The First Member

"Sandali lang!" Malakas na sigaw ng isang lalaki habang nagmamadaling hinabol si Enola. Patuloy naman na naglakad palabas ng café ang dalaga na tila walang nadinig.

Alam naman ni Enola na siya ang tinatawag ng binata pero wala siyang balak na makipag-usap dito. Siguro nga may potensyal ito sa case solving pero walang plano si Enola na kumuha ng taong walang tiwala sa deductions niya.

May pakiramdam siya na hihingi ito ng pabor para tulungan niya na maging isang detective. Ngayon palang alam na ni Enola na dapat siyang umiwas dito.

Sa totoo lang kailangan na ding bumuo ng grupo ni Enola. May misyong iniwan sa kaniya ang matanda at hindi niya gustong biguin ito. Ngunit alam din niyang hindi siya pwedeng kumuha ng mahinang miyembro dahil baka ito pa ang maging dahilan para pumalpak ang imbestigasyon.

"Sandali, sandali!" Mabilis namang tinabig ni Enola ang kamay ng binata. "Pasensya na. Ako nga pala si Joshua Gomez, isa kang detective tama?" Tanong nito.

"Tapos?" Agad na pambabara ni Enola dito. Malaki nga siguro ang potensyal nito when it comes to observation pero natatabunan ito ng mga pag-aalinlangan niya at 'yon ang ayaw ni Enola.

"Ano kasi... gusto ko sanang maging isang detective. Kulang ako sa karanasan at tiwala sa sarili. Matapos ang dalawang taon akala ko ayos na ko sa buhay na mayroon ako pero patuloy na kumakatok ang mga kaso--"

Tinalikuran na siya agad ng dalaga bago pa man niya matapos ang tinuturan dahilan para maputol ang kaniyang pagsasalita.

Dali-dali itong tumakbo sa harapan ni Enola at pilit na nakipagharangan dito na parang isang bata.

"Ano ba?" Iritableng sigaw ng dalaga. Buo ang boses nito at magkasalubong ang dalawang kilay dahilan para kabahan si Joshua. Lumunok ito ng matindi bago magpatuloy.

"Tulungan mo kong maging detective." Mariing sabi nito. Napabuntong hininga na lamang si Enola at napahawak sa kaniyang batok.

Hindi ito ang unang beses na may kumausap sa kaniya para magpatulong. What's common to these kind of people is that they are just detective wanna be. Yung tipong gusto lang ng thrill sa buhay, yung akala ata sa mundo ng krimen ay isang playground.

Crime solving is not for those kids who just want to play like a detective. This job comes with a great responsibility and danger. If you cannot accept that reality better not to dive yourself into it.

"Tingin mo ba laro ang crime solving hah? If you just want to play as if you're Holmes, mas mabuti kung magteatro ka nalang. Buhay ang nakataya sa pagiging isang detective at ang pag-aalinlangan mo ay isang malaking redflag sa propesiyong ito."

Malinaw sa binata ang ibig sabihin ni Enola. Makailang beses na din niya itong narinig mula sa mga taong nakapaligid sa kaniya.

Pamilya, kaibigan, kaklase, kapitbahay, kahit nga ang mga guro niya noon.

Ito ang dahilan kung bakit nahihirapan siyang pagkatiwalaan ang kaniyang sarili.

Sa totoo lang, matagal na niyang tinanggal sa kaniyang isipan ang pagiging isang detective kahit pa na sigurado siyang iyon ang nais niya. Subalit nakakita siya ng pag-asa ngayong araw, isang pag-asa na siguradong pagsisisihan niya kung hindi siya kikilos.

"Alam ko naman 'yon kaya nga humihingi ako sayo ng tulong."

"Kung gusto mo pala 'tong ipagpatuloy bakit di mo ginawa sa nakalipas na dalawang taon?" 

Tila nakuha ng pusa ang dila ng binata dahil sa katanungang iyon. Hindi naman dahil hindi niya alam ang kasagutan kung hindi dahil alam niyang ang isasagot niya ay isa lamang rason.

Duwag siya at hinayaan na diktahan ng mga taong nakapaligid sa kaniya, yon lang yon. Isang malalim na buntong hininga ang pinakawalan ng dalaga bago magpatuloy.

"Alam mo, lahat ng tao pwedeng maging detective. Isa ka sa lahat ng 'yon pero kung hindi ka titigil sa mga duda mo sinasayang mo lang ang abilidad mo. Kung ganyan din lang, mabuting magpatuloy ka nalang sa negosyo mo." 

Enola started walking away and ignoring that surprised look on his face. She doesn't care if he got hurt by her words. She is just stating facts anyway. If he got hurt, go home and cry, she thought to herself.

Back then, Enola also thinks that because she have the same name as Holmes' sister, she also needs to be a great detective. She thought that being a detective is as easy as eating your packed lunch.

Until realization hit her. Life is the most complicated mystery of all times. It comes with great surprises and conflicts that might too much overwhelming for us. We need to take it seriously or just be dumb forever.

Enola have lost people along her journey from a simple kid into being a detective. Regardless if you are a normal citizen or a detective, you cannot avoid losing someone and in her case, crimes never left her. She lost her whole family and now the one who showed her the true father figure, Adonis.

She is determined to catch that criminal and whatever it takes she knew to herself that she will take it. She is even willing to die just for the sake of justice.

Mourning is over, its time to get her feet back to the track and it will begin on finding the team.

"But where on Earth can I find the right people?" She asked in frustration as she started scratching her head.

To her surprised, Joshua appeared in front of her again. 

"How persistent? But I must tell its not enough for me to give you what you want." She uttered.

"I will be a detective." He said full of determination. "My deductions are always correct, I just didn't see it before and I am changing that today."

Enola smiled and breathe deeply. This is determination, a burning passion, commitment and risk taking. How could she say no?

"Alright, what if we played some games young man?" She asked. "Try if you could find me. Once you did, you're in."

Joshua was left there, confused. He doesn't know what she is talking about until she hopped on her motorcycle and leave the place. 

"Sh*t!" He finally realized it. "Does she mean I have to literally find her?" He asked panickly.

Now he is lost. He doesn't know where to start so how could she even find her. Suddenly he remembered her plate number and luckily he have pen with him.

 

He immediately jot it down at the bottom part of his shirt. He was about to leave when he saw the small note on the ground. 

"Look ahead? Ahead of what?" He asked himself.

Isang mabilis na kotse ang nadaan sa harapan nito at nilipad ang maliit na papel. It was heading straight to the downside. 

"Right!" 

Joshua finally realized it. This road that Enola took, is a one way street and the end line of it is graveyard unless she have turned left on the intersection.

But the note said to look ahead. This might be an implication for Joshua to just keep going and look what is in front of him. 

"But is it really possible? Why would she go into a graveyard? What if I got it wrong? What if the notes implies something diff--" He realized something for the second time around. It wasn't a note to serve just as a simple clue to where she is but rather a reminder.

Joshua always tend to dwell in the past. Experiencing discrimination and humiliation from the people just because they think his dream is dumb, leaves a great impact on him.

He forgot to look ahead and missed his opportunities to pursue what he really loves. He keeps on hesitating, he keeps on looking behind him, where in fact he just need to look ahead.

He slowly move his feet and started running. This might be a piece of cake to anyone but for a person who always have second thoughts this is one of the hardest thing he ever face.

This is his true challenge, not to find Enola but finding himself. If he wants to be a detective, he must started to trust himself and be decisive, for crime will not solve itself, it is the detective's job.

Enola smiled as she sat down on the grass near her grandfather's gravestone. She knew he will get it, finally he got it.

Hingal na hingal na tinakbo ni Joshua ang kinaroroonan ng dalaga. He keep catching his breath abnormally as he hold to his chest. 

"Alam mo kung ano pa yung mali mo?" Tanong nito. "You don't know how to use your resources. May sasakyan naman bakit ka tumakbo? Adik ka ba? Ang tagal mo tuloy. Kung krimen 'to malamang natakasan ka na ng kriminal."

 

Joshua breathe deeply and smiled. "Wala kasi akong pera." Then he laughed. 

Enola suddenly remembered that he followed her earlier with just himself alone. Enola sighed and smiled on the clouds. She finally found the first member.