I was detained for about an hour. My parents sat there; my mom clinging to my dad’s arm, weeping, and my dad just sat there. Paramedics came and announced him dead. When I heard this news, I sat back in relief. In my mind, I had prevented a man from harming anyone else and justified the potential death of a friend.
After my parents argued with the police, I was allowed to leave the station and return home. Again, the car ride was silent. I replayed all the events in my head. When I got home, my dad went upstairs and my mom sat me down at the kitchen table.
“Before I lecture you, I want you to know that Lamai is in the hospital and in stable condition. Sheelin is in the hospital also, but her condition is a bit worse than Lamai’s,” she said. I sat back in relief and tuned my mom out. As long as my friends were okay, then I didn’t care what happened to me.
“So am I going to go to jail?” I interrupted.
She sighed, “No, that man was going to get the death penalty for other abductions and deaths. They were taking him into custody. There were no other witnesses for the other murders, so you and Sheelin were the first.” As soon as I heard that I was off the hook, I zoned out again.
I wasn’t allowed to leave the house for the remainder of the summer. Honestly, I was fine with that, but I missed Lamai and Sheelin. Lamai had been released from the hospital a week later and Sheelin was released three weeks later. We were all kept at home. They never told me what happened to them, and I never told them what happened to me.
We were allowed to go back to school, but we were monitored by the teachers. The lunch room was crowded with shouting kids and yet all of the teacher’s would gaze at us every now and then.
“God,” Sheelin said one day at lunch, “it’s like we’re in a gang or something,”
“What?” Lamai said.
“Well, whenever teachers suspect someone’s in a gang, they monitor them for, like, ever,” Sheelin said.
“So what are we called?” I asked.
“We’re not actually going to become a gang, are we?” Sheelin asked.
“Well,” I said while I poked my spaghetti, “not exactly a gang, but a group,”
“Well, what are we called?” Lamai asked. We all paused for a minute.
“Something with strength…” Sheelin said.
“Strength for life?” Lamai suggested.
“What kind of strength?” I asked, “Like, mental strength, physical strength, or emotional strength?”
“All three,” Lamai said. She got a mischievous look on her face.
“‘Strength for life’ doesn’t really role off the tongue,” Sheelin said, “Let’s try it in different languages,”
“Sure,” I said, “how about ‘Lakas for Life’,”
“‘Lakas’?” Lamai asked.
“It’s Tagalog,” I said.
“Tagalog?” Sheelin asked.
“Filipino,” I replied.
“Lakas for Life,” Sheelin and Lamai repeated.
“I like it,” Sheelin said.
“Yeah,” Lamai said, “it’s not bad,”
“So it’s settled,” I said, “We are Lakas for Life. Now the challenge is staying strong for life,”
After my parents argued with the police, I was allowed to leave the station and return home. Again, the car ride was silent. I replayed all the events in my head. When I got home, my dad went upstairs and my mom sat me down at the kitchen table.
“Before I lecture you, I want you to know that Lamai is in the hospital and in stable condition. Sheelin is in the hospital also, but her condition is a bit worse than Lamai’s,” she said. I sat back in relief and tuned my mom out. As long as my friends were okay, then I didn’t care what happened to me.
“So am I going to go to jail?” I interrupted.
She sighed, “No, that man was going to get the death penalty for other abductions and deaths. They were taking him into custody. There were no other witnesses for the other murders, so you and Sheelin were the first.” As soon as I heard that I was off the hook, I zoned out again.
I wasn’t allowed to leave the house for the remainder of the summer. Honestly, I was fine with that, but I missed Lamai and Sheelin. Lamai had been released from the hospital a week later and Sheelin was released three weeks later. We were all kept at home. They never told me what happened to them, and I never told them what happened to me.
We were allowed to go back to school, but we were monitored by the teachers. The lunch room was crowded with shouting kids and yet all of the teacher’s would gaze at us every now and then.
“God,” Sheelin said one day at lunch, “it’s like we’re in a gang or something,”
“What?” Lamai said.
“Well, whenever teachers suspect someone’s in a gang, they monitor them for, like, ever,” Sheelin said.
“So what are we called?” I asked.
“We’re not actually going to become a gang, are we?” Sheelin asked.
“Well,” I said while I poked my spaghetti, “not exactly a gang, but a group,”
“Well, what are we called?” Lamai asked. We all paused for a minute.
“Something with strength…” Sheelin said.
“Strength for life?” Lamai suggested.
“What kind of strength?” I asked, “Like, mental strength, physical strength, or emotional strength?”
“All three,” Lamai said. She got a mischievous look on her face.
“‘Strength for life’ doesn’t really role off the tongue,” Sheelin said, “Let’s try it in different languages,”
“Sure,” I said, “how about ‘Lakas for Life’,”
“‘Lakas’?” Lamai asked.
“It’s Tagalog,” I said.
“Tagalog?” Sheelin asked.
“Filipino,” I replied.
“Lakas for Life,” Sheelin and Lamai repeated.
“I like it,” Sheelin said.
“Yeah,” Lamai said, “it’s not bad,”
“So it’s settled,” I said, “We are Lakas for Life. Now the challenge is staying strong for life,”
