CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAOS AND ACCEPTANCE
The celebration of their Class Reunion will last all day, with a clean-up drive throughout the school campus in the morning and a Medical Mission organized with the help of alumni who have graduated in medicine, including free check-ups and medicine, dental, and eye check-ups to residents near their school from morning to noon. After lunch, there will be disaster preparedness seminars where Ronn and his three classmates who became police officers and one other Alumna of them became the Barangay Captain of a barangay in their town, he is the youngest who became the Barangay Captain, succeeding his father who previously served as Barangay Chief will be present. He and Menin have only met once, but they haven't spoken because her husband is always following her, possibly out of jealousy. Ronn concentrated on setting up the room where the seminar will be held; there is a registration table at the door and chairs inside.
After lunch, those planning to attend the disaster preparedness seminar began to register their names. Richard also signed up and sat in the back with his high school friends and drinking buddies, he knew everyone but there was one there who seemed familiar to him but he didn't recognize, he wanted to remember where he saw him, and was silent it's just that he isn't like Richard, who is loud and boastful. The room was not packed with those who attended; most were Barangay Chiefs or other representatives from their barangay. Because the Chief of Police had an important meeting at the Provincial Office, the DILG member they invited was also inside as replacement. One of their friends who became a cop was also stationed there; he was the one who informed them that their Chief would be unable to attend.
They began the seminar quietly with a prayer, followed by the DILG representative's introduction. As the seminar progressed, Richard continued to make noise, much to the chagrin of the attending Barangay Chiefs, until one of them had had enough and stood up and asked to be notified that he was going to speak.
"To the respected chiefs, this is important knowledge that you are teaching us for security knowledge for our constituency, but I just wanted to clarify something or you can consider it," Brgy. Belga, Captain
"All right, we'll listen to what you want," Patrolman Cortez replied.
"Since the beginning of this meeting, the people in the back seats have not stopped making noise; is there anything you can do to ask them to be quiet because this seminar is very important for us as we learn something that will help us in serving our constituents?" enraged the Barangay Chief. "If this knowledge is insignificant for them, it is very important for us," the captain added.
"Wait a minute," Patrolman Cortez said, apologizing.
He approached Richard and asked him to be quiet because the information in the seminar was important, but Richard became even more enraged and shouted at the police in a loud voice; the police did not say anything because he knew Richard would be angry or afraid because Richard is the Town Mayor's nephew and the Chief of Police is a close friend. Ronn was quiet and calm, observing Richard's popularity and the policeman's humility. A DILG representative approached as well, but Richard's actions remained unchanged.
"Why are you the man you think you are?" exclaimed Richard. "I am a participant of this batch, and I have the right to participate in the seminar!" Can you help me get out of here? Who is going to let me out of here? " Richard exclaimed arrogantly.
"Chard, there is nothing; those who attended the seminar are simply pleading with you to be quiet because this seminar is very important," the DILG representative explained gently. Richard rose to his feet and challenged the captain to get him out of the room, even pointing at the silent and bowed captain.
"What, Capt., can you let me out? Why don't you try?" Richard yelled to the stunned captain. Ronn stood up and approached Richard's location.
"Are you going to be quiet or leave this room?" Ronn asked softly but authoritatively. Everyone was stunned, including Richard, who had assumed Ronn would not bother him, and his friends, who were also stunned. "Why don't you try me?" Ronn remains calm. Is it because of the size of his body that his muscles are like stones? Richard is a big man, but he's full of fat and his bones aren't stretched at all. They know Ronn very well, not only because they are young and classy at that time, but also because of what they went through with Ronn when he was their Corps Commander in C.A.T., which means nothing even to the bad boy's gang back then in the school because he turned them into good boys inside the school. The meeting was quiet because Richard's group departure with the chairs bouncing and almost overturned.
"Please forgive our friends Richard, they are kind, they are just a bit mischievous", Ronn apologized to the attendees.
"You are no different from Retired Chief of Police, calm but authoritative in handling and providing solutions to problems, you inherited your good father's attitude, calm but meaningful in your words, we salute you, thank you very much!" the captain's statement.
"Thank you very much!" others responded at the same time.
"Oh, that's okay, it's our duty to take care of and try to properly implement order in the meeting", Ronn said calmly.
And they continued the seminar, Ronn focused on the most important part of knowledge or training in disaster preparedness. Until now, his police classmates are still impressed by his elegance but authoritative manner, they are also his officers at C.A.T. they were in High School, Patrolman Cortez – Cadet Master Sergeant/Training Officer, Corporal Singson - Cadet Sergeant and Patrolman Lara – Cadet Corporal. They really salute Ronn especially now that he has a high rank in the Navy, even the Chief of Police there is sure to salute him. After the important seminar sponsored by Ronn, the attendees, especially the Barangay Chiefs, were very grateful, because of the important knowledge they learned and needed to prepare for or during a disaster in their jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, when they arrived at their house, Richard passed out, and his friends attempted to comfort him. He couldn't accept that he had been taken in by his rival Ronn's plea, that Ronn was now more formed, and, most importantly, that the rival's current condition was more successful now. When Richard's rage subsided, he summoned his eldest daughter, Merill, who was guarding their store.
"My dear Merill! "Come here first," Richard called to his daughter, and the eldest daughter, who resembled Richard, arrived quickly, making her his favorite of all the children.
"So, why, Pa?" "There are a lot of people shopping at the store," Merill replied gently to her father.
"First, give me 500 pesos," he told his daughter.
"Well, the number of buyers is only now increasing; then you will reduce it again," replied his eldest daughter, somewhat reluctantly.
"Don't embarrass me in front of my friends, or you might get hit by me!" Richard exclaimed to his daughter.
"But Pa!" exclaimed the daughter, hesitantly. "When will you change? Our store will not prosper if you spend every profit you make on drinking!" Merill bravely replied to her father.
"Pak!" he slapped her on the cheek.
Merill collapsed, clutching her reddened cheek, and sobbed; Richard was astounded, despite the fact that he had never raised his hand to the eldest daughter because she was his favorite. He approached her and hugged her, but she avoided him, infuriating Richard even more. He simply stood up and went to the store's sales container, taking five hundred dollars and then going to the living room where his friends were waiting, after ordering the other to buy wine and then some junk foods. Richard remained silent because he was still processing what had happened to his eldest daughter; he couldn't fully comprehend that he had hurt his daughter as a result of his rage at Ronn. One of their coworkers, Menin's full cousin, sat quietly in a chair, watching Richard's movements.
The programs of their batch for the people they helped and were given the necessary attention such as medical and trainings or seminars have concluded, and their next program is dedicated to all of them. There was a party, followed by sharing by each alumna, and the last part was dancing as the end of the program. One by one, they shared their lives that they have walked in the past since they graduated from secondary school. It is said that "Ladies First", so women were first in sharing their life experiences since they graduated from secondary school, Menin was first because she was the Class President and she was also the manager of the program.
"Good afternoon, everyone, I'm sorry it's already late, therefore I will say good evening, everyone", Menin began smiling but nervously.
"I sincerely thank you for your attendance and even though most of you live or work far from our town area, you still hosted and attend our Class Reunion. Most of this is no longer a secret of my life since we graduated from secondary school, but I will still share but only the summaries of the events, because if I did not summarize it, I might be the only one after the night, you haven't shared it yet", laughed everyone applauded, so the doubt and nervousness in Menin's chest disappeared that even though she was always glancing at his ex-boyfriend, there was no doubt, maybe in this sharing the ex-boyfriend would be clear his mind.
"After I finished high school, everyone knows that I continued studying in college, by the grace of God I finished and was accepted to work in a bank. My attention was focused on working immediately to forget about my failure in love. Yes, you won't believe it, I failed in love because of our wrong view or misunderstanding of each other. I hope it's okay, I've moved on, because the hardest, most painful blow in our life, in our family, came. My mother became very ill, which caused our businesses to go bankrupt, selling almost all of our possessions except our house. My sister graduated after me, but our youngest brother was forced to drop out due to what had happened to us. We lost our possessions, and to make matters worse, Mom couldn't handle her condition any longer...so," Menin came to a halt and couldn't help but cry, and almost everyone started crying, including their classmates who were always jealous of Menin.
"This is my life now, my classmates know or the people here know why my life is like this, someone is educated but stuck here in our area", Menin's voice was still screaming, but he continued to speak . Most people know that there is the hardship Menin is going through at the hands of Richard, sometimes they advise her to divorce him, but as she replied to her sister, she cannot leave her husband because of their children which her friends understood. His beatings only stopped when Richard's father threatened that he and his mother would leave for another country, her husband was scared and it has been several years since he stopped beating her and did not get drunk as much, for which Menin expressed gratitude.
"I was just given the opportunity to release all the resentments in my life, I hope you forgive me, but to everyone, thank you very much, and we were given the opportunity to be together again even for this short time, but I am happy I still know that I have many children and I will not be ashamed of that, because they are the only ones I can consider now as treasures that I know will never leave me even if we don't understand each other, thank you very much for everything."
Ronn's heart was filled with pity and anger every time Menin shared her experiences; he couldn't believe the pain his ex-girlfriend was in. He, who should have sympathized with her, was the one who added to her anguish. It's as if those revelations have slashed his heart; he doesn't know if his ex-girlfriend can forgive him; just because of his false accusation, the woman he first loved has suffered pain and suffering; he doesn't know if he has the courage to speak up. He felt sorry for what she had gone through, and he was one of the causes of her emotional suffering, but instead of understanding, he used anger, jealousy, and misunderstanding. He's angry with himself, and he doesn't seem to have the courage to confront his classmates, especially the woman he hurt; now that he knows the truth, he doesn't appear to be willing to confront his ex-girlfriend. With so many of them, Ronn might not have been able to reach him, so he would have decided not to speak or share his experience, because doing so would only hurt her ex-girlfriend because his life was the polar opposite of hers.
Meanwhile, Richard and his friends are already drunk, and Richard's rage and annoyance with Ronn has not subsided; he is cursing and shouting inappropriate words, which irritates Menin's cousin even more, especially when the cousin's name is mentioned.
Richard yelled, "That whore Ronn, he thinks he's bigger than me!" "I'm still the one who beats him, he's a whore!" he yelled, only to be interrupted by his friends.
"Why should I be silent? Huh? Why should I be silent? I'm here in my house, who's going to stop me here?" screamed Richard. "That bullshit? Are you afraid of that bullshit?" he asked Ronn.
"He knows who is brave, pweeh! He's so arrogant! Princess! I'm more arrogant, I'm more manly than him because I was before Menin! Richard yelled, making his cousin's blood boil, who was sitting quietly next to him, not drunk because he didn't drink too much, just quietly next to him, and Menin's children were sobbing inside because of Richard's noise.
"He has no idea I smelled the entire scent of Menin! And when it's just a minor blunder, right guys? I'll beat that woman because I know she's still looking for that man! Badass! That will never happen because I will kill them as soon as I discover they talked!" Richard yelled, and it was the man who swung a knife at Richard's side, a long knife that silenced Richard, who sat down slowly. The drinkers assumed Menin's cousin had simply advised Richard to remain quiet, but they were so shocked that blood flowed on the floor that they all got into trouble, but Menin's cousin refused to leave the seat, still holding the sharp knife, and ran out of the house, shouting outside.
"Richard was killed! Richard was killed!" shout Richard's friends. They were spotted by the police patrolling outside.
"What happened?
" Police asked to Richard's friend who was shaking with fear.
"Richard was killed!" He stuttered his answer, so the police followed and entered Richard's house, they found Richard lying there with blood flowing, while the killer was quietly bent over the chair still holding the knife.
"Let go of the knife!" ordered the police to Menin's cousin, slowly let go of the knife in his hand, and then the police approached the culprit and then handcuffed him, dragged him out of the house and put him in a car and drove to the police station. The police medic checked to see if Richard was still alive, but there was no pulse because the knife had been inserted into the heart, so he was driven to the town's infirmary in the police car. Menin's children cried when they learned what had happened because they had already gone upstairs when the incident occurred, only to be distracted by screams that their father had been killed.
At the school, the program of sharing the experiences of each alumni of the school continues, Ronn is next, he is a little nervous, Menin seems to have no intention of knowing more about the life of the ex-boyfriend, he has seen enough of it who was in good condition, and she was happy with his narrating life, she found out from their records that he was now an officer in the Navy, she was happy with his narrating life, she was happy with his narrating When someone shouts into the school about the killing, Ronn is about to take the stage.
"Killed, Richard!" Richard was murdered! " he yelled as he approached Menin, their housekeeper.
Menin was conflicted; she didn't know what to do; would she cry? Angry? Or are you happy? She was distracted by the various thoughts that came to mind as their classmates approached her, as well as Ronn, who held his hand as if there was warmth that gave Menin the strength to return to the right mindset. They left the program and accompanied Menin home. Menin is still perplexed as she walks; her classmates and female friends are guiding her on, and Ronn is following close behind. There were many policemen investigating at their house, and Menin's actions quickened as she remembered her children; she went straight inside the house and quickly looked for her children, and she found them hugging each other and crying in the bedroom. She hugged them tightly and then sobbed, unable to imagine what it would be like to feel her husband's death.
According to the police preliminary investigation, the friends, along with Menin's cousin, were already drunk, and Richard's voice became louder and he shouted in anger, especially when the friend tried to calm him down. And it got worse when he remembered telling them earlier in the meeting about the threats he was making against Menin and Ronn. Richard threatened to kill Menin and Ronn if he discovered they spoke. Menin's first cousin, Danding, allegedly angered him, and he suddenly stood up and approached Richard, thinking he was just trying to silence Richard; however, he did not notice that he had been stabbed in the side, reaching to the heart.
According to the investigation, Menin's cousin used to have a case of murder, he was only released because of Richard's influence and he paid the victim's family. Now Ronn remembered that man, he was also the man in his dream who snatched his lifeguard or buoy, that's why he was familiar even though he didn't know him, he had a feeling that it was really strange this morning when he saw him looking at him to him. It's strange how quiet he is that he really won't do anything good, his intuition hasn't really faded yet, he knows something is wrong this morning but he doesn't know what he just shrugs his shoulders.
Richard's father was so enraged that he went straight to the jail, where he continued to beat the perpetrator, even though the entire body of the handcuffed perpetrator was bleeding, he still did not stop beating him. The police just ignored what Richard's father was doing, they didn't have the courage to pull him away, they just walked away in case they grabbed a gun. When Richard's father got tired, he stopped and left the jail and he still crying. While Richard's mother fainted several times and was taken to the hospital, her husband went straight there. After seeing that the wife was fine, he went straight to the morgue where the son was lying.
"Please forgive me, son!" exclaimed Richard's father. "I am to blame for this happening to you, I did not love you when you started drinking alcohol, I did not love you when you repeatedly beat your wife, I am the reason why you became an irresponsible person, we condone you every time your mistakes instead of being corrected, we raised you to be arrogant and rude so those around you are already angry or annoyed with you but they can't do anything because they are afraid of us," Richard's father lamented.
"We've sinned so much against you, my son, our mistakes are unforgivable," his wife, who was also crying, said as she hugged him.
"Forgive us, son," he cried as they hugged and gazed at their sleeping son.
"Promise my son, we will not abandon your children; we will correct the mistake we made to you; we will give your children the true love as parents that you did not receive from us," the couple promised their dead son.