A DIFFERENT SIDE OF THE ONCE ENEMY

"Like why Gracia turned me against you from the moment I learned to speak. Why did her love for me feel so odd from the beginning? Why didn't she even support me in college? And why she didn't care about what I did with my life as long as it didn't compromise her plans. That meant even denying me the right to know my biological father. That's why, when I met your father, even if we didn't get along well, no matter how many times we crashed, I wanted so much for him to treat me like his own daughter. Then again, we kept crashing, because the only connection I had with him was that of a fatherless daughter longing for a father. The little affection I got from him meant the world to me. But even that, Gracia took it away from me too."


"But at least now, you have the chance to live freely. Forget about her and the past, and embrace the new dawn that life has given us. Pains come and go, and wounds eventually heal. No matter how much this pain you are feeling is, it will someday fade away. And those wounds, no matter how deep they are, will surely heal. But like everything in life, healing is also a process." I say.

"And the scars, Ellie? They will always remind us of the past and the cause of them—our wrong choices and our lost battles." She argues.

A good point, but here is the best version of it.


"But if we chose to look at things from the ending point—how the battles ended and what we were fighting for, if we won or lost—then we don't have to be saddened by these scars. We, on the contrary, look at these scars and smile, because our wrong choices may have cost us a lot, but in the end, they made things beautiful in the most glorious way. As long as our fight was for a good course, whether we lose or get wounded, the scars shouldn't make us sad or regretful."

"You sound like a philosopher, but thank you. Even though I am a pathetic wandering soul, you've managed to ease my guilt a little. But still..." Her face turns pale, and she looks away.


"Don't think about it, Nelly. Everything will fall into place at the right time. And we have all the time in the world." I say, hoping to get this frown off her face, but I, unfortunately, made it worse.

"I will spend most of it in jail." She murmurs and turns to me. "I deserve it, and I am not complaining. I covered up for a criminal for years, a murderer, and it's only fair that I pay for my crimes. If I get a chance to get out, I will set a path that even my great-grandchildren will want to follow."

Wow! People really do change, or it's just us who refuse to see people for who they really are! Someone once said that, sometimes, things aren't exactly what they seem to be. At times, what seems to be real isn't, and what seems fake isn't either. I never would have thought that deep inside this woman lies a beauty and a tormented soul, only that it was obscured by a mask that was forcefully and unknowingly put on her face.

"Mrs. Almenda." We snap to the voice of Drew, with a few officers with him.

Nelly and I spring to our feet.

"Drew! Hi." I greet.

"I'm good. How is your husband doing?" He asks.

"She still hasn't woken up yet." I respond.

"I am sorry about that. But is he at least responding?"

"Not quite, but the doctor says he can wake up any time. We are waiting for that." I explain.

"That's a good sign. The guy is a fighter. He will pull through this."

"Thanks. I know he will. So, what brings you here?" I ask.

"I came to give you news, both good and bad."

What? Bad news? I thought we were past this kind of news.

"Hey, it's nothing serious, okay? Relax!" Drew says this after noticing my worry.

I sigh.

"What is it? Bad news first." I ask.

"Unfortunately, someone leaked Gracia's medical condition out. We are still trying to figure out how the information got out, but it might be just any person since she isn't in a high-profile hospital. The problem is that the media is right outside. You know how reporters are. Of course, they won't come in here, but it would be better if they heard something to chase them away for now."

Those... Anyway, they are just doing their job.

"I don't want any commotion or gossip. I will tell my lawyer to release a statement as soon as possible. I hope that will do for now." I respond.

"Nice idea. I will tell them to wait for the statement. You should also tell your friends to avoid social media in the meantime until you address this issue, miss. Sorry, Mrs. Almenda." Drew speaks again.

"Okay. I will do that. What's the good news?" I ask.

"Gracia will be moved to the jail hospital tomorrow, and after she regains consciousness, she will head straight to jail. You gave her quite a beating and deep gunshot wounds."

It's high time she goes where she belongs, and I hope those wounds will forever remind her of her crimes.

"Mmh. Okay. She should have been behind those bars a long time ago. At least things wouldn't have probably gotten this far." I state.

"But now she will face the law for everything. I'm sorry, but we have to take her as well."

I look at Nelly, and at the same time, my friends come back from the cafeteria.

"Are they arresting her? Poor woman." Rose whispers behind me.

"I feel for her," Sherry adds.

Rose nods her head, urging a weak smile, indicating that she is willingly accepting the arrest.

More than sorry, I feel bad and kind of guilty. If only I hadn't been too hard on her when she came to my home alongside her mother, if only I had tried befriending her rather than seeing her as an antagonist, maybe she would have chosen the right path much sooner. Maybe she wouldn't be going to prison with her mother. Is she really guilty?

"We will go ahead now. Please, excuse us." Drew says, guiding Nelly away.

"Please, wait!" I call before they walk away. "Please give me a minute with her," I say, and Drew nods his head.

"What do you want to say to her, Ellie?" Sherry asks, and I look at Nelly as she walks back to me.

We are writing wrongs, all of them, and there is no room for mistakes. Hate aside! And grudges too! We need to use this second chance not just well, but wisely.