Behind Every Man (COMPLETED)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Oh, how I love natural calamities.

It was three in the morning and Archie received a call from his executive assistant about how the town was in the middle of a disaster. I pretended to be asleep, but I had been awake the whole time. Nung isang araw ko pa inaabangan iyong forecast. I knew that anytime this week ay tatama na iyong bagyo. And according to experts, this would be the biggest in recent history.

In every disaster, there is an opportunity. That's why a lot of people got rich during the war time. Most people saw despair, some saw opportunity. They leveraged the chaos and gained a whole lot more. I mean, I'm not saying that it's the moral thing to do... It's not. But life's never fair and you're deluding yourself if for one second ay iisipin mo na magiging patas ang mundo.

If you want something, grab it with both hands and never expect that it'd be handed to you on a silver platter.

"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry..." Archie said as he kissed the top of my head.

Nagpanggap ako na kakagising ko lang. "What is it?"

"Work," he said.

"It's too early..." sabi ko sabay tingin sa orasan. "3AM."

"I know. I'd tell you to go back to sleep, but I know better," he replied and then cupped my face and kissed me on the lips. "Get up, love. We have work to do," dugtong niya bago ako marahan na hinatak patayo mula sa kama.

I was never really a fan of wearing sweatpants. I'd only voluntarily wear it when I go to the gym or to my spin or rowing class. But today's an exception. There's a disaster. So, I wore my black tights and a loose white shirt. I also put my hair into a nice little bun. I wore little makeup, but I still made sure that I looked nice and put together.

"God, you always look nice," Archie commented when he saw me. He was wearing a pair of dark pants and white polo shirt. May suot din siya na dark rimmed glasses. He looked so nice. Maybe I should tell him that. It doesn't hurt to compliment him once in a while.

"Thank you," I replied. "You look nice, too."

"Of course," he said as he put his hands on both sides of my waist. "I don't want people to think that you chose an ugly man as your husband."

Bahagya akong natawa. "How very thoughtful of you."

"I know, right?" sagot niya sa akin.

We got in the car. He loves this car. This was my gift to him when he officially won the election. It was a bullet proof Range Rover. He almost drooled when he saw the car. Pinigilan kong matawa sa reaction niya. He can be adorable sometimes.

Pagdating namin sa munisipyo ay marami ng tao roon. I stood there and watched as Archie began to lead. He didn't know this, but he's quite a good leader. Maybe he hasn't realized it yet, but he likes helping people. Ako rin naman. I mean, it's always a good karma tuwing makakatulong ka sa tao. But aside from good karma, I also want to use it as leverage. Wala namang masama kung gusto ko ring gawin 'yon. Ang mahalaga, nakakatulong pa rin ako.

Archie's main team already mobilized different teams in charged with different things. May naka-assign na sa packing ng relief goods, sa temporary shelter, sa first aid, sa search and rescue, at sa kung anu-ano pa. I was actually quite impressed.

"Is it already done?" I asked Cheryl.

Tumango siya. "Nakaayos na po."

"Alright," I said. Dumating na kasi iyong media. I just wanted to make sure na kung sinuman ang maiinterview ay sasabihin nila kung gaano nila naaappreciate iyong pagiging handa ni Mayor Gallego sa ganitong kalamidad. I knew that the previous Mayor received quite the flack before dahil hindi sapat iyong relief goods sa dami ng nabiktima ng bagyo. So I made sure that this time, hindi na mangyayari iyon. I contacted one of my ninongs and asked for him to donate some to our town and he didn't let me down. He sent ten trucks worth of canned goods and noodles na nilagay namin sa mga bag na pinamigay. Hindi ko sigurado kung magagamit ba lahat, but better safe than sorry. Mas mabuti na iyong may sobra kaysa kulang.