El Fili 04
From I2008
Selo, who adopted Basilio in the forest, is now quite old. His son, Cabesang Tales, is the father of Lucia. Cabesang Tales, the head of the barangay, grew rich through hard work and perseverance. He started by partnering with an investor. After saving some money, Cabesang Tales inquired about a place in the forest and, after verifying that there were no owners, planted sugarcane there. He wanted to send Juli to college in order to match the educational attainment of Basilio, her sweetheart.
After Cabesang Tales' plot of land was developed, the friars wanted to grab it. The friars taxed Cabesang Tales and kept raising the tax rate until Cabesang Tales could not pay anymore. He brought the friars to court and asked them for proof of land ownership. No proof was presented, but the courts still ruled in favor of the friars.
When his son, Tano, was drafted into the army, Tales did not "ransom" his son. Instead, he spent the money on lawyers in hopes that he would win the land case. Besides, if Tales did not win the case, then he felt that he won't need his son anyway.
Tales built a fence around his property and patroled it (he was armed with a rifle). No one could get near because Tales was known for his skill in marksmanship -- a formidable sharpshooter. When rifles were outlawed, Tales carried a bolo. When that was banned, he then carried an axe.
Since he only carried an axe, the armed bandits kidnapped him and demanded ransom. Juli sold all her jewelry to raise funds. All, that is, except for a locket given to her by Basilio.
Not enough funds were raised, though, so Juli borrowed money from Hermana Penchang. To secure the debt, she agreed to work for the Hermana as a companion (aka: maid or slave). Her first day of work was to commence on Christmas Day.
No wonder Juli had bad dreams on Christmas eve.
(Selo must have had worse nightmares. Imagine, here was his granddaughter, the prettiest in the barrio, and now... forced to become a maid.)
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