One year after taking office, Victorino remained in his study. He sat hunched over his desk, signing documents without pause: bills, decrees, minor resolutions that, nonetheless, carried the weight of an entire country. He read every sheet before affixing his signature, as if searching for something more than words in every line.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1n1MTCzNI
Hours passed without him noticing. The silence in the office began to grow thick. Finally, he set down his pen, rested both hands on the wood, and stood up with a weary sigh. He informed the guards that he was going out for some air.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifkGR2REX5
He crossed the threshold of the Government House and walked aimlessly to a nearby square. There weren't many people; just a few children, a couple of distracted parents, and the soft murmur of the city following its course. Victorino sat on a bench and closed his eyes. For the first time all day, he breathed without haste.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5wbAxTS5Y
The tranquility didn't last long.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67LSbmGrXC
"Good afternoon, sir."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdYCCQvTCa
Victorino did not open his eyes.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0X97oXYCf5
"Fausto," he said simply.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3r3R5DL1WB
"In the flesh."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcA8Q776gVG
Victorino offered a faint smile, a tired gesture that fell short of joy.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjr8OREU87
"Here again?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpOWnWCfDd
Fausto shrugged.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxKckW2Bi2
"I came with my daughter. Didn't think I'd find you here."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyY7owg9E7
Victorino opened his eyes and looked toward the sandbox, where a little girl played with deep concentration, oblivious to everything.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFbONg2tnk
"Ah... I see."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrk8kCPaIu1
"Isn't she beautiful?" said Fausto, with a pride he made no attempt to hide.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOS6ypG1pLR
"Yes, she is," Victorino replied. "And your wife?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGAlQtSfsw
"She's well. At home, looking after the other boy."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIbiBADGEs
Victorino frowned, thoughtful.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYwUJqqDMr
"That boy... what was his name?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kwAEEvxl7
"That is the second time you've asked."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzl2EvLy6E
"I know," Victorino said with a slight grimace. "I'll remember it this time."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqFZEXxTsg
"Luis. Like my grandfather."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHtsh0Oq3I
"A fine name."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBp8msijjX
Fausto observed him for a moment before changing the subject.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpJLLqA2Eh
"And you? How goes it?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Go0d7J6fC
Victorino leaned back against the bench.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMERUyMSpC
"Fine... all things considered. Rivas continues to be a headache. Harrington, a constant nuisance, but manageable."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaG4FnL0MDH
"Rivas doesn't forget," Fausto said. "And neither do I."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23SbPnrMF7
"He wasn't ready," Victorino admitted. "I see it clearly now. He's already started moving, preparing something. Touring the country, meeting with people... seven years early."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfya5A6c6X
"Who knows," said Fausto. "Maybe he'll be president."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngHpipSple
"Please, no."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59Jw0hdfFv
Fausto let out a brief laugh.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGArVsJ1pxv
"I met with him. And yes, he has that idea. He asked for my support."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoX9CINveoc
Victorino turned his head.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPPhklvr2j
"And did you give it to him?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8CAvBOMjo
"No. I told him I wasn't coming back."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2rGgT4idz
"A pity," muttered Victorino. "I had a place in mind for you."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWqowGmBlF
Fausto shook his head, still smiling.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBASZfssgbL
"Thanks, Erick. But no. Now I am simply a father, happily married."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5V2vcYAYY
"Say that in thirty years," Victorino retorted. "We shall see."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGprWw4uM3
"Come on, don't be a curmudgeon."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbF51sb9gt
"Just saying."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9C44Kx5rj
Victorino pulled a pipe from his coat pocket and lit it calmly.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWYrvIEamr
"Want some?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJa1B47htPN
"No," Fausto replied. "I still have trauma from that."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgeHDmx3Pn
"Fragile."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgrVYzAcEO
Victorino inhaled the smoke and let it out slowly.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRlgoz5n2t
"I needed that."
"It shows."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWNgBMC951
They fell silent. They watched the park: children running, life following its course without speeches or decrees. For a few seconds, neither was president nor ex-president. Just two men watching time pass.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIYaTgSudA
"Fausto," Victorino said at last.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6Un21yHBA
"Tell me."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfzwobjZ77
"I always wondered. What did you feel when you became president... at that age?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KJEiy4vTw
Fausto smiled, without taking his eyes off his daughter.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxAv0tfvfv
"Fear," he replied. "But also... hope."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Sp6PjbeOy
"I see."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJzg1Pmb5p
Fausto looked at him then.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiLqizA9tC
"And you? What did you feel?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rZBTx2ibY
Victorino took a moment to answer.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16pDUJ1BSL
"Happiness. I had achieved it. After fighting so much... I made it."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1X3qA0Qp4U
"Now I have a question."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIOTCWnqr9
"Ask it," said Victorino, between puffs of smoke.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGTil9SerC
"Why did you leave politics after Karen won?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlaiUjoRvm
Victorino fell silent. The smoke dissipated before he spoke.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxEY0EO7fp
"For two reasons. The first: there was nothing else to do. I wasn't running for anything and I needed to rest. The second... I wanted to see what you would do."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88orm4yHP6
"That simple?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43FR1biOTj
"Could be."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOxPytrhum
Fausto looked at him with suspicion.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtqJhZSmJ7
"Come on, tell me the real one."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZRWDqgqaB
Victorino observed him calmly.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNnr4XrbE6
"Both are true. If you don't believe me... that's your problem."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1h01re9f7
And he looked back at the park, as if the only answer that really mattered was there.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsi5RephLtR
Fausto looked up at the sky, pale and serene.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaMvoEtUma
"Truthfully... I liked what we built."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtC27kHJTtQ
Victorino nodded slowly.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bj69OS8E0
"And rightly so. You are a living legend, Fausto. The first president of the Seven Republics. If this endures—and I hope it does, for at least two hundred years—you will be in the history books. The danger, the infected, all that no longer defines us. Now, it is us."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTejmek3Up
Fausto smiled, though there was something more than pride in his expression.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfAk8l27KV
"It's sad to think that it's all going to end someday."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCdSyEF3DD
"That is life," Victorino replied. "One day flesh, and the next, mere bones. In the end, we are nothing more than names carved in stone... or words worn down by time. But don't worry: this doesn't end today, nor tomorrow, nor the day after. Not in days, nor months, not even in the next ten years. It will last as long as it has to last."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fVbWYUsiE
Fausto remained silent for an instant.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SUzMWj5Bk
"I just hope that, when it ends, they change it for something better."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLkJVKtskX
Victorino let out a slight exhale.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqhkucDfKZ
"Yes... that would be good."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLfYJul3Ix
Fausto closed his eyes, as if wanting to fix that moment in his memory.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzW7QVBHxP
"I must go. I have to get back home."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSvGvmeDG3
"And I as well," said Victorino. "I still have much to sign."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStbumVrj3a
Fausto called his daughter. The girl ran to him, hugged him tightly, and before leaving, raised her hand to wave at Victorino. He returned the gesture with a discreet smile.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytqHT6hZEX
As he was about to leave, his daughter's hand interlaced with his, Fausto stopped and looked at Victorino, who remained seated.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJb8laZwufG
"So... did we do the right thing?"144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxh3zxvAwsv
Victorino looked him in the eye.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATGsWXrVrP
"We did what we could. And that is the only thing that can be asked of someone who writes something others will read for generations."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYJT6TygtI
Fausto smiled.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jQpdIPKLg
"I suppose that is sufficient."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5EJ3EwxKn
"It has to be," Victorino replied. "A nation is built like a phrase is written: with a pen that might tremble and ink that cannot be fully erased. Every word weighs. Every action stains the page. Because after us, someone else will take the pen. And hopefully, they remember the ink isn't theirs... it belongs to everyone."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjry2PH9c9i
Fausto sat back down and extended his hand.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckAvPf4oFm
Victorino smiled and accepted the handshake, firm and brief.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOiimQDbvy
"Thank you."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AUd2KukhX
"There is nothing to thank, Fausto."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXoWBQUWSe
"No," he insisted. "Truly, thank you."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWx1lRMK8Cs
Victorino opened his mouth to respond, but Fausto interrupted him with a slight, tired smile.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNt8y6YbDvx
"Anyway... I would like to stay longer, but I have to return. See you, Erick."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXou9Pp6q2
And just as he had arrived, he left, taking his daughter by the hand. The girl looked back one last time before walking on.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eAsGWchf7
Victorino watched them move away and let out a sigh.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLTTw6Zwwa
"He is still a boy," he murmured, with a trace of mockery that hid affection.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTKsB6itvu
He remained seated for a few more seconds, his gaze following that figure becoming smaller and smaller. When he finally lost sight of them, he leaned back on the bench and looked at the sky, immense and silent.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYVDNL6X6I
After a moment, he spoke in a low voice, as if the plaza were still listening to him:144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRXAxj1PDB
"A nation is not sustained by eternal men, but by decisions that withstand time. We didn't build a perfect country; we built a possible one. And that, sometimes, is enough."144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYu5JodYb8
Then he stood up and walked back, leaving behind the empty bench, in that park, in that city of the Seven Republics.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0adq4m7mU3
and then Add to home screen.