Behind Boundaries

17

“Mr. Santiago has been charged with a series of illegal business and burglaries, and his alter ego, which he calls ‘Mr. A,’ appears to have taken control during these incidents. It seems that Mr. Santiago is not fully aware of his actions while ‘Mr. A’ is in control.” Demir read the documents he presented in front of us.

Nalaman ko na si Fort Aurelius Santiago pala ang bago naming client at ang bago naming kapitbahay ay iisa.

Analyzing the mental state of Mr. Santiago, we delved into psychological factors that could explain his alter ego and its potential impact on his criminal actions.

“How about the information provided, Dra. De Vries?” Visser asked me, grinning.

Dra. De Vries, huh? no’ng mga nakaraan, Eli. Then naging sweetie, tapos ngayon naman ay last name basis. I keep myself and face them with professionalism.

“Based on the information provided, it’s possible that Mr. Santiago is suffering from dissociative identity disorder,” I said while looking at my laptop, reading the file I made last night.

“His condition can lead to the emergence of an alter ego, which may take control during certain situations and cause the individual to engage in criminal behavior without full awareness or intent.” I added.

Hanggang ngayon, lumilipad pa rin ang isip ko dahil sa mga nalaman ko no’ng isang gabi. Well, kahit naman na may shocks sa akin.. Kayang kaya ko pa rin naman mag work ng maayos dahil alam ko kung paano paghiwalayin ‘yon.

That’s how professionalism takes place. Kahit na ang dami ng tumatakbo sa isip ko, nagawa ko na pa rin magtrabaho ng maayos. Kung bakit? sanay naman ako.

Almost three days working with my colleagues, ngayon lang kami nagkaroon ng insights about our client’s background. Though wala pa kami sa findings dahil hindi pa tapos ang patong patong na assessments, nagkaroon na kami ng meeting.

Visser and I living our life as a normal husband and wife. Sabay gumigising, nag aalmusal, pumapasok ng trabaho at natutulog sa gabi ng magkatabi. But there’s always that feeling na hindi ko maiwasan.

Pakiramdam ko ay kasama ko na lang si Visser as companion, but not as much. Wala kaming intimate thingy.. Palagi lang kaming nag uusap tungkol sa trabaho, at kaso.. After no’n ay wala na.

Napansin ko rin na iniiwasan niya ang buksan ko ang usapin tungkol sa no’ng nakaraan. Pero ayos lang, since sobrang busy ko rin naman para idagdag ko pa ‘yon.

“Ngiti ngiti na naman si panyero,” I heard Demir’s chuckled. “Hanga ka ‘no?”

Nag angat ako nang tingin at doon ko nakita si Visser na masamang nakatingin kay Demir. I see.. kaya pa rin pala nilang magbiruan kahit na sobrang seryoso ng kaso? mukhang hindi kasi halata sa hitsura nila.

Napansin siguro nilang hindi ako natatawa. Well, wala naman dahilan para matawa ako. Visser cleared his throat, and Demir changed into serious mode.

“Mr. Santiago is indeed diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, it could potentially provide a valid defense for his actions..” Kung hindi lang siya si Visser, baka nagtaka na ako kung bakit ganito siya bigla ka seryoso sa kaso.

“We may be able to argue that ‘Mr. A,’ his alter ego, was the one responsible for the crimes and that Mr. Santiago was not fully in control of his actions during those incidents.” He added.

Since ilan lang naman kami, we agreed to further investigate Mr. Santiago’s mental state and gather additional evidence to support our defense strategy.

“I’ll be conducting a thorough assessment of Mr. Santiago and will provide you with my findings as soon as possible.” I said.

Marami pa silang napag usapan hanggang sa matapos ang meeting. I stood up when my colleagues started to leave the room. Si Visser naman, kausap pa ni Demir.