The Truth Berries

XXI

       Home.

       Miguel has forgotten the meaning of that word anymore. He has been living a runaway’s life since the fiasco at the police station. His bestfriend was deaf to his explanations and was blinded by his own sense of justice. He already had his eyes fixed on him and Miguel knew Alex could be as stubborn as a bull. So he had no choice but to hide until he cleared his name.

       Miguel was left with only a few of Alex’s stolen money so he took his chances and withdrew some of his own. He went to the city proper and passed by the four different banks with ATM machines. Two of them had many people lining down the streets. One bank had all their three ATM machines offline and the other bank had only one but it was deserted. Miguel could have walked straight to it but the bank was just across that city’s police station. From where he was standing, he could see two policemen in uniform outside the station. One was talking to his phone while the other was smoking a cigarette. He doubted if Alex already sent out a nationwide manhunt for him but he figured it was very unlikely of him. Miguel knew Alex very well. He always wanted to boast to everyone in the force how he handled everything on his own. Miguel once told him to keep everything as low as possible, but he just wouldn’t listen to him. He always said they deserved the compliments, and Miguel would just shake his head in disbelief. But he could not thank him enough for that this time, because that gave him enough time for a great head start. Still, Miguel did not gamble and decided to play it safe. He walked pass the bank and came looking for the city vendors who sold just about everything. He turned a corner and there they were all lined up, with their stuffs occupying almost half of the city road. He remembered his rookie days before, when he was still a nobody. He was always a part of the clearing operation team and these men and women were always ready to put up a long fight before agreeing to vacate the public roads in the end. Only in the next two or three days, those made-up stalls shall rise and obstruct the same spot again. But that moment, he was grateful that they were there that day. He walked up to a stall and found a young Muslim girl sitting on a stool inside. She was wearing a long, lavender sleeved shirt and a long dark blue skirt. The girls head and neck were covered with a white hijab. When she saw Miguel, she approached him and asked him what he was looking for. Miguel ignored her for a while as he tried to find a cap and dark eyeglasses.

       The store was packed with all kinds of fake and imitation brands. From shirts and jackets to genuine-looking designer bags and shoes, it was the perfect place for everyone wanting to look fancy without having to spend a handful of cash. Miguel picked a plain black cap and tried it. It was a little tight for him but he guessed it would do. Besides, he was just going to use it for a day.

       “How much for the cap?”

       “Two hundred fifty-five. That’s original Nike.”

       Miguel’s eyes grew large. Then he let out a silent cry of protest.

       “Two fifty-five? Really? We both know that is only an imitation! I’ll give you one fifty for that, and that’s it.”

       The girl firmly said no.

       “How about the eyeglasses? The big black one?”

       “That’s two hundred pesos. It’s real Vans, from the U.S.”

       Miguel rubbed his face in exasperation. He did not want to abuse his power and authority but the young lady was giving him no choice. He only had three hundred pesos left in his pocket, and he wouldn’t want to spend it all on something he knew he could buy cheaper than the girl’s offer.

       “Okay, okay. I don’t want to do this but you pushed me. See this badge? Do you know what that means? That means I can arrest you for overpricing and selling fake brands. It also means I can order my men to confiscate all of these and close your business completely. The owner of this stall could go behind bars, or they could pay a hefty fine instead. You understand that, don’t you?”

       “Are you one of Chief’s men? The ones in charge of monitoring all the vendors?”

       Miguel had no idea what the girl was talking about, but he assumed it was the best call to say yes.

       “Then you should know that we pay him the agreed amount every month so we can continue with our business here. Are you new?”

       He couldn’t believe what he heard. The city’s corrupted up to the highest rank.

    “So, are you taking those or not?”

      This girl, unbelievable, he thought. Power didn’t prove to be effective so he tried bargaining.

       “Alright. You know what? I got a deal for you. I’ll take that cap and those eyeglasses for two hundred, plus your next monthly pay here is free already. How does that sound?”

       It was the first time that the young girl smiled. She was yet a teenager but she was already working along with her parent. That was against the law, but so was dealing unofficially on the streets. Miguel took the cap and the eyeglasses and paid her his two one-hundred bills. He tried both of his new ‘original’ belongings and adjusted them in front of the small round mirror the girl lent him.

       “Don’t forget to tell Chief of our deal. We don’t want any trouble here.”

       “I won’t.”

       Miguel walked back to the ATM machine and saw it was still deserted. Then he looked around to see if anybody was watching him but there was none. So he proceeded to the machine and inserted his card. But the machine rejected his card. Miguel tried again but it ended up the same way. Miguel was stricken with fear. Could Alex have ordered a freeze on his accounts? If so, then they could also be monitoring his whereabouts right now. Miguel lifted his eyes from the screen and looked around the area. He was expecting to see a group of men stealthily surrounding him but there was no one suspicious around. Miguel went back to his card and tried again, praying that it was not as he feared. The machine returned his card once more. Miguel closed his eyes and tried to think. What was he going to do? He grabbed his pocket and felt the last money that’s left from Alex’s wallet. He was left with nothing else, he has not eaten or drunk anything since his escape from their police station and now, he could not withdraw his money from the bank. It was enough to drive a man to tears but he heard a woman’s voice from behind him.

       “Are you not yet done there, sir?”

      He turned around and saw a policewoman in uniform standing impatiently behind him. He searched the area behind her, expecting to see several police mobiles spilling all uniformed men to surround him, and he was ready to dart away. But there were no such things. It was just her and by the looks of it, she was just annoyed at him taking too long at the machine.

      “I’m sorry. But there must have been some problem with my account.”

       “Why?”

       “My card kept on coming back.”

       The policewoman smiled at him.

       “Have you tried turning your card before inserting? Maybe it’s just that you’re not doing it properly.”

       Miguel felt stupid. He tried to do so and the card was accepted this time. He laughed at his ignorance and turned to face the policewoman.

       “Thank you ma’am. This is exactly why I don’t want to use these things. I think I’m better with some cold cash than an electronic card.”

       “Why? You don’t know how to use one?”, she asked him with a smile.

       “I’m ashamed to say but I really don’t know how to use this thing. My wife always does this one for me, but she can’t do it right now,”

       “I see.”

       Miguel continued with his withdrawal and when he was done, he thanked her again. Just when he was starting to walk away, the policewoman called him again.

       “I’m sorry, sir. But have we met? You look familiar to me. I think I saw you already.”

       The policewoman looked at him with scrutinizing eyes. Miguel didn’t know what to do. The woman may have seen his face from the photos released by his former colleague. He looked towards the other side of the street and studied the road. He could make a run and avoid the gunshots she would fire by shielding against the trees and the walls. Or he could take her gun instead, that sounded more sensible to him. Miguel was startled when she exclaimed.

       “Aha! You’re the guy at the mall, right? The security guard, aren’t you?”

       He was dumbfounded. He did not know how to respond.

       “I’m the woman you helped yesterday, you remember? The torn grocery bag and the spilled groceries on the streets? I offered you some money but you refused.”

       Miguel wanted to get out of there as soon as possible so he lied to her.

       “Ah yes, I remember you ma’am. Thanks again for the help with the card.”

       “I guess that makes us all even now?”

       “I guess so, ma’am. I’m afraid I have to go now. Thanks again and have a good morning.”

       Miguel felt his heartbeat normalize after a few minutes.

       “That is what a close call look like”, he told himself.

       The first thing he did after his money withdrawal was buy himself a meal for he was starving. He bought two pieces of hot chicken bun, a cup of rice and a fried fish sautéed with onions and carrots. He was a light eater but he chomped all of it, then he downed two glasses of iced tea. After that hearty meal, he felt he could face another street fight again. With a full stomach and a clearer mind, Miguel figured out his next best move. He knew he needed someplace to be his own headquarters. Somewhere he could start solving Nadia’s murder on his own. And only one place came to his mind. But he was having second thoughts about it. For it was someplace he had not seen for about thirty years now. And he was not sure if there was anything waiting for him there. Still, he had no other choices.

        He was going to his mysterious father’s home.