Working as a police officer in Mexico-Chapter 1709 - 769: No Beating for Greedy or Lazy, Only for the Blind! (Part 3)
Capítulo 1709: Chapter 769: No Beating for Greedy or Lazy, Only for the Blind! (Part 3)
Father Rafael is 48 years old, a post office worker. Mother Elena is 45, an elementary school teacher. The eldest son Diego is 19, studying engineering in college. The younger daughter Sofia is 16, a high school student.
Dinner is bean soup, tortillas, and a little chicken.
There is less chicken than before, but Elena skillfully chops it up and mixes it with the beans, making it appear quite abundant. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
As the news begins, Rafael looks up and puts down his fork.
“Here we go again,” he mutters, “every day it’s news about the war.”
“Dad, don’t say that,” Diego stares at the TV, “those are our soldiers fighting hard on the front line.”
“I know they are fighting hard.”
Rafael sighs, “But what is the result of fighting hard? Prices keep going up, your mom’s school even has to save on chalk. Last week, our neighbor Mr. Rodriguez was laid off, his factory said ‘Imported materials are cut off.'”
Elena softly says, “Rafael, let’s eat first.”
At that moment, the image of Bertolini’s body appears.
The whole family is stunned.
Sofia covers her mouth, Diego’s eyes widen, Rafael’s expression freezes, Elena’s hands tremble slightly.
Five seconds.
On TV, five seconds is very short. But in the quiet living room, five seconds feels like a century.
After the image cuts away, Sofia whispers, “He… is dead.”
“It was a colonel,” Diego says, “the Italian commander.”
Rafael slowly picks up his water glass and takes a sip. His hand is steady, but his gaze is complex.
“Did you see his eyes?” Elena suddenly says.
The others all look at her.
“His eyes,” Elena repeats, her voice light, “half-open. When my dad passed away, it was the same. Grandma said, that’s because there were things left unsaid.”
Silence falls in the living room again.
“I used to work at the post office, handling international mail,” Rafael suddenly starts speaking, his voice a bit hoarse, “Sometimes, I would see postcards sent from Europe. Italy’s Venice, Rome, Florence… very beautiful. The people sending postcards would write on the back: ‘The sun is so nice, wish I could stay here forever.'”
He pauses, “That colonel might have also seen the sunshine in Venice. Now he lies in the cornfields of Indiana.”
Diego frowns, “Dad, are you sympathizing with the enemy?”
“I’m not sympathizing with him.”
Rafael shakes his head, “I’m just… wondering. In his last moments before his death, what was he thinking about? The sunshine in Italy? His family? Or why he came here?”
He looks at his son, “Did you know your grandfather participated in a war? Not this one, an earlier one. He rarely talked about it, but once when he was drunk, he said: ‘The scariest thing on the battlefield is not the people you kill, but that those you kill, just like you, miss home.’
Elena reaches out and gently holds Rafael’s hand.
“I’m not saying that we were wrong.”
Rafael continues, speaking more to himself, “Aggressors should be driven back. Our soldiers are heroes. But that dead man on TV, he must have parents too, right? Maybe he also had a wife and children, now they can’t wait for him to come home.”
His son pouts, “Dad, you’re being too sentimental. If there were so many things to consider in war, then it wouldn’t be a war, it would be a game.”
He takes a big bite of food and continues, “Don’t pity your enemies, that’s what scholars and saints should do, we… should enjoy the benefits brought by victory!”
These words are too realistic, Rafael and Elena are stunned, not understanding why their son thinks this way.
Dinner ends on a note of discord.
On May 13th, the front pages of major European newspapers were dominated by the same photo.
The front-page headline of “Communiqué XX” (Italy) reads: “Colonel Bertolini Killed, North American Expeditionary Force Faces ‘Catastrophic Blow’.” The inside pages span two full pages analyzing the reasons for the defeat, quoting unnamed military sources criticizing the chaotic NATO command and allies standing by and doing nothing.
The “Figaro Newspaper” headline is more biting: “Italian Pasta Overcooked in Indiana.”
The article mocks the Italian army’s “tradition” coming true once again and suggests that the French Foreign Legion achieved “steady progress with minimal losses” in the adjacent battle zone.
“The Times” takes a more restrained tone: “NATO Forces Face Setback, Italian Brigade Suffers Heavy Losses.”
The article emphasizes that “the overall coalition strategy is unaffected,” and quotes the British Minister of Defense saying: “This is merely a tactical adjustment in a long campaign.”
In Rome, the Bertolini family mansion is surrounded by reporters.
General Old Aldo Bertolini did not appear, only the butler came out to read a brief statement: “The family is immersed in grief, please respect our privacy. We trust the military will thoroughly investigate this incident.”
The real shake-up occurred in the financial markets.
On May 13th, when trading opened, the Milan Stock Exchange plummeted 5.7%, with bank stocks and defense contractors leading the decline.
Anti-war protests erupted in Rome with demonstrators holding signs saying “Bring Our Sons Home,” clashing with the police.
The Italian opposition launched an urgent inquiry in Parliament, demanding the government explain “why Italian soldiers are dying in North America for U.S. interests.”
The stock markets in London and Paris were also affected, with falls between 2% and 3%.
Analysts’ reports began to feature terms like “war fatigue” and “excessive costs.”
The most awkward situation was at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels.
At the routine press conference, the spokesperson was repeatedly questioned:
“Does the annihilation of the Italian brigade prove the failure of NATO’s ground strategy?”
“When will the issue of coalition command authority be resolved?”
