Sunshine

XXXII

“PEOPLE forget how long do you think one should wait to be forgotten?”

True to those words, a voice that comes from the dark would never want to be remembered.

“I’m not done yet.”

One month later

THE usual everyday noise welcomed her. It was a noise that she thought she’s sick and tired of and actually used to destroy her early morning, but it tickled her heart today (and she knows it’ll only for today). Marie hated to admit but she missed everything the Kahilom Police Station could offer, including the beaming faces of her teammates that are now welcoming her.

“Welcome back!” Marie smiled at them. They just nodded and went back to their own businesses. Marie joined the table. “I really taught we won’t be coming back. Since Adrian…”

“Probably one month is enough for people to forget about a serial killing.” That was Captain Rivera looking at her. “No one’s talking about Adrian anymore.”

And that’s true. One day, out of the blue, even after the same news anchor on the same evening news time slot was just giving out his commentary angrily has stopped talking about it the day after. And eventually people stopped talking about it.

Moving on is really part of living.

“Glad to see the world is still rotating. Though it’s making me lost my balance.”

“I’ll carry you if you want.”

Marie tilted to her right to face Carlos. “Bridal style?”

“If you ain’t too heavy for that.”

“Meryenda time!” Juan Valencia put each of ensaymada monggo and coke sakto on each table. Marie stared on it, and then took a bite of the bread. “I’m eating because I’m not heavy.”

“Lol cute,” was what Carlos said before he took a bite of his own share but Marie only rolled her eyes on it and mouthed “Whatever.”

“Okay. So you know why after all we were still kept as a team, right? Because we’re swamped.” Captain Rivera said and dropped a bunch of foldered documents on the center table. “So yeah, happy first day at work!”

Groans and sighs followed from the team right away.

“And anyways, we’re not the Special Task Force Team anymore. Just Team 3.”

“Dry,” and that was Marie.

And then groans and sighs again.

“ARE we... really stopping now?”

SILENCE. That’s how the apartment Olivia and Alex share is to be described as the past months. But lately Alex has been repeating those same words. THOSE SAME WORDS. That Olivia couldn’t help but snap.

“Just what do you want? You want to kill again? I thought you’re sick of this? There it stopped for you now what?!”

Alex, who has cutting his steak for their dinner put down her knife and fork. She put it down so slowly it almost didn’t make a sound. “But the credits due now, Olivia.”

“What?”

“Of all our hard work. The credits now due.”

“I hate how you sound just now.” Olivia said putting down her cutleries. It jumped on her steak. “We were being leashed like guard dogs. And now we don’t have to act like one to them now! This is freedom, Alex. This is!”

“But I want the fruits of my hard work, babe.” Alex said and picked the steak in front of her with her manicured hands, then teared it with her complete set of teeth. “And yeah this is tasty. But I think those fruits will be more tasty.”

“OKAY but what the hell? I understand we are literally short-staffed but we can’t be doing this!” Marie’s talking was interrupted by a swish of a motorcycle in front of her. She cursed. “s**t dude you are over-speeding! Anyways I can’t be doing this!”

Another swish in between Marie and Carlos, who was actually doing the job regulating the traffic and inspecting motorists. “We’re here to catch a riding-in-tandem snatchers. We’re not actually here to be the traffic aides.” Carlos signalled the other side stop, and the other side go. Good thing the traffic’s not that heavy at the moment, he thought. “Though we’re pretty much at it.”

“Exactly! This is free labor.” Marie transferred her squinting eyes to the composite sketch she’s holding to the motorist’s ID on the other then back and forth. “I never prettied out my resume to do this.”

“Life is full of things you don’t want to do. Anyhow you just do it.”

“And where you picked that up?”

They went on talking while doing their own ends of the job. To still hear each other on the noisy highway they talked with a loud voice.

“Somewhere. I think it’s been used enough.”

“Then don’t use it anymore.”

“No, I will. As long as it stays relevant.”

Marie just nodded okay and went on with the inspection of IDs. The bright sun is not really helping with the inspecting of the small faces on the laminated cards.

“Anyways if we have to beg then let’s go. I don’t want to do this again tomorrow.”

“You won’t be really doing this tomorrow.” Juan told them. His cellphone on his hand with Captain Rivera on the other line. “It’s back. The Kahilom Serial Killing is back.”