The Patriots

CHAPTER 26 (PEACEFUL TIMES)

Kelvin was grinning from ear to ear as he walked down the street into the ghetto. The taste of Cilia's sweet lips still lingered in his mind. He could still feel how soft her lips were. He just couldn't believe that he had grown to love the girl he hated so much for no reason. He snapped out of his daydream the moment he stepped into the ghetto.

The residents still had some kind of fear for him and his dad, especially now that it seemed they were living like normal people. The rebels still contemplated whether they should ignore the rumours about Kelvin and his dad, and compel them to join the rebellion.

With his mind now cleared and on high alert, he thought about what to tell his dad. He was definitely going to give his father a second chance just as Cilia advised. He thought his dad also deserved to be free and happy.

Kelvin arrived in front of the little half brick-half wooden house. The door was right before him, but he was still scared. Finally, he took a deep breath and turned the knob. His dad was on the couch, reading a faded newspaper. 'When did this man learn to read?' He wondered, because he had never seen his dad read.

His dad gave him a small smile when he walked into the room.

"I want to talk to you dad," he said flatly, his voice beginning to quiver.

"Okayy..." his dad replied a little baffled. "...have a seat then," he offered.

Kelvin obliged and sat quietly beside his dad. He kept a little distance between them as he sat. Then he took another deep breath, before he started to talk.

"I know that everything that happened thirteen years ago was an accident. Yet still, it was all your fault. I'm not trying to accuse you of anything. So please don't get me wrong. I also know how awfully you treated me, because I reminded you of my mom. But I know you were in pain and now that I'm older, I now understand why you acted that way. I know how hard it must have been to try to forget that you killed the woman you loved, 'accidentally', but you just couldn't forget no matter how hard you tried. I know you hated yourself for it, you still do, but I know deep down you really wished you could forgive yourself. So I'll start by forgiving you. Deep down I know you love me. No matter how bad you treated me, you never stopped loving me. I'm ready to forgive you; to give you that chance to be the father you never were. And also, for you to find peace, forgive yourself and be happy." Kelvin ended, breathing hard and fighting back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.

Kelvin's dad was already crying. He was wondering, 'when did my son become so adult? How could I have missed that?'

"You're just like your mom," he cried. "You have her smile and you have a big heart. You remind me of her every time I see you. This time I don't hate it. I'm grateful that you do look like her in so many ways. I promise to be a good father to you son. I'll never drink again, ever. I promise," he sniffed and wiped away his tears.

"I take after you in some ways too, you know?" Kelvin shrugged.

"I love you son."

"I love you too, dad," Kelvin replied as his dad embraced him. It felt awkward to Kelvin, but he was relieved and happy. It was a great father and son reunion.

Kelvin finally opened up about his travel to Canada. He was shocked at how funny his dad was. He would have even spilled out the secret about the real mission if he had loose lips. But of course, he was sworn to secrecy and the secret, still remained secret.

Cecilia still could not believe it. 'He kissed me. OMG.' She wanted to scream and jump, but she was finding it really hard to believe. She was so happy. Everything seemed to be going on well in their lives. After they have completely dealt with the rebels, they would all live peacefully and happily together. Regardless, Kelvin and his dad, Cecilia and her mom, even Vera, had smiles on their faces when they slept at night.

Cecilia's eyes suddenly jerked open. She left her window open because she was too excited and she slept off while sharing the good news with Vera. Her room was cold, and when she stood up to close the window, she saw a shadowy figure of a male, standing across the street. At first, she thought it was because of the sleep. She rubbed the sleep off her eyes and yes, there was someone across the street looking in the direction of her window.

There were no streetlights around, so she could not see his face. Her heart started racing in her chest. 'Could it be the rebels targeting me?' she thought. She took a deep breath, still trying hard to make out the figure standing there. 'Or could it be Charles?' the thought clicked in her head. She had ignored his text and he never approached her. She never saw him at the camp too. She closed her window with irritation and sat on her bed. "I'm really pissed off this time," she huffed.

Charles saw the girl through the window. She was looking all grown up and so beautiful. ''Noo, it can't be her,'' he chuckled and shook his head in doubt. ''Cecilia was not this tall and big. But it could be her. I haven't seen her for as long as I can remember. It's definitely her. It's Cecilia. My Cilia,'' he smiled as he recalled their childhood days and how different she looked now.

The rebels, after laying low for almost five months came up with another plan. This time, without Wolf's knowledge. Oliver had completely turned most of them against Wolf, but they still acted as if they were loyal to him to avoid conflict. They were no longer going to bother the people. It was not their fight anyway. This plan, was the actual job, and it was solely on the order of the Chief lieutenant.

Oliver and his gang of rebels were going to receive huge amounts of money as per the promise of the Chief. The job was to attack the Federal government headquarters in Bogotà, which was the Ministry of national defense.

Steve, who was part of Oliver's group, but only joined because of Charles, gave Charles the report on Oliver's new plan.

"I can't believe he is about to betray my father!" Charles spat angrily.

"Calm down man," Steve whispered harshly.

"Thank you Steve. I have to go," Charles tapped his shoulder and started to run.

"But..." Steve tried to stop him.

"Don't worry. You can trust me!" he shouted over his shoulder.

''You better not mess up.'' Steve mouthed.

"We have a problem," Charles texted to Del. It was late now and he couldn't leave the ghetto.

"An attack?" Del replied immediately.

"Yes, but it's something more. It's about the Chief lieutenant." Charles sent.

"Shit! So I was right. We're meeting tomorrow. Usual time."

Del was now certain the Chief was behind the attacks. But he didn't know why. That's what he had to find out now. ''I'm going to tell Anna tomorrow. We need reinforcement and more weapons," he said to himself, the look in his eyes unfathomable.

A/N: Hope we're having fun? 😜
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