" People of the philippines I have returned", the voice of Gen. Mcarthur in a radio broadcas in October 20,1944.,after he waded ashore into the Island of Leyte.
" Men, Gen, Mcarthur had already returned. you will be needed to help raid and capture the japanese army here in Negros,but who among you, would like to go to Luzon to help capture japanese Imperial army?", Mr. Sanchez said.
" I will," Doni said.
" I will too", Gilbert said.
" Me too", Mike said.
" Who else amongst you guys we need more soldiers ?", Mr, Sanchez said.
" Yes, we want to witness how they fall while I shot them on the head", Doni said.
" I will kick Homma's butt", Gilbert said.
." Me, I will look for that cannibals and slice their flesh alive to see how they will feel", Mike said.
" I will help you by holding them in place", Doni said.
" Me too", Gilbert said. More soldiers had decided to go.almost more than half of the army reservists decided to go to Luzon to be part of what they called as operation musketeer. The operation to attack or reconquest the government camps that was taken over by the japanese imperial army and to recover both the americans and filipino military they had kept as prisoner.
" Thanks God we will be free at last!", Maria said, happiness was in her voice.
" Yes, the day after tomorrow, we will go back to our house we will just wait that the japanese was taken out of the garrison", Doro said.
" Yes! we can go back to school papa?", Virgi asked.
" Yes, when everything was in order, you will study again", Doro said.
" Yipee!!!! at last we will go back to our house", Lilian and Mari with Virgi, celebrated for the good news.The only one who's not happy is Marga, she do not feel good about the possible separation from Mario.Up to this moment Mario and Doni were still in Luzon,together with their troops because the danger of the japanese attack were no longer possible in the whole province. They were already jailed in the garrison, they cannot come out except when they were taken to the national authorities.
" What will happened to us mom? I hate to think that we will no longer meet after this war.", Marga is very sad as she talk to her mother about the possible seperation with Mario.
" Marga, you are his novia, whereever you go, surely he will look for you, I know that he loves you, he will going to marry you as he promised", Maria assured her daughter.
" Do you think so ma?I hope that's true because I don't know what I'll going to do without him",Marga said.
" You must have really loved him," Maria said.
"Yes mama, that's true",Marga said.
" Don't worry, Mario loves you very much, infact he had told us that he'll marry you when this war is over,.when everything was back to normal", Anselma said..Upon hearing what her future mother in law said Marga felt much more better.
" Actually he had promised me the same thing but that was three months ago",
Marga said.
" Distrust toward your ones is not good,
that will bring a lot of unwanted petty misunderstanding,that will create gaps between you and Mario, trust my son he is honest and responsible", Anselma's advice.
" Don't think bad about him at this time that he is fighting for our country, it might affect him psychologically.", Maria said.
" By the way, we decided to go back home tomorrow, so we can start for our new normal life", Anselma said.
" Hmmm, we will miss Melisa," Virgi said and scratch the head of the dog that had been close to her.
" How about us? you will not miss us?
Anselma asked.
" Of course I will, anyway if Marga and Mario got married we will always visit you in your house", Virgi said.
" Yes,we too, expect that we will bother you with Virgi's noise", Mari said.
" Ha,ha,ha, it's okay, we will be happy to have you in our house", Anselma answered.
Doni and Mario together with their troops had always been busy raiding the previous allied camps that the japanese had taken over and used as concentration camps for their prisoners of war In february 1945 Bataan Peninsula was recapture, In march 1945, Manila was liberated, hey were heart broken having to witness the mass murders of civilians by the japanese soldiers in Manila and many other places in Luzon as well as the cultural and agricultural destructions the japanese soldiers had initiated. They had courageously fight, wounds and bruises is nothing, they had experience more than that. The hatred that they felt toward the japanese soldiers is evident everytime they had encounter until in september 1945,they finally won the fight.
They finally conquered the japanese imperial army in september 1945, which also marks the independence of the entire Philippines.
After the war Doni and Mario as well
as Gilbert and Mike and many more had been given recognition for their services to the country.
Doni and Mario decided to finish their law course, there were times they meet most of the soldiers in school like Mona. She's still the student council president just like before the war.
" Gilbert, how are you?", Doni asked.
" I'm just fine, how about the two of you?", Gilbert asked Mario and Doni.
" We're just fine how I wish we could talk to you longer, see you later, we have a nine a.m. class.", both of them were in a hurry.
" You're already ten minutes late", Gilbert said.
" Yes, that's why we are in a hurry", the two answered back.
Mario decided to became a criminal lawyer and Doni decided to work in the office.
anyway , they had attended the trial of Homma and his men were charge of crimes of war in the Philippines, He togethet with his 900 men were executed on April 1946.
" I will marry your sister by the end of this year", Mario said.
" Yes, I had been waiting for that big event in your life, I am looking forward to see my little niece or nephew, little Mario or little Marga", Doni said.
." I felt nervous," mario said.
" What? you had been a part of our family for so long now, then you'll tell me you're nervous? of what?", Doni asked.
" Of course it's a proposal's glitter aswhat they call it!", Mario reasoned out.
" Nonsense! Marga had been expecting for that proposal, then you'll get nervous?",
Doni said.
" You're just saying that because you are not the one that will propose", Mario said.
" Ow, come on! wait till you hear what Marga will say after your proposal", Doni said.
The two were together when Mario decided to propose on that date.Marga was so excited, she don't know the reason of Mario's visit but she felt it's something exciting. This might be the right time that Mario had promised to her.
She had been unsure of Mario's feeling toward her eventhough he is telling her he loves her.
" Good evening everybody," Doni and Mario greets.
"Good evening too", Doni's sisters replied.
" Marga," as Mario kissed Marga on the cheeks.After the night is over Marga and Mario had decided to agree on a wedding.
But before that they have to asked for Marga's parents approval bythe help of Mario's parents as well. The two parents will have to talk personally before they agreed on a wedding date. The next time Mario come back he had brought his parents. Both parties had decided that the wedding of Mario and Marga will be by the end of the year,everybody agreed and happy for the future union of Mario and Marga. It takes a bit longer before Doni found his forever love. He had been married to Lilian's sister inlaw who had been very much inlove with him. He was about at the age of thirty by that time,but his age had never been a hindrance to their love. They had lived in abundance throughout their life. When he reach his retirement age he receive a sumptous amount as payment for his services during the war as veterans, he had even given a chance to live in america, he did but for vacation only, and he had chosen to live in the Philippines throughout his life.
Oftentimes Mario and Marga together with their children always visit Doni and his family, they were friends til they reach their old age. Sometimes Marga and Mario have misunderstandings because of Marga's possessiveness and jealousy unreasonably.
But most times Mario tried to understand his wife,anyway he loves it,he find it cute when his wife is jealous. Most of their children had the looks of their mother and her siblings most of them were chinese looking which he found beautiful and he is very proud of his family. All remnants and memories of war are gone in his mind .
The End