Day Eight

One of the soldier’s jobs is to prepare for the war. Because I knew that will happen to me, I promised myself that I will be a good soldier, good shooter. And today was that day. San Ildefonso had fallen to the Loyalist. Our revolutionary army divided into groups and marched to the nearest river by San Ildefonse. In the battle, Lolo and I were separated due to chaos and when the battle was over, we didn’t see each other, nobody around me was recognizable. But without enough breaks, in another battle a loyalist’s bullet went through my left shoulder then everything vanished. When I woke up I was lying in the jungle. I recognized someone next to me, it was Nacio. I asked him about Lolo and he said Lolo had been injured in one of the battle. I worried about my old friend but I told to myself that he won’t die that easily. When I asked him about Whistler and Juan, I remembered Whistler had run away in front of me, screaming. Also I saved Juan in the battle. I thought they were emotionless machines that only exist for killing enemies. But they were not. Whistler and Juan who I saw in the battle were just normal young boys who feared blood. I felt sympathy for them. Nacio surprised me by telling me he was going to escape. I was surprised when he told me that Captain Mendoza had arranged him to escape to US and would support his education to make him a doctor. He also told me that I was also free to go and that was also Mendoza’s order. I thought about Mendoza. I knew it was Mendoza who brought us here but it was Mendoza who treated Lolo’s wound. It was Mendoza who took care of two survivors from the village. It was Mendoza who now gave us freedom and little hope. Nacio said Mendoza wanted me to be a school teacher, who could care about people, to serve. But it was Mendoza who taught me how to serve others. I realized how silly I was. Soldiers don’t fight because they are asked to do, they fight because they have their right. Even their rights are big or small if the forty- fourth war comes they will be ready, to fight for their country. I have become a soldier, and I will always be one, whether I’m in the army or not.