"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. He will be there on Thursday and he will be armed. A forty five
caliber pistol and a carbine. He goes there alone."
"What about his wife?" Captain Watanabe already knew about Lillian although he
had never seen her. He was also trying to find out if Lucio would provide truly
useful additional information.
The thought of Lillian made Lucio's blood coagulate. He hated her for the way
she treated him.Lucio told Captain Watanabe where she was staying with the
baby.
"You should arrest her, too. She provides food and medicines to the guerillas."
Lucio answered, venom dripping from his fangs, the absolute antithesis of his
religion.
"Should I torture their baby, too?" retorted the officer, regarding the traitor
with undisguised disgust. But Lucio was so consumed with hatred he did not
catch the sarcasm in the man's voice.
"Alright, I shall see him on Thursday. I shall have a squad of soldiers and you
shall accompany me."
"What? No! I can't." There was genuine fear in Lucio's sweaty face. "Nobody
must know who I am! They'll kill me if they find out!"
"You deserve it too." was what Captain Watanabe thought. He really abhorred
centipedes, cockroaches, and traitors.
"You can put your hood on, wear a new long sleeve shirt, gloves, new pants and
whatever else. And you don't have to say anything. Just be there with me and
point. You can do that, can't you?" he was beginning to lose his temper.
Lucio knew enough not to argue with the head of the Kempetai.
Captain Watanabe disliked Lucio for what he was, a disgrace to his country and
to his religion. He formed a mental picture of his sword slicing through this
man's throat and believed he would enjoy it. But he changed his mind. "No, I
won't desecrate my ancestor's sword with this vermin's blood."
Thursday came and Lucio was feeling sick. He had been having diarrhea since
breakfast and had been to the toilet four times. He thought it was the
"kinaboo" that he had for supper. He usually had this with carabao milk but
finding none, his wife mixed it with coconut milk. It tasted alright but now he
was having abdominal cramps. In reality, he dreaded Thursday as that was that
day he would go to Bansa to point out Popong to the Japanese officer.
Lucio was surprised to see Watanabe with only six soldiers with him. Watanabe
was in full ceremonial uniform. He had shaved and had his curly hair shortened,
appearing almost bald under the cap. "Are we going to a party or a funeral?"
Watanabe did not pay attention to the traitor's unspoken question. Lucio would
not understand that to get respect one has to deserve it. Watanabe didn't think
Lucio understood the code of honor among soldiers, even between enemies. The
warrior genes were in his chromosomes. This insect would never comprehend it.
Neither would he understand why he was not going to arrest Popong immediately.
He wanted to know him first, know the real person. People act differently when
they are at the receiving end of a gun. Is Adolfo Sanchez a man or a tin
soldier? A game of cat and mouse? "Let us see how this cat will react to a very
large mouse." Captain Watanabe did not have the patience to explain to Lucio
that he did not need an entire battalion to capture Sanchez. Nor did he need
canons. His arsenal would consist of a psychological gambit and, if played
right, Sanchez would voluntarily present himself.
Crossing Agusan River was not a problem There were eight of them, four each in
two separate "bawotos", slim, wooden boats dug out from a single trunk of the
mahogany tree. Watanabe was in the second boat with three soldiers, two of whom
were paddling. The third one held on to a machine gun. Watanabe was a little
concerned as they would be easy targets for a few minutes while they were in
the middle of the wide Agusan River. Lucio was in the lead boat. He was bent
over with periodic lower abdominal cramps and his shirt was wet with
perspiration. The wet mark at the bottom of his pants was either perspiration
or something else. He would occasionally remove his hood to wipe his face. He
was obviously miserable. Watanabe was enjoying Lucio's misery.
When they got to the eastern bank near Buhangin, they drifted downstream
towards Bansa. They tried to make as little noise with their paddle as they
possibly could. They got off near where the Bansa tributary joined the main
river and walked inland towards Nanay Cedes Sanchez house, Lucio still leading
the way.
It was just past noon and everybody was enjoying their siesta. Bib Sanchez, the
seven year old son of Nanay Cedes and first cousin to Popong, was trying to
take a nap on the bamboo floor which was cool as it allowed the air to go
through the bamboo slots. He saw Lucio first and then the captain with the
soldiers gathering under the house. He got so scared seeing the man with the
hood. He was even more scared when he saw the tall Japanese officer. "We are
all going to die!" He was sure. Then he saw something he would never forget.
The fear was converted to anger by what he saw. The hooded man's shoes were
black and white, a pair of real fancy leather shoes. He had shined them before
for Lucio Paredes. "The traitor!!! That salamagan Judeo is a traitor!" Before
he could get up, the fearsome officer had gone up the wooden stairs into the
wide living room. Bib decided to play possum and pretend to be asleep as the
Japanese marched in and called out, "Hello, anybody?"
Diminutive Nanay Cedes came out of the kitchen and faced him. She stood tall
and showed him she was not afraid of him. He immediately decided he liked this
old woman. He took off his cap and bowed deeply. "Please excuse this
unannounced visit. I am Captain Watanabe and I wish to speak with Adolfo
Sanchez. Is he in?"
Nanay Cedes decided she liked him, too. "He has such good manners." She
thought. She tried not to smile and said "No, he is not in."
"So sorry but may I speak with his wife?" He wanted to give this brave woman
the impression that he possesed information. "Is her baby fine?"
"The baby is healthy. Let me tell her that you wish to speak with her. Will you
have a seat?"
Time to assert myself, he thought and answered, "I would prefer to stay
standing for now, but thank you for your kind offer."
Nanay Cedes looked at the soldier intently but not with belligerence. He seems
to know a lot of things. She wondered if he knew that she was a widow. He must
know by now that her late husband's nephew was a guerilla.
Lillian refused to come out. She held the baby tight to her bosom. Cousin Remy
was with her, trembling like a leaf, scared to death, hiding behind the half
opened mosquito net.
Nanay Cedes explained to Watanabe that Lillian was attending to the baby.
Without any further ceremony, Watanabe went to the bedroom, knocked on the door
and announced, "I am Captain Watanabe of the Japanese Imperial Army. I will not
harm you or your baby. I am coming in. If you are nursing, please stop. I shall
only be a minute."
"Come in." Lillian finally answered. She had no choice.
Watanabe pretended not to see Remy who was on the verge of tears, behind the
mosquito net, behind Lillian. The baby was asleep. His spies were right.
Lillian was a handsome woman. She was obviously afraid of him but he could see
a definite defiance in her.
"Where is your husband?" Lillian did not answer him. He stared down at her
challenging eyes then asked again, "Is he with Dr. De Jesus?"
She faltered. "My God! He knows. He is telling me he knows!" She had never seen
a real Japanese before. She had no way out. She was so scared. She barely
nodded.
Watanabe acknowledged the nonverbal response . And in a much softer voice
added, "Thank you. I do apologize for this inconvenience. Is this Erlinda?" He
almost went forward to touch the baby but Lillian's body language warned him to
stay away or else he would have a very hysterical woman screaming her head off
or he would have scratches on his face and eyes, a tigress protecting her
young. Watanabe did not care to find out. There is no honor in a physical
confrontation with any woman. Captain Hirai would probably snicker if he
returned to the garrison with scratch marks on his face.
"So sorry. It is all right. I mean you no harm. I shall leave now." Watanabe
bowed and backed out of the room to the living room where Nanay Cedes was
waiting. Their eyes met. He did not say anything anymore, just bowed then went
down the stairs. He instructed Lucio to go back to Butuan with all the soldiers
save one. That soldier would be paddling him to Kabagyangan, to Pete de Jesus
house. Lucio thought he was either a very brave man or a very foolish brave
man.
Unknown to everyone else, Bib Sanchez had gotten down the house, pretended to
play near the guava tree then when no one was looking, ran as fast as he could
over the hills, across the rice fields, to Kabagyangan.
Bib was barely seven, quite thin, malnourished, with red tinged hair.
"The Japs are coming! The Jap are on their way!" gasping for air. Pete, Titong,
Casian, and Popong were playing mahjong. "Pong, they're coming for you. They
know about you. About a hundred of them!" Bib had a tendency to exaggerate. He
told them about the hooded man and his black and white shoes, what they called
"combinacion" during the war.
"Salamagan, I knew it. That damn shit!" Casian slammed his palm on the table
top, making a mess of the mahjong pieces that were already neatly piled.
"God help me, but I'm going to kill that turd." joined Titong.
"Popong, I think you better go. Hide in Taligaman. Hurry! Go now!" Pete was
getting worried for his family. There's bound to be some shooting.
Popong was quiet, thinking. .Bib, did you say a hundred soldiers?.
"Aaah, let me see." He started counting with his fingers.
"You mean you only saw seven in uniform?"
"Yeah." Admitted Bib sheepishly.
"Did the "capi-an" remove his hood?"
"No. But I am sure he's Lucio."
"How are you sure?"
"I told you. His shoes! I would recognize those anywhere. And his hands, they
are hairy."
"What did the officer look like?"
"He's tall like a giant, and very handsome. He has this beautiful sword."
"Watanabe!" Pete and Casian spoke simultaneously.
"At least it's not Sgt.Ohno, the butcher." Casian signed in relief.
"We should not underestimate this man. I think he's real sharp." Pete answered
back.
Titong was still quite visibly upset but he finally said something, "Listen,
let's think this over. They have no proof that Popong is an active guerilla.
The Japanese has never seen him. I wonder what Lucio told Watanabe?"
"I think we should presume that he knows, and that he is coming here because he
knows. I can't get you all involved. But if I leave now, he might just take all
of you." Popong finally answered back. "Besides, I am unarmed."
"You're right. Okay, here's what we'll do. Let us continue playing mahjong.
When he gets here, let us pretend we don't know anything. He has been here
before, as a guest." Pete addressed everybody, then spoke directly to Popong
"What do you think?"
"Sounds like a simple plan. A good plan. It might just work. Don't worry, I
won't involve anyone of you. Besides, I don't think they'll do anything to me.
The Americans will be here soon anyway." How he wished he had his pistol with
him!
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