Loloy Burgos was prompt. He did not have to ring the bell as the big gate
opened as soon he got within ten feet of it. There were two vehicles in the
driveway, one a great big white Landcruiser and the other a shiny brand new
black four wheel drive, two- door Pajero. He was wearing civilian clothes but
he had his service pistol tucked in on his right hip.
Earlier, at seven thirty in the morning, he was awakened by a loud insistent
authoritative knock on his door. Looking out the window, he saw one of the Lee
guards.
"Sir, 'amo' wants to talk to you within the hour. Don't worry about breakfast."
He showered, shaved and trimmed his mustache. But he did not want to appear too
eager, so he took his time but he made sure he was on time when he got to the
Lee residence.
He was on time.
They talked in the gazebo, he, Amado, Inju, and little Tony who smiled as soon
as he saw him approaching. He said "Good morning" to everyone but not to anyone
in particular.
None answered his greeting. "Let's eat breakfast while we talk." Amado said in
a brusque business-like manner as he pointed to a table filled with breakfast
items. Loloy waited for Amado to pick up his plate first. Inju did but he
filled it up for his grandson who acted like a miniature adult. Loloy filled up
his plate but ate slowly, gingerly and self consciously, handling the expensive
silverware like he had seen in the movies. "What, no chopsticks?" he thought.
Amado did all the talking. Old man Inju was quiet the whole time and seemed to
be preoccupied with his grandson's waffle, dividing it into precisely equal
triangular pieces before pouring an overflowing amount of strawberry flavored
syrup over it.
"I have a proposition to make." Amado started.
"Yes Sir."
"We know everything about you, your mother, your two sisters, your wife, and
your children." A warning?
"Yes Sir."
"And we also know about that young thing you keep in Buhangin." Amado winked
but smiled only with his lips when he said this. Loloy decided there was no
need for a response to this revelation. Everybody knew about his "querida." It
was a secret that everybody in town had exclusive knowledge of. Even his wife
knew about it. The practice is common in the entire Philippines. It had been
tolerated even before the Spaniards came, a yardstick of one's economic status
as well as one's virility.
"You must know that I can be very generous but that I despise haggling. I am
not a moros "banig" dealer. Will you be interested in working for my family?
No, you will not be reporting to me every day. We will just call you for
certain assignments. We will not require any receipts that can be traced. This
will be a cash only form of arrangement." He did not waste any words.
"Sir, you know I work for the Philippine National Police. Are you asking me to
moonlight? I don't think I am allowed to. Do you want me to quit my job?"
"On the contrary, we want for you to continue working for the PNP. Your
employment here will be unofficial. No one except my family will know about our
arrangement. We want you to be our eyes and ears in your office. And we will
contact you periodically whenever we need your services. But most important of
all, you will be my son's personal aide. Tony will be your responsibility, your
primary responsibility."
"I.... don't know. I'm not sure." He hesitated.
"Well, I want you to be sure. You will receive forty thousand pesos a month,
cash."
Rogelio "Loloy" Burgos almost dropped his half empty cup of coffee. He could
not believe what he just heard. He could not say anything. That was almost
triple his present salary.
"By the way, these are the keys to the new Pajero. It's already paid for but
you can tell your friends and your family that you are paying monthly on it and
that you got it in Cagayan de Oro." Amado dangled the keys in front of Loloy.
"The title will be transferred to your name if you continue to work for us for
three years. In the meantime, you will have exclusive use of it as if it were
already yours."
"I'm dreaming. I must be dreaming." He thought, mouth gaping.
"Please close your mouth, Sergeant. There are some f insects flying about out
here." The old man spoke for the first time. One could not tell if he was
joking.
Loloy accepted the keys. They felt good in his hands. They felt right in his
hand. It has been more than ten years since he started working for the PNP and
he had nothing to show for it. He had been subjected to friendly harassments by
his comrades and friends. They accused him of his "unexplained poverty." "Well,
not anymore. It's harvest time." He thought.
"Sir, I'm not a sergeant." as he turned to face Inju.
"Aah, but you are. Well, that is, next month. You shall be promoted next
month." The old man waved his hand dismissively.
Loloy's mouth started gaping again but he caught it just on time and
consciously kept his lips pursed. He did not want to appear retarded. He
pocketed the remote control keys but did not say anything. He was completely
speechless.
Inju and Amado looked at each other knowingly. They had just bought a soul.
Dirt cheap.
"And for your first bonus, I had the tank completely filled up. It should be
good for more than four hundred kilometers." Amado patted Loloy on the back.
Soon-to-be Sergeant Rogelio Burgos was still speechless. He saw images of his
son and daughter jumping with joy, knowing that now they could go to the beach
as often as they wanted to. And they can show off their new sports utility
vehicle to the other kids in school. And his wife can go and attend mass at
Sto. Nino and he would drive her all the way to the church main door the way
the rich people do and let everyone admire his new vehicle and be envious. No
more tricycles for them. "What now, Mr. Lee? What would you have me do?"
Finally, he regained his composure.
"Nothing just yet. Go to work as usual and just keep your eyes and ears open
and your mouth shut. Nobody must know about this, not your wife, nor your
mistress, absolutely no one." Amado paused for a good five seconds for a more
dramatic effect and to demonstrate to his little son his complete dominance
over the big man. Sipping from his cup of oolong tea, he turned away from their
new employee and without facing him, said, "You may leave now."
He was glad he was being dismissed. He could not wait to get his hands on his
new Pajero. "Yes Sir. Thank you, Sir. Sir, I shall not disappoint you. I
won't," looking alternately at Inju and Amado. He was not quite sure if he
should genuflect or bow to show respect but he did manage to walk backward a
few steps before turning around to proceed straight for the driveway. It was
from the corner of his eyes that he saw Mrs. Jin Lee by the pool, with a maid
in a white and purple striped blouse and a pair of blue pants. The maid stood
stoically like a statue, not moving, holding an extra wide umbrella steadily
over her mistress. He did not break his rhythm as he continued to walk to the
vehicle. He knew that the old man and his son and grandson were still watching
him. "Lat naamo, that really is one good-looking woman." he thought. She was
looking at him with that half-smile that only someone with a hormone problem
would be unwilling to die for. The miniature devil in red tights, with taloned
bat-like wings, dangling on his left shoulder, waving a red trident, was
whispering in his ear that she was coming on to him and that she was ripe and
ready for seduction of which he fancied himself an expert. The blond, blue-eyed
angel with downy wings hovering over his right shoulder was yelling to him,
"Don't be stupid!"
"I'm not stupid." he answered back.
Startled, he almost jumped out of skin when she called out to him, "Wait! Wait
up. My son wants to talk to you." Tony was running towards him, proudly
displaying a badge of courage in the form of a band-aid on his eyebrow,
merthiolate stains on both elbows and right shin and knee. The mother had
joined her husband.
"I want to tell you something." Tony said. Amado, Inju, and Jin were no longer
within hearing distance.
"Okay."
"But it's a secret. Our secret. Yours and mine."
"Okay."
"But first, you must call me Sir, too."
Loloy was not offended. Nothing could offend him this morning. "All right, Sir.
What is the secret?"
"What's his name?"
"Who?"
"That awful boy who did this." pointing to the band-aid.
"Oh, that boy. Yeah, his name is Felix Cuerdas. What about him?"
"I don't want to see him in Butuan again."
"Yes Sir." Like he said, he was not stupid. Tony did not have to draw pictures
for him.
Mrs. Jin Lee's smile was still on his mind as he caressed the Pajero's leather
seats. He had seen that hunger before.
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Next - Chapter 8
