26 The Society

May 17, 2013

10:09 am

Christine Romulo

I am awakened by a call from a friend – Elyssa. In my hazy eyes, I barely slide the 'answer' button on my phone. It's Friday, and basically, I'm still stuck here at home for two more weeks. Classes start as early as 7 am, and my body clock is clearly not my ally at this point. Good thing she's here to be my alarm clock; otherwise, I'd still be asleep 'till noon.

But first, I slightly stand up straight just to sound not too sleepy as I talk to her.

"Hello," I say in my slurry voice. "Good morning. What is it?"

"Have you read the papers?" she asks instantly.

"No, call me again later, I think I'm – "

Just with those words, I can already feel myself drifting away to sleep. It's Friday. I'm not supposed to do anything. How can she call me this early?

All of a sudden, a loud bang rings from my phone. I feel my eardrums tearing apart just with I that sound. Within those short seconds, that sound boosted my spirits up. And then, I realized. Elyssa! How could she honk a blowhorn towards her phone?

"Egad!" I say in reaction to the noise. "What kind of person honks a blowhorn towards another person's ear?"

"I felt I needed to wake you up. In all seriousness, Christine. Have you seen the papers? Something is…"

I can't even process the words she's saying. As she nags me to the bone, I feel the dried-up saliva stuck in my face. My hair is even so messed up that I need to take a shower this instant.

"Christine?" she says again. "Are you listening?"

Oh, right. I forgot. She's talking to me. I shake my head once more just to wake myself up. "Yeah, yeah. I'm listening. What were you saying?"

From the other side, I can hear her let out a short sigh. "The papers! Any newspaper! It's everywhere. Have you seen it?"

"No, don't worry. I'll look at it right now."

I hold the phone on her as I open the door of my room. Immediately, I see my maid, Bethany, walking about, minding her own business. As she sees me, she gives a short bow.

"Good morning, miss," Bethany says as she was about to walk off.

"Bethany, wait! Can you please send my breakfast to my room, and also, the morning papers please?"

An aghast face. That's all she shows. I never ask for the morning papers. I just learn it all from the internet. Still, I make exceptions. In cases like a friend waking you up to let you know that something is up, I think this is the time to read something interesting.

"Alright, miss," Bethany replies in hesitation. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

I go back to my bed where my phone is sitting. Time to talk to Elyssa again. "I'm asking someone to fetch the papers for me," I reply to her on the phone. "What is up anyway? Is this really worth my time?"

"Sure is, Christine. I can tell you right here and now what it is, but I feel like I need to let you see what's going on."

Shortly, Bethany arrives with a tray filled with hot meals ready for me. It is a breakfast of bread, eggs, bacon, some coffee, and a whole lot more. At the side, a broadsheet newspaper is rolled. As I unroll the papers, I immediately saw the headlines of the front-page story.

"Macedo ousted. Son, under fire for father's actions."

A picture of Mateo is at the headlines. He is surrounded by several mics from the reporters as he is being interviewed. Several other cameramen are taking picture of him. Behind him is his father hanging his head in shame as he avoids being photographed are videoed.

So, this is what she woke me up for. I could already laugh with myself at her concern.

"Elyssa, I knew that Macedo would fall down within a few weeks," I say to Elyssa in my amusement. "I took him down. I knew this beforehand. I don't see how your concerns could be warranted."

"Christine, you are not seeing the point of this! The Society is pleased of what you did, but I fear for what you are doing. Word is circulating that you are dating Mateo. You are putting yourself in danger during these tumultuous times. Macedo is being replaced by the Vice Governor, while Macedo himself is facing trials for graft and corruption. Do you want to be associated with a plunderer?"

I cannot even listen to her. As I drink my morning coffee, I turn the pages of the newspaper for the full story of the front-page story. It is said that Mateo, after a reporter directly insults his father, defends his father's dignity.

"Whether or not my father is guilty," Mateo Macedo declared. "He is still the Governor of our Region. As of this moment, we must presume innocence until proven guilty under the law. No questions will be further entertained until the Supreme Court comes up with a resolution."

Unfortunately, that did not stop some of the reporters to still ask for questions. Some reporters are even directly attacking him for "defending" his "obviously guilty" father.

"Elyssa, a son cannot be held liable for his father's actions," I reply to her. "I mean, listen. He is not a politician of this country. He's just a civilian. You are forgetting that he is his father's son. Of course, he would defend his father's name just to protect his own."

From the other side, I hear mutter to herself in annoyance. "You really cannot see the point, can you? Mateo is a neutral now, but if he learns that you did this, he will easily turn against you and join up with his father. Break up with him now!"

"Is that what The Society told you to say to me?"

"Frankly, yes. For your sake. You are not listening to reason. The Society already sent agents to warn you, and yet you do not listen. You are not the person I knew. Seduce another man. Take him down. See him on the papers by tomorrow. Please, return to that life. The Society needs you to act that way. Don't keep yourself locked into your relationship."

The Society. The Society is my organization of choice. It is an organization in which likeminded people gather from all over the country. It is a secret organization based at the University of Saint Dominic. It is an organization of activism that takes down corrupt minds. I joined The Society in hopes of making a difference. I believed that by seduction, corrupt minds will be gone in this country. Boy, I was wrong. I never got satisfaction from that job. Sex is good, but it is better spent with the one you love. At the end of the day, all I could feel is emptiness. Sometimes, I cry to myself knowing that men are only having sex with me because I seduced them. I cry to myself knowing that nobody loves me for who I am. All it was is just pure seduction. Nothing more.

However, I found real love in Mateo. And that is something I cannot let go. With tears forming in my eyes, I let it all out shortly before answering Elyssa. I can hear her saying 'hello' many times to get my attention. In my choking voice, I try to answer as calmly as possible.

"Elyssa, I cannot let Mateo go," I say to her with my sobs blocking my response. "I cannot take seducing another man again. If it means leaving The Society, I will do it. I will carry its secrets to my grave. I just want to be at peace. I don't want to open my legs for the sake of taking him down."

"You're being ridiculous. Christine, you are being selfish. This country needs people like us, The Society, to help it prosper. Mateo will not be a faithful lover to you as long as you are a Romulo and he a Macedo. Most of all, Mateo is a known heartbreaker. Why be the fool?"

"I'm sorry, Elyssa. Sometimes, I wish you would try having sex with many men for the sake of taking them down. I just wish you would not feel the emptiness as I did with them. I will leave The Society in peace. Worry not. Farewell."

As I was dropping the call, I could hear Elyssa's desperate reprimands towards me. I turned off the call without looking back.

I will not return to the life I've lived before. It's time for a change.