CHAPTER 1: Armalite
1233 Words
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, Sir."
Mr. Charlie Delavega, the son of the restaurant owner I worked for, took a deep breath as he held my resignation letter.
"If that's your decision, is there anything else I can do?"
"Thank you, Sir."
"I just want you to know that although I’ve heard a few complaints from your co-workers about your behaviour at work, I still feel regretful about you quitting your job. Despite that, you continue to perform well in your duties. You are flexible, and I’ve never heard a customer complain about you. You're still doing your job well, and I appreciate that. Thank you."
"Thank you, Sir pero buo na po ang desisyon ko."
"Alright, if you change your mind, pwede ka namang bumalik dito."
"Yes, Sir. I'll be leaving now." Kaagad na rin akong tumayo.
There was only one reason I got hired for that job as a waiter—Charisma Rhavalez—my ex-girlfriend, who is now married to my eldest brother, Ghian Heinrich.
Their wedding just occurred last week, and they’re on their honeymoon at Maian Island.
Kahit naman hinayaan ko na silang dalawa na gawin ang mga gusto nila bilang malaya, it doesn't mean that everything is okay at hindi na ako nasasaktan pa. Masakit pa rin para sa akin ang mga pangyayari.
Sobra.
Sa isang iglap lang ay nawala ng tuluyan sa akin ang babaeng ilang taon ko ring pinaglaanan ng aking panahon simula noong mahanap ko siya. Pero mahal ko rin ang kuya ko at alam kong si kuya lang din ang totoong nilalaman ng puso ni Charisma.
Kailan man ay hindi ko naramdaman na minahal niya rin ako. Kailan man ay hindi ko pa nakitaan ng kakaibang kislap sa mga mata si Charisma sa tuwing nakatingin sa akin. 'Di kagaya ng sa tuwing tumititig siya kay kuya Ghian. Punong-puno ng buhay, punong-puno ng sigla at pagmamahal para sa aking kapatid.
At hindi naman ako gano'n kasama para ikulong silang dalawa sa magkaibang selda. I let them go. She probably wasn’t the right woman for me anyway. So now, I have to give up, leave behind my life with her, and return to the organisation I’ve come to love during my years there.
The Delta Organizations.
Delta is the third organisation founded by General Vincent Parker. It’s a secret group that assists the government in suppressing crime in our country. Not everyone in the government knows about it, and this secrecy helps protect the group's operations from corrupt officials involved in illegal gambling.
And maybe this is my real life— to conquer all the evils in our world. To step into the dark and chaotic world between the enforcers and the criminals. Far from the peace that some dream of because most have already succumbed to wickedness.
I temporarily left it all for Charisma, to be with her every day and to have time to search for her missing parents. Pero hindi ko akalain na ang magiging kapalit pala ng muling pagkikita namin ng kaniyang mga magulang ay ang pagkawala naman ni Charisma sa piling ko.
Pero gano'n talaga siguro ang buhay. I have to admit that she wasn’t meant for me. And now that everything is well, I’m back to my old life. In fact, last month pa ako bumalik sa organization pero ngayon ko lang naisipang mag-resign.
***
DELTA ORGANIZATION
SAFEHOUSE
“Is there anything we can do to help you?” Skipper asked Angel seriously, and his voice had a note of concern.
Hindi lang siya kundi kaming lahat para sa mga kapatid ni Angel na sila Liam at Cedric na siyang namumuno naman sa dalawa pang Organization na itinayo ng kanilang Lolo na isang General.
“They can no longer be treated by ordinary doctors here in our country. They may need to be taken to our main laboratory,” I replied while looking at Angel silently sitting in the corner of our long table.
I know her as a brave woman—someone with principles, unyielding. But now, she was far from the woman we had known before. Para bang sa isang iglap lang ay bigla na lang siyang nag-iba.
We can't blame her dahil buhay ng kaniyang mga kapatid ang nakasalalay dito na kailan lang namin nadiskubre mula sa kaniya. Ang alam namin ay ulila na siya sa kanyang mga magulang at tanging ang kanyang lola na lang ang nakakasama niya sa buhay.
But to our surprise, we found out that she is also a Parker—one of the grandchildren of General Vincent Parker and the youngest sister of Liam Travis Parker and Cedric Parker, na ngayon ay nagbabanta na silang mawala sa mundong ito due to an illness whose actual cause we don’t know, or perhaps they do know but have chosen to keep it hidden from everyone.
“Andrie is right. There’s no other way but to get them out of the Philippines,” Glecy agreed with what I said.
“Why do I have this feeling that your grandfather didn’t take any action on this?!” sagot naman ni Silver na halatang mainit na ang ulo. Kung mainitin ang ulo ko ay mas mainit pa sa kumukulong sinaing ang sa kaniya.
"Silver, relax," saway naman sa kaniya ni Empress na lately ay napapansin ko na parang medyo nabawasan ang kanyang pagiging bibo at masiyahin.
“How can I f*****g relax when this is happening to our companions?!” He was even more furious.
“Shut up, Silver. The General is not here, so calm down. We need to discuss this properly and plan what we should do,” Aegia said calmly.
"Sige, bahala kayo!" Mabilis na tumayo si Silver at lumabas ng safehouse.
"Sira-ulo talaga," singhal naman ni Aegia.
“Let him. I’ll let you all know if I ever need your help. But right now, my two brothers are in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Parker, so don’t worry, guys. I have to go,” Angel replied as she stood up and attempted to leave the safe house.
“Wait, what about—” I quickly grabbed Empress’s arm to stop her from saying what she was about to.
Alam ko naman na ang tinutukoy niya ay ang operation namin mamayang gabi na mangyayari sa ilalim ng isla ng mga Montgomery.
“I’m still with all of you later,” walang emosyong sagot ni Angel na mukhang nahinuha din ang gustong iparating ni Empress.
“We can handle this, A,” I said calmly, hoping she would trust us.
"No, sasama ako. Ako pa rin ang leader niyo kaya ako pa rin ang masusunod." Sa isang iglap ay biglang bumalik ang kaniyang katatagan at katapangan sa sarili.
Iyan ang nais kong iparating sa kanya: ang maging matatag sa lahat ng hamon ng buhay, at nais kong gawin niya ito para sa sarili niya.
“Is that clear?!” malakas niyang tanong sa aming lahat.
"Yes, A!!" Sumaludo kaming lahat sa kaniya at siya rin sa amin bago niya kami tuluyang tinalikuran.
Isa siya sa mga babaeng hinahangaan ko dahil sa angkin niyang katapangan.
Napakislot ako nang maramdaman ko ang pag-vibrate ng phone ko na nasa aking bulsa. Kaagad ko itong hinugot at napatitig sa pangalang nagpa-flash sa screen.
Armalite calling...
"Armalite? Nakakapag-cellphone na pala ang Armalite ngayon?" Bigla kong narinig ang boses ni Aegia mula sa aking likuran.
What the f**k?
- Writer
