The evacuation was carried out like a forensic military
operation as Brian commanded his troops.
“I need everyone to gather their stuff and get into single
file along center line of the basketball court.”
Although they looked like a rag-tag bunch, they were an
orderly group, standing at attention and awaiting their next orders.
“There’s not enough room for all of us to go in one trip, so
we’ll split into two groups. Everyone in the second group just sit tight and
we’ll be back for you as soon as we can.”
Brian walked the line, making sure every one and every thing
was in order. As he did, Joy and Jose stood at the back of the line. They each
carried twice their own weight. as anyone else. Still, both managed to stand at
full attention.
“Ten hut, privates.”
Joy and Jose gave Brian full salutes. Brian winked at Joy,
but she kept a soldier’s grim face.
“At ease, private. You’ll be shipping off in the second
run.”
At the moment that Joy let out her breath, a cascade of
things fell from her pack and made a clatter on the concrete floor around her.
“Sor-reeee!” she exclaimed.
Brian bent down and helped Joy pick up her things and Joy
flashed her smile.
“Thank you so much, Brian.”
“It’s alright, doodlebug. Wait here and we’ll be back as
soon as possible, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Rosie will be here if you need anything.”
Brian jumped into his minivan and turned over the engine.
Jonny and Mr. Rana did the same with their trucks.
“Mr. Rana, you lead the way.”
“Sure thing, Brian.”
The three-vehicle caravan filed out of the Academy parking
lot and rumbled slowly up the muddy road until it reached the crossroads. Then,
the caravan turned onto the highway and disappeared from sight. Joy turned to
Rosie and tugged on the tail of her rain jacket.
“What now?” asked Joy.
“We sit and wait, just like Brian said.”
Joy plopped herself on the concrete and Rosie sat next to
her. As Rosie pushed her legs straight in front of her, Joy found a soft spot
to rest her head and laid it there. Rosie dug around in her purse and found a
hairbrush. Then, she combed out Joy’s thick shoulder-length black hair until
every tangle was vanquished.
“Can I brush your hair now?”
“Of course you can.”
Joy stood on her tiptoes and worked the brush through
Rosie’s hair. She, however, did not understand the nuances of a good hair
brushing. With each pull, she forced the brush through a tangle. Rosie cringed
in pain.
“Be careful!”
“Sor-reeee!”
Joy began brushing again, only to catch another knot of
hair.
“Stop!” shouted Rosie.
Juvie, was sitting nearby, came to Rosie’s aid.
“You can’t just pull the brush through hair. Just like Rosie
was careful with your hair, you should be careful with hers. Hold the hair near
the top so you don’t hurt her. Then, you work from the tips back to the crown,
a little bit at a time, just like this.”
Juvie demonstrated the proper technique while Joy watched.
Then, it was Joy’s turn.
“Remember, be careful with her hair. Hold the top and start
at the bottom.”
“Okay.”
As Joy carefully brushed the strands of hair, Juvie made
sure she didn’t hurt Rosie.
There,” said Juvie, “see how easy that is?”
Rosie’s phone chirped.
“Hold on just a moment. It’s a text from Brian.”
“The minivan got stuck in the mud again. Jonny’s truck got
stuck trying to help. Looks like it’ll be a while until we get back to the
Academy.”
Juvie sighed, “it’s always something.”
“It sure is,” agreed Rosie.
Joy leaned her whole body against Rosie’s back, pressing all
of the weight of her tiny body against her teacher.
“Ma’am, can we have some fried Spam?”
As Rosie glanced back at Joy, Joy covered her mouth as she
giggled uncontrollably.
“What’s so funny?”
“I made a little Spam poem – Ma’am and Spam.”
”I’ve got one for you,” said Rosie, “We could have eggs and
sausage and Spam or Spam sausage and Spam or baked beans and Spam, but we don’t
have any baked beans, so it’d just be Spam and Spam.”
“It’s all Spam,” said Joy.
Rosie chuckled, “It’s not all Spam. We could have Vienna
Sausage, Spam, and Vienna Sausage, if you’d like.”
Joy rolled her eyes, “now you’re just being sillly. You
can’t eat bacon and eggs for dinner.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right, but few things beat scrambled
eggs and gravy for dinner. How does that sound?”
“Spam sandwiches sound perfect, but I’m not so sure about
scrambled eggs.”
“Have a little faith,” said Rosie, “Mrs. Velasco, could you
cook something up?”
“You know I could.”
“Mama, can I help?” asked Juvie.
“You know you’re my favorite helper.”
Soon, the Academy was filled with the familiar odors of
fried Spam and eggs as Juvie and her mother cooked for two dozen or so. They
filled Styrofoam plates with Spam sandwiches and generous helpings of scrambled
eggs and rice for all.
Everyone gobbled up all of the Velasco’s simply delicious
fixings until everything was gone.
“Marian,” said Mrs. Jaramillo, “you’ve outdone yourself
again. You should really consider opening a food stall somewhere along the
highway.”
Mrs. Velasco shook her head, “I really don’t have time for
that sort of thing. I’m always busy – you know, with my brother and all.”
“You should make the time.”
“I just can’t, Teodoro and Lucy couldn’t make it alone.”
Uncle Teo raised his head just enough to make eye contact
with his younger sister. It was an accepted fact that, with the combination of
emphysema and arthritis fully inhabiting his body, he was in no condition to do
simple day-to-day tasks like using the comfort room or getting into or out of
bed.
“Well,” said Mrs. Jaramillo wistfully, “it’s truly too bad.
The world is missing out.”
As Mrs. Jaramillo and her daughter thoroughly enjoyed the
breakfast-turned-dinner of Mrs. Velasco and her daughter, the sun had dipped
below the tree line and only the dappled spots of sunlight shone through the
tropical canopy of leaves surrounding the Academy. Even in the highlands, much
the same could be said for the waning daylight.
“Another day gone,” said Eiselle with an exasperated breath.
She pulled up to the turnaround in front of the Lee Estate and got out of the
car, Lorna in tow.
“You know,” said Lorna, “I do really have to be getting home.”
“Nonsense! There is nothing tying you down back there!
Besides, we still need to have a girls’ night on the town.”
Lorna heaved a sigh as she followed Eiselle up the stairs
and into the house.
“Hallo! Arvind?” she called out in the foyer.
Her voice echoed through the foyer, but otherwise the house
was silent.
“That’s just like him!” she spouted as she reached down and
flicked the stiletto heels off her feet and walked into the dining room and had
a look around. She went to Arvind’s desk and turned on his laptop. Maybe, just
maybe his day planner would give her a clue to his whereabouts.
She logged into his computer and began searching through all
of his documents, but they weren’t any help.
“Dammit!” she exclaimed as she mashed both fists on the
keyboard.
“What’s wrong?’
“Arvind changed all the passwords on his personal calendar
and now I can’t find out what’s going on.”
“Maybe it’s for security.”
“Maybe he’s doing it to spite me.”
“Why on earth would he…?”
“You don’t see him the way I see him. When we’re alone, he’s
a deceitful old man.”
“Oh, come on, Eiselle.”
“Come on nothing. That’s just the kind of man he is.”
Eiselle turned off the laptop and unplugged the power cord.
She tucked it beneath her arm and carried it to the foyer. From there, she
placed it on the entry table and climbed back into her heels and checked her
war paint in the mirror. She touched up her blush, picked up the laptop, and
headed for the door.
“What now?” asked Lorna.
“Now I have a friend hack into the software and get his
calendar.”
“Aren’t those files his private things?”
“Maybe so, but maybe not’ what is his is mine.”
“Can you take me home first?”
“The night is early.”
“Yes, but I’m very tired of all this.”
Eiselle heaved a sigh, “Alright then. I will return you to
your boring old home.”
Eiselle shifted the little red car into overdrive and sped
out to the outskirts of Gensan where Lorna lived. She dropped Lorna off at her
front door and barely said goodbye before heading to her computer friend’s
house. Even if it was getting late, he’d still be up. He was always up.
Down by the bay, Joy’s eyes were two little slits as she
stared at the moonless sky and counted the constellations with Rosie.
“First, we find Vega,” said Rosie.
Joy drew a finger over the low horizon until she found the
four-pointed constellation.
“There’s Lyra, so that must be Vega.”
“Right,” said Rosie, “now trace that to Draco the dragon.”
Joy rode her finger over to Draco and upward to the
upside-down W of Cassiopeia. Then, she circled back to Cygnus, just above Lyra.
“Do you know any others?”
“Not really, my brain’s just not big enough to hold all
those stars in my head.”
“I suppose not,” laughed Rosie, “what else would you like to
do then?”
“You could tell me a bedtime story.”
“I don’t really know any bedtime stories.”
“Just tell me something about Oklahoma. What’s it like?”
“Ah!” said Rosie, “Oklahoma! Now, there’s a good collection
of bedtime stories. Norman, Oklahoma is nothing like Sarangani. We barely get
rain, and when we do, it kicks up dust long before anything gets muddy. The
smell of Oklahoma rain is always a fine but dusty smell. It reminds you of
fields of uncut soybeans and wheat. In the autumn, fall comes along, bringing
with it Saturday afternoons filled with college football and brisk autumn
winds. It’s nothing like here. The days get much shorter and everyone puts on
their heavy denim jeans and field jackets. The temperatures, well, then get
down to ten, maybe five degrees celcius. Even before winter comes around, there
are days that could freeze water to ice.
“I’d love to feel that,”
“Would you now? You sound like someone who’s never
experienced the harshness of winter. My mother still gets cold spells in winter
time and she longs for the sweltering heat of Cebu.”
“Your mom is from Cebu?”
“She sure is.”
“Why did she go to Oklahoma?”
“My father was in the Navy and she was a waitress in a
seaside bar in Cebu. He kept returning to order food from her ever chance he
got - sometimes two or three times a day. Well, she didn’t have a choice but to
fall for him. Before he shipped out, he asked her to marry him, and the rest,
as they say, is history.”
Rosie peered down at Joy, who was already fast asleep. Rosie
gently slipped a pillow in place of her leg and settled herself down beside Joy
for a night’s rest.
“Sweet dreams,” whispered Joy.
“I thought you were sleeping.”
“I am sleeping,” said Joy.
Rosie reached out and pinched Joy on the nose. Joy giggled
for a moment. Then, her eyes grew large as she focused intently on Rosie. Rosie
reached out and pecked Joy on the cheek as Joy closed her eyes.
“Sweet dreams,” whispered Rosie.
Joy kept her eyes closed as a smile stretched across her
face. Soon, they were both fast asleep.
It was a short and fitful sleep, though, punctuated with the
sounds of motorcycles buzzing along the Academy road. While some were
evacuating, others were attempting to return to their homes and make the best
of things. When Jonny, Brian, and Mr. Rana returned, not even Mrs. Velasco
stirred from sleep.
Brian brewed a pot of coffee and the three men waited
patiently for people to finish sleeping. There really wasn’t a reason to rush
things, anyway.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Juvie rose first, followed by Rosie and then Mrs. Velasco.
They all gathered at the coffee pot.
“You didn’t hear the news, did you?” asked Mr. G. All three
shook their heads.
“There was a mosque bombing in Gensan late last night.”
“Oh dear heavens!” exclaimed Mrs. Velasco.
“Was it the same group?” asked Rosie.
“Nobody’s claimed responsibility yet.”
“It couldn’t possibly be those students.”
“Time will tell,” said Mr. G.
“No good Catholic would ever do something like that. It has
to be other Muslims bombing that Mosque so they can blame the Catholics and
incite a riot.”
“Oh, come now,” said Jonny.
“I’m serious.”
“I know you are, Marian, but you and I both know how
unreasonable you’re being.”
“Hah! It’s not unreasonable to think the Muslims want
Mindanao all to themselves and they’ll stop at absolutely nothing to get it.
History has proven that time after time.”
The odd thing was, Muslims had history on their side. They
occupied Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago over two centuries before Spanish
Conquistadors ripped it from their grasp.
Early in the 15th Century, Arab traders migrated
through Indonesia and Malaysia on their way to the Philippines – settling in
Borneo and Sulu and converting the native peoples to the Muslim culture.
The sultanates of Borneo and Sulu were co-rulers of the
regions, which acted as a plural city-state until the Sultan of Borneo offered
total independence to the people of Sulu.
When the Spaniards arrived, they were well-aware of the
Muslims. They’d fought with the Moors in their homeland for centuries and did
not want war with the Sulus. In fact, the Spaniards actually named Moro Island
after the Spanish Moors. In return, the Moros took this name as a personal
emblem of their heritage.
Even after five centuries of strife, the greater conflicts
didn’t come until after the Philippines gained its independence in 1946.
Islands along the Sulu Archipelago, including Basilan, Moro,
and Tawi-Tawi, became hotbeds of separatist activity. They claimed ancestral
rights to Mindanao and groups such as the Moro National Liberation Front
(MNLF), Moro Island Liberation Front (MILF), and the Abu Sayyaf clashed with
government forces in the decades after the Second World War. With each decade,
tensions increased until the country was torn across religious lines.
As Rosie settled down with those left behind at Our Lady
Lupita, she wound the handle on the emergency radio and tuned it to MindaNews.
“Hey-lo Mindanao! It’s Jeanie Abordo here at the weather
station here in Davao. I have nothing but good news for my fellow Mindanaoans
out there!
With the tidal surges falling off to well under three meters
and at least a few days of clear skies, I know I’ll be out there cleaning the
debris from my backyard!. During the next week, we’re expecting balmy weather
with highs in the mid 30s and very little wind. Keep cool, Mindanao! Now we
take you to Mya Amores in Maasim with the latest on rising tensions throughout
Mindanao.”
“Thanks, Jeanie. With scattered violence throughout the
region and a bombing near a Catholic street festival in the beach community of
Maasim, tensions have definitely reached levels not seen in nearly a decade.
Some sources from the Philippine Government lay blame to Nur
Misuari and the radical MNLF group. A statement from Misuari refutes these
allegations, stating that the spate of Mosque bombings is unacceptable in the
eyes of the prophet Jesus. However, the Philippine Government has yet to
respond to the MNLF leader. Some even point to the past half-century of
aggression by the MNLF.”
Before they could pull out of the parking area, a Humvee
rumbled towards them. It occupied the full widith of the roadway.
“Howdy, Mr. G! Rosie! Where are Maria, Herve, and Agnes?”
“They’re up at Mr. Rana’s Furniture Store.”
“What are they doing there?”
“We’ve got a leaky cistern, so we’re moving everyone up
there for the next week or so while it gets repaired.”
“You need any help moving out?”
“Nah, we should be fine.”
“Can I ride in the Army truck?” begged Joy.
“Me too! Me too!” came calls from most of the remaining
students.
Pidro looked to his squad commander.
“Yeah, let ‘em ride,” said Master Sergeant Licayan.
Soldiers hopped out and helped the children into the Humvee.
Their smiles were big and bright.
“Can I go, too?” asked Rosie.
Mr. G. gave her a wink, “sure thing, we’ll meet you there.”
Mr. G. and Brian followed the Humvee up the narrow Academy
road.
“It’s leaving deep ruts all over the place,” said Brian,
“Anytime it rains, it’ll just get worse. Who’s gonna fix this?”
He shook his head in disgust. Meanwhile, Rosie rode with
Ralj, Pidro, and the kids. Ralj patted the ammo box sitting between the seats.
“I know it’s not comfy, but go ahead and sit here between
us,” said Ralj.
Rosie duck-walked through the Humvee to the front and
squatted on the ammo box. Then, Ralj put two side-by-side and fastened them
together with a piece of webbing.
“There, that’ll help.”
“Thanks.”
“How’s your week been?”
“Hectic, with all the rains and floods. Most of the families
stayed at the Academy while we waited for the storm surge to make up its mind.”
“I think everyone did that. We were hunkered down at the
barracks waiting for something to happen.”
“Didn’t you guys have to deal with the Mosque bombings?”
“No, ma’am. That’s strictly police business.”
Rosie nodded as she looked to the highway at the end of the
road.
“You should come visit the barracks some time,” he offered.
“I just might do that.”
“We could eat lunch at the mess hall sometime.”
“Lunch at the mess hall?” chuckled Pidro.
“Pipe down, specialist.”
A sly little grin slipped from the corner of Pidro’s mouth.
Rosie gave him a wink. She liked the fact that Pidro was putting Ralj to the
coals, forcing him to take her on an actual date. Ralj just ignored them as the
Humvee circled across the median and pulled up to the furniture store. Everyone
unloaded from the Humvee and stood around in the parking lot.
“Hello, everyone!” greeted Mr. Rana, “What have we here?”
“We were circling around the barrios. When we saw everyone
at the Academy, we offered a ride.”
“Thank you so much, Mr. Licayan.”
“No problem. If there’s anything else you’d like us to do,
just let me know.”
“Actually, there is. Could you help rearrange the furniture
inside the store? Me and my daughters secured it against the flood and now we
don’t need everything stacked.”
“My soldiers will make easy work of it,” said the Master
Sergeant. He gave a sharp whistle and motioned his unit into formation at the
edge of the lot. As soon as he gave the orders to his troops, they filed out
and went to work. What took Mr. Rana and his daughters all day took the unit
just under five minutes.
“My, that’s a magical thing,” said Mr. Rana.
Master Sergeant Licayan nodded, “there are few things more
invigorating than watching a well-oiled machine at work.”
“Thank you again,” said Mr. Rana.
“Anytime you need us, we’ll be there.”
Ralj turned to Rosie and shook her by the hand. As he did,
his second hand came over the first, sandwiching her hand in both of his. He
squeezed gently, as if it were a gentle embrace. Rosie looked down at their
hands and then glanced to Ralj.
“I’ll be around here sometime soon and we’ll make plans to
go out.”
“Here,” said Rosie, “take my cell phone and enter your
number.”
Ralj nodded as he programmed his number into her phone. When
he pushed send, the phone in his pocket rang.
“Done and done.”
“Give me a call whenever you’re free.”
“Will do.”
The Master Sergeant and his unit loaded into the Humvee and
headed back onto the highway. The soldiers gave a wave to the children. The
children chased after the Humvee until they met the edge of the parking lot.
Then, they watched as it disappeared down the road.
It wasn’t long after the Army unit returned to its barracks
that they were debriefed.
“Good afternoon, men. We’ve just received reports that there
has been a kidnapping near Isabela City on Basilan Island. As few as twelve and
as many as twenty tourists have been taken hostage and moved to a cave complex
somewhere in one of the plantations on the island. All indications are that the
MILF group is responsible. This has been reported by the MNLF. An army source
working as a mole within the MIILF also confirms this and has a reconnaissance
team who has located the group. We’ve been charged with securing the perimeter
and laying down suppression for the Recon team. Are there any questions?”
“When will be heading out?”
“The Recon team will have updated reports and maps and we’ll
be meeting tomorrow at 0100.”
The unmistakeable sound of troops exhaling filled the room,
but nobody gave any other resistance. The Batallion Commander continued.
“We’ll head out at 0200 on the point. We’ll meet up with the
local forces at the Isabela City beach around 0300 and deploy from there. Until
then, grab a hearty meal from the mess hall and get some shut eye.”
The soldiers filed out to the mess hall and kept relatively
silent as they finished their grub. Then, it was time for sleep as soldiers
hung heavy blankets over every window and pulled the covers over their head in
an attempt to keep sunlight out of their eyes.
The next morning, they congregated in the meeting room. As
the Commander and his convoy leaders debriefed the men, they passed bowls of
fresh fruit around like a church collection plate. The men powered through
bananas, breadfruit, and granola bars as the convoy leaders detailed the
chopper detachment, beach landing, and subsequent deployment into the
plantation. Men finished lacing their boots and suiting up for the operation.
“All right men, that’s all there is. Good luck and
Godspeed.”
Four Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk Air Utility Helicopters sat
in a single file, side-by-side-by-side-by-side on the tarmac just outside the
large hangar doors. The soldiers, clad in drab olive and coal black, separated
in to four groups and hiked up the long, seep ramps that fed into the rear of
the Black Hawks. As the rear cargo door reeled closed, all available light
disappeared. That, and the fact that the interior of the chopper was hot and
steamy, made for a drowsy environment, even with the loud whirring of the
rotors and the rumbling of the fuselage against the solders’ backs.
The choppers rose from the landing pad in order and left the
port in unison. Red beacons flashed their locations in the sky as they formed a
convoy and headed west over the coal black Sulu Sea.
“This is convoy lead to convoy two, three, and four. How is
everyone doing this morning?”
“Convoy two, good to go.”
“Convoy three, good to go.”
“Convoy four, the same, sir.”
“Is everyone ready for a busy day in Basilan?”
“Aye, aye, lead!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Ready and willing!”
“Alright, boys, let’s get on it. We’ve got a long day ahead
of us.”
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