The Will Of Heroes ( My On Spin On A El Filibusterismo Sequel)

CHAPTER 11: THE LETTERS

The sun shone bright; the breeze was soft as birds were singing a sweet melodious song. I kind of like this new place of mine. A new place for a new life. I only told my uncle about my whereabouts because I must admit I was a bit tense back then. I let my anger get the best of me.

“Maybe that’s why she left you” a thought came to me but I shrugged it. I couldn’t stop thinking about that night. That night when I took that darned lamp from the party. I did that for her. Yet I have never heard from her again. It has come accustomed to me to write a letter to her once a week. And I was going to write her another one.

My love,

There is no single moment that I don’t think about you. Your gentle smile that warms my heart and your sweet caress that I just want to envelope myself in. Oh, I dearly miss you. My love, I miss you so much, I realized that I have none so precious for me, every minute my thoughts rush to you, my only one. To say that I miss is to convey only a tiny part of my longing. Without you everything becomes sad. I can’t wait to see you, my love! I missed you! I want to touch you, feel the warmth and tenderness of your velvet skin, kiss you and do not leave for such a long time anymore. Roses are beautiful, but you are more beautiful, the sun is shining, but you are brighter, the butterflies are very fragile, but you are gentler, the ocean is huge, but my love is greater. I miss you so much! Probably, time has stopped, and the distance dividing us, does not decrease. And I'm still waiting, my love, waiting for your beautiful eyes, your smile, brighter than sunlight. I'm waiting for you, because I miss you more than ever and I love it.

I died thousand deaths, the day I learned you were getting married to that Juanito Pelaez. I was broken, I felt betrayed but anyway that’s how life is. That it happened to me was something that was my fate. I felt that the way you loved me, you should have given me one chance to prove my worth, as your life partner. I’m not aware what compulsions, you had or for that matter it was your mother’s choice. It is a fact that the way I loved you, I cannot love anyone, for that matter and I’m not too sure whether I’ll get over this trauma. I envy your husband for getting a wonderful girl like you.

I really do hope that you still love me, I kept on yearning for the day that I could sweep you off your feet and have you in Holy Matrimony.

-lots of Love, Isagani.

A single tear fell on the paper as I sealed it both with wax and a kiss.
I was about to leave when suddenly I heard a knock at the door.
I checked who it was, I couldn’t believe it.

It was Basilio.

How could he have known and how is he alive? I noticed that he was wearing a large coat,probably twice his size, a hat and some dark eyeglasses that seem familiar.

I welcomed him in my small, humble abode and offered him for lunch, yet he rejected. I was curios of why he was here so I sat down in front of him and asked “Basilio, my old friend, what brings you here”.

“I’ve heard you’ve left town since the incidence at the party, I came here because I need help.”

“What seems to be the problem?” I asked.

He then told me about what had happened to him in the past two days. He had been hunted by civil guards because he was guilty of “treason” and “insurrection”, his old professor died innocent and unarmed at the hands of the civil guards and that Padre Florentino, my uncle advised him to come and ask me for help.

He then read me the note from Mr. Simoun/Crisostomo which was to my surprise,was already dead.

“To the people of the Philippines,

I am terribly sorry that I failed you, I wanted our country to be liberated from these pests who are liars, murderers and thieves yet it is swept under the rug. I only did that because I don’t want us to live in blindness anymore. They have abused the power of religion to control and persecute us. May I ask you; Did Jesus ever taxed the poor? Did the disciples torture the sinners? No! yet I see them, supposed to be servants of God but has no love, patience. Understanding and care but rather I saw greed, gluttony, anger, pride, envy and even lust. Yes, the seven deadly sins.

When I was studying in Europe, I remembered in our history class about the French revolution. That happened because the king, King Luis the sixteenth and his wife, Queen Marie Antionette who were executed because of treason. They lived off lavish lifestyle and constant parties while the poor was doing all the hard work. You see it was divided into three classes, first estate, second estate and the third estate, despite being the largest population, they are always underestimated by the two upper estates just because majority of them were poor. Yet they shouldn’t underestimate because they did rise up, they had enough of the government, they had a revolution. This brave act changed the world forever.

I know that riches can’t give you freedom, it will only turn you into a slave. I have no sole inheritor, but I give my will to you, and that will be to pursuit freedom. Courage isn't having the strength to go on - it is going on when you don't have strength. I believe that together we stand, yet divided we fall. So, awaken the asleep, we need to have a brighter future for the youth because the youth are our hope.

-sincerely, Juan Crisostomo Magsalin Ibarra”.

“I’m telling you, my friend, we have to do this, no one else can!”he pleaded to me.

“I never wanted any trouble, I wanted to live in peace my whole life, not causing catastrophe in our own country” I said as I rejected all of Basilio’s plans.

“But our country will never be in peace as long as terrors of those invaders are amongst us” he defended.

“I want nothing of it, now leave before you get me into furthermore trouble!”

“Remember what they did to us Isagani, and to the people we love”. He said in a low tone as he left my house.

I slumped down sighing at my current situation.
I do love my country, I really do, but I don’t think I’m the man for that. I remember that Simoun’s plan was brutal if it had succeeded. I wanted our revolution to peaceful not brutal.

“What am I going to do?” I cried to God to help me in this conflict of my mind and heart.