The Truth
I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but that was exactly what happened when I came downstairs.
I heard the raised voices and the argument with Ai and her family.
Oom’s words cut through my heart.
She wasn’t just talking about the danger I faced.
It was an allusion to what she went through when we were still together.
My clients were high profile.
They have the wealth and the influence but none of the cases I handled were sensational or deadly.
The most difficult decision I had to do was when I agreed with my father to take on the case of Marut or Batman as the public dubbed him.
He used my relationship with Oom as blackmail.
I needed to protect her.
She didn’t know what was going on because I hid the truth.
The only way for me to get my father off my back was to agree to take on Batman’s case.
It was against what I believed in but when it came to choosing between protecting Oom or my morals, I knew what I had to do.
Oom was very important to me.
I loved her but I knew the truth now.
She wasn’t the girl I met at the planetarium but Ai-oon.
No wonder she changed when I mentioned that incident to her.
Oom didn’t deserved to be a pawn in my father’s wicked game.
But that was how he was.
He would do everything in his power to make people do what he wanted.
I hated him for it.
The only consolation was the thought that once the trial was over, Oom would be safe.
No one would be following her every move.
There would be no emails disclosing my relationship with her.
That was how ruthless he was.
He didn’t care if he ruined someone’s life or future as long as his actions served its purpose.
***
“May,” A hand grabbed my arm.
I turned around and Ai was beside me, sweaty and panting.
We were standing at the beach, the hot sun beaming down on us.
“Oom was right you know,” I stood with my arms folded in my chest.
“About what?”
“How it wasn’t safe as long as I’m involved?”
“I wasn’t hired because you were safe. If that was the case, I would be out of a job.” I grinned.
“Ai, this is not the time for jokes.”
“I can’t help it. Everything was so tense with Oom and my grandmother.”
“Why didn’t you tell her about military school?”
“You heard that too?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know what your relationship is like with your family but I wanted to protect them.”
“I’m quite familiar with protecting others for their own sake.”
“But this one bit me hard in the ass.”
“How come?”
“Didn’t you say you heard what happened?”
“I did but I want to hear it from you.”
She turned away to look at the beach.
The silvery glimmer up ahead was intense and blinding.
But when Ai-oon looked at me again, there was clarity in her eyes.
“Growing up, I wasn’t good with school. That was Oom’s forte. But I wasn’t averse to keeping my hands dirty and doing odd jobs to help my grandmother. I did some things, told some lies and when she was done with school, I decided it was time for me to think of what I wanted to do with my life so I left Nam Jai. I was at the bus stop when I saw a poster recruiting people to apply for the military. I thought, why not? I’m qualified and I’m young. It wouldn’t hurt to see what they offer so I submitted my application. I didn’t think much about it. One day I got a call so I showed up for the interview. I was unsure if I would get accepted. There were a lot of people who were trying their luck. But I was chosen. I excelled and even I was surprised that I did until...”
“Until what?”
Ai-oon’s eyes were dark.
She retreated into a corner of her mind that I felt was hidden for a specific reason.
“You can tell me everything.”
“I shouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“You are my client. I should be the one protecting you and not the other way around.”
“You’re doing a great job, Ai. I wouldn’t be here standing on this beach if you weren’t.”
She inhaled and closed her eyes.
Since knowing that Oom had a twin, I was still getting used to the idea that she shared the same features with someone else.
But since Oom favored the more feminine style, it wasn’t difficult to tell them apart.
Ai leaned towards the casual style.
Right now she had on a white cotton shirt, jeans and hi-cut sneakers.
Her long black hair was also loose, the soft breeze blowing it away from her face.
She looked so different from when we first met when her clothes and vibe screamed somber.
“We were sent on a mission to intercept a group of drug dealers. It was dark and their operation was in a jungle. I rode with six people and we were close to their hideout when we were ambushed. Our vehicle was hit and it careened down a ravine. I thought that was it for me but I opened my eyes when I felt something warm dripping down my forehead. One of the soldiers was hanging on the roof of the vehicle. He was killed. Blood gushed from his head and it was what woke me up. I looked around me and everyone was dead. I had to pretend I was killed to prevent capture because the drug dealers were inspecting the vehicle to see if there was a survivor. When they thought that everyone died, they left. I waited for what felt like eternity to make sure they were gone before I crawled out of the vehicle and radioed for help.”
“What happened after?”
“I see my comrades faces in my head. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, couldn’t do anything without hyperventilating. I didn’t understand how I made it out alive. They said I was lucky but everytime I close my eyes, I saw their bloodied and lifeless faces. It was hard for me to be in an enclosed space after that. I always felt that I wasn’t alone. I felt haunted.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Ai. Now I understand why you didn’t want to tell your grandmother about what you went through.”
“I’m sorry too. I don’t usually talk about myself with clients. It was against protocol.”
“My life is in your hands. What if the time comes when we were in a dangerous situation? How am I going to help you if I didn’t know who you are?”
“I have to ask you again about something that’s been bugging me since I was given this assignment.”
“What is it?”
“Your psychological profile. Why was it blank?”
“I didn’t want to reveal my vulnerabilities to anyone. I asked P’Ton to pay good money to not have it disclosed.”
“You’re not making my job easy.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know your triggers. What if we find ourselves in a dangerous situation? How am I going to help you if I didn’t know who you are?” She repeated what I said.
“That was how I protect myself, Ai. No one can hurt me if they don’t know what brings me pain.”
“I’m not here to hurt you, May.”
“I know. You’re here to protect me.”
“You can trust me.”
There was an earnestness in her eyes that made me want to believe.
Trust required a great deal of time.
It wasn’t something I could bestow on someone I met a few days ago.
But Ai was an exception.
She laid her life on the line for me.
Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to tell her a few bits and pieces about me.
“I grew up unloved by my father. He wanted a son but got a girl instead. My mother had a difficult pregnancy. When I was born, she couldn’t bear any children. That added to my father’s disdain of my existence.”
I sighed, the recollection of my life bringing the pain back to the surface.
I had to fight for the scholarship abroad to be able to get away from my family.
It took years of therapy and willpower to deal with my trauma.
I looked at Ai-oon and she was patiently waiting for me to go on.
“Being unloved was a sad part of my history. It was a lonely existence knowing that being born a girl was the cause of my father’s resentment. I wanted his approval and did everything I could but none of it mattered. Back then I thought it was hopeless to keep trying until I met someone at the planetarium.”
Ai-oon frowned.
“You don’t remember, don’t you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I went to the planetarium for a competition but ran into a group of girls who extorted me for money. Someone came to my rescue. She fought them off and then told me something I couldn’t forget. The girl with the long-sleeved uniform and a black ribbon in her hair told me to fight. It stuck with me. I used that wisdom to take control of my life.”
Ai-oon looked even more confused.
“It was you, Ai. You were the girl at the planetarium.”
“But I don’t remember that.”
“You wore Oom’s uniform. For a long time I thought the girl I met that day was her. It was the reason why your sister hates me.”
She scratched her eyebrow as she tried to think of that day.
I was disappointed knowing that she couldn’t recall any of it.
“What I remembered was, Oom was bullied that day. I came home and she had bruises in her arms and face.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“But it meant a lot to you.”
“It did because that was the day I met you.”
“Isn’t it strange how after all these years, we’d meet again.”
“It is. Maybe it was meant to be.”
“Why did you say Oom hates you?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I have all the time in the world,” She grinned and her eyes lit up.
This was one of the things I noticed about Ai-oon.
In unguarded moments, I get a glimpse of a different side of her --warm, kind and patient.
“I will tell you about it some other time. Right now, we have to leave this place.”
“Why?”
“Oom was right. You shouldn’t have brought me here. Your family is not safe when I’m around.”
“May, don’t let her get to you.”
“But what if she was right? What if the people who wanted to hurt me got wind of my location? What are you going to do then?”
“Let me think first and then I will tell you our next move.”
We walked back to their house.
Oom and her grandmother were in the living room talking to someone.
His back was turned so he didn’t see Ai-oon and I come in.
When Oom glanced at the door, the guy followed her gaze.
He called Ai-oon’s name.
His voice brought panic to my heart.
I was not the only one.
He stared at me in shock but he was quick to dispel the reaction.
I excused myself to go upstairs.
Ai-oon followed but I raised my hand to stop her.
“I need to be alone.”
Her face fell and there were questions in her eyes but I had to think of what to do.
I didn’t have any proof except for the sound of his voice.
How could I tell Ai-oon that the man who attacked me that night was the same one in the living room?