Hidden Crimes

Chapter Two

As they were eating, they heard a gunshot sound echoed throughout the area. Every one inside the eatery ran outside to check what was happening. However, there was only one person who remained on his seat.  

It was Daniel Pesci who remained on his seat. His arm halfway up with a small spoon wrapped around his fingers. His muscles were tense and his eyes were shaking. The event from the past flashed back in his eyes.

His little brother and sister crying from what they had witnessed. His mom crying while his father was on her mom’s arms, blood flowing out from his head.

Dontrell came out from the kitchen to check what had happened. There were bubbles all around his hands. He was washing the dishes. He noticed Daniel. He was the only person inside the eatery.

For the six years of living together with him, he never really truly knew him. He was, indeed, his best friend but he was also a stranger to him. He was very quiet and he never shared a story about his personal life. 

“Daniel,” he called to have his attention.

The spoon that Daniel was holding accidentally dropped on the floor.

“What happened to you?” Dontrell asked to him as he noticed that Daniel was already back to normal. He must have been thinking hard about something, Dontrell thought.

Daniel shook his head. “Nothing,” he looked around to see where was everyone.

He looked at the entrance of the eatery and saw that everyone was there. He stood up and checked what was the commotion all about.

Everyone cheered as one person caught the boar who was running all around. It was so fast that it always slipped away every time they wrapped their arms around it.

“Woo,” Dontrell reacted, letting out a sigh of relief, as soon as he saw that it was just a competition between two men who wanted to caught the boar that could possibly last them between a week or two. 

Everyone went inside as soon as the competition was finished.

“That is so thrilling,” the boss said as he got back to his seat and starting eating.

Because of what Daniel heard earlier, he completely lost his appetite. He stood up from his seat and went outside the eatery. He let out a pack of cigarette inside his pocket. He also had a match with him. He lit his cigarette and started letting out a smoke from his mouth and nose.

“Hi,” a girl stood beside him. She was one of the girls who were staring at Daniel earlier. She was wearing the same clothes as them. She had her tight short shorts that securely wrapped her back. She was also wearing the same halter top. Her arms were crossed with each other as she approached him. He offered her a stick which she gladly accepted. He shared his fire to her by connecting the ends of the two cigarettes. When it was finally lit, the girl started tasting her cigarette and started puffing it around her. It looked like she was already used to it.

She let out a sound of relief, “Ahh. Cigarette really takes away all of my stresses,” she said with a laugh but Daniel was just looking straight and was continuing puffing his.

“You do not really talk too much, do you?” the girl asked.

Daniel did not answer her but, instead, he walked towards the sea wall. She was contemplating, at first, whether to follow him or not but in the end, she followed him.

The girl shook her head while laughing. “You are the quietest person I have ever met,” she looked at where was Daniel looking. He was looking at the deep sea, “and the most mysterious…” she added.

Daniel finally planted her with a look. “Why are you following me?”

The girl let out a laugh. “Finally!” she exclaimed with a big smile on her face accompanied with a light jump and raising of her hands like winning a lottery.

Hearing him talk, it was an achievement for her to witness the quietest personal talk.

Daniel’s eyebrows furrowed because of her reaction.

“Sorry,” she said as she continued laughing. After a few minutes, she started composing herself. “This is just a very rare event. I could not help but feel happy.”

Daniel threw the cigarette butt to the sea and let out the last puff. Despite of working on the port for six years, he could still feel nauseous with how the sea smells. He stepped back and walked back to the eatery.

He sat back to where he was sitting earlier. As soon as the girl entered the eatery, everyone roared and their eyes kept switching from Daniel and her. Her lipstick was smudge and there was a red tint on her neck. The other girls felt happy for her and the others felt jealous. Little that everyone knew, it was just a light burn from the cigarette she puffed earlier.

She pretended to be so embarrassed and sat back to where she was sitting while looking at Daniel.

Daniel’s worker put an arm on his shoulder and nudged him with his body, “I did not know you have that with in you, boy.”

Daniel just shook away his co-worker’s arm and drank the last drop of his cup of water before deciding to get out of the eatery.

His co-workers continued to laugh even though he was already away from them. He could still hear the cheer that they offered for the girl. He clenched his fist. What the girl did vexed him. It was what he hates the most. Manipulating the truth.

But Daniel, himself, was a hypocrite. He had manipulated one’s truth.