Emiliano nearly crashed into a swerving blue and white sedan as he made to cross the busy streets. He had been trying to take a quick peek at the newspaper that was folded tightly in his right hand. At first he didn't believe his eyes but the headline was there staring back at him: CONVICTED FORMER PRESIDENT OD'S IN PRISON.
When he was home and sat in a comfy cushion he had more chance to look at the news again. His heart was pounding heavily. He didn't think his friend, the former president, could have ended that way. It might have been better if his former friend, Alejandro never became the president or a public figure. His mind recalled the days when he and Alejandro stilled peddled drugs, ended several lives with pistols and engaged in a lot of vices. He was the one that showed Alejandro the way of redemption after his family was murdered by the Norte Del Valle cartel. Emiliano still remembered Alejandro weeping his eyes out until they were as red as blood grapes. Alejandro had wanted to commit suicide but Emiliano showed him light in the darkness that had enveloped his life. Emiliano presently broke off his thoughts and picked up the phone with sweaty, shaky fingers and called Joaquin.
“Hello,”
Joaquin's voice came on shakily on the other end. It sounded like he was having a smoke or something.
“Have you heard yet, my friend?” Emiliano asked
“Yes.” Joaquin paused. “What breaks my heart most was that it was a man of great promise that this happened to.”
Emiliano didn't speak for some seconds. His eyes were focused on the television. A football match was showing on it but Emiliano only saw blue and white figures swerving right and left.
“I warned him about following through on that deal but he paid no heed. It also seemed he went back to his old habits in prison.” He scratched his snow-white beard. “Well he can't blame anyone but himself. If it had ended in the crime itself maybe he would have done time and then tried to pick up the pieces of his life. It's too late now.”
“Late indeed my friend. This unfortunate news has defaced the reputation of our party.”
“Well, you boys will find a way. Are we still meeting Wednesday afternoon for the luncheon?”
“Yes.” Joaquin seemed to sneeze noisily in the background. “Remember to bring your partner. We will discuss other important issues then.”
“Ok.”
Emiliano gently placed the phone on the red mahogany table and took a sip from the slender glass of iced Vodka Martini.
His thoughts roamed backed to the days when the murder of Alejandro's family happened. He recalled their efforts to get a life for Alejandro and make him forget his sorrow. Alejandro had found satisfying comfort in politics and soon got over that tragedy. But now his friend would be remembered as a villain and all the good work he had done as president would collapse. Emiliano took another hesitant sip from the half-filled glass and shook his head sadly.
The entire news was abuzz with excitement about the new president. The first few years of his presidency had brought incredible change to the country. President Alejandro Reyes fought a tireless war against corruption and the country was all but cleaned up. That was the thing that prompted him to politics in the first place. To avenge the murder of his family by eradicating the thing responsible for their deaths. During his first tenure there had been several high profile prosecutions, congressmen, ministers, Mafia lords and the rest. He paid special attention to the plague of hard drugs that had consumed his nation. It was a tough batte but he attacked it head on.
That was when the Vice President, a tall, dark and lanky fellow named Lucas Diaz had proposed an importation deal with Ecuador. President Alejandro was reluctant at first but after much persuasion he accepted. But it was that deal that irredeemably picked apart his impeccable reputation as an anti-corruption crusader. It was infact a trap set by angered politicians whom he had put down during his anti-corruption campaigns. At the end of it President Alejandro along with 6 other high-profile politicians were convicted of drug trafficking. President Alejandro was given a 20-year sentence.
In the eight year of his sentence, Former President Alejandro's case was revisited by the Brazilian Supreme Court and found him impeccably innocent of the accusations that had been smeared on him. He was pardoned postmortem but his broken reputation was not completely redeemed. People would have continued to view him as the saint he was had he not collapsed under the weight of dispair while behind bars and gone back to his old dirty habit. President Alejandro's enemies likened him to the proverbial sow that plunged straight back into the dirt after she had received a good thorough washing.
