S A UNANG dalawang buwan, tumira si Connor sa hotel. Ipinamili siya ni Dad Richard ng mga damit, sapatos, at gamit. Mga bagay na noon lang siya nagkaroon sa tanang buhay niya. Marami itong naging tanong tungkol sa kanyang buhay, iyong mga naaalala niya. Sinabi niya ang lahat ng nalalaman.
Sa loob ng dalawang buwang iyon, madalas na umaalis sa hotel si Dad Richard at naiiwan siya para gawin ang mga assignment na iniwan nito. Sa umaga, dalawang oras siya nitong tuturuan at aalis, may bilin na um-order siya ng pagkain o kahit na anong gusto niya. Kailangan sa pagbabalik nito sa hapon, tapos na niya ang assignment.
Hirap na hirap noong una si Connor dahil hindi siya marunong magbasa. Alam niya ang alphabet mula sa kanta, pero wala siyang ideya kung ano iyon at kung paano gagamitin. Itinuro sa kanya ni Dad Richard at pinilit siyang bilisan ang pag-aaral. Noon niya nadiskubre na may utak pala siya. Para siyang ginutom sa kaalaman at kahit gabi na at wala ni isang mali sa assignment niya, patuloy siyang nag-aaral, sabik na makapagbasa ng mga libro, matuto ng mga bagay na wala siyang ideya noon.
Sa loob ng dalawang buwan, umalis sila ng Pilipinas at nagpunta sa Cayman Islands. It was where he spent his first five years with Dad Richard. Bihira itong umalis ng bahay, pero kapag umaalis, nawawala nang ilang araw o kung minsan ay linggo. May isang pagkakataong isang buwan itong nawala at nang magbalik, malaki ang ipinayat. Naaksidente raw ito.
Ang aksidenteng iyon ang nagmulat kay Connor sa katotohanang napakabilis ng buhay. Naging daan din iyon para magkaroon siya ng napakaraming tanong. Ano ang trabaho ni Dad Richard? Bakit sa madalas nilang pamamasyal sa Europe, parang alam na alam nito ang bawat lugar na puntahan nila? Normal ba iyon?
Soon, they moved to Romania, and then to the United States. Sa US siya nito iniwan para mag-aral. Hindi na siya noon nakatiis na hindi magtanong. He had become fascinated and obsessed in knowing the man who adopted him and why he did so.
Noong una, naisip niyang siguro naiisip ni Dad Richard na dahil wala itong asawa, kailangan nito ng isang anak-anakan na mag-aalaga rito sa pagtanda. Pero walang ano mang indikasyong ipinakita ang lalaki na gusto lang nitong gawin siyang nurse pagdating ng tamang panahon.
Kulang ang sabihing maraming itinuro kay Connor si Dad Richard. Kulang ang sabihing malaki ang utang-na-loob niya rito; na minahal siya nito bilang tunay na anak. He was a great man, serious in many ways, especially as he was growing up. Pero nang nasa high school na siya, nagsimula itong mag-relax. Siguro nahawa ito sa kanyang magaan na pagtingin sa buhay. That was when he asked him why he helped him. Iyon ang unang pagkakataong nagkuwento si Dad Richard tungkol sa sariling nakaraan.
“I had a child, a boy. I never saw him. He was still born. He will be a few years younger than you if he lived. When I came to see him, he was six feet under the ground. I have always imagined him to have dark eyes and dark hair, like you.”
“You were married?”
“I was. She passed away.”
“I’m sorry to hear.”
“She killed herself. I always wrote them letters, bought them gifts, imagining them to be alive.”
Noon naintindihan ni Connor kung bakit may damit na pambata si Dad Richard nang magkita sila. Dapat para sa anak nito iyon.
“What do you do exactly, Dad?” tanong niya, matagal na iyon sa kanyang isip. Noon, hindi iyon naging mahalaga sa kanya, pero napapadalas ang kanyang tanong. Dad Richard was no company consultant, he was sure of it.
“I’m a consultant, you know this.”
Hindi na nagpilit pa si Connor na alamin. Nagpatuloy na lang siya sa pag-aaral. Nang makapagtapos ng pag-aaral, nag-apply siya sa isang bangko. Banking and Finance ang kanyang natapos sa Amerika, kung saan siya nag-college. He worked in a bank in New York, before moving to London when he got tired of being alone in a cold, harsh city. Yet somehow, everywhere he went, it seemed cold. Until he started dating a woman he planned to marry. Nagkaroon siya ng goal na magpamilya. He was twenty-five. Isang araw, tumawag sa kanya si Dad Richard.
“Connor, are you busy?”
“No. Why? You sound funny,” sabi niya, kabado. May paghingal sa boses nito. He was a very healthy man. Kahit sa pagkain, maingat si Dad Richard at maalaga sa katawan. He was in his late fifties but had the body of a guy in his thirties.
“Can you pick me up? Don’t let anyone see you.”
“What’s going on, Dad?” tanong niya, lalong lumakas ang pagtambol ng puso.
“I can’t talk right now. Just pick me up.” Ibinigay nito ang address. Nag-cancel siya ng mga plano para sa gabing iyon at nagmamadaling pinuntahan si Dad Richard. Dalawang oras ang biyahe at narating niya ang motel kung saan ito naroon.
Pagkatok ni Connor sa pinto, bumukas agad iyon. He sort of already guessed what was going on. Duguan si Dad Richard, kahit pa nga may tahi na ang mga sugat nito sa katawan—limang sugat na mukhang tama ng baril. Dalawa sa bandang tiyan, tatlo sa mga binti.
“Let me take you to a hospital.”
“You know that’s not possible.”
Of course he knew. Noon pa, hinala na niya na iba ang trabaho nito. Hindi lang niya alam kung ano eksakto, pero alam niyang hindi legal.
“I gave you books on how to treat wounds like this before. Did you read them?”
“Yes.” Lahat ng ibinigay nitong libro, binasa at pinag-aralan niya. Noong una, ang sabi nito, para sa survival daw sa mga trip nila para mangaso. The man loved hunting though he could be a softhearted fool, not wanting to kill animals. Ang kanilang mga hunting trip, karaniwang nagiging target shooting lang sa mga basyong lata ng inumin nila.
“I still have one bullet here.” Itinuro nito ang tagiliran. “You need to take it out.”
“Are you crazy—”
“Just do it.”
Humiga sa kama si Dad Richard. Nakalatag doon ang mga gamit nito. There were syringes, needles, and surgical instruments. Ni hindi na nagtaka si Connor kung saan nakuha ni Dad Richard ang mga iyon at malamang hindi rin nito sagutin kung magtatanong siya.
“You’re losing a lot of blood,” sabi niya.
“I’m guessing a pint and half. Still safe. I’d appreciate if you can do this quickly, Connor.”
He did. Naging maingat at mabilis ang pagkuha niya sa bala sa tagiliran nito matapos bantuan ng alcohol ang instrumento. He would have preferred sterilizing it better but they did not have time. Nang makuha ang bala, tinahi niya ang balat nito. Alam niya ang proseso in theory, kahit noon lang niya nagawa.
Nang matapos, napansin ni Connor na mahinang klase ang antibiotics ni Dad Richard dahil over the counter lang iyon.
“I’ll get you some real medicines,” sabi niya, naghugas ng mga kamay, saka tiningnan sa Internet ang pangalan ng gamot na kailangan nito. Soon, he was headed to the reception desk. May maliit na business center ang motel at doon, nag-print siya ng na-download na letterhead ng isang doktor. Hindi maituturing na dangerous drug ang bibilhin niya kaya umaasa siyang mabilis din iyong makukuha.
Sa loob ng kalahating oras, nakabili na siya ng gamot at nakabalik sa motel. In-injection niya ang antibiotics kay Dad Richard.
He’s a tough bastard, sa isip-isip ni Connor habang pinagmamasdang natutulog ang matanda. Malamang na napakasakit ng ginawa nitong pag-opera sa sarili. Walang anesthesia. Hindi ito sumigaw nang siya ang magtanggal ng bala sa katawan nito.
Sa couch siya natulog. Nang mag-umaga, inayos na niya ang mga gamit sa kuwarto, sinigurong walang matitirang gamit na may marka ng dugo, gumamit ng bleach. Pinasakay niya si Dad Richard sa sasakyan, binayaran ang mga bedsheet na inuwi, saka nag-drive pabalik sa kanyang apartment.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” tanong niya habang nagmamaneho.
“No. Maybe someday.”
Buntong-hininga na lang ang nagawa ni Connor. Nang makarating sa apartment, nagpahinga si Dad Richard matapos kumain. Nag-sick leave si Connor sa trabaho. Dahil hindi mapakali, hinanap niya sa Internet kung makikita sa balita ang sagot sa tanong. There were a few small-time burglaries in the area. Sa palagay niya, hindi iyon ang dahilan sa kalagayan ni Dad Richard.
Tatlong araw mula nang makarating sa apartment niya, nagpaalam na rin ang matanda, sinabing uuwi muna sa Cayman Islands. He lived there, but also had a house in Italy. Wala siyang nagawa. Pero tuluyan nang nabuhay ang curiosity niya. Who was Dad Richard?
Nang magbalik sa trabaho, parang naiba ang tingin niya roon. There he was, considered successful at his age, but he had to be realistic. Gaano katagal niyang pagtatrabahuhan ang isang bahay? Gaano katagal bago siya umasenso? Ah, hindi niya alam. He wished there was another way, like Dad Richard perhaps?
Kung bakit sa halip na kabahan o matakot dahil sa nasaksihang nangyari kay Dad Richard, parang iba ang pakiramdam na ibinigay niyon kay Connor. The idea excited him, but scared him at the same time. Pero siguro, naisip niya, kaya may excitement ay dahil na rin sa isang bagay iyon na hinding-hindi niya magagawa. How could he live outside the law? Still, his interest was piqued. What if Dad Richard was a burglar? Iyon ang pinakamalaking posibilidad. Dad Richard did not even have the heart to shoot birds, how could he kill people? Imposibleng assassin ito. A spy perhaps? No. Bakit sa kanya ito nagpaopera at hindi sa doktor? Wala naman sila sa isang bansa kung saan ang mismong gobyerno ang puwedeng kalaban.
Connor started reading about heists. Ang pinakapaborito niyang basahin ay ang impormasyon tungkol sa kung paano nakakalusot ang mga burglar sa makabagong alarm system. He started studying them. Halos araw-araw, pinag-aaralan niya iyon. He never tested his theories though. Walang paraan para magawa niya iyon. Naisip niyang hobby lang siguro niya, libangan. That was until Dad Richard came to him again. This time, he called from outside his apartment. Nang puntahan ni Connor ang matanda at nakitang duguan, malala sa pagkakataong iyon.
HINDI na nagtanong si Connor kung bakit, kundi sumunod na lang sa utos ni Dad Richard na dalhin ang sasakyan sa isang kakilala. Hindi na raw nito kayang magmaneho pa. Isang oras ang biyahe at maraming nawalang dugo sa matanda. Nasa isang warehouse ang kakilalang tinukoy nito. Mukhang inaasahan na roon si Dad Richard.
Inside the warehouse was an operating table. Nakahanda na rin ang mga gamit. Hindi alam ni Connor kung doktor ang lalaking may surgical gloves. He watched as the man took out bullets from Dad Richard’s body. May nakahanda ring dugo para sa blood transfusion.
Nang matapos, saka hinarap si Connor ng ‘doktor.’ “He’ll be out for at least a few hours.”
“Is he going to be fine?”
“Let’s hope. Do you have his bag?” tanong nito. Tumango siya. “He told me something. He told me to tell you to open it. If you need a room, you can use one of those.” Itinuro nito ang hilera ng mga kuwarto sa isang side ng warehouse.
Tumango siya at pumasok sa isa sa mga iyon, bitbit ang bag ni Dad Richard. Isang maliit na tube ang nasa loob ng box. Mayroon ding isang pirasong papel na may numero. He left to buy a new phone. Dikta ng kanyang isip na huwag gamitin ang personal na numero.
A woman’s voice answered. “Oui?”
A French woman. Marunong ng French si Connor, isa sa mga lengguwaheng natutuhan sa eskuwelahan, pero hindi niya iyon ginamit. Sa halip, nag-Ingles siya. “Do you know someone named Richard?”
Agad nag-iba ang tono ng kausap. “Where is he?”
“He’s not well, but he asked me to call you. I think he might have something for you.”
“It was supposed to be a drop and pick, but he didn’t show up. What do we do now?”
“I’ll drop this thing off in your… office.”
“Meet me in Café Rosa. Do you know the place?”
“I do. I’ll be there in an hour,” sabi niya kahit walking distance lang siya mula roon. Kung sakali man, ayaw niyang malaman nito kung nasaan siya o magkahinala kung saan siya manggagaling.
Pumasok siya sa isang cafe na katapat ng Cafe Rosa at nag-obserba mula roon. Walang kakaibang nagaganap sa paligid, kaya eksakto sa oras, tumawid siya at pumasok sa loob. Hinanap niya ang isang babaeng may suot na “I left my heart in SF” jacket. Madali itong makita. Naupo siya sa tapat nito.
“What’s your name?” tanong niya. May edad na ang babae, mukhang mabait.
“Francine. You have the package? Quickly. I’m way behind schedule. It needs to leave the country in three hours.”
“Where is it going?”
“None of your business. Are you gonna trust me, kid, or not?”
“Tell me why I should trust you.”
“Listen, I’m not here to convince you to trust me. You called me. I came. I’m already doing you a favor as it is. The package is late. I had to make new arrangements. It’s up to you, kid.”
Tama ang babae. Ibinigay rito ni Connor ang kahon. Ni wala siyang ideya kung ano ang laman niyon.
Tumayo na ang babae. “He will survive, wouldn’t he?”
“I hope.”
“You know my number. Call me if you need a job.” Umalis na ang babae.
Parang nanlata si Connor. Nagmamadali na rin siyang umalis, pero hindi muna nagpunta kay Dad Richard, sakaling may nakasunod sa kanya. Para siyang tanga na nagpaikot-ikot, nagtatago sa kung sinong hindi niya nakikita, ni hindi alam kung nandoon ba at nakamasid sa kanya.
Nang sa tingin niya ay ligtas na ang lahat, saka siya bumalik sa warehouse. Wala pa ring malay si Dad Richard. Nang mag-umaga, tumawag siya sa opisina at nag-file ng emergency leave. Limang araw ang lumipas bago umayos ang kalagayan ni Dad Rihard. Ang una nitong itinanong ay kung nakausap niya si Francine.
“It’s taken care of. Care to tell me what happened?”
“You pretty much know what happened. I guess I’m getting a bit old. New technology, old man. Accidents happen.”
“I know technology. I can help you.”
“Sorry, Connor, it’s always been a one-man job for me.”
“Dad—”
“I raised you to be a decent man. Keep being decent.”
And that was how the conversation ended.
KEEP being decent, iyon ang madalas maisip ngayon ni Connor. Hindi niya nagawa noon, dahil pumasok siya sa mundo na ayaw sana ng taong kumupkop sa kanya na pasukin. He did it as a last resort one year after the Dad Richard incident. No, maybe not a last resort. He badly needed the money but his reason was stupid. He wanted to impress a girl. Iyon ang kahinaan niya—babae. It was stupid to want the boss’ daughter, but he was that kind of stupid.
The woman said she would go out with him if he could take her to a place she had never been before. Pang-dinner lang ang budget niya dahil kumuha siya ng hulugang apartment. He was also in love again, two months after the girl he wanted to marry broke up with him. Ganoon siya kasuwerte para mabuo uli ang nabasag na puso at makatagpo ng bagong mahal. He called up Francine, looking for a “job.” Francine gave it to him. It was a white-collar job. May kliyente itong naghahanap ng paraan para mailipat ang pera sa offshore accounts. He knew a way to layer the accounts. The man was from Russia. And so Connor decided to be what the industry called a “smurf.” To launder the money, he needed multiple accounts containing small amounts of money. The said money would have to be transferred electronically in an offshore account. It took him three weeks to move a few million dollars. Para doon, kumita siya ng ten percent commission.
Tuwang-tuwa si Francine dahil sample pa lang daw iyon. In fact, the money she wanted him to move was worth billions. Pero tumanggi na siya. If he got too deep, he would get caught. Hindi siguro ngayon, hindi sa susunod na ilang taon, pero mahirap i-maintain ang ganoon kalaking pera nang walang paper trail. He could have probably arranged a system for it, but it also meant he needed to change a lot of things about his life. Hindi puwedeng nasa apartment lang siya at nasa London para gawin ang trabahong iyon.
To cut the long story short, he did not accept any more jobs like that, but he needed more money. Malapit na niyang mapasagot ang babaeng gusto. Hindi siya napahiya kay Francine. Binigyan siya nito ng ikalawang trabaho. It was a two-man job, a burglary. Isang art piece ang kukunin nila sa isang kolektor. Isang expert ang kasama niya sa team na nangangailangan ng isang expert din sa pag-bypass ng makabagong alarm system. Francine gave him a similar system to crack, testing his abilities.
It was a job that required two months of preparation. Isa lang middleman si Francine sa pagitan niya at ng ka-team na siyang contractor at mastermind. When he was finally introduced to the mastermind, he was surprised to find out it was Dad Richard. The man was as surprised as he was.
“Damn you, Francine,” sabi nito, habang nakatingin sa kanya.
“GET ME somebody else. I’m not working with this boy,” mariing sabi ni Dad Richard, tumalikod na.
“He’s the only one who can crack the safe in five minutes. The others take thirty or more,” paliwanag ni Francine.
Hindi makapagsalita si Connor. Hindi rin niya iyon inaasahan at maliwanag na si Francine lang ang nakakaalam ng lahat bago ang araw na iyon. Hindi niya alam ang sasabihin. Hindi niya inasahan na malalaman ni Dad Richard na sa kabila ng pangaral nito, sumige siya.
“Come with me,” sabi ni Dad Richard sa kanya, naglakad sila papunta sa isang mesa. “How long have you been doing this?”
“This will be my second job. The first one is a simple job, white collar.”
Pinagmasdan siya nito, saka itinanong, “Why?”
“I need some money.”
“You should’ve asked me.”
“It wouldn’t be fair.”
“And this is fair? Everything I have, you will have.”
“That’s not fair. I wanna do this, Dad.”
“Why?”
Paano niya ipapaliwanag na kahit alam niyang mali, may sense of accomplishment para doon? Paano sasabihin na kahit alam niyang pagbali-baligtarin man ang mundo, hindi magiging tama ang kanyang katwiran na ang gagawing pagnanakaw ay gagawin at gagawin ng ibang tao kung hindi siya ang gagawa, kaya anong sense na tanggihan niya? Na kahit pa mawala ang item sa private collector, insured iyon at malamang na galing din sa masama ang ibinayad doon? How could he explain that he preferred doing a job like that than the money laundreing gig because with burglary, he could be sure that no one was going to suffer greatly. Insurance was the biggest scam in history. Nobody read fine prints anymore. Some fool would use his hard-earned money to pay the premium for years, only to realize upon retirement that the fine print made it impossible to cash in, in case of an accident or an unexpected incident, which was exactly the reason why the fool bought the insurance anyway.
Ang magnakaw sa mga taong napakayaman pero tumatakbo sa tax, na may kompanyang hindi kailanman natutong magbayad ng tama sa mga tauhan, o mga politikong bilyon ang kinuha sa kaban ng bayan? Hell, yeah, he could steal from them. Wala siyang ilusyong maging Robinhood, hindi siya ganoon kadakila, pero kahit paano, kukunin niya ang perang kukunin din naman ng ibang tatanggap ng trabaho. It was wrong, no doubt. But he could live with that.
“What do you need the money for?” tanong ni Dad Richard.
“A girl.”
“Ah, shit.” Noon lang narinig ni Connor na nagmura ang matanda. “If I ask you not to do this—”
“I will still do it. Maybe not with you, but I will still do it. I’m tired of living paycheck to paycheck. I don’t think I want to spend my life paying for a house that wouldn’t be big enough when I get married and have kids.” Noon na-realize ni Connor na ayaw man niyang tanggapin, buo na ang kanyang desisyon.
“This is not the life I imagined you to have.”
“Don’t lie to me. This is exactly what you’ve been preparing me for. All those hunting trips, those puzzles when I was young, living in different places so I can learn new languages back in the day. Come on, Dad, you wanted this life for me, too.”
“Not consciously, no.” Matagal bago ito nagsalita uli. “Let’s see what you can do.”
It was the start. He learned from the best. Pinag-aralan din niya ang lahat ng naging trabaho ni Dad Richard noon. God, he was good. He was one of the best burglars in the world, one of the most wanted, but without a face, without anything linking him to the jobs he did. Kahit si Francine, hindi alam ang mga iyon. Only one burglar seemed to be better than him. Isang gabi, itinanong niya iyon. “Dad, for the job in France, the Renoir, you said you almost got it.”
“Almost. Like the Rembrandt, the Van Gogh, and the Caravaggio.”
“Four jobs?”
“Nine. The other three were jewels. My arch nemesis, the one they call ‘Fantasma.’”
“Italian, huh?” sabi ni Connor. “Fantasma” was an Italian word in the male form meaning “ghost.” “Do you know him, this Fantasma?”
“I’m not sure if he’s Italian, but the police labeled him as such. He’s a ghost, always one step ahead of me. He stopped being active for years. But three years ago, he started stealing again. I know it’s him. The technique, the daring, everything. The Interpol must be going out of their minds. Three robberies done in one day in Italy, Switzerland, and Monaco. All in one day. It was him.”
“Sounds as if you admire him.”
“I do. And hate his guts at the same time.” Tumawa si Dad Richard. “I’d like to meet him and punch him on the face. Maybe later we can have a couple of beers.”
“What did he steal?”
“Nothing big, that’s what boggles me. One would think he will steal bigger art pieces having penetrated museums, but he took items that make me think he is planning on getting something bigger. I think I know what it is.”
“What?”
“He stole artifacts that all came from Peru or related to Inca. But let’s plan our job at hand.”
They did. Isang highly secured mansion ang papasukin nila, kung saan naroon ang isang nawawalang Caravaggio. It was hidden, of course. Malamang na binili ng may-ari sa kung saang underground art bidding iyon. It was worth at least twenty million dollars.
And so they trained together, preparing for the day when the heist would take place. Father and son, a big job. Maybe retirement would come sooner than he expected...