When the Elephants Dance (62 page)

I see a bench toppled to its side.
“Itó!”
I shout. Here! Papa orders the men to carry the bench and run with it to the door. The room has filled with smoke, and our eyes are streaming with tears. Some of the people have fainted from the smoke.

“Again!” Papa roars to the men, and they rush the door a second time.

“The door will not open,” Mama cries.

Then suddenly it bursts open, and outside is a Japanese soldier. “Out,” he orders, and people rush by us like a million ants. They pour out from all sides, and we are swooped out with them. I make sure to hold Roderick’s hand tightly. People are trampled. My arm feels as if it will be ripped from my body, but I do not let go of my brother. Out of the volcano and into the lava. The first out are caught in a crossfire. The bullets fly by us like giant mosquitoes. I shut my eyes and grow dizzy from the sound. I cannot think.

Someone shouts, “The Japanese are using us to distract the Amerikanos.”

“Civilians!” an Amerikano voice shouts. Amerikano soldiers call out for us to rush forward. “Hurry, hurry.”

Bullets are flying everywhere. People are falling. The building collapses behind us, and people are trapped inside the fire. Their screams are terrible. We are led away from the fighting.

“Hayop!”
screams my sister, Isabelle. Beast! She hits the yellow-haired Amerikano with her fists. “You almost killed us with your explosions.” The Amerikano soldier looks at her with surprise.

“Isabelle,” Mama says harshly, grabbing her.

“Lucky for you this man over there insisted.” The soldier gestures to a small hillside ahead. “We didn’t know there were any of you left in there. We evacuated the internees in this building weeks ago. We didn’t believe him till he ran down and got shot trying to open one of ’em doors. This is the last building, the last of the Japanese left fighting. The Americans have reclaimed the Philippines.”

“It is Domingo!” Isabelle shouts. She leads Feliciano like a precious cargo, while Mica helps carry his weight on the other side. Mrs. Yoshi follows them, blinking her eyes against the glare of the sun. I smile to see Isabelle holding
him. I have always sensed there was something between them. I blush when she looks at me. I turn my face from them as she kisses Feliciano’s face and helps him to sit against a tree. She calls out to the soldiers for a doctor. “Morphine,” someone shouts. There is so much to see. More bodies.

“Domingo is here?” Mama gasps. She is reluctant to leave Papa’s side.

“Let us go to see Domingo,” Papa tells her.

We walk slowly up the hillside. There is still scattered fighting below. The sounds of rifle fire pop like oil in a hot pan. There are several bodies lying bloody beside Domingo. He is cradling a woman’s head. When he looks up, there are tears in his eyes. He sees Mama carrying his son, Taba, who is quickly losing conscious. His blood leaks through Mama’s fingers.

“Domingo,” Mama sobs. “Lorna. The soldiers. They took the baby.”

Domingo looks up to us with confusion. It takes a moment before her words sink in, and then his face collapses. His mouth twists as he looks at Taba. He takes his son into his arms. He groans from deep in his belly like a dying animal. His tears flow freely. He envelops Taba and cries into his chest. This time Taba does not fight him.

“I have killed them all with my indecision.” Domingo buries his head in Taba’s hair and rocks back and forth. He looks at Tay Fredrico. “You were right, old man. The moment my thoughts turned back to this warehouse, I should have run the opposite way. I should have listened to your words. At least I would still have my men and Nina. I have led them all to their deaths. I could have saved them. I have lost everything.”

I walk to Domingo and embrace him. “Domingo.” He puts a hand on my shoulder, then holds me close. I avoid looking at Taba, but I see his small hand, bloody and lifeless, against Domingo’s chest.

The others gather around to thank him, Papa, Roman, Tay Fredrico, Isabelle, Roderick, and Mama. All except Mang Selso, who nods from afar.

“You have saved us,” Tay Fredrico announces.

“You saved yourselves,” Domingo answers.

“This is true.” Tay Fredrico nods. “Selso,” he calls out. He waves his son to us.

Mang Selso comes forward with his head bowed.

“My son, Selso, was one of the first to fight,” he tells Domingo. It is the first time I have seen Tay Fredrico put his arm around Mang Selso.

Domingo looks at Selso and nods. Mang Selso’s eyes water at his father’s words. “I could not let them hurt you, Papa. When I saw you fall …” His voice trails away.

“You did good, Selso,” Mama tells him. “Without you we would not have
made it. You see how strong we became when we stood together? Together we were strong.” Everyone agrees with Mama. They clap Mang Selso on the back.

Mang Pedro looks sadly at Domingo. “I am sorry for your loss.”

The others place hands on his shoulders and echo Mang Ped’s words. Domingo refuses to let his friends or Taba be put together with the other bodies the Amerikanos are stacking to one side. He almost fights an Amerikano soldier who tells him the bodies must be moved away. Papa speaks to the soldiers and returns with a shovel. Together Papa, Mang Pedro, and Mang Selso help Domingo to bury his friends. When he is done we find wooden sticks and make a cross for each grave, and Mama prays beside each one. I was shocked to learn the boy was a guerrilla fighter, and I remember the woman from the other day. She was the one who came to rescue Domingo. Maybe if I had gone with them, as I so badly wanted to do, I would have died also.

After they are buried, Domingo still will not leave. He stumbles from exhaustion but insists on going back into the warehouse to retrieve the bodies of Ate Lorna and baby Alma. Only when Papa and Tay Fredrico take him aside to tell him that half the building is burned and that it is unsafe does he finally listen.

F
OR A LONG
time we stand in circles, unsure of what to do. I hear the words
stunned
and
shell-shocked
spoken by the Amerikanos to describe us as they offer water and medicine. Finally Aling Anna speaks. “Come,” she says. “The Japanese are retreating. Let us go home.”

“Home to where?” Mama says. “They have destroyed my home.”

Aling Anna smiles sadly. “But not mine. You forget the Japanese officer that took my home. Though I hated him for doing so, it has turned out to be a blessing because my house has been one of the few they preserved. If it still stands, everyone is welcome. If not, we will visit my other houses in the province.”

W
E CROSS OVER
the Pasig River on pontoon bridges, and once we arrive on the opposite side we rest and the Red Cross gives us food. Hours later we are separated according to residence, and army wagons and jeeps take the civilians in groups back to their nearby provinces. Along the way we hear scattered fighting, but mostly we see the Amerikanos ushering away remaining Japanese soldiers who have surrendered. We avoid looking at the ground or in ditches. We stare at one another instead. Feliciano lies with his head on my sister’s lap. Mama and Papa have fallen asleep in each other’s arms. Roderick and I sit
beside one another and point to buildings that have fallen. Mang Selso, his wife, and Tay Fredrico sleep. We stop often to let people descend near their homes and pick up others. It feels like an endless journey.

We reach our hometown of Bulacan by nightfall. Mama cries when we drive past the burned remains of our house. I shut my eyes and look away. One more block and we say good night to Mrs. Yoshi and Mica. They hug us all tearfully, and we promise to visit one another in a day or two. Their house is still standing. They speak to Amerikano soldiers posted outside their block regarding claiming their house. Our driver assures us there will be no trouble for them. Our eyes follow them as they stand in front of their door and hug each other. It will be sad for them without Mr. Yoshi. I miss his laughter and his joking. He was the only one I loved bowing to. He used to call me Alejandro-chan. I feel my eyes fill at the memory of him. I am so sad for them. I am so thankful I have everyone still.

Another hour and we reach Aling Anna’s house farther up the hill. There are many Amerikano soldiers and Filipino constabulary from our old neighborhood. Not the puppet ones who were led by the Japanese, but the good ones, the ones who became guerrilla fighters. Like Mrs. Yoshi, they vouch for Aling Anna, and she is allowed entrance back into her home. I let out a deep sigh when I hear this, and we all descend from the wagon. Domingo is the last to follow. We were not sure if he would even come. He would not leave the graves of his friends until Papa told him gently that his friends would not have wanted him to starve and be without a roof over his head. Most of the houses have been abandoned, and Aling Anna’s area appears unharmed. Hers was the wealthy area, and most of the houses were commandeered during the war by the Japanese officers. They are all in good shape. Aling Anna gains new energy when we enter her home. She leads us each to a room.

I
WAKE IN
the morning from a nightmare, and Roderick taps my shoulder.

“You were crying,
kuya,”
he says. “We are safe now, remember? We’re at Aling Anna’s house. Time to eat. You should see all the food they had in the basement. So much rice and canned tomatoes, peaches, chocolate, canned everything. Papa is already awake and drinking beer to celebrate!”

I smile broadly and for the first time in months, and I am surprised how good it feels to do this. I walk downstairs and it is like a dream. My family is sitting down eating! Isabelle and Feliciano talk quietly at the corner of the table. Tay Fredrico sits on a sofa with Mang Selso and his wife. Aling Anna is frying sardines and rice. A feast!

I go to Mama and Papa and hug them each. A plate is set before me and my stomach roars, making everyone chuckle. The flavor of the fish explodes in my mouth, and I feel I will not be able to keep the food down.

“Slowly.” Papa nods to me.

L
ATER IN THE
afternoon, while most of the house is napping, Domingo comes inside and our eyes meet. He has been working in Aling Anna’s large field behind her house for hours. He has been tending to her empty barn and would not come in to eat. Papa told us to leave him alone. Isabelle brought him some food, but I do not know if he ate any of it. He looks away when he sees me. I look away also, ashamed to see he has been crying. He sniffs and wipes his nose on his sleeve.

“Alejandro …,” he says, and his voice trails away.

I see him look aside at Feliciano and Isabelle talking in the other room while they hold hands. Feliciano’s eyes have stopped their swelling and look black and blue but better. They have bandaged his wounds, and Papa says he will have permanent scars from their carving his skin but that he is otherwise—“miraculously,” was the word Papa used—fine. Domingo watches them for a long time with a soft expression. I wonder if he remembers Ate Lorna when he looks at them.

L
ATER, WHEN
I am riding the neighbor’s carabao, Domingo looks at me strangely, almost as if he is frowning, and I feel frightened with nothing to say. I smile unsurely at first and then start to step down.

“No, do not get down, Alejandro. I’m sorry. For a moment, my eyes fooled me. I thought …”

“Were you remembering someone?” I ask. I do not say his son’s name because Mama told us not to mention their names unless he wanted to first. But she said it was all right to tell him how sorry we were about his loss.

“Yes,” he says, and his voice sounds hoarse. “Another brave boy like yourself. He spoke often about riding, living on a farm.” Domingo swallows quietly and walks away.

I am confused, because I know Taba was afraid of riding.

D
URING THE DAY
, two or three groups of people stop by to say hello. And always there are shouts, embraces, and happy tears. My cousin Esteban returns
with my aunt and our cousin Maria Ellena. They stay for a while, exchanging many stories, and then leave, promising to return the next day. As they visit my heart feels as if it is slowly being pieced back together. In the evening we all sit down together for dinner. Mica and Mrs. Yoshi join us, and Aling Anna announces the good news. First she promises my sister, Isabelle, that if the schools are not opened soon, she will send Mica, Feliciano, and her abroad to study wherever they wish. The three of them jump for joy and embrace her with many kisses and thank-yous.

I am happy for my sister, but my heart turns. I hope they fix our schools soon. I have just found my big sister—I do not want to lose her again for a long time. Aling Anna’s second announcement is that she wishes my family to live with her. She has six extra rooms and a smaller house down the street for Mang Selso and his family. She offers for Domingo to stay with us as well. Roderick and I are to share a room, and we all look to Papa, holding our breath.

“Thank you,” Papa says, holding Mama’s hands. “When we are on our feet again we will repay—”

“Repay no one,” Aling Anna says. “You opened your home to me when you had no reason to. You are all welcome to stay with this old maid until I die. But I warn you. That will be a long time yet.”

“Amen,” Mama says.
“Salamat sa Dios
.” Thanks to God.

“At least for the next two years,” Aling Anna says softly to Papa, knowing he has much pride.

“Thank you,” he says again, and his eyes shine.

Domingo is the only one quiet at the other end. “I thank you for your offer, Aling Anna, but I cannot stay. There are too many ghosts here for me. I cannot look around without seeing their faces. All of them. My men, Lorna,” he says. He struggles to finish his sentence. “Others, very dear to my heart,” he says with much difficulty. His voice again breaks off almost into a sob, but then he finally tells us, “Nina Vargas was a good woman. She gave her life for all of you.” He seems to want to say more, but he stops, unable to go further.

We are all quiet at his words, waiting. He excuses himself and leaves the table. We all look at one another. Isabelle says something softly, and it is Feliciano who follows after him. Papa stands, too. Roderick and I follow quietly. When we reach them, Feliciano has his hand on Domingo’s shoulder and Domingo cries.