I wrote a prequel and sequel of the short story “The Small Key” by Paz M. Latorena in compliance with my requirements in the subject Literature. The story runs as a Trilogy: The Bedstead, The Small Key, and A Letter to Pedro.
unchartedstar x March 2021
It was years ago when the wedded couple swapped vows before the priest and town people. They settled their abode in an elegantly crafted nipa hut with neighboring lanky bamboo trees. The hut was handily built by Pedro Buhay, a young farmer with a decent amount of inherited land from his ancestors. His wife, Carlota Buhay, played an enormous part in their abode’s motif. Its façade was never seen before in the town; it consisted of a well-varnished Narra door carved with the initials of their names, a color-stained window with two panes that marvelously blended with nature's guise. It was an ideal place to prosper a blooming family.
Pedro Buhay pursued the trails of his father in farming. His father was a notable farmer in the town for his large quantity of rice production, given that their farmland was enormous; the quality of its grains was excellent, not only in the region but in the whole country rather. The skills and love for farming ran in the blood of their family. During the first year of Pedro Buhay’s independent farming—it was the time when he was already married to Carlota—he started with a hectare of farmland, and slowly burgeoned to ten hectares of rice and various crops before the last quarter of its second-year farming. The prosperity that Pedro had was a blossoming sign for him, and it seemed that everything was in his favor.
In the third year of the couple’s supposedly happy marriage, things unfolded differently. The couple had been trying to beget a child, since the start of their nuptial. The bountiful success they had in their farming was contrary to their ability to bear an heir in Carlota’s womb. Her frustrations started after a year of trials without a good result.
“It’s been years now, Pedro. I really wanted to have a child!” she said with an infuriated voice.
“Just hold on, let’s keep trying. Maybe tonight or the other day, God will grant us our greatest wish,” he replied.
The break of day was about to begin; the sun was so eager to reveal itself beneath the skyline. The birds chirped a melodious tone that served as a wake-up call to Pedro Buhay. He slowly rose up from the mat, made little movements so as not to wake Carlota. He headed to the kitchen and made ready a breakfast of hot chocolate, pandesal, dried fish, sunny-side-up eggs, and pork tocino. The food was exquisitely arrayed in a mahogany-built table and chairs. He was up to the last food to serve—fried rice, which was always part of Carlota’s breakfast. The pungent garlic aroma that was widely pervaded in the air woke up Carlota as it passed through her nostrils.
“Good morning, mahal! The table is set, let’s feed our stomach to start our day.” Pedro said. “I’ve prepared a lot of food for you to choose from, and of course your favorite, fried rice.”
Carlota paid no attention to the plentiful food laid out before her on the table. She grabbed a cup of hot chocolate instead, took some small sips while staring afar at the window pane.
“I’ll be heading out to the field early today, and perhaps I’ll be going home a little late,” he remarked. “We need to finish plowing the soil this week so we can already start sowing by the week after. This sounds like a great harvest season for us, Carlota!”
But then, Carlota was still paying not a single attention to what Pedro had said.
The mellifluous sound of the bells was resonating all over the town. It was an indication that a mass would commence in an hour. Soledad, a young beautiful teenager, was about to attend church with her family—mother and father. After the mass, they went to the park to spend time together.
Soledad’s father was a carpenter who always found a way to repair unfixable carpentry works. He was an artisan with splendid artistry in forging woodcrafts. One of the remarkable creations that his father had constructed was the town Mayor’s house pieces of furniture—dining table, chairs, bedstead, and wood sculptures. Her father had had a new contract assignment to work on. He was to build an aesthetically designed bedstead for the Buhay family.
“Today, I’ll start working on the bedstead on the Buhay family,” her father said. “I heard that Pedro Buhay is a prosperous man in farming. For sure, he’ll pay more than for what he promised.”
There were times that Soledad accompanied her father on his job. She helped him by suggesting designs and acting as an assistant. But mostly, her father did it by himself. In usual settings, her father would start his work early at 8 o'clock in the morning, and head his way home when the sun started to conceal behind the mountains. It took him a month to finalize the bedstead with peculiar engravings and coated in lacquer.
“After a month of hard work, I think I need to have a break,” her father said.
“Yes, mahal. You deserve it. I’ll help you with that,” her mother said with a seductive tone. “The bed is ready, and we own the night.”
“Not now, mahal. I’m tired,” he said in an exhausted voice. “What do we have for dinner?”
The day ended in a usual manner. After dinner, Soledad cleaned the table, washed the plates, and secured their house for bedtime. Her parents had a small conversation in the living room, then proceeded to the bedroom afterwards. From that moment on, the course of their lives unraveled in a strange direction.
The backbreaking days of plowing and sowing in the field were already over. It was the same time when the bedstead was finished by their hired carpenter. Pedro was profoundly astonished by the elegance of the craft.
“The moon will be out tonight, it’ll be nice to test the bed,” Pedro whispered. “I love you, Carlota!”
There was something strange with Carlota. She was apathetic to Pedro’s alluring actions. She went straight to the kitchen to prepare their food for tonight. After the dinner, they had some small talks outside the porch and went to bed to sleep.
“Can you see the moon, mahal?” he asked. “Its silver shimmer makes the whole place so romantic. Let's try, maybe this time we can make it.”
He wrapped her in the warmth of his body and tried to kiss her.
“Not now, I’m not in the mood,” she replied.
Several months had passed, Pedro could already feel that something was wrong with her wife. It even made him question, “Does she still love me?”
The once happy family was suddenly displaced with exasperation. Soledad’s father always went out to work early and arrived home late in the evening. It had been for several months; the same scenario was still happening. Her mother felt so different with the actions of her father. There was one time that her mother decided to scout her father, she asked her daughter to go with her. They saw something that they never thought would happen.
The clouds of darkness began to pervade, the rain started to pour down with melancholic droplets. The mother and daughter were both drenched with sorrow from the rain. They ran their way home, dried themselves, and waited for him to come home.
As he stepped on the doorway, he saw his wife weeping a stream of river with screeching torment.
“How could you do this to our family?” she said in pain. “You shredded our family into pieces; you destroyed our daughter’s life; you pounded my heart, I think I can’t bear the weight the world’s pressing me right now!”
She stood up, opened the door, and ran aimlessly in the field.
“Mama! Please don’t leave me,” Soledad shouted in tears. “Bring me with you.”
Her father made his way to the door and followed her mother’s direction. Soledad ran after them; she followed her parents in the dark woods in the middle of the night. She could not see her mother, but his father was still in her sight far away. She still kept running with all her strength, unfortunately, she gave up. She was not able to catch her breath. She was panting at the top of her lungs, she lost out of breath. A gray vision enveloped her sight, her back was laid supine on the ground, she was lying beneath a coconut tree unconsciously.
The sun hit her face hard in the morning, she was trying to recall what had happened last night. After drawing up a clear picture, she decided to go back home.
“Perhaps mama and papa were able to settle their argument, for sure they’re waiting for me to come home,” she said to herself.
An urgent message was waiting for her at home. A civil guard in dignified uniform was standing outside the porch.
“Are you Soledad?” he asked. Soledad nodded with a startling look. “I have bad news, I’m sorry to say this. Your parents are already dead. One of the civil guards shot them accidentally last night. He saw them fighting, he was just about to intervene to settle the two, but your father threw a fist at him. The next thing happened, out of his rage, the two were shot dead with his handgun revolver.”
Soledad was left with no word to utter. She wanted to shout to release all the pain she felt, but not a single voice came out of her. The tears in her eyes were flowing endlessly, she was completely soaked in tears.
“The civil guard is now already in custody for investigation. I’m pretty sure he will face the consequences of his actions,” the guard said with a condoling voice.
The death of her parents left Soledad to live alone with her life. Her life became so challenging on how she would survive her basic needs, especially food. She took every job opportunity she could just to feed herself, but unfortunately ended up with nothing.
Her life had been so miserable after the death of her parents. She planted a grudge in the lawn of her heart. She carried it as she moved forward in the next phases of her life.
“Someone needs to pay the price for this,” she said to herself.
It was hot summer noon; the blazing sun was unleashing its rays directly perpendicular to the field. Pedro Buhay was resting in his hammock under an enormous sturdy tree. The serene ambiance of the place with the fresh movement of air would entice anyone to fall asleep. Pedro slowly began to lose consciousness as he was about to enter the realm of an asleep state. But before he could, he heard a sobbing voice coming from the direction of the tree. He made his way to check it.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Why are you crying?”
The young teenager kept on crying, taking no notice of the question asked to her.
Pedro Buhay felt sadness as he was staring at her. He sat beside her, patted her back, and tried to comfort her.
“Don’t cry, dear,” he said. “Why are you here? Do your parents know about this?”
“My-my-my parents are already dead. I miss them,” she said in a stammering manner. “Do you have something to eat?”
Pedro hurriedly walked towards his hammock. He took something out of his bag, it was a box filled with food. Pedro hadn’t had his lunch yet; his initial plan was to consume it after his rest on the hammock.
“Come and join me, I haven’t had my lunch yet,” he said. “This is more than for my stomach. My wife always prepares food more than I can consume.”
She hastily grabbed the box and ate the food with her bare hands. Pedro was studying her, the way she ate, it seemed that the girl had been starving for a very long time.
“I can offer you a job, work for me here in the field. That’s the least I can do for you,” he said in a compassionate tone.
“Thank you! This means so much to me, I can now feed my own,” she gratefully responded with joyful tears. “My name is Soledad; I live a hundred meters behind the woods.”
“I’m happy to meet you. I’m Pedro Buhay, I live a few yards away from here,” Pedro said. “You should come and visit my house someday, I’m pretty sure my wife would be glad to meet you.”
“That would be lovely. Thank you,” she said.
“Starting next week, I’ll see you here at 8 o’clock in the morning. You need not to worry, your job will not be that much tiring,” he remarked. “You can help and assist me with the little things here in the field.”
Pedro Buhay felt immense pleasure that he had had the chance to help someone. He was happily heading his way home. He felt excited to share with his wife what had happened the day, how he helped the poor young teenager.
“Carlota, my wife. I’m home!” he said as he stepped inside the house.
He could not hear any noises or responses from his wife. He searched for her in the backyard, kitchen, and toilet; she was not there. The last thing he could think of was the bedroom.
“Oh, Carlota! My dear wife!” he said in a frightening voice. “What happened to you?”
Carlota was lying down on the floor. She was very feeble with pale skin. Her eyes looked so weak with tears of regret. She was unresponsive to Pedro.
Pedro ran immediately to the nearest neighborhood to cry for help. He went to a folk doctor to seek medical assistance for his wife.
The folk doctor was not able to diagnose the illness of Carlota. But he was certain for one thing, he could see in the eyes and body responses of Carlota that sooner she would give up. He tried to explain it to Pedro in a thoughtful approach.
“I don’t know what illness is consuming her right now,” the folk doctor said in a sensitive tone. “She’s trying to fight with it. But it seems that her body can’t. It’s hard for me to say this, sooner or later, her body would give up.”
The night was young, for Pedro, it seemed like a strong surge of darkness was permeating everywhere. Before him was the lifeless body of her wife. His heart was grinded like a rice grain pounded in a rice mill. The pain was so immense that it left him unenthusiastic in life for several days.
Soledad was about to start his work in the field of Pedro Buhay. He went 15 minutes ahead of 8 o’clock. She decided to take a rest first on the hammock of Pedro Buhay. A familiar scene happened, this time it was Soledad who heard a sob behind the tree. Soledad was surprised upon seeing Pedro Buhay sulking with melancholic bellows.
“Mr. Buhay, are you okay?” she asked with a concerned voice.
Pedro Buhay hugged Soledad tightly as if he was trying to release all the pain he was carrying.
“My wife passed away a week ago, the day that we saw each other,” he said. “She died of an undiagnosed illness. I could see the pain in her eyes, wanting to live. But her body did not respond to it. It was so heartbreaking seeing her catching air to breathe as if the world was prohibiting a single breath for her.”
Soledad was enfeebled hearing Pedro’s story. She could relate herself to what Pedro was going through. She had experienced the same thing a week ago, but she showed a strong emotion of courage to Pedro to give comfort.
After some moment, Pedro and Soledad found their way to continue living their lives. Days became weeks, weeks became months, months became years, and with the years they had been working together on the same field, they established a good working relationship with each other. They were able to get through with the misfortunes they had faced. Until the day came that all the agony of their loss had faded. As they were able to get rid of their suffering, flowers in the lawn of their hearts started to grow. After several years of mourning with the loss of his wife, Pedro fell in love again. He was in love with Soledad. So was Soledad—she also had the same feeling for Pedro.
They had decided to be knitted in each other’s life. The wedded couple lived together in the house of Pedro Buhay. Soledad felt an uneasiness when she first saw the house; she had been there several years ago—with her father. She distinctly recognized the bedstead her father had made. The same bedstead that changed the course of her life forever. The gloomy memories from the past suddenly blew in her mind. She was struggling to fight with the voices from the past, it kept on screaming in its loudest echoes. But she was stronger than it looked, she did her best to regain her composure. She hid the dark patches of memories and reiterated to herself that life always moves on. She decided to focus on the present and future of her life—with Pedro Buhay.
