The Patriots

CHAPTER 32 (THE END)

COLOMBIA 2018

This new year marked a new beginning for every Colombian who survived the clash between the rebels and the military. That was the year the government chose to reveal everything that really happened to the world. The year everything that was burnt to ashes, was rebuilt. The work was started and completed before the new year begun.
Now was the time to reveal Colombia's saviors.

On the first on January 2018, the young soldiers, along with Del and his team, got an invitation from The President of Colombia, to attend a new year diner with him in the Casa de Nariño (House of Nariño).

They were extremely excited about it. Who would have thought they would actually have diner with The President one day?

"You sleep like a log! We have diner with The President, you don't want to be late." Cecilia pouted as she tried vainly to wake Vera up from her 'beauty nap'.

Vera was now living with Cecilia and her mom. They were sisters now and they did almost everything together. Cecilia's mother was overjoyed to have another daughter, and did not protest when Cecilia brought Vera home.

Vera and Charles were dating now. The two girls would always argue about whose boyfriend was cutest and more romantic. Vera still fought with Kelvin, always, and threatened him, "If you ever hurt my sister, I'll paint the streets with your blood." But they would just laugh it off in the end.

Cecilia was happy for her bestfriend and her sister. They looked great together. They even made plans to get married on the same day, when they became grown-ups.

"I don't know whether to wear the black dress or the white dress," Cecilia said to Vera anyway. Cecilia was having a hard time selecting which one of the dresses that would best fit her, from the two dresses the President's personal assistant sent.

"Okay, I'll take the black one, since you're still sleeping, and have no intention of waking up soon," Cecilia shrugged and moved away from the bed.

"I like the black one. You're an angel. You have to always go with white," Vera jolted awake and run towards Cecilia, trying to snatch the black dress from Cecilia.

"So you were awake?" Cecilia smirked knowing perfectly well that Vera was putting on an act when she pretended to be fast asleep.

"I'm just terrified," Vera confessed.

"Don't worry. We're the heroes!" Cecilia cheered as she handed over the black dress to Vera.

The boys on the other hand, were now staying at an exclusive guest house provided by the government. They had matching black suits and black shoes. They had their hair cut neatly and prepared to pick the girls up.

Cecilia and Vera wore their matching dresses, even though the colours were different. Their make up was made simple, but alluring. They looked like the angel of life and the angel of death--complete opposites but never one without the other.

They finished right on time before the limousine pulled up. The two handsome gentlemen held the doors open for their respective dates. Cecilia suggested a switch of dates, but Vera and Kelvin protested vehemently.

"Why do you two hate each other so much?!" Cecilia laughed heartily.

"We're oil and water," Vera replied.

They all laughed and chatted heartily until the limousine arrived at the Casa de Nariño. There were a lot of people gathered outside, cameras flashing everywhere. They saw the other fighters pull up after them. Del and his team followed in their ceremonial military outfits. It was a perfect sight to behold.

After shaking hands with The President and sitting at a table to share a meal with him, he led them to the podium to give his speech.

"For years Colombia has strived to maintain peace and order within her borders. As President, I did everything necessary, with the help of my Vice, Ministers and you, the people of Colombia, to make this dream come to pass. We have faced issues of corruption, illegal activities and riotes for years. Now, I stand here before you to honour these brave citizens standing beside me, who thrived and fought to save Colombia. They were ready and willing to do anything possible to make Colombia stand tall. For that, I, as The President, say thank you to them on behalf of the whole country. Their service, will always be remembered in the history of Colombia." The President ended as the crowd cheered and applauded.

The national anthem was played and after they sang, the President moved to the best part of the evening. He mentioned all the names of the young fighters, the heroes and saviors of Colombia, and honoured them with Orden de Boyacá, The Order of Boyacá. A military school would also be built in their honor, with their statues mounted in the center.

Del and his team were also honoured with the Military Order of St. Matthew, and Del was promoted to the Chief lieutenant of the Colombian army. The crowd cheered on as the cameras kept flashing at the heroes.

The newly built houses in Bogotà and the ghetto were inaugurated, and the people who lost their houses were presented with their newly built and fully furnished houses. The ghetto looked like a whole new paradise. The ghetto people were also given new opportunities at work and education, all thanks to the bravery of those forty kids.

The whole truth about the rebellion and the secret mission of the military, was released to the press. Their contributions were also going to be remembered forever in Colombian history. The death and corrupt works of the former Chief lieutenant was all over the news and would also be counted in history. How he was exposed, gave rise to whistle-blowing and frequent checks on all government workers, ministers, and even The President himself; no one was above the law.

In the subsequent days, the rebels who survived were taken to court for a proper sentence. Oliver and the other rebels were sentenced to life imprisonment, with death penalty. Manuel Turner, even though he had good intentions, was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for obstruction of state security.

Charles forgave his dad for everything he did and frequently visited him in prison. Del finally proposed to Anna and they would be getting married the next year. Del was now more like their father and Anna their mother. Any time the kids had any troubles, they went to Del and Anna.

Some years later, Kelvin, Dan and Steve became professional soldiers. Charles, who was always the gentleman, wanted to be the president of Colombia in the near future, so he worked hard towards it. Vera became a lawyer. It was not surprising that she also wanted to be a female president.

"You will be my Vice when I'm President," she would tease Charles, her fiancé.

He would just laugh it off and reply, "I will willingly be your Vice, Madam President."

Cecilia also became a doctor, because she loved saving lives. Just as they planned in their teens, Vera and Cecilia planned a double wedding. They were going to marry the two best men in the whole world.

They never stopped being freedom fighters. They were always ready to lay down their lives for their country whenever the need arose. They also trained the kids who attended their military school. They were never forgotten, even after their death, and their legacy lived on to their children, grand children and the whole of Colombia. "THE PATRIOTS" was the name they were called in all history, and so were they.

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