Three Desires

Chapter 19

The silence of the night covered Krishna Castro's luxurious estate. Inside Sultano's family home, Patricio, drenched from a long morning shift, held the phone to his ear—a secret call to his sweetheart, Krishna, a stolen moment of closeness.

Patricio did not overlook the irony. With a tired lilt, he related the day's success: operating successfully on Ernesto Herbosa, a prominent Taytay board member who was thought to have overdosed on lisinopril. He felt a hollowness and relief when Krishna offered him a kind congrats.

A reminder of the complex web they were entangled in caused the topic to change. Krishna discussed the Pacific Ocean Resort in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, which would host a faculty bonding trip soon. Presumably, it was a get-together for Pacaldo and his associates, but a barely disguised chance for them to snatch some quality time together. 

Krishna's voice, though, carried a touch of warning. He begged Patricio to keep up a front of propriety to prevent Pacaldo from raising his concerns.

At Bulacan National High School the next week, a jittery excitement was in the air. Summer clothes, as colorful as the excitement itself, decked the professors assembled in the outdoor gymnasium. Everything was getting ready to swap textbooks for bikinis as everyone prepared for a weeklong getaway to the Pacific Ocean Resort in San Jose del Monte.

A few teachers brought their loved ones along per Principal Salatandre's order. Mike, the social science and history teacher, walked in laughing with his wife Mela, and their two kids, Joshua and Jordan. With his eyes bright and excited at the thought of the trip, 12-year-old Aries was holding the hand of his mother, Priyanka, the biological science teacher.

With a flicker of something unintelligible passing over his features, Krishna stood by Pacaldo's side. Maybe it was another kind of expectation entirely, or maybe it was relief from the long hike they'd just taken. Fortunately, a tiny smile appeared on Krishna's lips as he turned to face Pacaldo. Here, with his husband, life resumed something approaching normal. He could ignore the hidden chamber of his heart that contained Patricio, at least temporarily. 

"Shall we go?" Krishna inquired, a touch of enthusiasm in his voice. 

Pacaldo laughed and gave Krishna a gentle squeeze on the hand. "Let's just wait for our principal to signal," 

Pacaldco said. "Don't be too much in a hurry."

There were five shiny UV Express vans waiting for them, one for each group. Ever the planner, Principal Salatandre made sure that everyone was aware of their designated car. Following a final briefing, the teachers filed back inside with a collective sigh of relief, prepared to begin their journey toward a week of leisure and companionship—or maybe something very different for some of them.

As the UV Express vans, full of eager faculty members and their families, made their way out of Malolos, the sound of roaring engines filled the air. Every car was a miniature version of summertime celebration and expectation, with all the funding coming from the school. There, back at the busy Malolos General Hospital, something else was happening. The fact that Dr. Patricio Sultano's office was empty demonstrated how carefully he had arranged his absence. His physical separation was guaranteed by a carefully drafted and submitted five-day leave of absence to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Timonera.

Unaware of this stealthy exit, the cardiologist, Dr. Katarina, came to Patricio's office and expressed her gratitude for his assistance in Mr. Herbosa's successful surgery. A look of disappointment crossed her face as she saw the door was locked. The brief explanation provided by a crumpled note taped to the door read, "The doc is out on leave. Back in 5 days. - Dr. Sultano".

Dr. Katarina was curious about Patricio's sudden absence, especially in light of the success of the conference, so she went to speak with one of his coworkers.