400 Days After Fina

Day 473

"Naka-detain na siya. Nakasuhan na rin." Kuya Rommel answered in the same lowered voice. "Malaki yung truck na minamaneho niya, frankly, I'm surprised your friend survived. Nayupi yung tricycle."

I bit my trembling lip. No wonder tita Nani called me. Not only could they not afford the expensive surgery, but the post-operation would also be costly.

"Anong dinahilan niya sa pulis?"

"Nakaidlip daw siya."

"Nasaktan ba siya?"

"Hindi. Most of the damage his truck got was on the passenger side."

"Eh yung pahinante niya?"

Kuya Rommel looked away. "Wala siyang pahinante. He was overworked din. Sabi niya naghahabol lang daw siya ng delivery kasi kailangan ng pera ng pamilya niya."

"Hindi ba bawal yun? Saan naka-base yung kumpanya niya?"

"Laguna." Kuya Rommel is starting to look bored with the conversation.

"Kasuhan mo rin yung may-ari ng kumpanya. I have a feeling this isn't the first time their company got into a traffic accident because of negligence."

"Consider it done." The mayor of Lopez took out a pack of cigarettes and offered me one. After I declined, he lit a stick and took a long drag. "Who are these people to you, anyway? Why are you so willing to help them so much?"

"Hindi mo alam?"

"I'm familiar with the story of this Fina, but her parents, Jell?"

I stepped away from his cloud of smoke. While I may have spent a lot of my college years partying, I never liked second-hand smoke. I never even got tempted to try smoking. "I think of them as my in-laws."

"Tangina, kung in-laws mo yun you'll let them die." Kuya Rommel scoffed. "I would."

"Wag mo akong igaya sa inyo."

He took another drag and then puffed the smoke away from me. "Just so you know, Mamita financed the whole thing. Sa kanya ka magbabayad."

"What?!" I exploded. "Bakit mo dinamay si Mamita?!"

"Calm down," he backed off. "I can't afford the whole operation kasi under surveillance yung pera ko. Hell, if only my mother-in-law was in that tricycle and died on the spot, baka nasagot ko lahat tapos magpapapiyesta pa ako."

I glared at him. His dislike for his overbearing mother-in-law is none of my concern. That's what you get when you marry into a powerful political clan.

"Anyway, I asked Mamita for help and when she learned who you're trying to help, she said she'll finance the whole thing." Kuya Rommel continued. "I can't argue with that."

I groaned. Dealing with kuya Rommel would have been so much easier. But now that I owe Mamita a favor, she might try to lure me into the family business again.

"Thanks anyway," I muttered.

Kuya Rommel smiled. "Bayad na ako dun sa nangyari nung eleksyon ah?"

"Oo. Bayad na." I look away from his malicious smile. "Tara na sa loob."

"Kumusta pala ulo mo?" He asked as we walked back into the lobby and towards the waiting area.

"Okay na."

"That's good."

When we got to the waiting area, Angel was consoling a helpless Mrs. Romulo while Jorge stood awkwardly to the side.

Once more, upon seeing me, Jorge's face lit up but before he can approach me, Mrs. Romulo had rushed to hug me.

"Jell," she cried, "maraming salamat sa pagtulong ninyo ni mayor."