LEAVING JACOB

CHAPTER FOUR

June 02, 2020. Early in that morning. Jared and his companions were about to leave for Manila in a few hours. Jacob was in his room crying and he didn't want to come out to say to his father goodbye. Jared's parents took hours to get Jacob to come out from his room but they failed, both of them. He just didn't want his father to leave. About an hour before the black van arrived Jared was already outside their house with his face mask on waiting. He couldn't go to Jacob's room himself to say goodbye either. He just couldn't make it. That moment was so painful not only for both Jared and Jacob but for the whole family as well. Jared couldn't help it as well but cried. The pain of leaving was so profound. It was killing him slowly. 

Jared's father approached him. "Son, Jared I'm so sorry I couldn't make him come out from his room even your mother she is already crying so hard but he never listened to us." his father told him while holding his shoulder.

"It's okay Pa, just leave him be. It's better this way rather than he is  here outside with us and holding on to me. it's much more painful to leave. The more that i wont be able to leave." Jared replied crying.

His father breath deeply and nodded his head and said. " Why don't you just try to call him later when you get to Manila. Maybe he will feel better and will talk to you okay." 

"Yeah Pa, sure thing I will." Jared replied with a very sad voice.

There was a sound of a running vehicle towards them. The black van he was waiting arrived in front of their house. A guy sitting beside the driver looked out from the window and told Jared where he should sit and where he should put his luggage. And when he was about to ride the vehicle he heard a sweet voice calling him.

"Daddy! please don't stay there too long okay? I will wait for you! Promise you will be home on Christmas okay?" Jacob shouted.

When Jared looked back, it was Jacob still crying while holding on to his grandma. He immediately took off the vehicle went back to the house took his face mask off and hug Jacob so tightly. Everyone present during that time witnessing the moment was emotionally touched including the passengers of that black van. His mother hugged both of them as well while she sobbed. Without saying a word. Jared wipe his tears off his face he smiled to Jacob nodded his head and put back his face mask walked towards the vehicle to finally say goodbye while Jacob hugged his grandma so tightly with his eyes closed not wanting to see his father leaving him again. It was a very sad moment. Then a deepening silence all over took place after the vehicle left. Jacob and his grandma went back inside the house while grandpa stayed at the porch thinking what's gonna happen next.   

After a few hours of travel from Leyte to Samar, they arrived at the municipality of Allen where the sea port is located just right on time just a few minutes before the ship started loading all the vehicles going to Luzon. It is going to be another long ride. Much longer than the usual travel due to the series of various police checkpoints along the way. But they will surely arrive Manila before sunset that very same day if nothing bad will happen.

The van was stopped in a checkpoint before entering Metro Manila and they were asked to get off the vehicle to be checked one by one. They were all asked to stay in a certain place with all the other travelers who were also held up just like them coming from various places outside Metro Manila. The place was so crowded with people. Social distancing as required by the government with in public places was no longer followed to the slow movement of checking travelers were already lining up closely with each other. Some were not even using proper face masks. The place was so hot, not well ventilated and there was a canteen with some people eating and drinking. They stayed there for at least an hour before they were allowed to get through the checkpoint. 

When they arrived Manila they were automatically brought to a quarantine facility to undergo testing as a protocol prior to allowing them to go to their destinations. He wanted to call back home but it was already late at night so instead he just texted his father that he was already in Manila and there was nothing to worry about him. In that quarantine facility he noticed some friends and acquaintances who were also there. and so they tried to exchange pleasantries almost forgetting that the reason they were all there was due to the pandemic. There is a virus rapidly spreading all over the world yet most of them were just acting as if everything were just fine and normal. The front-liners in-charge of such facility were too busy attending to the testing and nobody were overseeing the whereabouts of each quarter.

When the results came out. Unfortunately Jared was one of those who got positive results along with the other passenger as well as the driver of that vehicle they were bound in. It was a big shock for him. He didn't probably see it coming although he knew the risk he was taking when he decided to take off away from home. They were immediately isolated all those who got positive results waiting for any symptoms to show. A couple of days had passed and still no one got sick. But as a protocol they have to wait for 14 days prior to allowing them to go out after two negative swab testing results. Although scared, Jared was confident that his body was strong enough to fight the Covid-19 virus. He decided not to tell his parents about it to spare the worries.