Amado's Secret Mission

"Ahhh!" Magee shouted.

" Shhhh...I'm dressing your wound. Quiet, the folks are still sleeping." George whispered while dipping some cotton on a watery ointment.

" Ha? what time is it now?" She slowly leaned on her pillow and trying to push his shoulder for a momentum so her back could fully settle.

" It's already 10 o'clock in the morning."

" Huh! I slept too much. Hmm, I smelled a wine. Did you..."

" Yes." He winked an eye on her where she could not further nag as he sheepishly looked at her.

It's positive. She took a deep breathe and smiled.

" I'll prepare for lunch since it's almost midday. " She tried to stand up but he put her back on bed.

" It's all done. I prepared everything." He smirked while she bowed her head.

" You should have not worry too much."

" Worrying for you becomes my latest instinct. But anyway, Mag, can I ask a favor."

" What's that." She smiled and was a bit surprised with his mood.

" One of my men has a problem, it's Amado. He kept mentioning your name and have even risked his life just to find you. With my consent and of course I'll stay beside you, can I show you to him so to find out if what he's so worried about. Or is he feeling, hah! it's daytime, nothing to worry, your brothers, Dad, Amá Sibal and I will be there. It's just that we'll help him or know exactly about his intentions. Do you remember the time he kept giving you camote leaves' juice? you were also annoyed by those gestures. I guess this is so timely when his eagerness to see you really overwhelmed us all there."

" Really? was he looking for me so badly? Hmm, what was it all about, I'm confused. Alright, we'll go to the wooden house after lunch. I understand your point. How about the folks, if you wake them up they might be disturbed."

" But it's not good for them to sleep too much. I'll go and wake them up while you may take a bath. Wait, I'll carry you there first."

While Magee was bathing George woke up Edward and Sr. Sibal.

" Aha! my headache!" Sibal smiled while Edward urged him to go back to the wooden house.

" But your lunch? I've prepared it already." George insisted.

" No worries son, we'll have it there with the brothers." The captain patted his shoulder then they stepped out.

After lunch, Magee and George left the granite house, carried his wife carefully but when they've reached the dark tunnel, he took advantage of it and the walking time was delayed again.

Eventually, they reached the wooden house past 3 o'clock and everyone did not expect for them to come. Albrecht was running and was very happy to see her sister .

" Why you're so pale with a tangled hair? Ah, your wound gave you a miserable look right now, huh!"

Then Magee smiled and looked sharply to George but he smiled with innocence and tied his wife's hair with his hanky.

Baldur then arrived and gleefully greeted her. "Welcome back home, Mag." But your wound that Dad had told us, oh dear! just bear this, not this deep though it looks still painful. But you're brave, girl, I know you can recover quickly."

George moved closer to Baldur and requested Amado to join them in a while.

Interestingly, the observant Albrecht ran towards the bathroom and when he returned he's already handling a small wet towel.

"Here, just...just wipe your face with that. You'll get refreshed." Then the brother awkwardly smiled; went back to the kitchen and cooked something for the family.

In a while, Amado arrived. Magee was uncomfortable, though her husband stayed beside her and on the other side was Albrecht and Baldur. On the opposite side were Edward, seated beside Sr. Sibal with Sibaya, Narciso and Henry.

There, Amado entered and with amazement - he knelt in front of Magee, crying. George and the brothers attempted to remove him from being too close to her but the Captain signaled to leave him and spoke.

" Amado, please let us know if what bogs you in. What about the lieutenant's wife?"

" Magee, I was one among Lolita's brothers that accordingly shot by Sr. Sibal before. But actually, there's a monkey behind us and its what Sr. Sibal had triggered his gun on. Our sister Lolita saw us so what we immaturely did was intentionally jumped to the river because much as we want to show up but Lolita was extremely disciplinarian that made us so afraid of her and the punishment too. With extreme tension, Bastian and just tagged ourselves around on a drifted wood till we reached along the hacienda Perez. That same moment, we saw the haciendero or rich Sr. Perez and busy assisting his carabao named Bandi out of the river. It was timely that he treated us with Bastian as good samaritans. Bandi fell into our direction so I urged Bastian to help me rescue the carabao. Outright that successful rescue, the rich Sr. Perez offered us to stay and work for him. We were treated as a family, we also received allowances and sent us to school. We became too busy with my brother Bastian and even forgot to return home especially when his sole daughter was sent to UP and studied Medicine. After being a bodyguard to his daughter for a year, he also financed my medical course. After years, we both finished the medical degree while Bastian graduated with his engineering degree even if he was skilled in cooking. It was Bastian who spied in our relatives and found out how Lolita indirectly maltreated Sr. Sibal. But honestly, we never knew that we caused that trouble, we thought there's another way around. When I learned it, I barely sleep and became so disturbed. Even if me and Bastian will explain and reveal ourselves as - alive! We cannot change the past anymore. As elder to Bastian, I was mistaken! I was wrong! Lolita thought we're already dead when we fell in the river and his contempt and anger to Sr. Sibal was worst than expected. She marry him but made him suffer. She became a woman of someone else with the consent of Sr. Sibal. It was madness! I am freeing my mind this time, in front of everyone, I apologized to Sr. Sibal...to God. I know you can help us explain all these to Sr. Sibal. Their marriage cannot be reverted anymore. That spanish army officer was a great man, though retired but he had been very patient and loving, well - respected of the town people. He knelt and cried so hard in front of Magee while Narciso and Sibaya moved closer to Amado, teary eyed.

There was a deafening silence. But Albrecht broke the quiet moment by asking.

" What....what does that mean? Amado is George's uncle, isn't it?" He curiously asked and since Magee was still sobbing so hard, comforted by George so Narciso interpreted it briefly.

" He said that Sr. Sibal did not kill him and his brother. They just escaped out of fear to their elder sister and disciplinarian Lolita. Later they were adopted by a rich haciendero with a daughter who studied in Manila. They both took good care of that Señorita and at the same time they studied. He's guilty of what happened that caused some problem to the relationship of, I don't know. The Lieutenant's wife can explain further." Narciso interpreted.

Magee was sobbing while Sr. Sibal walked out quietly and glided inside the bedroom and gone.

" This is so painful. I could feel the pains of my mother that committed adultery due to anger and vengeance, my biological father for taking advantage over her weakness and Amá Sibal - for suffering, so hard, now's proven innocent. But the years...can't be rewinded anymore." George sadly thought.