Guida's Oldest Brother

It was already evening when they both glided down from the surface. Magee was just very silent and hurriedly went to their room.

On the other hand, George went to Fr. Matias and asked the names of the punong barangay of the next barrio after Gabok and its governadorcillo before the war had started.

" He's Governador Ramon and Punong Barangay Crisostomo. Only the Punong Barangay is reachable and stayed with the guerillas next to Gabok but the Governadorcillo is a captive in Daba. That's what I've heard when we were also captives in Tikaban. Why, any problem?"

"Fr, my wife wants the paper be signed by some authorities too in order to make it more legal." George said.

" Oh. Bring me to her. Wait, I'll bring my papers, I got these before you took us here, they only confiscated my bible. Yes, bring me to her."

When they reached inside the house he left the priest to her at the receiving area and George excused himself for a while and went to Narciso.

" Narciso, are they already here? I mean Edmund, Guida and company."

" They're not yet here, Sir. We are still waiting for them." Narciso replied.

" Okay, I'll be back for some updates of them."

When he was on his way to the house, he saw her already smiling while chatting with the priest.

"Its alright now George. I showed to her my Dominican order paper that I'm authorized by the Church to officiate marriage. I told her after the war, I'll right away register your marriage. But as far as the blessing and rites, its all done. We even had 5 copies of your marriage certificates where I manually write each of them. I already explained things on her." The priest smiled and tapped his shoulder before he walked out.

" During dinner time, she asked the brothers.

" Hmm, Baldur, how long have you been a friend of George?"

" Around three years I guess and its going four years, so do with Albrecht."

"Did he had someone left there aside from me."

George was just silent, smiling and concentrate on his dinner meal.

" Ah, that guy? he was always looking at your photo that Sr. Sibal sent to Dad. He never had anyone there but so busy getting angry to the boyfriend of his sister. I guess most of the time. Why?"

" Hmm...I see. You Albrecht..."

" He's always in the house. He's always getting updates of you through Dad. I just wonder why his father gave him to Dad." Albrecht funnily shared.

" Haha!" they all laughed.

" You're not realy serious." Magee commented.

" Well, honestly he's often in the house and helped Dad most of the time. When we're in the army, he's always with Dad, and even told his comrades that he's going to be the husband of my daughter and his biological Dad just laugh or smile. I just can't understand why the two Dads are really close. Then when we were ready going here, he just said, "see you there", why is that George, will you explain please?"

"Haha! I don't know either. I just feel I have two Dads. My wife's Dad kept hugging me before I became his son-in-law."

" See that! its obvious!" Albrecht smiled while Baldur was smiling and took his plate and mug.

" And so how about your relationship with Madelleine." Baldur asked.

" Oh, my Madelleine! I missed her a lot." Albrecht was closing his eyes.

Then Magee was laughing while looking at him so dead serious reminiscing of his girlfriend.

George pressed his head and smiled. He was a bit settled while looking at Magee enjoying and seems not worried anymore.

Before bedtime.

It was drizzling outside and George covered her with blanket before he sat down and thought of Edmund, Guida and company.

" He pressed his head and pulled out his army bag."

" What are you doing." She whispered.

" I'd like to go and find out what happened to them."

" Come." She said.

He moved near and stood beside her.

" They maybe proceeded to Gabok to find some friends or what. Just don't worry. See what they've done, they already loosened the bridge or maybe caused damages to the Japanese vehicles. Just wait for them, okay? just calm down." She smiled.

"Good night." Then he kissed her forehead before she could hide in her cocoon blanket.

"Haha! hide! go! " He whispered on her while she was laughing inside.

Minutes after he got outside the house with a flashlight and checked his angel fruits trees.

"Good that there's a little rain, you can grow well. Your drainages are good and I love you all, just think of that whenener you're lonely. I can't water you tomorrow, you're all wet now. Great job girls, your leaves are now showing gorgeously." He left smilingly and proceeded to the daisies.

" Wow! they're all blooming." While he was putting some additional drainage, he has heard a noise from their bedroom so he ran toward the house and immediately got inside and took out his dagger. When he entered he saw a man filled with blood and on top of Magee. Albrecht and Baldur rushed downstairs and were shocked looking at Magee's condition too for having a dagger stab on the side in between buttock and chest. George immediately took her out of the blanket and scissored the part of her dress where he can clearly see the wound. Albrecht brought him a bucket with water to wash his hand and Baldur hurriedly boiled some water to use for sterilization. While boiling the water, Baldur called Elias, Amado and Narciso who were guards on post.

" Comrades, someone came in and stabbed the lieutenant's wife. They're rescuing my sister right now.

" Who's that intruder Sir? I don't know, please help me identify the person." Then he first brought the boiled water beside George and he pulled the person outside. When the three saw the face, still it was Guida's older brother.

" He's already dead." Amado declared and he went inside to help George in the operation.

Without any word he sat down and covered his face with a handkerchief. George looked at him and was teary eyed while the sweats on his face was inexplicable. Amado told Albrecht to get a clean cloth and wipe George face.

"Sir, we can do this, the dagger didn't hit any of her vital organs."

" Amado, please." He was sweating all over.

The operation took around 2 hours and Albrecht put his back flat on bed, Amado leaned on the wall and slept while George went closely on her bed, tidy the bloodstains and dressed her. After a while he put her head on his arm, teary eyed yet smiled.

" She fought not to be touched that killed a man tonight. With her small wrists, how did she do it? She's really my wife." He thought.

It was 9 o'clock in the morning when he woke up and she slowly told him to awaken Albrecht and Amado.

" Yes, yes." George immediately told them to get out.

When they're alone she told him to move closer to her. He did. Then she lifelessly slapped him.

" You...you undressed me. Why you undressed me... while I was unconscious. You could have scissored ... the cloth on the wounded part." She fainted again and tried to pacify herself.

He pressed her hand and apologized.

" The man's blood bursted all over. You stabbed him twice and it looks like faucets from your chest down to your tummy. He was covering you, overhauling his blood. That's the scenario. Of course, Amado didn't do it, so I did. You haven't seen it, its worst.

She cried.

"No, no....don't cry. I closed my eyes. I put the oil lamp away and I only got two towels and lukewarm water with a bucket where I flushed the man's blood. I didn't see anything I swear! I swear!" He shouted and the brothers came in." George pressed his head and sat down deeply sighing.

" Shh...Mag..." Baldur came in.

" Please be good to George. Your condition last night was fatal. Knowing you're alive now is already a blessing. Calm down Mag." Baldur touched her hair.

"She was still teary eyed and watching him in hysterical saddened her more that made her forcibly slept.

After a couple of minutes, George got back and stayed beside her, wiped her tears and arranged her hair on sides. He also put some water on dried lips that cracked of dehydration.

Amado came in and brought camote tops juice with lemon in it.

Sir, let her drink this when she wakes up again. She had lost a lot of blood.

"Thanks Amado."

After a while Albrecht arrived bringing some porridge.

"Brother, stay strong. You eat this one and the other is for the ugly survivor. I hate her now. People are working hard for her to live and she's thinking differently. Huh!"

George smiled.

" I can't explain but we should be happy for her. Actually she's brave but a little bit funny."

" Funny..." He just reiterated what George had said then Albrecht got out pouting.

"Starting next week after the recovery when she gets out she has to cover her face. She's damn attractive to men." George deeply thought and shook his head.