Black Bureau Inc (Book 1)_Code Name: Ravenna (A Sample)

Chapter SIX

MAS KALMA NA SILA pagkatapos nilang umiyak. Manaka-naka ay bumababa si Luc para ma-check ang CCTV. Kumuha din ito ng paracetamol sa medicine kit noong sinabi nitong mainit-init ang balat niya kaysa normal at mabuti pang uminom siya ng gamot kasi baka matuloy iyon sa lagnat.

Tapos, naupo ito sa kabilang side ng kama at mahina silang nagkwentuhan. Nabanggit niya na licensed gun owner siya.

"What personal gun do you use?" tanong nito

"40 M&P, Smith & Wesson at Glock."

"Minano-mano mo ang pagtanggal ng safety sa Smith & Wesson?"

"Oo. Nakakasugat 'pag pumipitik, eh. Mas madalas kong gamitin 'yong Glock kapag..." Napatigil siya, muntik nang sabihing kapag wala siya sa work.

"Kapag?" kunot-noo nitong tanong.

"'Pag umuuwi ako," pag-amend niya. "I have that stupid gun in my bag sa bahay. Minsan kasi, I tried to teach Itay, and he got scraped by the Smith & Wesson's safety kaya nga pinatanggal ko 'yong trigger safety. And then I gave it to him – and can you believe it, he lost it in the rice field that same week! Noong mahanap ko, may rust na. I got him a Glock the next time na may design pa nga same as mine para twins kami. Ang iba lang is it has his name engraved on it – Itay Edu. I was right to do it, kasi he dropped it. And—"

"Trigger-safety lock," sabi nito, natatawa.

"Yes. I was, like, horrified that he dropped the Smith& Wesson in mud, and he didn't even know this until he came home and couldn't find it. What if he dropped it on a hard surface and it fired? So, I gave him a Glock next time that it will only fire after he pulls on the trigger."

"Where is his Glock now?"

"It would be on his safe in the farmhouse. Hindi naman talaga gumagamit ng baril si Itay. 'Yung shotguns sa baba, daddy mo ang nag-acquire noon. Pero I was excited when I started to go to shooting events and I wanted to share that with him, at na-excite din siya para sa akin. I mean, growing up, mga dance lessons, he practiced with me. Art projects, he worked with me on those. Ball games, theater, gymnastics... if he couldn't do it with me, he studies it for me. I was home-schooled my elementary years. Pinapasok niya ako sa high school sa Calapan City so I could have more friends and start socializing."

"Istrikto siya sa dates?"

Umikot ang mga mata niya, natatawa. "No. He was more excited than me kapag may nanliligaw. But I wasn't interested to date then. Isa pa, ewan ko lang kung matuwa sino man ang gusto kong maka-date noon, because he would be chaperoning us."

Tumatawa ito nang mahina. "Hanggang ngayon?"

"Hindi na. I'm grown up, ano ba? Kung noon, tinu-tulak niya akong makipag-date, ngayon ay tinutulak niya akong mag-asawa na."

"Ahh... I'll remember that."

Nagdaan ang katahimikan. For the life of her, hindi niya alam kung anong isasagot doon. Narinig nito ang mga ganoong patama ng Itay niya sa ilang birthday parties na yata.