SO CRUEL BUT LOVE IS LOVE TO THE END

Episode 5

From hatred and extreme anger, he did not listen to Carmen’s explanation as she herself could not believe such a thing did happen to their wonderful company! But evil’s deep penetration to a man’s honest sincerity has hit its bedrock; and so Mario hardened himself and no more of Carmen’s drama! He left the place in deep pain and to God’s disposition from thereon he diverted his dedication for unchangeable longings and hopes for a happy life!

He entered the Benedictine Monastery!

Later years, he had letters coming from his close friends who happens to be Carmen’s relatives and has credible detailed story:

The sentimental portions tells of Carmen’s leaving the home town too and left to a place somewhere in the Visayas and continued to be a teacher. Her line of work! And not so nice nor so bad was the fact that it was found out that the mail man did not deliver the mail from the Post office possession, but from a man who gave money for him to deliver the letter…the city being a small place for everyone to know everybody and stories to catch fire and transfer from lip to another; and from ear to ears, it reaches the mail man and to his pity he confided to a friend that the letter came from someone whose looks was that of the brother of Carmen!

And one of the sister of Carmen was carelessly told by his brother that Carmen had another boy friend but knowing Carmen so well, she didn’t believe the story and aware of his brother Lorenzo to be capable of concocting stories; jealous and possessive, she searched for the mail man and voila, the description of the man fitted exactly his brother Lorenzo; and not contented, they went near the home of Lorenzo and after few minutes waiting and hiding, Lorenzo got out to clean the yard and so sure and positive of the mail man’s identification, the man said: that’s him!

Mario or Bro Tyrone can’t believe the new development! He just kept it to himself and lift it to high heaven’s the whole episode…he concentrated his new found happiness serving the needs of the monastery and College! Human as he was, memories now taunted him to be in the mode of recollection and his mind now wanders to the past and most of it, regrets why o why he didn’t listen to Carmen’s innocence…his mind can’t veer out not to believe the skilfully made letter appearing to be true events and being done behind his back, it re- awakens his anger again.

And for an unexpected event, he met Joe in the college premises who never forgot his face and called by his intimate name: Mano Mario! How of all places you are here in the monastery? To cut the long story short, they exchanged recollections over and over and piece by piece, Joe nodded, it was the thumb prints of his own Father, the late Lorenzo Plaza, who he said, God forgave him but truth is truth and by the knowledge what his father was capable of, Lorenzo or Uncle Lorenzo was the culprit!

In fact, Joe added, his desire for Priesthood was undermined as well by the same evil man, his Father. One day, along with the classmate of Joe, his Father fetched him in the Seminary and convinced him to go to the night club but Joe refused…sadly, by the unfolding of fate, Joe got out of the seminary later on and by the word of his younger brother: His priesthood desires were marred and destroyed by the evil plans of their own Father; and not only Joe who got out from God’s services, her sister too changed her mind and quit from the convent.

Cold winds and severe weather in the life Mario turned warmer and encouraging as he had me to tell news from the relatives whose letters were kept coming and that so sentimental that it reveals of Carmen to remain alone and did not marry and her thoughts sustains to the man she truly loves in all these years! Mario or Bro Tyrone seemed alive again and endlessly bored me of Carmen’s faithfulness despite the fact of the long absence of Mario’s presence and whereabouts nor of shadow of his condition whether dead or alive!