The God Equation and Other Stories (10 page)

“You
’
re a pornographer and a peeping t
om so please cut the bull.” He was painful to listen to.  “I
’
m your lawyer, not your mother. You don
’
t have to lie to me. But you
’
ve been accused by your next door neighbor for acts of lasciviousness,
violence against women
, and possessing and publishing obscene materials. The first charge can be dismissed outright because you never touched her. The second charge won
’
t hold because at the moment, it
’
s not a crime to use Ogle on anybody, at least not until the First Stone bill is signed into law. On the third charge of pornography, I
’
m confident I can file a motion to quash on the ground that the evidence was obtained illegally. The police report clearly states that operatives used Ogle to record your activities; that
’
s inadmissible as evidence. Yours is a test case but we have jurisprudence on our side.”

“They
c-
can
’
t use what they saw a
gainst m-me?”

“Evidence illegally obtained cannot be used against the accused.
To do so would be to take the
‘
fruit of the poisonous tree.
’
They need to follow procedure. You
’
ll be walking out within the day. Afterwards, you should hire your own private attorney. A civil lawsuit can still be brought against you and I won
’
t be able to help you there.”

“T
hey c-confiscated my c-computer. W-will I g-get my files back?”

“Mr. Portacio, don
’
t push it. Be happy you
’
re a free man.”

“Am I? Are w-w-we?”

She honestly didn
’
t know.

Alexis also didn
’
t know that her involvement in the case of People vs. Portacio would trigger far reaching legal and social consequences. After being cited for contempt and paying the necessary fines, the private prosecutor elevated the case to the Supreme Court. The Court, sitting
en banc
and taking judicial notice of Ogle
’
s ubiquity, decided that the exclusionary rule, or the “fruit of the poisonous tree” doctrine, did not apply to Ogle. The Court argued that because Ogle
’
s records and video archives were universally accessible, the contents were,
de facto
, in the public domain and any incriminating evidence discovered through the use thereof shall be the legal equivalent of a plain view search. A concurring opinion also raised the possibility that to suppress evidence obtained from Ogle would give criminals blanket protection from all searches while they themselves use the website to plan and commit their next crime. Consequently, Peter Portacio would serve four years in jail for pornography after the Court declared the First Stone law as unconstitutional.

Alexis had no way of knowing any of this, however, as Ogle did not peer into the future, just as she had no way of knowing that in nine months, she would be having her first child.

* *
*

40 days O.E. (Ogle Era)

They say Noah
’
s Ark drifted for forty days and forty nights as the Flood cleansed all the evil from the earth. Jon had been drifting only a week, and was back to teaching full-time. Forty days had passed since Ogle revealed itself and Jon Lorenzo, formerly the senior consultant for the Presidential Task Force on Cybersecurity, had been leading a fairly clean life. He resolved never to work for the government again.

As he locked his office door, he noticed a Post-It note below his name and room number. He peeled it off. It was blank but smelled of raspberries and roses, an expensive fragrance he remembered buying two months ago. Before crumpling the paper and throwing it away, he ran his thumbs along the surface which had a sequence of raised bumps. The crude Braille message read: “5pm. Park bench. Pls come.” It was
already
5:05pm.

She was staring west, her oval face framing her small ruby lips, a perfectly manicured finger idly twirling her hair. She was sitting on the hilltop bench, the same place where, forty-five days ago, they had last met in private. She must have something important to say, he thought, to risk meeting here.

“Jon!” she said, looking fabulously surprised. “You
’
ve lost weight!” They touched cheeks, a gesture of
beso-beso,
a mock kiss. She smelled expensive, raspberries and roses. “It
’
s been a while, hasn
’
t it?”

Her eyes. Something in her eyes.

“Yes, it has,” he said. “What brings you all the way here?  Weren
’
t you supposed to have lunch with my wife?”

“Jon
naman,
that was hours ago! I came from a medical appointment and I wanted to watch the sunset. Come, have a seat!”

I can
’
t, he thought. But complied without protest. Forty days, he remembered. Clean life. Clean slate.

“You said you saw a doctor? Is anything wrong?”

“No,” she said. “Everything
’
s fine. Great.”

Her eyes were light brown. Quivering gold. She couldn
’
t look away from him.

“I
’
m pregnant, Jon.”

Inexplicably, his spirits sank and he was struck speechless. The gold in her eyes disappeared but the quivering remained.

She kept smiling, perfect teeth between perfect lips. “Say something,” she said. “Congratulate me.
Please.
”

“Oh, sorry. I mean, congrats! I
’
m so happy for you. That is good news. Is it good news?”

“Good news,” she said. “Definitely.”

She leaned over and hugged him. He inhaled her scent, imagined what could have been. Waking up beside her, touching her skin.

They continued their friendly embrace longer than planned. With her finger, she quickly traced eight letters on his back: I-W-A-N-T-E-D-U

He broke off and asked, “So will the two of you be tying the knot soon?”

“Ay naku,”
she said. “We broke up more than a month ago. Found him on top of a stripper while I was away in Hong Kong. Don
’
t you love Ogle?”

“I
’
m so sorry.”

“Don
’
t be.”

“Does he know?”

She shook her head.

“You
’
re not going to tell him?”

Again she shook her head. “It
’
s better this way, right? Less complicated.”

He could only nod. What else could he do? “Have you told Alexis?”

“I
’
ve texted her. She
’
s very supportive.”

“And your father?”

“Not yet. He
’
s getting promoted, and I want him to enjoy his moment in the sun first. The President has named him the new Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology.”

“Yes, I heard,” said Jon. “I no longer work for the government though.”

“I heard.”

They sat quietly for a while, listening to the wind, waiting for a sign. The narra trees had begun to flower. Before he could speak, she got up, and so did he.

“
Well,
”
she said, “I have a long day tomorrow. Adultery case. The husband says he
’
s got the video to prove it.” She winked. “Sometimes, Jon, it
’
s the wife who cheats. What time are you heading home?
”

“
I
’
ll get a taxi at the corner. Color coding.
”

“
Need a lift?
”

“
You
’
re heading south, I
’
m heading north. It
’
s okay, I can manage.
”

“
I see.
”
She reached into her handbag for her car keys, and instead pulled out a mirror to check her mascara.
“
Oh, and please tell Alexis she can keep my laptop for as long as she needs. I
’
m getting an upgrade. It was great seeing you, Jon.
”

They touched cheeks,
beso-beso.
Her cheeks felt warm. He watched her walk to the parking lot, and he waved goodbye as her silver Mazda drove out.

The sky was turning orange. He could never tell the difference between the colors of dusk and dawn. When he got to the taxi stand, he found Father Samson also waiting for a ride. He was nearly eighty years old yet normally took solitary walks around the campus with nothing more to guide him than a cane and a Bible.

“Good evening, Father.”

Father Samson looked at him closely, squinting behind a thick pair of spectacles. “Oh, Jon! Yes, it is a good evening indeed!”

“
Have you been waiting long?
”
Jon asked, indicating the taxi sign.

“
Quite,
”
said Father Samson,
“
quite a bit. Half-an-hour, I
’
d guess. There aren
’
t many people and cars in the street these days.
”

“
Not since Ogle.
”

“
What
’
s that again?
”

“
Ogle,
”
Jon repeated.
“
The website that sees everything.
”

“
Oh, yes,
”
said Father Samson.
“
I
’
m afraid my hearing isn
’
t as reliable as it used to be. You should speak louder next time.
”

“
I will, Father.
”

“
Heh?
”

“
I will, Father!
”

“
No need to shout, Jon. We don
’
t want to scare the taxi away.
”
Father Samson grinned, his eyes narrowing into slits.
“
I was just pulling your leg. I can hear you fine.
”

Father Samson was a favorite among the students and faculty. Jon chuckled.
“
You know, since we
’
re going in the same direction, I suggest we share a taxi.
”

The priest rapped his cane on the pavement.
“
Too lazy and impatient to wait for your own, eh? I
’
ve been waiting
here
awhile.
”

Jon
’
s ears reddened.
“
Sorry, I didn
’
t mean to suggest...
”

“
Jon?
”

“
Yes, Father?
”

“
I
’
m pulling your leg again.
”

Both men snickered. For a moment, Jon forgot about Laura
’
s pregnancy until Father mentioned seeing them.

“
You and that lady looked good together,
”
he said.

Jon wished Father Samson was joking. He felt a thousand eyes watching. He downplayed the incident.
“
You mean Laura? She just found out she
’
s pregnant and wanted to share the good news.
”

“
Congratulations then! Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?
”

He and Alexis had promised never to use Ogle to keep tabs on each other, but why take chances? Jon did his best to sound humorously shocked.
“
Haha! She
’
s not having my child, Father Samson! I
’
m already happily married.
”
He held up his hand, proudly displayed his wedding ring.
“
Laura is a friend of my wife, Alexis. We
’
re trying to have children of our own.
”

“
Bless you then,
”
said Father Samson.
“
I take it this
‘
Laura
’
is also married?
”