Chapter 33: A Well In A Desert
Not long after the president gave his opening remarks, the banquet truly began.
The rondalla resumed playing, this time with a livelier tune. Servants entered through the doors, and for the first time, food was brought in. As with fine dining, the primer plato—or first course—was soup and salad with some bread.
Before I could even pick up my spoon, the first of many questions arrived.
"Did I hear you right, Heneral? You are from Marinduque?" Heneral Llanera resumed right where he had left off.
"I am. I was Gobernador Politico-Militar of the province before the president's appointment," I answered, as I took a spoonful of the chicken consommé. I didn't expect it to be so richly flavored, and I grimaced for a moment before grabbing a small loaf of bread to cleanse my palate.
"The last time I checked, Marinduque was under the jurisdiction of Heneral Mariano. Is it not too small and underdeveloped to have its own general?" It was another general at the table who finally asked the question I had been anticipating.
Torres quickly stepped in to introduce me to the man—clearly someone who outranked me, or perhaps even a few others at the table, judging by how the other generals fell quiet and turned to listen when he spoke.
"And this is Heneral Artemio Ricarte... the former chief of staff of the army—Luna's predecessor," Heneral Torres leaned in and said in a low voice.
I immediately sat up straight and cleared my throat. "That's true, Señor Ricarte. But the president agreed that Heneral Trias already has enough on his plate to handle a small, isolated place like Marinduque."