Firewood

Chapter 6

Elena went from the room, holding the rug and the basin which was used to clean the wounds of the soldier. Armando was sitting at one end of the table. He didn’t talk with his wife since the soldier was carried inside their house. He watched his wife who was busy getting medicines and herbs, going to and from the room.

When he got a chance, he thought, he will talked with his wife again.

Finally.

With angry but terrified voice, controlled to be as quite as he could, he said “This will really put our family in harm. Tonight, I will carry him out and leave him somewhere. Besides, those medicines and herbs will heal him in time… while he is somewhere outside… far from us”.

“He is still weak Armando. I can’t take in my conscience to just leave him somewhere”.

With a pierce look and an angry voice again, but controlled, Armando said “You will be in harm Elena. I tell you. Once this news reaches the guerillas, don’t you ever put me and your son in danger with you!”

Elena quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn’t expect that her husband will say that to her.

“Yes, I will be the only one who will suffer for this”, said Elena softly with heads down. She tried to be very busy though there were no more work to be done. She washed her hands and wiped it, fixed the table, swept the floor while wiping her tears, and washed her hands again.

Armando, feeling guilty, went closer to his wife and hugged her. “I’m sorry”, he apologized.

“I… I can do this… alone… Armando”, said Elena who was still crying. “I showed compassion to someone without reservation, come what may! Whatever happens to me I will endure it well. With charity, I can endure this well”.

When Armando heard this, he remembered what he said a while. He was stricken by it. He gently held his wife’s shoulders, looked her in the eyes and said, “Elena please… listen to me. We can still show compassion to anyone else, but not with that man! I know God will understand us if we turn our backs from that soldier. Besides, he deserves it after all the murders they did to our people”.

“Whatever you will say Armando, I will still make sure that the wounded man will be in good condition first before I set him free. I was placed in a condition where I should act to what my heart feels to be true and not to what my mind simply knows”, answers Elena.

She went inside the room and gave a drink to the soldier. Armando followed her. While gently placing the cup to the soldier’s lips, she said “And I am certain Armando that what I am doing now is right”.

Silence.

They didn’t speak to each other while Elena was fixing the pillow of the soldier and Armando was standing, watching them, worried.

Elena broke the silence when she spoke to the soldier and wasn’t sure if he could understand her, but tried as good as she could only to let the soldier understand her, and said “Sleeeep tight… Take… a rest… You will be fine”.

When Elena went outside the room, Armando also followed her.

Armando raised his voice to Elena, “You always think that every good thing will turn to be fine. With you doing this, there will really never be good thing happen”.

“There is always good thing at every end of the road Armando. How could you forgotten that already?  If I die, I will die. But let me say this to you, I will leave a legacy to everyone because of doing this”, says Elena as she cries again. “There might be no other good results for me here… now, but I am looking forward for the promised result that God has preserved to those who showed charity”. 

As those thoughts came to Armando, he cried again, blaming himself for speaking such hurtful words to his wife.

“I’m sorry Elena… I’m really sorry for what I said to you”. And he fall asleep again.