most hardened criminal.

“He is so arrogant and never answered us." One inmate aswered back.

Angelo punch the one who answered back in the stomach. The man lurked in pain.

“Stupid! He answered back. Problem was you are all stupid and could not understand what he was saying.”

Angelo turned to the new comer who was in too much pain. Blood flowed from broken nose. “Are you pinoy?” he asked.

The new comer uttered a word and move the head from left to right to signify “No”

“See. He could not understand you because he doesn't know our language.” Angelo said to other inmates. “Look at his eyes. It looks like chinese to me.”

“Ask him boss if what is his crime."

“Okay but from now on, he will be under my protiction. Are we clear?” Angelo firmly said ignoring what the other inmate said.

The man hold Angelo’s hand then clasp both hands and bowed as a gesture of thanks and respect.

“You go to that bed.” Angelo commanded at the new arrival and point the double deck bunk bed on the opposite side.

The new arrival immediately followed Angelo and utter foreign words again. Angelo felt something mysterious about the man. For weeks the man has no visitors. Angelo ask the guard about the man’s crime but even them has no explanation. They hinted that the man’s crime was related to drug trafficking. A crime despised by Angelo so he begun to keep his distance at first. But the man is always following him where ever he went in the compound.

“Le Fong.” The man constantly said to Angelo, pointing to his chest. Angelo predicted that it was the man’s name so he called him Le Fong. They tried to communicate thru sign language. Until he begun to like the man.

Until one day, Le Fong got a visitor. A lawyer and a woman. The woman was pretty and her feature shows royalty. The lawyer was a Filipino. Le Fong and the woman talk for a while and then turned to Angelo. Uttered a foreign word which he could not understand.

“She said, Thank you.” The lawyer interpreted.

Angelo flashed his timid smile and said, “What crime he was in, Attorney?”

The Pinoy lawyer introduced himself as Atty. Jack Bien. Angelo learned that Le Fong was a victim of mistaken identity. He was Vietnamese and was just visiting as tourist. But because Le Fong cannot speak English the arresting officers, filed a case against him as drug trafficker.

“They were looking for chinese drug courier, incidentally they found Le Fong and was traded as PALIT ULO.” The lawyer furthr explained.

PALIT ULO is a modus of some crooked police to show off their accomplishment and to declare cases as closed. Presenting dummies like Le Fong and freed the guilty in exchange for money.

“This man is so pitiful." The lawyer said. "The family was looking for him for long time. That woman is his sister. They never stop until they got leads where Le Fong was lock up. But it took them months before they found where Le Fong was. 

That day Le Fong was freed. Angelo thought about his situation. Like Le Fong he was also a victim of crooked elements of Police Force. He was framed with a crime he did not commit. Robbery and murder was his case. Planted evidence and fabricated testimonies brought him to jail. He later on learned that the frame up was orchestrated by police officer who wanted him out from the operation and replaced by the officer’s crooked men.

But again, deep inside he believed that it was his father who brought him to jail. If he was not abandoned, maybe he finished schools and have a better life. Not like this. Time will come. Time for reckoning. His anger towards his father constantly grow as sufferings filed up.

Be ready Arnald Lopez, I will get back to you. Very soon.

One day Angelo received an unexpected visitor. Le Fong was with a man his age. The man introduced himself as Han Le.

“Le Fong was my younger brother.” Han Le continued in straight English, a language that Angelo understand. “He said thank you for protecting him during his time here.”

“So you speak English. Why is it that Le Fong can’t?” Angelo asked a little intrigued.

“I lived in America for quite sometimes. But now I am in our country to take over our family business.” Han Le narrated.

“Thank you for your visit.”

“Don’t thank us yet. I have a proposal for you.”

Angelo was puzzled but said no words.

“Le Fong told me how tough you are. I want you to work with me. I need people like you?”

“How could I, I am in jail and my sentence is life.”

“Don’t worry, we will do something about it. As far as I knew you are just framed.”

In a month Angelo was freed. He later on learned that Han Le had pulled some strings in the bureaucracy. He later learned that Han Le was an influential leader in their country. His family was actually very rich with lots of business interest. Among them is export. Angelo learned the trade until he was assigned as point man handling all transaction in the Philippines.

Just a few years, Angelo gained his millions and his reputations as businessman. He learned the trade well. His experienced in the underworld before help him to delivered all their exported goods to the Philippines from agricultural products, textiles and almost everything. He became the master of pulling strings from every office he dealt with. He learned that everybody has his price. Money can buy everything.

He acquired properties in both countries. He immersed to business and social circle. His good looks and wit, are his passport to enter even in the very illusive circle of elites. The world of his father and his brothers and sisters.

By this time, he had already known everything about his despised family. His research was thorough with the help of the private investigator he hired. He had already found out about the other siblings. And he promised to himself that he will bring them down one by one. He will introduce to them the true meaning of sufferings. The sufferings he suffered from being abandoned.

Among his brothers and sisters, Samantha was the most visible in the social circle. Being an international model, she was always featured in magazines and newspapers. It was easy for Angelo to bump and befriend Samantha.

He was amazed how the little girl he saw when he was seven years old turned into a beautiful gorgeous lady.

He was almost tempted to bring Samantha to bed with him. Her beauty was really exceptional. Her pretty face was almost angelic and her body was so appealing. He had already gone to bed with many pretty girls in countries he visited but Samantha was really different. There are nights he woke up fantasizing Samantha. He almost jerked off thinking Samantha making love to him. And the temptations even grew stronger as time went by.

He made his way to meet her in one of the fashion shows in New York and they actually dated a couple of time but everything just ended in dinner. When Samantha invited him to escort her during her father’s birthday, Angelo felt that fang inside him. At last he will personally meet Don Arnald Lopez and his other brothers and sisters.

Sleep was not easy that night. Angelo remembered the events and how he played along with his brother’s and sister, especially Samantha who is so pretty with her red gown. She played well as his girlfriend, and as he smelled that scent from her almost brings his erection.

His excitement grows stronger as he plotted his plans in his mind. He smiled and wonder how Don Arnald feel when he destroyed his lovely daughter Samantha.

It’s payback time.