The Omen

An apprentice's visit and a master's decision

I blend in to the nearest crowd, Rafael seems to be clueless, so I decided to get on with following him. He looked at the gates of San Beda College then for a moment he seems to be thinking of something but then I saw him sigh.

I could have sworned that he was irritated by one thing. But still I didn't go out of my cover, he was supposed to come with me for a support group meeting, a part of his rehabilitation process, not just that Ins. Arsenio is looking for him because there is a case he wants him to look over, I sighed in frustration as I followed Rafael.

"You still have a lot to learn C.C." I jumped as Rafael looked at the information center and then tossed three hundred pesos at the guard.

"Thanks my man!"

"No prob, chief!" Rafael returned his attention to me as I was dumbfounded. 

"If you plan on following me you should at least blend with the most crowded corner and stop looking up your newspaper like you're going to lose tail".

"Oh" that was all I can say as Rafael walked around the corridors of San Beda, so far as I've learned Rafael took his law proper here before taking the BAR and taking a spot in the top ten of the passers.

"So what are you doing here Rafael" I asked as he stopped at one point and then asked a random student.

"Might I ask do you know Prof. Albert Ildefonso?" The student pointed at an office that has an old door, judging from the texture and hardness of the wood even though ages had past I might say it was made of narra.

"Quite the nationalist" Rafael observed as he entered the room, I followed him and then inside the office was an old man, he was observing a student's argument and turns out we are in a middle of an examination.

"Hmmm......Antonio I would advise that you stop yourself from breathing deeply whenever you finish in your argumentative statement , its like your getting nervous also don't stop your hands in moving in the court hand gestures are useful sometimes" the old man then checked his pocket watch and then sighed, "we are done".

the student seemed to relax a bit and then quickly grabbed his things and then left, "Thank you sir" he meekly said.

"Don't be we'll continue this another time" the old man turn his attention to us and then sighed.

"I sometimes wonder how many years will I teach just to get my mortgages"

"Rafael to what can I offer the pleasure of your visit? Quite a long time isn't it? After you passed the bar I wonder how far will you go but then instead you pursued your true passion after working three cases for your firm" He opened his desk compartment and then pulled a pipe, a jar of tobacco leaves and marijuana, he pulled the lid of the jar then gingerly filled the pipe till he's satisfied.

"Isn't using drugs inside the campus illegal" I asked, the old man laughed.

"It isn't since I'm a teacher and no one is seeing me, well except the two of you" he puffed out smoke and Rafael sighed.

"I heard that you are unwell" Rafael began as he looked around the room and then went at one of the old man's collection of pictures, I notice at the picture he was arm to arm with a woman, his wife.

"She died, no one else can console me so that's why" the old man coughed as he puffed his last load of smoke.

"It's hard Rafael, when the only thing that pulls you between whats right and wrong is gone" the old man shook his head sadly and then stood.

"But bah! This talks wouldn't give her back to me! Enough of this! Rafael tell me what is the purpose of your visit?! Is it because you want to visit or just talk about the rumors that I am unwell?".

"I came here because I want you to become sober" Rafael said as he looked at old man who was facing the window now.

"I also did drugs one, it didn't turn pretty to me, Al" the old man pulled out a sigh and then put his pipe at the table.

"What happened?" Al said as he looked at his once student with kind eyes.

"Well I was broken you know Anna right?" Al nodded at the mention of her name, Anna Hart, Rafael's mysterious lover who was she? I always wondered how she enamored him.

"She was killed, the killer got away with it, so it didn't turned pretty to me, I resigned as an agent to the FBI and I became a drunkard and an addict, I was nothing but still I managed to become sober" Rafael looked at Al and they both nodded.

"We just lost something important Rafael but yeah you're right I shouldn't put my energy to something that is useless as this...." he looked at the pipe in the table and then at Rafael.

"Do you have anything to do?"

"C.C.?" Rafael turned his gaze to me.

"Well Ins. Arsenio is looking for you, he seems to be working on a case"

"Can I jump in with you?" We both looked at Al who was smiling.

"Why not?" Rafael said as Al took his coat and then left the room, leaving the two of us.

"Are you sure about that Rafael?" He looked at me as he went at the door.

"The more the merrier C.C., the more the merrier".