The Mayor

Everyone is afraid of Mayor Calixto Olmedo Hernandez. During his fifteen years in office, he was dubbed the iron hand of Medellin. Several ordinances were implemented in Medellin during the term of the said Mayor. The ordinance includes a ban on assaulting women and the imprisonment of persons or organizations caught illegally logging in any part of the municipality.

Those caught violating the ordinance are punished with imprisonment or otherwise given fines and sanitation to an entire community.

So when she saw his serious face, her knees almost shook. And when its sharp eyes landed on her, the color fled her whole face.

She was afraid of the Mayor because she had once seen how angry Gideon's father was at a local news. Since then, she did not want to meet the Mayor. Fortunately, the Mayor was absent when his spouse visited the mansion a month ago for the first time to ask her hand in marriage. She was given time to think of the offer, but circumstance was cruel on her that summer, when she had met Gideon on the Aisle and the Mayor stood in front of her for the second visit.

She clutched the side of her dress. She knew she could not escape her impending doom in Gideon's hands.

"Very beautiful child. No wonder the beauty is talked about and admired in the municipality," the Mayor said, which pulled her from her trance.

She heard her mother's soft laugh. Jewel swallowed.

The lush and baritone voice of the Mayor contrasted the deep and cold voice of Gideon. She was not that skilled to hide her feelings but she tried hard to do so. It was as if she was being sentenced in front of a court. She preferred to turn her gaze to the fruits placed on the charcuterie board. She then folded her fingers under the table.

Sitting in that long wooden table with just the five of them was the worst feeling for her. She felt she was being choked with tension and she was afraid of Mayor Calixto. Even though her father and mother were sitting on either side of her, that still did not relieve the fast beating in her heart. Gideon's occasional glances at her did not help either.

"If you had been with Nilda a month ago, you wouldn't have been surprised at my daughter's charm." Don Sebastian raised the cup of brewed and steaming corn coffee and sipped a little.

"There's a lot of work in the municipality." The Mayor also sipped on his cup of latte. He then dropped the cup on the table then looked at her father again. "It has occurred to me that my son has been staying at your mansion for a few days. And I think the two children seem to be getting better than I expected."

Her father laughed. "They are." And he cleared his throat. "How is your wife?"

Jewel heard the Mayor's soft sigh. "She is still recovering in Mandaue, and we will leave to Manila the next day to continue the treatment there. But my wife wants to speed up the marriage. So for the second time, I am here in place of my good Nilda. The Hernandez family will take care of the wedding, the reception, and other things. I have also prepared the district court and tomorrow they can sign the marriage contract. Nilda does not want to leave for her treatment until your unica hija carries our son's last name."

She secretly sneered at the Mayor's words. ‘Civil marriage, huh? But I'm only 19. Besides, I don't want to be tied up with an old man!' she thought.

Jewel looked up at the Mayor. The man also turned his eyes on her. His gaze on her was sharp, so Jewel hastily looked down on the table and swallowed hard. Her body shook slightly at what happened.

Mayor Calixto laughed at what she did. "You raised your daughter modestly. I looked at her and she looked like a scared sheep in my eyes!"

Her blood rushed to her cheek. She heard the weak laughter of Gideon and Don Sebastian. She also saw her mother's demure smile in the corner of her eye.

"It's not good for a woman to be too talkative. I'm proud of Jewel, Mayor. She's a very good child. She was delicate and grew up full of lessons from her bereaved grandmother," Donya Belinda, her mother, said with a smile.

If she had not been in front of them, she would have been choked out of discomfort. Sometimes, she felt guilty especially when her mother was proudly bragging how demure she was as a girl.

She wanted to scratch the back of her neck. Jewel somewhat disagreed with what her mother had said because of her vices in secret.

And it was as if her body was on fire especially when the Mayor smiled as he stared at her.

"Looks like I won't regret it. You know, Belinda, I couldn't count the number of women proposing to my son. And Jewel's a lucky girl to have caught my attention." The Mayor turned to her father. "Other than the wedding, I want you and Belinda to talk with me in private. I have some things to discuss with you two. Let the two children spend time with each other."

Her father's forehead furrowed. "I have a question first, Mayor. Is everything fixed? I want to spend money for the wedding of my unica hija."

The Mayor smiled. "The wedding doesn't end there, Sebastian. The marriage contract will come first but they have to get married before God. The church wedding will still take place next summer, as discussed in the first visit."

"Hernandez seems to have prepared everything for the wedding of the two toddlers," her father said with a smile.

Calixto laughed. "I don't want to go without my Nilda's plea. So as much as possible, even without her beside me, I will do what she wants."

"Mayor, is the dress of my daughter for tomorrow's event, been set already?" her mother asked.

"Yes. I will send here the clothes and jewelry that she and you can use tomorrow. Nilda chose that so as much as possible I want to see Jewel wearing the dress."

"Why does it seem like all the decisions revolve around your family, Mayor?" her father asked jokingly. But she knew it wasn't just a joke.