The Young and the Beautiful

Chapter 37

In the 1970s, there has been an aggression in Philippine politics, people who supports the administration got political power despite not being in position. Until one day they got a media company shut down and a power company sequestered from its original owners. We have been friends with this family since as long as I can remember. They all went to the States and lived there since their lives were also at risk in the country.

It's hard to pretend that everything is still normal even though it's not and some children of our family friends and distant relatives banished into thin air for just speaking their minds.

Today is the Grand Prix in Macau. One of the most significant events of the year. Since Manila won't host this year's race, Filipino F1 racers fly to Macau and participate there. My son Charlie and godsons Enrique Jr or EJ as he goes by now, and Marco are among the participants. My nephew Andy wasn't interested in racecars. He prefers to ride his horse and play polo like we did.

The race will be having more than seventy laps. Charlie was stapled in the first position while Enrique Jr and Marco followed him. I cannot believe that my son have such talent.

"Pancho! Your son's really good! My Enrique can't even go in front of him!" Enrique said as he watches the two boys raced in his binoculars.

"I have no idea that he can drive like that! I haven't seen him practice back in Manila." I replied. The people are cheering and were so happy that there were new race champions in town.

"I hope that you were like Charlito when we're younger. I always beat your ass when we're racing horses." Enrique said. We both laughed.

"Well I just let you win." I replied. He paused for a while and think of what I said. Then laughed louder after getting my joke.

Camila looks so nervous holding her rosary praying to guide Charlie in this race. Bela has the same reaction. But Alfonso was too excited to see his big brother race. Enrique's daughter Mercedes was holding her mother's hand as they watched Marco, and EJ raced. 

The race is now onto its final five laps when Marco's wheels exploded and hit Charlie's F1 car. Charlie's car immediately crashed on to the track's walls while Marco's spined all over and later exploded. Camila fainted by my side and Rita broke down as she saw her son's car bursting into flames.

That would probably be the worst incident that has ever happened to us. Charlie was severely injured but we're lucky because at least he made it. Marco didn't make it after his car burst in to flames. I went and searched for Enrique and Rita to check on them in the hospital. Enrique wasn't saying a word and Rita was still crying while holding her rosary.

I gave my two friends a hug and sat by their side without saying a word. I don't know what to say to them since Marco was like a son to me too. He spent days with Charlie and Bela when they were younger. Bela was his prom date and we don't know if they dated after that. Marco just turned seventeen when he passed and my Charlie could also die if things turned out differently.

Enrique went outside with his fists clenched. I stood up, and followed him. I saw him punching the wall, and heard him screaming as if he's blaming his self on what just happened. I grabbed both of his hands and calmed him down. 

"Enrique! Nothing will happen even if you tear down that wall punching it. You'll just end up with a broken fist. But you can talk to me, and you can even scream! But please don't hurt yourself" I told him. So he calmed down and stopped punching the wall. 

"I'm a bad father, Pancho. If I didn't let him race, he wouldn't die. I told him that he's too young to do it. But he's insisting on being like EJ. Pancho, I almost lost two sons today." He said as he sat down and finally started to shed some tears. I never saw him cry until today. 

"No you're not Enrique. Nobody wants that to happen. It's an accident. I almost lost Charlie too. I don't know if he'll be able to walk or be his old self again." I said. To be honest, I don't know what to say to him. A father's loss is something that I think I can understand, but I don't think I will understand Enrique loosing his second son. So I just sat and be there for my brother in this tough time. 

Enrique and I talked until Rita went out to say that Marco's body will be cremated before flying him back home. The Soriano family flew home immediately after Marco was cremated. It's such a shame that we can't go home and show our support. I knew that they would understand it.

"It could have been Charlie, or both of them could be gone. Pancho I can't understand what I feel. There's a part of me that is being thankful that it's not us who lost a son and at the same time I felt mad because I could have stopped it from happening if I didn't allow him to race in the first place." Camila said, still with a cracking voice for crying for hours. I can't help not to shed some tears too. I can't look at my son looking like that. Still unconscious and with all the tubes and wires connected on his body. We still don't know if he'll make it.

After a month, we were able to fly home while Charlie had his crutches and still have a difficulty in walking. We broke the news to him that his friend Marco died. Charlie wasn't able to react since he saw how Marco's car burn up to flames. He requested to visit Marco's ashes and pay respects to his friend.

Bela broke down when she saw Marco's picture beside his urn and a candle was lit beside it. Camila calmed Bela down and she later cried too. We were welcomed by the Enrique and Rita who were so glad to see Charlie alive, hugged and kissed him as if he was Marco. We sat down by the couch and talked as a family. But it was not a good time. Charlie sat by EJ, and Bela's side and consoled her for the losing her boyfriend. Bela was still crying non-stop when she saw their prom photo together. Alfonso was extremely traumatized after that incident and showed no intention to race or drive a car.

Just months after Marco's death, Enrique started to perform bad in his business. I got insider news that his airline company will be bought by someone close to the administration. That company is Enrique's life, and love next to his family. Then he's going to lose it in a blink of an eye.

Enrique told me that he started to lose more and more investors when the government made new policies on business ownership. In that same year, he lost his business by selling majority of his shares to the new businessman backed by the government. He doesn't have a choice. He flew to the US and started a new life there as a commercial airline pilot. Enrique Jr. entered UCLA and studied that year, his younger sisters were still in high school. While my son Charlie studied business in Ateneo together with his cousin Olivia.

Andres was receiving numerous random death threats if he won't show support to the government. We have seen how cruel they can get. A colleague told me that maybe Marco's death was intentional to break Enrique. Maybe their plan was to kill Enrique Jr. and Marco, but they didn't succeed. Each day the tension rises more and some protests have become violent and everyone who spoke against the government was silenced. They will imprison you if you're lucky.

Are we entering a new dark era upon us again?