Chapter V

continuation...

The next day, the Commodore picked them up and took them to the Navy Base at Fort Diwa, where they will submit his papers, including his diploma, birth certificate, cedula, and barangay clearance. They were riding in Commodore's Chevrolet Cavalier, and the Base was nearby, so they arrived quickly. Because the Commodore's car was already recognized, the guards did not stop them; they proceeded directly to the Naval Central Office. When they entered, the soldiers and employees inside are all paid respect to the two high-ranking officers. The Commodore summoned the Clerk inside and asked for the Form for enlistment personnel and other paperwork, then presented the necessary documents to his father. They were inside the Commodore's office, where he filling up the enlistment application documents.

With the number of documents, he had to fill out, it took him more than half an hour. Sgt. Ben then assisted him in attaching his personal documents to the form, which was then placed in the envelope and the Sergeant went to the Support Command Office or the Record Division to encode his name on the lists of individuals who will participate in the training as naval personnel. As he prepares his application, his father and the Commodore resume their talk.

After ensuring that everything they required was complete, they left the Base to eat lunch at a restaurant near the camp. They returned to camp and left the Commodore in charge of Sgt. Ben, who took them to his aunt's house. When they arrived at the house without her aunt, she was handed a duplicate key and they walked inside. They thanked Sgt. Ben and gave him dried fish from the province in gratitude. Sgt. Ben was overjoyed and grateful, and he quickly said farewell and left back to the camp.

He spoke with his father, who offered him the right advice, pointers, professional behavior, and how to interact with soldiers in the camp. Although he wanted to object, he knew his father's attitude toward decision-making, especially in matters of responsibility to the people, so he bid farewell and left for the province the next day. He was saddened to think that his father would leave him here in the city, that he would live alone and incur chances. But he encourages himself that in order to aid his parents and the lady he loved, he would fulfill his father's dream and become a soldier, this is his motivation.

Many of his aunt's neighborhood ladies came to see him in the evening. This has been the situation since he arrived, those who wanted to pay attention, his aunt is a well-known seamstress, so they had them meet her, but he doesn't pay attention to them, and when his aunt has visitors, he doesn't leave the bedroom. He is frequently home alone because his aunt enters the sewing shop and is taken advantage of by ladies pretending to be seeking for his aunt, but he never opens them and remains silent inside despite the knocking on the door.

Her Aunt's income has more than doubled as a result of the females who have become her customers since Ronn's arrival. His Navy training had now begun, so he could only visit his aunt’s place once a week. His Aunt frequently came to the living room with a large number of customers, whom he disliked because of their attire. They don't care about his aunt's salary, which is far from the outfit of his beloved Menin.

"Hello, Ronn," Estela said. "When are you going to notice me?" Why are you so erratic and stuck?", she queried softly.

"Let them ignore, Ronn," Nadia advised the young man.

“Heh! Linda responded, "You're simply asking attention to Ronn."

"Shut up," his aunt reprimanded the girls. "No matter what you do, my nephew will not pay attention to you; he doesn't like the way you appear like your soul is out," stated her aunt, who was staring at and massaging their almost-out-of-their-bra breasts. After hearing what his aunt had said, he went to his room, as he did every time he returned home after training. Every month, he writes a letter to his girlfriend Menin, who is also a college student in the city neighboring their birthplace. In training, he detailed every experience in his life. And Menin, who also answered him with a love letter, explained all that happened to her during her studies.

In the evening, he informed his aunt that he would be returning home at the end of the month because he was about to complete his training, which had taken about a year. Following their theoretical instruction, students will proceed on practical training, boarding a ship and conducting physical training while patrolling the country's oceans. Following 18 months of pre-deployment preparation and extensive specialized training, the initial training includes Basic Underwater Demolition/NAVY BUD/S School, Parachute Jump School, and NAVY Qualification Training (NQT). Because of the extensive training, he didn't have to go home to his aunt’s house every time.