"Is the defense ready with its case?"

Callie got ready and gave me a small smile before releasing his two fingers from the sides of my lips and turning to face the judge. I observed the movement of his broad shoulders as he responded to the judge's query.

Kinakabahan ako, sobra.

My heart feels like it's about to stop beating because of how fast and powerful it is. Nanginginig ang buong kalamnan ko at hindi maiwasang kagatin ang labi na halos dumugo na sa sobrang panggigil. 

I just want to go home.

"The prosecution may call its first witness," the judge said, and the bailiff took the witness out.

The guard in our subdivision.

"Please state your name," the clerk said.

"Edward Reyes,"

Callie stepped forward and cleared his throat before speaking. 

Sa mga segundo na ito, nawala ang ngisi sa labi ni Callie at naging seryoso. Aaminin kong nakakatakot pala kapag nagkasalubong ang makapal niyang kilay. Idagdag pa ang abo niyang mata na matalim ang tingin.

"Mr. Reyes, where do you work?" 

Nagsimula silang magpalitan ng tanong at sagot. And I'm not sure how I managed to watch and listen to them without getting frustrated. Nakatulala lamang ako sa kawalan, iniisip ang mga maaaring mangyari.

Callie just asked the guard if he often heard us arguing in our house. Malapit lang ang bahay namin sa guard house, kaya paniguradong maririnig niya ang lahat ng nangyayari sa'min.

"Yes, your honor," Sagot ni Mrs. Dacles nang tanungin siya ng clerk at bumaling sa guard. "Why did you not intervene in their fight if you were a guard and could hear everything that was happening to them?"

"Hinayaan ko lamang na pakinggan ang away nila dahil bukod sa sanay na ako sa away nila, hindi rin ako pwedeng mangialam dahil away pamilya iyon." The guard casually said.

Tinanong din ni Mrs. Dacles kung bakit hindi pinuntahan ng guard ang bahay namin kung naririnig niya naman na may nangyayaring hindi maganda sa pagitan ng pamilya namin. Ang sagot naman nito ay akala niya, may pumutok lang na poste dahil malakas ang ulan.  

"Thank you, I have no further question."

"The witness is excused. The prosecution may call the next witness," The judge remarked that this was the cause of my twitching hands and chattering teeth. 

Who will be the second witness, though?

Kasunod na isinalang ang ikalawang saksi. She is dressed in a professional manner, has her hair tied back, and exudes calm as she makes her way to the witness stand.

"Do you promise that the affirmation you shall give in the case before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do," she swore with such confidence.

"Please state your first and last name."

"Micky Opena." pagpapakilala ng babae at dumako sa akin saglit ang tingin. Si Callie ang nag-asikaso ng lahat at ang tanging ginawa ko lang naman ay ibigay ang mga kaunting impormasyon na mayroon ako.

"What is your work, Ma'am?" tanong ni Callie.

"I'm a Forensic Pathologist, and I work at Amang Hospital."

"How many years have you been working as a Forensic Pathologist?" Callie questioned.

"Almost a decade," She replied without hesitation, and it seems that she already predicted all the questions that Callie was going to ask her.

Callie took a deep breath. "You are the one who examined Mr. Sevilla's body, right?

The Forensic Pathologist nodded.

"And what did you see as the cause and manner of the death of Mr. Sevilla?"

"Thirteen stab wounds were made in his abdomen,"

"What else? is there a bullet?"

"Wala. Just a stab," She gulped. "But when I did a deep and extensive autopsy, I can say that Mr. Sevilla was poisoned."

Everyone gasped because of shock. Maging ako ay nilamon nang pagtataka dahil hindi ko inaasahang magkakaroon ng lasunan sa kasong ito.

My eyes went to my mama, who flinched and swallowed hard.

May binulong siyang kung ano kay Mrs. Dacles habang nilalaro ang kaniyang mga daliri. Tumango lang sa kaniya ang abogado niya at nakinig na ulit sa nag-uusap na dalawa. 

"What do you think was the poison used on him?"

"Thallium."

"What do you think was the main cause of his death? The poison or the stab?"

"The Thallium. Thallium can affect his nervous system, lung, heart, liver, and kidney as a result of drinking a lot of it. At hindi kinaya ng katawan ni Mr. Sevilla."

"Thank you, I have no further question." Callie stated.

"Does the prosecution have any questions?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Sagot ng babaeng abogado sa kabilang panig at tumayo.

"When we did the autopsy, we found no poison. So how can you be sure what you saw is correct?"

Micky laughed. "I have been a Forensic Pathologist for almost a decade, Mrs. Gamay ko na ang lahat. And yes, Thallium is typically administered in small amounts, making it difficult to detect using standard screening tests."

Nakita ko ang pagdaan nang panggigil sa mukha ng prosecution.

"Thank you, I have no further question." Attorney Dacles said angrily.

Sumunod na isinalang ang matandang lalaki. From what I heard, he was a licensed poison seller.

"Please state your first and last name."

"Arias Macaslin."

"What is your work, Sir?" tanong ni Callie.

"I don't have a job but I am a licensed poison seller. May tindahan ako sa Santolan Street kung saan malapit sa bayan."

"How long have you been selling poison?"

"Isang dekada mahigit na."

"Poision is hazardous; I'm sure you have a list of who bought from you," Nilagay ni Callie ang kanang kamay sa loob ng bulsa. "Did someone identified as Micaella Sevilla purchase from you?"

"Oo," Lumabas sa malaking screen ang resibo at mayroong pirma roon ni Mama. "Tinanong ko siya kung para saan niya ito gagamitin, at ang sagot naman niya ay gagamitin niya ito para sa mga daga na nagkalat at nanirahan sa bahay nila."

"Thank you, I have no further question." Callie stated.

Akala ko may isa pang saksi pero wala ng sumunod.  We only have three witnesses... rather than the other sides. Mas marami silang matibay na ebidensya... kaysa sa'min na iilan lamang. 

It's hard to predict if Callie can do it, but he said, I should trust him.

So I will trust him. There is still a final argument, tho.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am now going to read to you the law that you must follow in resolving this case." The judge will read the instructions to resolve the case, and my eyes were already twitching because of nervousness.

"To prove the crime alleged against the defendant, the prosecution must prove three things: first, that the defendant planned the killing; second, that the autopsy report of the victim's fingernails is leading to the defendant; and third, that the defendant intended to kill his father."

Nag-sitayuan ang mga balahibo sa katawan ko. 

"Proof beyond circumstantial evidence does not mean far beyond hope of redemption. It means that you should assess all of the evidence and that you are very assured that the charge is true. Are you ready for your last arguments?" The judge is handling the last arguments already.

"Yes, Your Honor," sabay na bigkas ng dalawang abogado. 

Attorney Dacles stood up and faced the jury for her last argument.

"The judge has instructed us, Your Honor and ladies and gentlemen of the jury, to prove three things. Regarding the second and third items we have to prove, there is no doubt whatsoever. The first piece of evidence is the defendant's confession that she had no intention of killing his father; the second is the fact that her fingerprints were found on the spear point; and the third is the fact that her intention to kill her father is beyond dispute."

Everyone was gossiping already as if they knew the court's decision.

"We have CCTV footage." The CCTV footage immediately played on the big screen. "The first thing we notice is that Lyndzey is stabbing her father, but we can't see her because she has her back to us. It is clear that she is stabbing her father."

The tension in my body doubled. Iyon ang niyakap ko si Papa at para hawakan ang sugat niyang naglalabas ng maraming dugo. 

"But she didn't succeed, so she took the gun that was on the floor and quickly pointed it at her father. Minutes later, the defendant pulled the trigger at the same time as her father fell to the floor, and according to what the judge just told you, that is all we have to prove. Based on the evidence, you must find the defendant guilty."

Mrs. Dacles is done already with her final argument, and everyone was eager to hear Callie's side. I don't know if I can open my eyes as he speaks his final argument in front of the judge. 

Mabilis kong minulat ang aking mata ng ilang segundo ang makalipas, hindi ko pa rin naririnig ang boses ni Callie. I noticed him quickly looking intently at the projector that was showing the CCTV footage before he briefly turned to look at Attorney Dacles.

"The footage is not edited but it is cut."

Umugong ang bulungan sa buong paligid.

I looked behind me and saw Deron who was very proud of Callie. Ang mga tingin niya ay tila ba gusto nang iuwi ang lalaki at magdiwang na sa kalalabasan ng desisyon ng korte. 

I can't blame him for wanting to know the outcome of this trial immediately because he also knows something about the law. Siya ay nasa kolehiya at ang kaniyang kurso na kinuha ay tungkol sa law. 

Attorney Dacles was about to speak but Callie continued what he was going to say.

"Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury: Lyndzey Lemerie was unlucky to stop her parents' abusive argument with calm conversation," he stopped. "And like I said, Hindi edited 'yung footage, but it is cut. This is the real footage with their recorded voice."

Callie quickly handed the USB to the bailiff and quickly played.

"As you can see and hear, my client is telling her parents to stop fighting. However, they refused to back down and fought until they could hold each other's weapons." Callie stopped and looked at my mom. "Here, it is clear that Mrs. Sevilla used a knife to stab her own husband thirteen times, causing Mr. Sevilla's gun to drop."

Murmuring.

"Your honor, the footage is edited!"

"What do you mean by edited if this USB is from your witness? She gave it to me without hesitation." Smirking, Callie looked at the other witness, the one who was our neighbor. "Do you want me to play the video of her handing me the USB?"

Lahat ay gulat at hindi inaasahan ang mga kasalukuyang pangyayari. Even the reporters in the front were amazed at Callie's words. Para bang praktisado niya nang masiyado ang mga ganap sa loob ng korte. 

Padabog na umupo ang babaeng abogado at nandidiring tiningnan ang tinuring nilang saksi at kakampi.

"Continue, Attorney Callie," the judge ordered, and I saw Callie's eyes glistened because of hope.

"My client's fingerprints were found on the knife because she had to touch them to remove them from the body of her father. And the prosecution's own expert told you that other fingerprints were found on those keys that could not be identified," Callie gulped. "And that fingerprint is from the right hand of Mrs. Sevilla."

Kaya niya pala pilit inaalam ang tungkol sa kamay ko.

"My client pulled the trigger, but she didn't shoot it at her father, who is conscious. She shot it through the ceiling."

 Agad na lumabas sa malaking screen ang litrato ng kisame ng bahay namin na may bakas na bala.

"Even in the autopsy, no bullet was found in Mr. Sevilla's body because she did not shoot it at her father. Mr. Sevilla died because of poison."

Callie gulped. "You heard that Mrs. Sevilla bought thallium poison, and her daughter, Mica, said they ate together before the tragedy happened. Mr. Sevilla has been poisoned by Mrs. Sevilla."

"Why do you claim that my client poisoned Mr. Sevilla if your evidence is weak?!" Mrs. Dacles roared as she aggressively stood up.

"Oh, I should have mentioned the sound recording that will demonstrate that Mrs. Sevilla is in fact her husband, Mr. Sevilla," Mabilis na nag-abot ng bagay si Callie sa staff. "Please play it with high volume." he then smirked. 

"Papatayin kita, Zaprien! Wala kang ibang ginawa kundi ang lasunin ang utak ko sa mga sabi-sabi mong hindi mo ako niloloko at ako lang ang mahal mo! Pero hindi, mali lahat ng sinasabi mo! Nahuli pa kitang nakikipagtalik sa babae!"

I looked in Mama's direction to see her reaction, and I quickly saw her bent over crying.

Fuck, bakit ba ako nasasaktan?

"Nalason mo na ang utak ko, Zaprien! Paniwalang paniwala na ako sa mga kasinungalian mo! Sinira mo na ang buhay na gusto ko! Pero putangina, hindi ako papayag. Dapat kang lasunin din! Mamamatay ka na, Zaprien!"

"How can you tell it's not edited?!" Pilit pinakalma ng babaeng abogado ang kaniyang sarili.

"It's not, because this voice recorder is still from your neighbor." Nakita ko ang paglipad ng tingin ng mga tao sa babaeng nakayuko at tila ba nahihiya sa ginawa niyang pagtataksil.

My eyes widened as the woman stood up and began to cry. "Hindi ko na kinaya lahat nang mga naririnig kong pagbabanta sa asawa niya! So I recorded it and once I planned to report it to the police but I couldn't... dahil ayaw kong madamay,"

Hindi pwede ang ginagawa niya kaya nagtataka ako kung bakit hindi siya pinipigilan ng hurado.

"Stop!" Mrs. tried Dacles tried to stop the girl and it stopped.

Callie smirked. "The prosecution has presented no real evidence to you to show that this is not true. That means that there is a reasonable doubt and, therefore, you must find the defendant not guilty."

He's like spitting bombs in front of the court. 

Parang napupugto ang hininga sa tuwing nagsasalita siya kasama ang mga ebidensya na nakuha niya

"Will the jury foreperson please stand? Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?"

The foreperson answered. "Yes."

"The jury finds the defendant not guilty." The Clerk stated. Kaagad akong napangiti habang ang mga mata ay nakatuon sa malayo.

I don't know if I should be happy or sad.

"Court is adjourned."

Galit, awa, tuwa ang bumalot sa aking sistema nang tuluyang maayos ang kaso at tuluyan akong pinalaya mula sa pagkakagapos sa kasinungalingan. 

But I feel sad every time I think that Mama will suffer a crowded, hot, and dangerous life in prison.

I observed as the police handcuffed Mama and led her away.

I sighed and looked down at my feet. I wish I wouldn't get tired of the world, because I'm tired of getting exhausted already. I hope one day I can find peace.

Tumama ang mata ko kay Callie. Kaagad ko naman siyang ginawadan ng ngiti.

Today, tomorrow, and forever, I want to live. 

^_________________^