Miggy's POV
We decided to eat dinner before discussing the purpose for our meeting because the waiter was close. When the waiter received all of our orders, he promptly disappeared to fix ours.
After a few seconds, there was complete stillness between the four of us. I'm not sure where to begin in terms of what we should be discussing.
"Am I really ready for this?" I asked myself in my mind.
"What should I say first or ask about? Why didn't I think about all this before about how to start this conversation? Aissst! Idiot, why didn't I think of these things before while they were gone?"
I heard someone clearing their throat as he broke the prevailing silence a few minutes ago.
The private investigator uncle Rick was talking to did not clarify his name or was I just not listening properly to them for not hearing his name.
"In other words, we need your service, therefore you've been invited here with us today; but only now will I be imploring you as if Miggy, the son of my closest buddy Gabriel, is also like my own son; no information can be revealed to anybody but the four of us who are here today," he continued. It's a good thing that uncle thought of speaking first, since if I'm the one being questioned, I'm at a loss for words. Uncle's words and actions are dominated by my dread and terror.
"That is out of respect for my late buddy; I don't want the media to celebrate his life when they find out about this issue; furthermore, as far as I understand, Miggy's mom isn't aware of this, so we desire to keep it secret. Do we understand each other?" he questioned directly the investigator who nodded his head as he agreed to what uncle Rick told us.
"Miggy?" he inquired after turning his eyes to me and nodding to ensure that the person in front of us understood what was said.
"Ah, Nard, where is that?" I said of Meynard, to whom I had handed the card.
He swiftly removed the card from his sling bag, which was still wrapped in a brown envelope. After that, he handed it to me.
I began telling them how I discovered it and how I already had that card. It took me a long time to finish my story because I had to stop several times because I was having difficulty, especially in the portion about Daddy and I had that day. My story was cut short when the meal we had ordered came. While we were eating, no one said anything. Meynard and I were probably assessed to have done so since they already knew me and were familiar with my personality.
Not everything comes easily to me. I might not have tried, or even attempted, to accomplish this if it hadn't been for my late father. I struggled to settle in time, especially now, because, like losing my father, I still don't accept this situation. But, because there was nothing I could do and I couldn't reverse the circumstances that had been unfolding for a long time, I had no choice but to be strong and do everything I could to fulfill daddy's request to locate his son, even if he never returned.
After we had all completed our peaceful dinner…
"Let's go back to where we left off, and that's why you have to do all you can to find the mother and daughter through the birthday card that Miggy only has now that she showed you," he continued.
"All fine, I'll do everything I can," he reacted quickly to what uncle said to him.
"But is there no other plausible lead for my search?" he questioned nervously.
"If other than this matter, information, for example, if someone else may supply information?" To be honest, I understand him since I know what we do is difficult. It's as though he's seeking a needle in the middle of a crowd.
"I'm not sure whether Gabriel was informed anything further, because he just stated it because he was really terrified to reach out to his loving wife about this matter," he added, as Meynard and I stayed mute in their chat.
As he held the glass with ice and wine, I saw he was surprised and looked to be deep in contemplation, as if he had seen something really intriguing in the glass he was holding. No one talked, and we just waited for him to think before we said anything.
Uncle Rick swallows and clears his throat before continuing to talk.
"Ah, Gabriel and I went to the bar together that night from the producers' gathering, in preparation for the Manila Film Festival years ago, because he asked me to co-produce the film festival entry that year, so I went to such an event with him. We started drinking after that dinner meeting until we agreed to go to the bar to continue our drinking, and I know Gabriel and I weren't drunk when we left the hotel where that dinner meeting was held," he began to talk about the past. I'm even more worried now. Why? I'm not sure? But I kept calming myself down so people wouldn't see how I was actually feeling at those moments.
"It was a fun night, full of stories, dreams, and future projects were discussed. It was the first time I was involved in such a gathering because I was not really a producer by profession, I only became a co-producer because of Gabriel's conviction in me. Soon one of our companions approached and introduced models in addition to the previous ones because there were acquaintances with the rest of us," he continued.
"In fact, when Gabriel and a certain woman left together, I also talked to one of the models. She had a friend who passed by, so our conversation was interrupted when she approached the person who had called her, but I didn't notice it at the time because she just told me she would just come back. But she never came back, so when I got bored, I went home alone because I couldn't find him, my close friend Gabriel. So, I decided to go home since I felt I was intoxicated. My wife had a difficult time getting me up the next morning because I arrived home early in the morning. Gabriel couldn't take it any longer. He came to my place despite the fact that he knew I was still sleeping. He came to my house directly from the hotel where they had spent the night with that woman. I was astonished when I awoke since he had gone to the room to wake me up. My wife wasn't shocked since she knew how close we were, and it wasn't the first time he'd woken me up. When he made sure we were the only two left in my room, he told me what had happened, and I was startled since I knew he wasn't like that. We've known each other since college. He hasn't been able to have fun since he and Barbara fell in love. So, after hearing him telling me his experience, I couldn't help but be surprised. He was unable to accept what had occurred. He was terrified because he was afraid that, like other ladies to our other friends, they would not stop and run after our friend, and the woman would demand. However, a few days later, no lady came up, despite the fact that he knew that the woman knew him and she could possibly reveal where his workplace was and who he was. During such moments, I also felt like a fool. I was also anticipating the probable events. We started asking questions about the woman in order to get a sense of her personality, but we soon discovered she was a ramp model and a college student. She came to Manila with the intention of using her modeling career to fund her studies. The only reason we're looking into her is to figure out what she's going to do next. During the research, we discovered that her biological father died of heart disease, and his mother married someone with whom she disagreed, so she considered leaving them. She worked as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant before being discovered by a talent scout and offered a modeling contract. She resigned from her job as a waitress following her first modeling opportunity, which came after many months of training with an agency. With her earnings, she was able to sustain herself. When they met, she was in her third year of college. That night, Gabriel and I began to get to know one other. I know Gabriel didn't mean, and particularly didn't intend, for something bad to happen to the two of them, but I'm not sure why it happened? Because Gabriel didn't expect it to happen, especially to an innocent and impoverished college student. So, he was terrified because he knew he may go to prison for what had transpired. It would be quite hazardous for the lady, who was just nineteen years old, if she protested or made a fuss. It's a good thing she didn't though. We gave up finding Teresa a few months later when Gabriel received a birthday greeting card the day after his birthday. So, after reading that card, we quickly re-investigated. But we just discovered that she had left the apartment where she had previously resided, and no one knew where she had gone. When we contacted the agency about it, they told us she didn't have a new contract since she had said goodbye and said she will go home to their province because something came up. So, Gabriel didn't hesitate to follow her instantly to the mentioned province, but she wasn't there," he explained.
"In that case, have you attempted to check her friends yet?" I heard the investigator ask, despite the fact that I had no idea who he was. I'm embarrassed to inquire.
"We also asked some of them, but we didn't get any information when we had the investigation at that time, so Gabriel and I used to lose our minds because he told me everything. I was also overwhelmed by the fear that the lady might have a sudden explosion, especially since she knew what Gabriel's status was in life, but nothing like that happened until a few months later. Time went peacefully, so it's hardly unexpected that Gabriel had completely forgotten what had happened until lately. He brings it up once again. He confessed to me that his conscience had not left him in peace as a result of what he had done to Teresa. He stated he felt terrible for her and was unhappy since he knew Teresa did not complete college because of him. He was really angry at himself for the wrongful act he had made that one night," he added.
After hearing the whole story, I was stunned. It would not have been that if I had listened to daddy complete the story.
"No one else is to blame but me! I killed my father! I wish I hadn't let my anger swallow me. I wish I hadn't judged him right away. Damn it! I'm so stupid for doing so! How did I do that to my own father? I must have had a broad understanding because he's my father and I must have thought carefully because I knew him because he's my father, but I didn't do that because I became selfish and judgmental to him."
I couldn't talk because I felt like freezing water had been dumped on me, and I was ashamed, but I refused to accept it in front of them. I'm sure they can see the surprise on my face now, so maybe they'll just let me be quiet and keep drinking. So, when a bottle ran out, I asked Meynard to replenish it since I wanted to get drunk. I am unable to acknowledge my faults. I'm feeling conflicted right now. I can't define what they are because it's like a power cable connected to the wire that's twisted in loudness and impossible to grasp and fix in too much turmoil.
"Based on your story, sir, you have already researched Teresa. Do you mean you know her complete name? Because it's evident that if I simply base my name on it, it'll be impossible for me to locate someone, right?" the investigator asked uncle as I continued to drink as if I didn't care what they were talking about, but because I had nothing to say and I felt more pain, conscience, and other difficult to express feelings, I decided to just keep quiet and continue drinking in case my whole body went numb, so I can temporarily forget the various unpleasant feelings that have taken over my mind.
"Ah, yes," he replied immediately.
I spotted the investigator writing something in his notepad earlier.
"Ah, maybe that'll be the information he needs to find the mother and girl," I reasoned out to myself.
Many additional inquiries concerning the replies followed. As he took part in the conversation, Meynard posed a few questions. I was the only one who kept mute and continued to listen, but I must admit that I did not understand all they were discussing. Because a lot of things were bugging my thoughts while I was listening. So, it was as if I wasn't in front of them at all, since my mind wasn't on the things they were talking about. It made things much more difficult for me to grasp.
I had no idea how long we had been there since I didn't care about my surroundings or people around me because I was so overwhelmed by the amount of turbulence in my thoughts. I was surprised to hear that they had said their goodbyes, and then Meynard patted me on the shoulder.
"Bro?" he asked worriedly.
"Uh, sorry I spaced out."
I saw them looking at each other earlier. There were only three of us, and I didn't even realize the investigator had already departed.
"I know you're having trouble accepting what you know now, Miggy, and I'm sorry I have to travel back in time since that's the only way I can help with the inquiry," uncle Rick stated regretfully.
"Uh, sorry; you don't have to apologize; I have to apologize to you for what I did to discover them while you were distracted by the topic," I said hesitantly.
"I understand you. You don't have to apologize either. And I know it's not all for you, especially considering how your mother will react when it comes to this. Don't worry, son. I will do everything I can to help you for the sake of my friendship with Gabriel. For the peace of his soul because he didn't do these things while he was still alive," he reminded me.
"Thank you very much, uncle. I'm also worried about my mom, especially since daddy's gone. Mommy has become careless with herself, preferring to just lock herself in daddy's office at home, and the worst part is that she gets drunk every day. I can't go to see her every day because I'm also busy with work, especially since we're working on a big project right now. It's also far away, so if I go home every day, I won't handle my time," I stated.
"Let me and my wife son visit her at home one of these days. Somehow, she can talk to someone," he consoled me.
"Aunt Beth and uncle Manual also go there once a week to visit her, but she won't talk well because she just cries when they see her," I said.
"I feel terrible for Carla because she hasn't been able to go home to them since the funeral because she is terrified to leave mommy; she is constantly staying close even though mommy doesn't talk to her," I added.
"I have witnessed your parents' love story since we were in college. Many are jealous of the two of them, and many say they are the concrete example of the perfect relationship. There were some things they didn't agree on, but they fixed them right away. But they never had a problem with management because they were both focused on each other. So, I wasn't surprised when your daddy asked Mommy to marry him after we graduated from college," uncle reminisces about the past.
"So now I won't wonder why Barbara has been acting like that since Gabriel passed away because your daddy was your mommy's first boyfriend, and so was your daddy, and they weren't be separated from the day they became lovers until they got married, and their marriage became even more polished when you came into their lives a few years later," he added.