Chapter 1: Born to Fight

The alarm clock rings non-stop, which its noise fills Celine’s condo unit. She slowly hears the loud ring as she wakes up. It is seven o’clock in the morning — she slept for three hours. She is ready for another day, another battle within herself.

The sunray enters the window - it strikes her face.

Celine stretches her body and prayed. After a couple of minutes, she got up and fixed her bed.

It is her last day of stay in her condo unit, as she will be going back to the province while waiting for the bar examination. Her condo unit is now bare, only the bed and her bags were left.

Celine picked up her phone. “Hello, mom. What time are you coming later?” she asked.

“I think we’ll be there at around six. See you soon, honey!” Laura, with sweet voice, answered from the other line.

“Okay, mom. Love you! Bye,” Then Celine ended the call.

It is the last day of Celine’s pre-bar review. After a dreadful and rigorous review for five months, here she is, one step closer to the dream.

It can be seen by her looks that she is exhausted — dark circles, pale skin, messy hair, but she doesn’t care. All she wants is that one of the most coveted titles in the world, the “Atty.” before her name.

She turned on her Bluetooth speakers,  played her favorite Taylor Swift playlist, and sang along with it.

She wholeheartedly sung the first stanza of Cornelia Street. 

She hurriedly made her breakfast, took a bath, dressed up, booked a cab, and went out.

As she goes out, she stared at the quiet, dim, and long hallway. Its silence put up with her cries every night. It has witnessed her triumph and her sorrows.

She then proceeded to the elevator and pressed the ground floor's key. Inside, its walls are mirrors. Everyone who would use the elevator would see their reflections.

As she stares at hers, what she sees is a woman full of dreams and determination. She can’t help but feel emotional with the fact that it is indeed her last day at the condo, and her last day of review as well.

She reached the ground floor. The elevator door opened. As she walks out, a well-lit lobby greets her — enough to transcend its brightness into hers.

As she goes toward the exit door, a man in his 50s smiles bright like a sun at her. It was mang Domeng, the security guard in the high-end condo building.

“Good morning, Ma'am Celine," Mang Domeng greeted her with enthusiasm.

Celine quickly answered with a chuckle. “Good morning, mang Domeng.” Then mang domeng politely opened the glass door for her.

Outdoors, people can feel the Christmas breeze already, even if it is only October. So Celine hurriedly looked around — finding her cab as she feels cold.

With many cars and cabs parked outside the building, she looked at her phone to read the cab’s description to make sure she would approach the right driver.

After looking at the description, she immediately looked for the orange Toyota Vios with plate number BBB 123.

As she looked in front, she saw her cab parked across the 3-lane street. She then crossed the pedestrian lane.

“Marvin, Cab driver?” Celine asked.

Then the driver answered, “Yes, ma’am. Ma’am Celine?”

“Right, that’s me,” Celine answered back with a smile.

Celine pulled the cab’s door in the backseat. Then the driver drove to the destination.

(At the Review Venue)

 A lady-lecturer in her 60s, wearing ruby red lipstick and black-winged eyeliner, and dressed in all-black romper pants and suit is talking; She seems to be wrapping up her lecture series in Civil Law.

“Okay. So this will be the end of our review. Keep everything that you learned not just in your minds but also in your hearts. People’s lives will depend on you,” The lady lawyer-lecturer sternly uttered every word. “Thank you for the wonderful sessions, and I hope to work with you in the courts one day,” she continued with sincerity in her voice.

The words of the lecturer struck everyone in the lecture room. The reviewees did not expect to hear those words from a cold-hearted and strict lecturer like Justice Santa Maria, a retired supreme court justice.

Celine hurriedly closed her book and reviewers, put all her stuff in her bag, and bid goodbye to her review mates. Everyone wished well for each other and promised to keep in touch.

“Celine, are you going home early?” A fellow reviewee asked.

Celine answered, “Yes. My mom and brother are waiting for me downstairs. I’ll be staying in the province before the bar.”

“Oh, sounds like a sanity break. Good luck to us!” The fellow reviewee said.

Celine smiled. Then left the lecture room.

——

Meanwhile, downstairs, Laura and Gabriel are waiting for Celine to come down the building of the review center.

People going down the building looks at them as if they were celebrities. Who would have not to look at them — their aura is eye-catching. Laura, even though in her 60s, she has fair and porcelain skin, her makeup is well made, and her attire is like the royalties'. Gabriel, on the other hand, is masculine, tall, fair-skinned, and handsome. And, they're even standing behind their twenty million peso luxury car.

Laura’s phone rings. She looked at her phone and saw that it was an unknown caller. The number seems to be from the States.

"Hello? This is Laura speaking. May I know who is ca—,“ Laura asked the caller.

Even before she finished her question as she picked up the call, the man answered back and said, “Laura, it’s Atty. Franco. How are you?” Laura was a bit surprised that it was Atty. Franco, her husband’s best friend and the father of Celine’s ex.

It’s been years that Atty. Franco did not get in touch with Laura’s family as Atty. Franco’s family migrated to the USA. So they talked for a while. Even Gabriel borrowed Laura’s phone to greet his godfather.

——

“Hi, mom! Hi, Kuya!” Celine enthusiastically greeted them.

Gabriel answered back, “How are you?”  Celine then signaled with two thumbs up and a smile.

“Atty. Franco, Celine is here already. Let’s talk again sometime. Send my regards to your lovely wife and everyone else,” Laura ended the call and looked in the direction of Celine. “Hi! Let’s eat first before we go home to the province,” she said while hugging her daughter.

“Mom, you looked surprised. Who was that you’re talking to?” Celine asked. So Laura told her that it was Atty. Franco.

Celine just nodded and changed the topic. “So where are we going to eat? I’m starving to death!” Everyone chuckled.

—— 

One month later, the last Sunday of November; and the last Sunday of the four-week bar examination. It is the most awaited day of the four Sundays. It is called “Salubong” — flowers, banners, confetti, and fiesta-like music complete the event. It is to celebrate the hard work of the bar examinees.

All roads surrounding the University of Santo Tomas are closed. People gathered around the campus — loud noise of drum beats, the deafening cheer of the crowds, lively chants of various law school fraternities, and upbeat music fills the air. The vicinity is full of different colors representing the colors of their schools. Relatives, professors, schoolmates, and friends of the bar examinees are excited and anxious while waiting for them.

Celine is walking towards the exit gate of UST. She just finished the exams, and she can hear the loud noises from a distance. Celine cannot believe that finally everything is done. She is more than hopeful that she will pass the bar. She believes that she did all the best she could.

As she exited the gate, she can see her family, schoolmates, and friends cheering for her as she goes in their direction. They were all smiles as if they wanted to give her a group hug. Suddenly, her tears rolled down — she feels very emotional — those are tears of relief, joy, and hope. Suddenly, flashbacks of her triumph, setbacks, heartbreaks and everything in between during her Law School years flashed.

Laura, her mother, grabbed her and embraced her tightly, and whispered, “Job well done, honey.”

Celine embraced her mother back and answered, “Praying for the best, mom. I’m Praying.” Then she hugged her mother even more tightly.