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.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujbMmfp699
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.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBG8k0ibrfG
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.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2IgkWdPBj
The tranquility didn't last long.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7dDkoIEBm
"Good afternoon, sir."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dZjAgNxcp
Victorino did not open his eyes.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNAzOrrXcf
"Fausto," he said simply.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAx1fOubNwk
"In the flesh."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUCa73qAfF
Victorino offered a faint smile, a tired gesture that fell short of joy.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUGlnSVt8h
"Here again?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFR2wYN6yw
Fausto shrugged.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHUw1tNcWV
"I came with my daughter. Didn't think I'd find you here."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiUQGoxXBL
Victorino opened his eyes and looked toward the sandbox, where a little girl played with deep concentration, oblivious to everything.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XMpF1XAKY
"Ah... I see."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOOboVwKIL
"Isn't she beautiful?" said Fausto, with a pride he made no attempt to hide.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡco02dwqf9U
"Yes, she is," Victorino replied. "And your wife?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuFUB1Rhim
"She's well. At home, looking after the other boy."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOV5lPkBxG
Victorino frowned, thoughtful.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lxyfDpiID
"That boy... what was his name?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2lsHrdFg4
"That is the second time you've asked."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gtAzmq4sX
"I know," Victorino said with a slight grimace. "I'll remember it this time."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7Fr0eVBK9
"Luis. Like my grandfather."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUc8XuEPYAB
"A fine name."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52OMxpsDre
Fausto observed him for a moment before changing the subject.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67fcvHTTli
"And you? How goes it?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KiDULXrxb
Victorino leaned back against the bench.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2QlEo5Eve
"Fine... all things considered. Rivas continues to be a headache. Harrington, a constant nuisance, but manageable."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyLqsAOQcA
"Rivas doesn't forget," Fausto said. "And neither do I."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQf8XkcSTY
"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."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5WjUwsPef
"Who knows," said Fausto. "Maybe he'll be president."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi38XQ3cxld
"Please, no."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8wLLMeWLb
Fausto let out a brief laugh.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyXLZeVrpN
"I met with him. And yes, he has that idea. He asked for my support."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuno5DblSO
Victorino turned his head.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYgx0o1QDR
"And did you give it to him?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeLIGS2vP8
"No. I told him I wasn't coming back."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSLVPZGDIW
"A pity," muttered Victorino. "I had a place in mind for you."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfAKqafRcU
Fausto shook his head, still smiling.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmDTbwM8da
"Thanks, Erick. But no. Now I am simply a father, happily married."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiceEMLvWZ5
"Say that in thirty years," Victorino retorted. "We shall see."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbt0jbN85y
"Come on, don't be a curmudgeon."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtY3dIvI8lY
"Just saying."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SYhhEHGbf
Victorino pulled a pipe from his coat pocket and lit it calmly.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvilebS2ro
"Want some?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hmnAvPBYE
"No," Fausto replied. "I still have trauma from that."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡid7wVO2pQx
"Fragile."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1iDk6CPUY
Victorino inhaled the smoke and let it out slowly.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqn9Et4lPdV
"I needed that."
"It shows."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ960jUNPitx
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.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgX3Yo1lh7I
"Fausto," Victorino said at last.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdjSfNIZ9h
"Tell me."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYyDhjQlY5
"I always wondered. What did you feel when you became president... at that age?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRq02CBPFcG
Fausto smiled, without taking his eyes off his daughter.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6muyxM080d
"Fear," he replied. "But also... hope."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRSR7kvclm
"I see."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8zcoUdnrF
Fausto looked at him then.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYpDV0RSP5
"And you? What did you feel?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2O9LMt1vS
Victorino took a moment to answer.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSheZ7TLP0U
"Happiness. I had achieved it. After fighting so much... I made it."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6spbpxp3bg
"Now I have a question."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTS6aqYoSh
"Ask it," said Victorino, between puffs of smoke.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCauZ6iax8
"Why did you leave politics after Karen won?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aU7W5EIol
Victorino fell silent. The smoke dissipated before he spoke.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7tOAepCle
"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."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnoh1SUPuRV
"That simple?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rABUsdkjq
"Could be."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJdt7nKoun
Fausto looked at him with suspicion.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWlnNr8ZQF
"Come on, tell me the real one."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPXCXbs1J9
Victorino observed him calmly.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepGuTQyUIr
"Both are true. If you don't believe me... that's your problem."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoy6XxwCym
And he looked back at the park, as if the only answer that really mattered was there.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxujgzB7Hh
Fausto looked up at the sky, pale and serene.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzh6kUhDRO
"Truthfully... I liked what we built."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWhTNGapfq
Victorino nodded slowly.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkR7j4kkE2
"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."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSeVcogNjG
Fausto smiled, though there was something more than pride in his expression.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCayBgtuRQ1
"It's sad to think that it's all going to end someday."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uK70XHZ3M
"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."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTtItEwgD4
Fausto remained silent for an instant.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBdHEshUJ3
"I just hope that, when it ends, they change it for something better."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6aUMxscHo
Victorino let out a slight exhale.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtqQdC0tsW
"Yes... that would be good."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyE8HOl65LV
Fausto closed his eyes, as if wanting to fix that moment in his memory.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kd3vy9dXX
"I must go. I have to get back home."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJAQhgpYVA
"And I as well," said Victorino. "I still have much to sign."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSo5MP5KxG
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.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOofIb9r5Xc
As he was about to leave, his daughter's hand interlaced with his, Fausto stopped and looked at Victorino, who remained seated.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMv6Z2Tdsc
"So... did we do the right thing?"191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViYOmkQQ9t
Victorino looked him in the eye.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhymkHnMSiB
"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."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIBKfmeKCL
Fausto smiled.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiY1n455Ui3
"I suppose that is sufficient."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhn0y1TBCHz
"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."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQB3AL5fLmm
Fausto sat back down and extended his hand.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUjNWl5eE5
Victorino smiled and accepted the handshake, firm and brief.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOukWQOVZK
"Thank you."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nQE8AqkG4
"There is nothing to thank, Fausto."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxW9JtrY0jX
"No," he insisted. "Truly, thank you."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsHHRIK8S6
Victorino opened his mouth to respond, but Fausto interrupted him with a slight, tired smile.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkWbS8SVg9
"Anyway... I would like to stay longer, but I have to return. See you, Erick."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOQwe4Qf2V
And just as he had arrived, he left, taking his daughter by the hand. The girl looked back one last time before walking on.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfIm6FqRcG
Victorino watched them move away and let out a sigh.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmL5UrXHvPQ
"He is still a boy," he murmured, with a trace of mockery that hid affection.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLeMqk36d6
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.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWruwNK0Sjb
After a moment, he spoke in a low voice, as if the plaza were still listening to him:191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dAreYEq3S
"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."191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWL5qxIOzV
Then he stood up and walked back, leaving behind the empty bench, in that park, in that city of the Seven Republics.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjiPVwX6py
and then Add to home screen.