Malediction

People We Met

He looked one to two inches shorter than me and he had the same slender body tone as well which was obvious from what his shirt can hang on to with the unwelcoming wind. Manunulat with his sheepish grin was still in my mind despite hours that had passed by that day. I didn't have the heart to let Andrea know it was her worst fear, a stalker behind her every step. She needs to focus on her work. With personal interaction with the investigation, every step should be planned and planned properly. I can't have her mind dwell on things that can completely occupy her state of mind and torment her. I can take care of it, as long as I can keep Andrea by my sight. As she was immensely focused with the future navigation of our team in Elo's province, Tim and I decided to leave her alone in our room.

Tim came to Leyte earlier than us to meet the same friend he said was about to leave when we came. It was that friend he was wary of, the one making him nervous upon meeting but he never told anything more about that person. Tim said it wasn't that important for us as to who he really was. But with how Andrea knew Tim over a decade, she knew it wasn't the case. It was probably someone he didn't want us to know. Someone that knows something he hid for so long. But who knew what really was the reason? It wasn't affecting us in any way or form, I'm just worried for him.

"You know, you can tell us what's bugging you, Tim." I said as a last attempt to help him without invading his privacy. "Thanks, but it's okay. We're just sorting things out." He replied as we sat down by the couch of the small apartment we would be living in for the next week or two. He gave me one of the beers he placed in the freezer as soon as he came in earlier. "So this was his province as well?" I asked out of curiosity. The timing was pure coincidence. He sipped his drink before answering. "No, he said he was a travel photographer and a history junkie too, covering the MacArthur Landing Memorial Park and its history." He told me, and with how his eyes shifted to the left as if to rely on his memory. That person seemed to be innocent enough but only superficially.

"Andrea told me about Manunulat to be an actual stalker of hers? Was it true?" Tim said in concern. "Yes, that anonymous man just revealed his true intentions. I'm worried." I sighed. "It's like college all over again." He said under his breath and chugged the beer he'd been sipping for a while. "Her fear of stalkers was never a phobia. It was from experience." He looked out the window. "When I first met her as her senior, she was near her breaking point from always being followed by a particular stalker for years. I really hated seeing her deteriorating to someone who was so paranoid that she can't do things she loves anymore. I treated that girl like my little sister, protecting her when I could. It just felt natural." He sounded proud. "I caught the bastard once and gave him a good beating… he may have hated me then, but he never came back our way, which was fine by me." He let out a chuckle. "That must have felt good." I said in agreement to the decisions of his past self. "Aren't you scared that he would come back at you?"

"If he did, I'll just beat him up again if he ever dares to touch our Andrea. And I won't be alone." He stared at me. "Of course. I'm there with you." I aimed my hand for a high-five which he gladly smacked to. There was no doubt he was a good friend.

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Since Tim and I were only known seasonal workers from Masfino, Sandra had hired us as Gov. Pelaez's temporary assistants for the upcoming elections for varied work for our cover. His men, Edward and Pen, were happy for the extra hands to aid them with the load of work and scheduling of appearances the governor needed to keep up with. We went to his office to personally meet the man Amanda has left for Jerry, his rival. It was the fifty year-old politician Elo Pelaez.

"Good morning Gov, here are our new recruits to help your assistants as you requested." Sandra greeted with a smile as she opened the door to Elo's office. There he was looking a bit haggard than what I've seen in pictures. In his 50s, he was in good shape and looked a few years younger than his actual age. He was always well-groomed but today, I think he didn't need to make a good impression on mere employees.

"Edward and Pen would guide you in your work. It won't be easy but you'll know the flow." He said from one glance at us and went to his papers again. Sandra nodded by the side with no questions asked. She said Governor Elo wasn't his usual self the past few days. And since the governor was too stressed to even notice us further, he just let us be with no questions. Sandra was a genius, it was perfect timing to blend our way into their world.

To avoid suspicion, Sandra left us with Edward and Pen after meeting the governor. Much like Elo, both of them were too busy to even glance at us as recognition of our existence in their presence inside the administrator's office. An IT technician named Luis, who was handling all the software demands and the same age as us, was nice enough to guide us to the flow of work we were demanded with. If side glances from the two seniors were a sign of welcoming then this should be enough. Since it was sure to us that they wouldn't even instruct us on what to do, Tim and I separated our work with simple tasks for the first day. He did some declattering and I ran to make coffee. First impressions matter.

"How did you know we wanted our coffee this way?" Pen said, satisfied with the warm coffee in her hand. Louis didn't care about what they said and continued with his work, back on us. Edward nodded to us gladly, chewing some biscuits I got along the way. I smiled."It was probably a good guess." I said humbly. It was Sandra, she was everyone's coffee delivery girl. I was thankful for her tips. Both of them were kind towards us after that and gladly told us how to do their work so the load would decrease by half, away from sleepless nights. This was beneficial for them because they deemed us capable.

It was also beneficial to us since we could see the financial discrepancies for both parties, Elo and Jerry. If ever Elo was also as corrupted as Jerry, who would be the perfect one to manage such a province in need?

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After warming up to Pen and Edward, Luis hadn't said a word to us at all. He was just silently typing to his computer without a care in the world and left early from work that day because he did them with a strategically fast technique. With only one glance I knew that he could've been more than a simple IT technician. It just really kicks my curiosity as to why he was in a medical face mask even when he wasn't sick.

After an hour drive from the office, we were sent to the lavish mansion where the Pelaez couple lived with their only child, Matilda, who was the same age as Andrea. Amanda eyed me as soon as she had a glimpse of me by the door. She smiled. "It's such a wonderful time to see you near me, Eric." She said with a smile on her face, amused about me for a reason I wasn't aware of. I gulped. She was taunting me but I can't have that despite myself wanting to just tape her mouth just to make sure she won't blow my cover. I was the only one she was sure to be someone else from my cover.

Matilda was surprised to see how her mother knew a commoner immediately from afar. "You know him?" She asked in a soft tone. "He's one of the good boys who toured me around when I was on vacation, dear. I told you to come." Amanda replied without shame. "It was lonely to have fun without either you or your father. " The mother added. Matilda seemed unconvinced with this but she didn't try to dive deeper to the topic. It was as if she was used to her mother being like this. Instead, she glared at me with eyes identical to her mother's. She was equally intimidating.

Her mother didn't care one bit as I took all the immoral assumptions Matilda might add from her words. "What's your name?" She asked seriously. "Eric, Madam." I replied. "Come with me." She said and gestured to Pen to continue Tim's tour around the house. What is it about now? Am I getting fired? I feared the latter. It wouldn't be helpful for Andrea if this had happened. This would delay the investigation, making it harder to solve.

Damn it, Amanda. How can you be so flirty when you're already married?

As I followed her, I could see pictures of them around the walls. They were scattered around the house, displaying that this family was something Amanda and Elo shared with joy before but now, it's just different. They've fallen apart.

Matilda stopped by the kitchen and crossed her arms at me. She had told the caretakers to continue later on with their work, so they left us alone. She continued to glare at me before speaking a word. "What is it with you and my mom?" She asked, observing me in a Holmes-like way, from head to toe. "None, I was just a tour guy doing my job." I said straightforwardly without batting an eye

She looked at me with all her skepticism focused on me. " As it should, Eric. I hope no misunderstanding will come across in my family because of you." Despite the fact that this investigation may potentially ruin her life, I nodded like I meant to do her no harm.

I'm sorry Matilda, but the next following weeks will be nerve-wracking, I thought.