Cambiar Las Mareas: The Beginning

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE:

January 3, 1871: First Operation – Convincing Carlos

Jimena can't help but look over her notes again when she woke up on the third day of January 1871. She has been overcome with anxiety and worry ever since Christmas thus this has been a morning habit of hers since then.

Jimena knew that her notes were impeccable and detailed; she also knew that based on the technicalities, she was already on the right track – most especially with her overcoming the problem of illiteracy, which according to the notebook, was a problem of Jimena's during the years 1870 to 1871.

That does not stop the negative feelings, however. Because for some reason, Jimena can't help but set an additional mission – which is to convince her family, most especially her brothers, to see things her way.

Truth be told, this has been bothering her for weeks. After all, she knew very well by now that contrary to what Josefina implied, her family were not chess pieces. They were living beings with actual feelings and thoughts and just the thought of manipulating them to succeed – which seems to be the only case - makes Jimena's stomach churn.

"Señorita Jimena?" A knock resounded by the door as Jimena went on to keep her notes. "Are you ready for your bath Señorita?"

Jimena smiled and looked over the opened window. The sun was already high up in the sky by that time and she can already hear the sound of kalesas and horse hooves pit pattering down the streets.

"I am already ready Maria." She replied politely to the servant who was only a couple of years older than she. Maria has a rather sweet disposition and Jimena was horrified at first because Maria seemed terrified of her. The previous Jimena was indeed a horrible, spoiled child.

Maria, together with two other servants then proceeded to enter with buckets of water. Normally, the three of them were quiet as they fill their mistress's bath, but today they were chattering like a gaggle of hens.

"Remember that man who was arrested due to stealing?" One of them started in bisaya.

"Was that the man that caused chaos near the church?" The third servant asked, also in bisaya.

The second servant nodded her head.

"Yes, that's the man," She replied. "His body was seen floating down the river this dawn. A couple of farmers have seen the body."

Maria who was helping Jimena out of her night clothes can only shake her head in dismay.

"May Jesus help his soul." She said.

"And according to the rumors," The second servant continued. "His body was already decomposing. People in the town say that he must've been killed a week ago."

"Jesus, Mary, Joseph," Maria muttered. "That's devastatingly horrible." She then paused as if thinking something. "We can safely assume then that he was not given a proper trial?"

The third servant, who was carrying a basket full of bathroom supplies can only scoff. Whereas Maria and the second servant looked at her in such a scandalized fashion due to her unladylike behavior, Jimena, who was now submerged in the tub couldn't help but look at the servant in awe. This was the first time in months that Jimena had seen someone showing blatant disregard for decorum.

"Since when are we given the right to go to trial?" The third servant said rather viciously. "The Spanish think that we 'indios' are beneath that."

Jimena tried with all her might to not betray any emotions on her face. Hector was after all the only person in this period that knows about her capability in speaking bisaya.