A War Away

Chapter 11: Starlight Waltz

My watch says its 7:00 AM right now. The air has become tense as if some kind of spirit or otherworldly being is taunting me. I jolt up and dress in my formal clothing to make an important visit to the military camp. Most of the personnel there have woken up and are going about their duties, most of them recognize me and let me inside as I look for my father. The previous night I poured over everything in the envelope he had given. That book was immense. Over 700 pages worth of document's it took me 6 hours to read less than half of it, more like see as most of the pages are filled with photos and a few had some kind of silver plated disk.

As the president said last night "It will be a long arduous fight" now is not the time for thought, it is time for action. While I Rush back to Babag school people are gathering for breakfast which for them starts at 8:30 am their joyous faces unaware of the true threat. Cans of corned beef and lucheon meat are everywhere as the soldiers no longer have the space to store them.

While walking on the rocky riverside a thought crossed my mind "This might be the last time I see Cebu city before the war, it would be wise to visit now as the invasion fleet won't be arriving for a while" My mind is filled with grim thoughts as I walk back to my dormitory. I come in and get fill up one of my backpacks with essentials and start hiking down the mountains. It is a cool day even when the sun is shining down I can't help wearing a jacket, it's almost Christmas after all. 

But first if this could be the last time I see the city intact, it would be nice to bring Emilia along. After a long trek through on the path to Malubog I reach Emilia's house, unsurprisingly the guard is once again asleep. Not exactly the best thing to do when you are protecting someone, but honestly the only thing that could hurt Emilia here is a cockroach. Emilia is nowhere to be seen, I sneak by and look for her inside her home, the kitchen? Nothing, the bedroom? Nothing... 

A tug on my leg and a bark behind me. I turn back and look down to see Bombom the dachshund barking at me, begging for me to play with him. There is no resisting him, I pet him then he barks towards a small cabin at the top of a nearby hill. "Good boy Bombom!" he runs off to find some other playmate. I see someone in front of the cabin sitting on a chair looking into the lake, it is obviously Emilia. A little more trekking wouldn't hurt if I could see her. I make my way up the hill, taking my time to see every little detail from the biggest of Acacia trees to the little paw marks leading to her Cabin. Everything is picture perfect, a serene heavenly feeling came over me as I came out of the bushes, yet something is missing, not from the environment, but from me. 

I walk over to Emilia while she looks on the lake in complete and utter silence, lost in thought. "I was wondering when you would show up" Emilia jokingly says. She stands up and faces me with a smile on her face. 

"I would do anything to protect that smile, and you know that very well" I whisper under my breath.

She invites me to take a seat and chat for a while. I grab a chair from her cabin and take a seat, wind blowing on both our faces. Emilia's hair messy, but still radiant blowing in the morning wind, for just a moment it's as if there is no war. Although this is an amazing scene there are more pressing matters to attend to, like our trip to the city. My plan is simple, this will be our second date, hopefully she says yes to my request.

"Hey Emilia, remember our last date?" I turn to ask her blushing.

"Of course I do, who could forget something that great" She tells me blushing as well.

"I have been thinking for sometime, are you free to go to the city today?  It suddenly came up in my mind and I want you to be with me for the journey" I say while trying to keep a straight face, this is only the second time. People say the first time is always the hardest as you gain experience from that and you can plan better when it happens again.