A Son's Quest

by Marlon Viloria

It was almost two years ago when I conceptualised the idea of writing a novel. One day, my elder daughter Valerie and I were walking, on our way to school of my younger daughter Jessica when I mentioned to her that I was thinking of writing a novel. Valerie seemed to have liked the idea and she encouraged me to do so. From then on, it never left my mind.

Rewinding a few months’ back, I was working away from home at the time and I was getting fed up travelling back and forth to Germany. The company I was working with as a consultant offered me an extension of my contract for another year but I already knew I could no longer accept it. Although the job itself was interesting and challenging, the travelling part every weekend was taking its toll and becoming unbearable. It was becoming a torture both physically and mentally, aggravated much further when flight was delayed due to a number of reasons, thus diminishing the joy of looking forward to seeing my family again. Believe me, I have experienced them all.

To cut the story short, I did not accept the offer. So while looking for my next project in the UK, I started writing. Almost every night, I spent long hours tapping my keyboard – from the time we finished our dinner until 2 or 3 am. I was inspired and I was enjoying it. The brainstorming, creating scenarios and plots were exciting. I also even felt so mighty and invincible, having the power to decide what would happen to my characters’ life. I was “God” and “Satan” at the same time.

A few months later, the pieces of a jigsaw that formed parts of my whole concept were almost assembled and the big picture slowly unravelled itself. Looking back, I thought I was writing too quickly, as if I was in haste rather than taking my time to think thoroughly, or even selective in the language used to enhance its presentation in a more subtle way. I had written a book!

My manuscript was filed in my computer for a number of weeks without bothering to open it up. It seemed I could not bear looking at it, let alone reading it through and try to edit it. But after a few months, my enthusiasm came back and started reading it. To my disgust, or horror, I became a critic of my own work. I criticised myself for the words used, for its seemingly numerous ambiguities, for its cheapness, etc. I was deleting paragraphs and either rewriting or rephrasing it. Then I stopped! The criticism I was getting from my own self (if that made sense) was overwhelming, not to mention the names I was calling myself that adjectives such as idiotic or stupid seemed like a breeze.

But anyway, such above criticisms mellowed down after yet more months of lull. In fact, it had spawned in me another kind to criticism, a much stronger and personal one – that I was a damn loser for not finishing what I had started. So whenever I had spare time, I started editing it but only this time, I adapted an open mind. And the rest, as they say, is history.


Full description of the story:

The story began with the introduction of a young son called Marcus Santana. After the disappearance of his father, Jaime, chief of police in their town, following a botched raid against the rebels, he grew up in challenging and difficult circumstances. He was left under the care of his equally tormented but loving mother, Maria. As a consequence, both mother and son faced immense sufferings, hardships and sacrifices. But as time went by and with the help of a therapeutic activity derived from setting up a small undertaking, emotional healing began and they slowly recovered. They picked themselves up and started life all over again.

Marcus grew up to become an honor student as well as a skillful sports player, which had gained him popularity not just within his peers but also from outside school. After high school, he opted to further his education at a prestigious military academy where he excelled in class and enjoyed his time taking part in sports tournament. He also acquired other skills from learning extra curricular activities like martial arts and languages. While at college, he met a beautiful girl named Lisa, daughter of a retired general and sister of his new friend Ben whom he shared a room with while at college. He fell in love with her from their first encounter. Although there was no communication between them or any other contact with her during the remaining years of his college life, it was reignited and blossomed when they again met on his graduation day. After a short courtship, they formed a relationship which had brought overwhelming love and affection for each other.

After graduation and becoming an army officer, he opted to be assigned in the front line and undertook his first tour of duty in the south of the country where the rebels were concentrated in their droves. After a string of successful operations, with a mixture of a major setback along the way, he devised a plan of attack, codename: Operation Blue Mountain, to go after the enemy. Captain Marcus Santana and his Special Forces team, backed up by a thousand soldiers spearheaded an all-out assault against the rebels deep in the jungle and into their own territory. Despite incurring some losses on their side, it ended triumphantly for the army.

The successful outcome of Captain Santana's operation has led to a political and economic stability in the country. Most crucially, it brought lasting peace and security among its people whose lives were shaken by a tiny minority with different political ideology. Personally, it also paved the way to a much brighter future and for him to fulfill a wish of marrying Lisa, the love of his life.