Something More

Debt of Gratitude

3rd Sunday of Easter

Christian Anthony's POV:

"Imee! Imee! Somebody want to see you!"

A nun has just called us just as when we are returning to Imee's room for lunch...

"Oh, sure! Please let her come to me."

Within moments, a young lady...with a familiar face, coming towards us. When arrived in front of Imee, she knelt down and kissed her hand...

"I finally found you, my master."

"Wha-what? Ma-master?!?!" Imee is startled by what the lady just called her. "Please don't call me that. I didn't do anything to you..."

"Oh! Ehehehe...my bad. I didn't introduced myself to you properly." The lady stands up and compose herself. "My name is Evangeline Cruz...my mother told me that you're the one who saved me when I was in the hospital last week. I just got discharged this morning so I wanted to thank you for what you've done to me."

"My pleasure, Evangeline. But you should thank God, too." Imee smiles at her. "Oh, hey! How about you join us for our lunch back in my room?"

"Certainly. Why not?"

Imee Therese's POV:

Doing another favor, I engaged into a conversation with Evangeline in my room. Perhaps, there are a lot of questions that troubles her mind.

"Are you okay now, Eva?" Catherine asks her. "When you're in the hospital, you were badly hurt..."

"Yes..." My guest then lowers her voice. "I guess my dignity has been gone forever."

From the tone of her voice, she's repenting...she knows that she's done a grave mistake when she allowed herself to compromise her chastity in the expense of her own life...but she was forced to be raped...she didn't intended to broke the rules...

"I understand you, my friend. You're the victim here, why would you make a sin on purpose?" I speak what I feel about her. "God will always welcome you back in His open arms..."

"Re-really...I mean...I'm not worthy to be return home at Him...I just make a grave sin...I'm sure that God wouldn't forgive me for what I've done..."

"So that's why you're in a church, right?" Imee refutes with a smile. "God is waiting here for you...you just need to confess all your sins to our Father Jean..."

"Bu-but...what if he...he will judge me...he will judge me so bad?!?!"

"Evangeline...he won't judge you...just like what he did to me." Anthony explains. "You should know that if you confesses all of your worries, this sudden jolt of comfort and easiness in your heart...that's the proof that God is revealing yourself to you.  Now look, He has changed my life!"

"Anthony's right!" Catherine adds. "I'm the one that criticized Imee so hard just because I don't lost hope on God when me and my family wasn't raised from poverty. But Imee forgive me...and I was given another chance. Now look, I committed to serve and protect Imee."

"See! That's how God touches their lives...it's never too late to turn yourselves back to His loving arms." I finished my explanation. "He always offers mercy and compassion to everyone, as long as we believe in Him."

I hear Evangeline giggle after all those explanations. I guess she had finally get the point.

"Well, I guess you're indeed special, just like my mother said to me." Evangeline concludes. "Could you please pray for me...and for my village? Right now, we've experienced a severe drought and food shortages. The people's getting really mad. You got to help us."

"Wait, Imee. This is the same instance that the young man has trying to tell us earlier." Catherine then clarifies. "Maybe we should take a bit of consideration for a moment?"

"...sigh...perhaps we should be." Finally, I was convinced by the plea. "Tomorrow, we will go there...."

"Thank you for your kindness." Evangeline thanked me in gratitude. "Don't worry, tomorrow, I will bring you in our family van. We have a large vacant room back at hone so you could stay for awhile."

Though I agreed to help on the worsening situation of Evangeline's village...I sense this strange feeling...that something will happen wrong...I mean there's a looming strife that will happen whether I will intervene between them or not...

"Imee..." Then Anthony holds my hand...

"Hmm? What is it, Anthony?"

"Your face seems distraught. You're worried, aren't you?" I nodded with his question. "Didn't I tell you that we're gonna protect you no matter what? If it is part of the mission that God gave to you, then we will do our best that this will not fall apart."

"Ehehehe...yeah. Why should I be worry if you're all here to keep me safe." I smiled at him. "Thank you for reminding me, my love."

Meanwhile...

Third Person's POV:

"We want to live! We want to live!"

Farmers have been marching all around town. They are protesting the inaction of the government on the wake of a strong drought in this agricultural area where food supplies have been shorting out, leaving the poor suffer for hunger in the last three days...

"The Mayor should resign right now!"

Then the farmers turned their attention towards the townhall, demanding the resignation of their mayor whose in his eight year on office. But upon arriving in front of the townhall, they were met by barrier of policemen, holding baton sticks in one hand and a shield on the other. The police force also prepared a fire truck, ready to trigger a water cannon upon the farmers on the signal of the superior authority.

Then the mayor comes out of the hall, trying to talk with the farmers.

"Guys, please. Could we still talk on this?" The mayor pleas to them.

"No! Enough of the talking!" The leader of the farmers shouts at him. "As long as we don't have all the demands that we have sent to you through the last five negotiations, we won't back down! Until all of us had a decent job and a decent food to eat, we will not give in and and put down our arms! We will fight what is right!"

The cheers from his fellow farmers affirm their crusade, crushing any possible negotiations with the mayor.

"Fine. If that's what you want."

The mayor leaves the group, disappointed. Then, he leaves a inaudible order to the chief of the police in which he agrees to comply. The police positioned themselves, awaiting for the time to strike the farmers down.

The tensions are rising fast...if there's nothing else would do to stop this strife, then this would be a bloodshed...huh?

I saw the leader of the farmers taking out a picture....of a familiar face that has been popular in the nearby town because of the wonders that attributed to her work. The leader then put the picture on his chest and whispered...

"Please...Miss Imee...pray for us."