Chapter 19: Tiongson
The weight of the day's exhaustion crashed down on me as I finally stepped out of the convent. The liveliness I had seen earlier had faded with the dimming afternoon, leaving the plaza empty except for the Kawit soldiers standing at their posts. The streets were nearly deserted, allowing the sounds of the surrounding countryside to take over.
A cold wind carried the scent of damp earth from the rice fields. Overhead, a formation of birds squawked as they glided across the orange-streaked sky. The world was telling men to go to sleep.
There was another weariness aside from the physical. My mind kept circling back to what I had just done. I had deliberately involved myself in the war that loomed ahead. And in doing so, I had made a choice not just for myself but for the province and the people under my care. It wasn't until now that I realized I hadn't thought of Isabela until this moment.
My accusations of Vicente being ideological came back to haunt me. It was emotion that had driven me here. Fact over feelings—that had been my motto in my wiser years, in my past life.
But could I have lived with myself if I had done nothing? If I had tried to forget the memory of that poor Igorot girl and simply moved on?
It might be a different body, but it was the same mind. I had been a proud soldier before, and I could not bring myself so low as to become a terrible coward.
"Don Lardizabal, have you arranged where you'll be staying for the night?" Colonel Ola asked as we stopped right outside the convent's doors.
I turned to Triviño, cutting into his conversation with Dimalanta. "I was hoping to be introduced to Teniente Triviño's family tonight."
Vicente blinked in surprise. "Gobernador... I'm sure my parents would love to meet you, but I live in Calumpit. That's another station away."