The brilliance of daylight that lit Academy Road was a welcome change from the dismal days before, but the gathering of new storm clouds was truly awe-inspiring.
Heavy rains had returned and drove away the smoke clouds that had loomed overhead. The gray, and dreary days also calmed the nerves of anyone and anything near and far.
At the top of the hill, the grocery aisles inside Jardin Sarangani were nearly spotless as Mr. and Mrs. Soliman reopened their humble store.
“Truly,” beamed Mr. Soliman, “I could not possibly be happier than I am at this very moment. It is a miracle we’ve reopened so fast.”
“It’s not a miracle,” corrected his wife, “it is these neighbors of which you are so proud.”
“Indeed, good wife, it is these neighbors of ours which have been here for us in our time of need.”
Outside, a small gathering of customers waited at the front door. Mr. Soliman toddled up and unlocked the door, letting everyone in.
“Good morning, Mr. Soliman.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Abbas. Good morning, Samira. Good morning, Jamal. How is everyone today?”
“I am doing great, sir,” said Samira.
“Me, too,” said Mr. Soliman.
Mrs. Abbas led her children through the maze of grocery aisles, picking through the meager selection of goods.
“When will you be getting fresh fruit?”
“The produce truck should be here anytime now.”
Mrs. Abbas nodded.
She wandered back and forth, retracing her steps several times over. Meanwhile, her children (especially her youngest, Jamal) hung their arms over the metal racks as they waited for their mother to finish her shopping. Their bodies reclined lazily in the aisles.
“You know, Mrs. Abbas, you can always place your order now and I’ll bring it right to your house this afternoon.
“I do have other chores,” she noted.
“Then let me pack up your goods and we’ll get you on your way.”
Mr. Soliman tallied the price as he divided everything into two bags. He motioned to each of the children and loaded their arms with grocery bags.
“That’ll be 158 pesos.”
“Only 158? That cannot possibly be right.”
“Half off because you’re such a good customer.”
“Why thank you so very much,” said Mrs. Abbas, “I don’t know what this community would do without you.”
“I suppose they’d find something,” said Mr. Soliman, “there is always something.”
While Mrs. Abbas thanked Mr. Soliman, Mrs. Soliman lifted a skeptical eyebrow. When Mrs. Abbas and her children left, Mrs. Soliman leaned over towards her husband.
“Half off?”
“She’s a good customer.”
“Everyone who pays is a good customer, Benny.”
“I know, but we should be thankful for people like Mrs. Abbas. Maybe we should have a fire sale.”
“We can’t afford that.”
“We will sell off all the old groceries that were not damaged in the fire so we can start brand new. It will last one day only.”
Mrs. Soliman let go of a long, heavy sigh.
“I assure you, we can afford a one day sale. There are others who need it more than you or me.”
“Whatever,” said Mrs. Soliman with a huff.
“It’s just right.”
The impromptu fire sale gained steam throughout the day as news traveled around the town. Many of the customers insisted on paying, but Mr. Soliman simply refused. Mrs. Solman, however, was eager to accept full payments whenever possible. In no time at all, things had returned to normal at Jardin Sarangani.
At the low end of Academy Road, the number of students had grown to two dozen.
“Whew! Look at this! Who’s missing?”
“I don’t see any of the Serencio children.”
“I wonder if they’re alright.”
“I’m sure they’re fine,” said Mr. Gutierrez.
“Maybe I should go check on them after school,” offered Rosie.
“You have plenty of work here.”
Although the number of students had increased, nobody was inside. The schoolyard had flooded with water once again. This time, though, it was busted water pipe. A knee-deep pool of water covered the basketball court. It also gushed out onto the patio. Someone had rescued the alabaster statue of Mary Magdalene and placed it atop a picnic table, where she watched over the Academy.
Rosie watched the children all around her. She thought it might be the best attendance she ever had – and today wasn’t even an official school day. Still, she’d make the best of it.
Rosie went into the classroom and fished one of her college textbooks from the high shelf. She flipped through the coursework from the one of the professors she’d dreaded only a few years back.
“Ah! Here are a couple of things I can do!”
Now, she was going to teach the children just the way her professor taught her.
“Everyone gather ‘round!”
The kids came to her like a flock of obedient sheep.
“Today, we’re going to learn about hydrodynamics and hydrostatics.”
“What?” asked Jose.
“The physical properties of water, which was studies by a man named Archimedes, who lived in Classical Greece over 2000 years ago.”
“Why are we studying that?” argued Dalisay, “it’s ancient history that happened half a world away.”
“It’s still very important to us because all things are connected.”
Dalisay folded her arms.
“Just give me a moment,” said Rosie.
She grabbed a pail and scooped up a load of water. Then, she held it up in front of the circle of children.
“Joy, can you do a favor for me and hold a finger at the top of the water line?”
Joy obliged.
“Now, put your other arm into the pail as far as you can.”
When she placed her arm in the pail, the water level rose.
“Did you see that? Now your finger is underwater. That’s because your arm takes up space when it’s in the water. This is called displacement. The water is displaced and has to go somewhere, so it fills the empty space inside the pail and the water level goes up.”
“Is that how tsunamis work?”
“Well…sort of…” stumbled Rosie.
“I’ve got it,” said Mr. G. He grabbed a large piece of plywood and led the children onto the basketball court.
“Imagine this piece of wood as the bottom of the ocean. Now, when there are earthquakes and volcanoes, the ocean floor moves.”
He pulled upward on the plywood and a wave shot through the water toward the other end of the court.
“See how the wave moves to the other end. Imagine that on a much bigger scale. The board becomes the ocean floor and the water is a tidal wave.”
“What is an undertow?” asked Joy.
“That’s a great question. Let’s see if we can recreate it here. Rosie, do we have any duct tape?”
Rosie ran to the classroom and quickly emerged with tape in hand. Mr. G. took the duct tape and unfurled a long silver ribbon of tape between his hands. He attached one end to the end of the plywood and held the other like a pull handle.
“The earth is cut into plates. These plates move back and forth against one another, creating mountains and valleys. When one plate moves upward, it creates a wave. However, when the other plate moves downward, something has to fill the hole…”
Mr. G. tugged forcefully on the duct tape and a surge of water filled the air pocket beneath the plywood. Mr. G. pointed to the area behind the board.
“That’s a reverse wave!” he called out. “Do you see it?”
The reverse wave created a large valley between the water peaks. At the other end of the court, water collapsed away from the far wall.
Mr. Gutierrez let go of the board and it crashed back down upon the water. A water swell formed and surged across the court.
“Ack!” shouted Joy. The wave was nearly a meter high before it reached her.
“Watch out!” warned Rosie, but it was too late. The mini-tsunami knocked Joy off her feet, drenching her in water. Her brother Jose led the children as everyone laughed at her misfortune.
“You alright?” called Rosie.
Joy would’ve been just fine, but it was her ego that was hurt. Instinctively, she shook her head and began sobbing.
“Aww, come on,” comforted Rosie. As Rosie put a reassuring arm around Joy’s tiny shoulders, Joy pulled away from Rosie and ran out of the courtyard.
“I got her,” said Dalisay.
Dalisay chased Joy, catching her a short way up Academy Road.
“Let go!” screeched Joy.
“No!”
“Let me go!”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Joy sobbed as Dalisay wrapped her arms around Joy and squeezed tightly.
“Shhhh,” Dalisay whispered into Joy’s ear as the twosome returned to the playground.
“You were scared!” taunted Jose.
“I was not!”
“Come on, Joy, settle down,” urged Mr. G.
“But I…”
Rosie motioned to Mr. G. as she escorted Joy to a quiet corner. He nodded to Rosie and continued on with his lecture as if nothing had happened. Brian gathered the rest of the class and the group slowly came to order.
“Alright now, children, where were we?”
“We were talking about reverse waves,” said Dalisay.
“Ah, yes! Can anyone tell me about undertow?”
“I can,” offered Dalisay.
“Anybody else?”
Mr. G. looked about the class and when nobody answered, he pointed to Dalisay.
“It’s when the water from a wave returns to the sea, right?”
Mr. G. nodded, “that’s absolutely right. Whenever there is a positive wave, there has to be a negative wave, too. The water always has to find its way back to the sea.”
With that, Rosie and Joy seamlessly migrated back into the group. All things being relative, the mood generally returned to normal for the remainder of the school day. Rosie didn’t discover how upset Joy really was until later that afternoon when a familiar face appeared on the patio outside the map room at Mr. G.’s house.
“Rosie?””
“Hey Dalisay! This is quite a surprise. What beings you here?”
“Have you seen Joy?”
Rosie shook her head.
“She ran away from home after school. I thought she might be here.”
“Nope. Did you check the Academy?”
As Dalisay nodded, water dripped off her slender nose. Rosie looked up to the clear blue sky. Although rain had been spitting throughout the afternoon, there wasn’t a cloud in sight.
“Here,” said Rosie, “take my jacket.”
“It’s yours. You need it.”
“I’m fine,” insisted Rosie, “I’ll take an umbrella.”
Dalisay replaced her soggy purple shawl with the bright yellow and orange jacket, using the hood to cover her head. Rosie flicked the button on the umbrella and held it over both her and Dalisay’s heads.
“Where do you think she’d be?”
“I’m not really sure,” said Dalisay.
“We’ll check the village first.”
“We’ve already been there. Everyone knows she’s missing.”
“Where then?”
“I have one other idea.”
Dalisay led Rosie up Academy Road to the National Road. There, sitting on the top row of stairs outside Jardin Sarangani was a little girl. Her head was perched in her hands and a mud-covered pink Hello Kitty suitcase sat beside her.
“It looks like someone is all packed. Are you going on vacation?”
Joy shrugged her shoulders.’
“Can I go with you?”
“I don’t know,” said Joy.
“You know, your family is probably worried about you.”
“Then don’t care.”
“I’m sure that’s nto true.”
“Jose was picking on me all day and my mommy and daddy wouldn’t take my side.”
“Parents don’t always take you side. Trust me, my father made me upset sometimes.”
“Is that why you came to Baluntay?”
“No,” laughed Rosie, “I came just to see you.”
“You didn’t even know I was here.”
“Lucky me, I guess. Now, you ready to go back home?”
Joy offered a hand for Rosie to hold as Rosie grabbed the suitcase and tossed it over one shoulder. The three girls hiked down Academy Road to the school where everyone else waited, including Joy’s whole family.
“I’m sorry,” said Jose.
Joy nodded as Mr. Jaramillo thanked Rosie and Dalisay.
“Alright, doodlebug,” said Dalisay, “no more running away without telling me first. Do we have a deal?”
“Deal.”
All things being relative, things returned to normal as Joy and Jose made amends. The sibling rivalry of Joy and Jose Jaramillo, however, was nothing compared to the drama faced at the Santiago house, especially when one child was both laid up in the hospital and on the run.
“Sir,” said the nurse, “Can I have your name for our records?”
Mat simply shook his head. The nurse continued to stand in the way of the gurney as the medics parked it in the ambulance bay outside the hospital.
“I can’t admit you into the hospital without a name.”
“Mat St. James,” he answered.
“Thank you, sir. We also need to know how you’ll be paying.”
Once again, Mat shook his head.
“Okay, you can just sit here and wait.”
“You can call Eiselle St. James.”
“Is that your wife?”
“No, it’s my sister.”
After Mat conceded to the demands of the nurse, it wasn’t long until his gurney was carted down the hall and the admissions nurse had contacted Eiselle. The nurse had assumed (wrongly, of course) that Mat was underage. That assumption just may have been the stroke of luck Mat needed.
“Hello, Miss St. James? I’m the admissions nurse at Cotabato Hospital and your brother Mat is here. Are you his legal guardian?”
“Me? Heavens no! I’m just his sister. Is he alright?”
“I’m not sure. He got into a motorcycle accident. We need to know who will cover the costs…”
“I’ll be right there,” said Eiselle.
Eiselle had been caught off-guard by the phone call. As Eiselle gathered her things, her mother confronted her.
“Who was that?”
“Um…nobody, ma.”
“Don’t tell me it was nobody. Someone’s looking for Mat.”
“What do you mean? It wasn’t anything to worry about.”
Eiselle hadn’t hidden the fact she was talking to someone about Mat from her mother. When she answered the phone, she thought it might be a call from Arvind or someone else from the Lee Estate.
“If it’s one of my children, it’s always something to worry about.”
Eiselle grabbed her purse and headed to her car without another word to her mother. Before she headed into Cotabato, she took a detour through Gensan, with her steering wheel and a cigarette in one hand and her cell in the other.
“Jaki? I need to talk to Arvind.”
“He’s busy, Eiselle.”
“I’m his wife. Let me talk to him.”
“He doesn’t want to be bothered.”
“This is very important.”
“It’s the same old drama, Eiselle.”
“No, it’s not. This is about family. Where is he?”
“I can’t tell you…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find him.”
Eiselle piloted her little red sports car around Gensan, hitting all the normal spots. She started with the office, but Arvind’s car wasn’t there. She hit a few of the active construction sites before stopping by the Lee Estate.
“Of course…” she sighed as she stomped her cigarette into the driveway and made her way to the front door and buzzed the intercom.
“Eiselle? What are you doing here?”
“I need your help.”
“What is it?”
“It’s Mat.”
Arvind paused for a second before punching the door lock. Eiselle opened the front door and walked through the foyer to the back of the house. The sound of her heels echoing off the tile felt so strangely familiar. Entering the living room and seeing Arvind seated comfortably behind his executive desk felt comfortable to Eiselle, too.
“Hello, Arvind.”
“Hello, Eiselle. How are you doing?”
Eiselle shrugged indifferently.
“It’s good to see you. What is going on with Mat?”
“He’s in a hospital at South Cotabato.”
“And what do you need from me?”
“Nothing, really. I just didn’t know where else to turn.”
“Here,” said Arvind as he peeled a bank card from his wallet, “use this for whatever you need.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I trust you.”
“Same old PIN number?”
“Yep, same old PIN number.”
Eiselle licked her lips as her fingers traced over the outer edges of the card. She casually tucked it into her purse and stood across the desk from Arvind. Their eyes locked in a pregnant, awkward pause.
“Thanks, Arvind.”
“No problem.”
She skirted around the corners of the desk and bent over Arvind. Her wet, waxy lips pressed into his temple. She smirked as she drew a thumb over the lip prints and wiped his forehead clean.
“No, I truly mean it. Thanks.”
Arvind nodded to her as he returned to his work. She turned about and walked out the door. Moments later, Mat’s phone rang.
“I’m on my way, little brother.”
Eiselle stopped by an ATM and made the largest possible withdraw before heading to the hospital. She parked her car outside and stopped by the front desk.
“Hi, I’m Eiselle Lee. I’m looking for Mat Santiago.”
The nurse shot Eiselle an odd look until she put the pieces together.
“Oh,” she said, “Mat St. James. He’s in Room D just down the hall.”
Eiselle strode to Room D and walked in unannounced. Mat laid on his side in the hospital bed, his head propped in his hand.
“You look awfully relaxed.”
“It still hurts a little.”
“I know what you did. You’re really dumb, you know.”
“How do you know what I did? Did Aaron tell you?”
Eiselle shook her head, “everyone suspects it was you and your friends. Even mom knows.”
“Come on, nobody knows anything.”
“We’d better get you out of here, just in case.”
Eiselle pulled on Mat’s free arm, but he cringed as he sat upright.
“We got to go.”
She threw Mat’s arm over her neck and carried him into the hall.
“What are you doing?” asked a nurse.
“We can’t afford treatment.”
“Don’t worry about that. Let the doctors fix him up.”
“No. We’re fine,” insisted Eiselle.
“You can’t leave.”
“Just watch me.”
Eiselle marched Mat to the front desk and offered to settle costs right then and there.
“I don’t know what to charge for all this. The doctors still haven’t given me the paperworks.”
“We’ll take care of it later. Just send me a bill. Do you have the address?”
“Is this it?”
Eiselle quickly confirmed the address. Then, she grabbed her brother and lugged him out to her car. As she dropped him into the passenger seat, he let out a loud groan.
“Serves you right.”
She sped off, taking a right turn when Mat expected a right. She stopped at a grocery store, picked up a handful of first aid supplies and a six-pack of beer.
“We’ll go to the summer house in Cotabato.”
“We can’t go there.”
“We can’t go to ma’s house. She’ll kill the both of us.”
As Eiselle pulled up to the summer house, several of Mat’s friends’ cycles were parked outside.
“Looks like we’ve got company,” said Mat.
“Great…you stupid mother puckers are all going to get in trouble.”
Eiselle snapped the car into a tight parking space, leaving it wedged between a line of bikes and one of the Jeepneys. It seemed that everyone was there…except for Aaron.
While Eiselle hung out at the summer house with Mat, Aaron hid himself away in a biker bar along South Cotabato’s western coast.
“Hey man, what can I get you?”
“A shot of whiskey and a beer to chase it with.”
Aaron paid for his drinks and sat in a quiet corner of the bar. It wasn’t long, however, until a couple of men in uniform were checking in with the bartender. Aaron watched their body language as the conversation transpired.
After a few moments, Aaron quietly rose to his feet and slipped into the comfort room. One of the officers headed in just behind him. Instinctively, Aaron went into a stall and locked the door. The officer circled around the room once and left. After a few moments, Aaron figured the coast was clear, so he decided to get out while he could. He washed his hands and quickly exited the comfort room.
“Sir, please hold your hands up so I can see them.”
Two guns were pointed at Aaron’s head, one from each side.
“Sir, come over here and place your forehead against the wall and spread your feet so we can put you in handcuffs.”
Aaron assumed the position as the officers arrested him.
“Sir, where were you earlier today? Were you at the Yellow Mosque?”
Aaron’s thoughts immediately turned to Mat and his friends. Aaron remained tight-lipped as the officers began interrogating him about where he’d been and what he’d been doing.
He was never going to snitch on his friends. Not now, not ever.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment