REVOKED JUDGMENT

Miramar spends her vacation alone feeling lonely distancing herself from her friends. Losing a loved one is not easy. Being a Christian Miramar has many questions why there is death. The primary question in her mind is the choice to get married with someone whom she has not chosen to live with. On her part she didn't expect to happen that way. One day she found herself crying the night after forcibly accepted her wedding vows. Friends and relatives witnessed it. She can't remember if her parents were present. After the ceremony they were informed to go to the reception at the house of her chosen husband. Chosen? Miramar felt she fell into a trap by her new husband. All his relatives seemed to like her. She found herself to have taken by deceptive tricks thrown on her. One of his cousins Paris invited her on her birthday treating her nicely trying to be close to her. Miramar tried to ignore all the showmanship of Arthur's cousins one of whom told her before her marriage to depend on her , she is ready to help her. These promises of Arthur's relatives are all false. She herself prepared to buy her wedding dress and the suit of Arthur. She didn't have a wedding ring during the ceremony. It is rented from the church. This made Miramar sad. How come she fell into the trap of Arthur's relatives? They say , their family clan members are mostly poor. They are fond of attaching the available bachelors for the purpose of climbing the social ladder entering the family circle of the rich in their locality. This also happened to Arthur's uncle. He eloped the daughter of the owner of a big parcel of land. It is brought to court. The daughter is brainwashed telling the court she loved the uncle of Arthur. The family can't do anything. So this is the practice of Arthur's family clan. Miramar coming from a religious family become indifferent of what has happened to Miramar. Looking at the situation, Anthony a cousin of Arthur persuaded him to leave their place. Arthur has to find a job to support Miramar and her one year old baby. He may not find the job he likes. He has not finished the course he has started. Miramar is forced to leave her parents. His father told her to come back if they can't settle down to the place they are going to. Arthur is able to work as a security guard at Eastern Security Agency while Miramar is able to work as a saleslady at a shoe store chain. Their old landlady is very kind to look after their baby. Arthur continued his studies thinking he'll do it while their little boy Pepot is still young. Miramar's sadness lingered behind Arthur's knowledge. In her solitary moments she remembers her father she knows loving and caring her since birth. Her mother was sickly during that time. It was the aunt of Arthur who nursed her. This consoled her father helping Miramar to have grown as a baby. Maybe someday he can tell it to Miramar to appease her about being forced to marry Arthur. Arthur is able to finish his course in the Police Force. Policing is a well paying job at the Makati Police Force. Arthur sometimes gives way to unruly drivers, not issuing tickets of violating traffic rules. His superiors ordered him to be more strict to discipline them. The reason why he is doing it, is his mission to help others having entered a new church. Miramar followed him. It is a God centered group of believers. Miramar is so thankful Arthur has joined. He seemed to have absorbed the church doctrines of being charitable. Giving donations is his priority. Members of the church know it to the disadvantage of Miramar whom he has missed to answer their own financial needs, Miramar can't do anything until she has to look after all their finances when Arthur told her to take care of everything. When a brother of Arthur learned he landed a good paying job as a policeman he moved his family near their place. Miramar knows this will become a big trouble. His wife is not working depending all of their finances from her husband. Miramar knows Arthur is giving them some help without her knowledge. Miramar delved deeper into her religious beliefs to read what is written in the bible, about God's promises and His commandments. Miramar prayed and applied what she has learned. Then one day, Arthur got sick Miramar has to attend to him. Their hospital bills are piling up. Arthur didn't know Miramar has insured him due to the nature of his work. The insurance company paid his hospital bills until he is discharged. Miramar maintained her patience and the belief of long suffering. To her marriage is sacred. It is in the declaration of the marriage vows during the wedding ceremony ,"to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer till death do us part." As Arthur continued his duties as a policeman their son Pepot who has grown into a well mannered and disciplined young man he knows why his father got sick. He chose to be always out of their house being with church members whom he counted as friends. He knows they are just fair weather friends. No one came to offer any help among them. It's good her mother prepared for his life insurance to cover his expenses. Pepot followed her mother's footsteps to become God fearing. In his daily prayers like her mother, is to ask God for help as he stated, " Seek and you will find, ask and you will receive, knock and it will opened unto you," Pepot is taking up a course in the medical field. To help people in their church once he graduates to take care of babies, to become a pediatrician. He wants to help nursing mothers , giving advice about motherhood and family matters. He wanted to see a happy family how children can be nurtured by their parents through proper nutrition and their duties and responsibilities to their children. Arthur is still lenient to unruly drivers. An incident happened in which a drunk driver was involved. Arthur stopped the car which is speeding away. Arthur fired a warning shot hitting the head of the driver. The car stopped. An ambulance is called to come to the scene. Too much blood has been drawn out of the head wound. It's good the ambulance has replaced the lost blood of the victim. the drunk driver has to be hospitalized for sometime. Arthur has been relieved and be assigned to a new post. the court has to determine what case are they going to file for Arthur. Miramar knows Arthur has done his duty to stop the drunk driver from speeding which is dangerous. The Special Investigation Unit has to do an independent investigation. Arthur is assigned to arranged files of many cases involving car theft and robbery. This time Arthur is beginning to come back to his senses. Maybe God wanted him to learn a lesson why he has been out of the church. Thinking he has not seen the group he has been hanging out with , he intends to be more devoted and dedicated in knowing more about God. He talked to Miramar about his case. He doesn't know if there will be a case filed against him or not. Pleading to her , they have to find a lawyer to defend him. Miramar agreed. She is thankful Arthur gave her all the authority to handle all their finances. She didn't touch the monthly retirement contribution Arthur has been paying. They can withdraw some amount to deposit to the lawyer's account. Arthur waited the result of his case. The victim after regaining his full recovery announced a statement. He is accepting full responsibility regarding the incident causing to much anxiety moral disgrace to the Makati Police Force especially to Const. Arthur Dumagat who has to be commended of his action. The victim is willing to pay moral damages and clear his case in court. He will also pay all litigation costs. The investigation result shows the drunk driver is the owner of a big liqour store. This made him promise not to drink wine anymore, the policeman saved his life. He realized he might have killed someone. His family also thanked Arthur for his bravery his dedication and commitment to his job. The court quashed his case and put back Arthur to his duties. God has intervened to his case. Miramar has the same belief with Pepot who see God in their hours of darkness and blowing away their storms in life. Pepot has graduated in his medical course. Arthur and Miramar are overjoyed. Passing his board examination in Pediatric Medicine his school records qualified him to work at the Philippine General Hospital, Manila Philippines, the best hospital in the country. His dream is fulfilled to provide free medicine to the poor approved by the hospital administration. Arthur and Miramar has been going to church regularly. His health took its toll. His past negligence to take care what he has supposed to. His diagnosis is irreversible. His life has been cut short with the dreaded disease of cancer. The oncologist gave him at least eight months to live. Miramar and Pepot adjusted their working hours to give time watching him at the hospital. Being a terminal cancer patient his accommodation in the hospital is limited to one month. The cancer doctor talked to Miramar he has to be discharge and will be in palliative care. A doctor, a nurse is assigned for home visits and daily visit by a caregiver . His cancer specialist scheduled an appointment to check if he can undergo a procedure to extend his life. Unfortunately there is no more chance at all. The cancer doctor assigned to him ordered to Miramar, if any attack occurs in his body, heart failure, high blood pressure or any life threatening condition he has to go to the hospital. With Miramar's consent, his papers were signed by her when a heart attack occurred ending his life. Miramar wonders after everything has been done to put him in his final rest, with Pepot together, prayers, flowers and comforting words to ease their pain, how could they really be comforted? Especially to Miramar looking back having handled Arthur in their married life can she consider herself to have self sacrificed? In her mind since God is the one who unites a man and a woman in marriage Miramar has been blessed as a loving wife through her strong Faith believing God's promises. Spiritual strength is stronger than physical strength. It is Arthur's legacy to her when they both entered a new church. The past trials and challenges gave Miramar to stay strong and resilient, to carry everything on her shoulders with God who took away from her.GP