untouchable

7

Jill refreshes and stalks your profile in frustration. It has nothing, except for a blurred photo of you as the display picture, and your name. No bio, no posts, no story highlights, even tagged photos aren't visible. "So gumawa ka lang ba ng IG to stalk people pero hindi ka magpo-post?" Jill disbelievingly asked.

You chuckled. "Nagpo-post naman ako. Stories, ganern. Pero oo, for investigation purposes lang din talaga account ko," you replied.

"Pa-mysterious effect pa," Jill mumbled in slight irritation.

"Hindi naman! Hindi lang din kasi ako maalam sa app na 'to tsaka hindi ako madalas magawi. More on Twitter talaga ako," you said.

Jill only nodded. Now that's the app she rarely gets on. Her account was made in 2012 but the total amount of tweets aren't even 1k. Due to the amount of bashing her family receives, she'd rather see pretty pictures instead of angry rants and hot takes on that hellhole.

The rest of the car ride is spent in relative silence, with Shein's occasional noise disrupting the peace.

--

"Home sweet home!" Shein exclaimed as she steps out of the vehicle and breathed in the (polluted) air of Bacoor. "There's no pollution like home."

You chuckled at her stupid statement.

"Excited na pamilya ko makita ka mamaya, beh." Shein informed you as she's pocketing her phone.

"Ako rin, beh. Excited na ako makita si Kuya Shaun." JD butted in, stretching his arms.

You giggled at Shein's disbelieving stare at JD. "Amaccana accla, you deserve better, beh. 'Wag si Kuya, red flag yorn," Shein warned JD. "Bumili na nga raw si Father Nature ng isang case ng Sanmig, sagot na rin daw ni Kuya 'yung Smirnoff at Cuervo. RIP atay," she told you.

"S'yempre para rin siguro sa team 'yon, 'di lang 'yon para sa akin. Baka malason naman ako n'on," you answered.

"Ay beh, kaya ko nga sinasabi sa 'yo para mahanda ka na! Kasi para talaga 'yon sa 'yo!" Shein replied.

"Lah, tangina?" You exclaimed.

The first time you met Shein's family was during her Father's birthday, which obviously included drinking. Another reason why the Inocencios loved you is because of the fact you can hold your liquor, perks of having a high alcohol tolerance. You outdrank all the men in the family, even the experienced patriarch so they all deemed you worthy and an honorary Inocencio. It was a hilarious moment and story to tell.

Stella called all of you over for the prayer circle to start the morning. The strategy for now is to divide into two groups: Jill's with Shein, Stella, and Pau; the rest are with you.

When it's established, you all dispersed and would regroup later in the afternoon.

--

For a province that is served up on a silver platter to the other camp, Cavite is really proving they're not defined by the dynasty ruling over them. Sure, there can still be authentic loyal supporters of the other camp, but having to connect with Caviteños herself, Jill sees that many of them would stand for the country and for her Mother. No matter how many times she witness these moments, Jill would always feel like this is the first time. It's truly heartwarming for her, and as much as she wants to be selfish with her Mama, interactions like these would remind her why they're willing to share Leni with the people.

Filipinos in general are indeed hospitable, and Jill and her team kept receiving the treatment. Families are inviting them in for a breakfast, or a quick snack, or offering them water to drink to quench their thirst. They have to pass it up out of respect and due to the lack of time. But some men who were having an early morning drinking jokingly invited them for a 'shot', a condition before they would talk to them. And thank God for Shein who is game to oblige. Jill hugged the older woman in gratitude for taking one for the team, literally. The drunk men listened to their spiels willingly and even expressed their support for Leni. They left the group in content.