THE ULTIMATE TRUTH

Last Entry

With the controversy spinning on Melvin's work, Mark agreed to meet him inside a church one Wednesday. Mark asked Melvin why he chose the church to meet him. He replied that his apartment was no longer safe for any form of conversation with so many people invading his privacy.

"So what is it that you're going to tell me," Mark inquired.

"I want a way out," said Melvin. "I never expected it to be this way. I was just minding my own business."

"I know what you mean," Mark was sighing. "Do you have any plan?"

"Yes," was the reply. "Please help me."

The last word of Melvin came out like a plea from someone who had been burdened with something that he did not deserve. Mark agreed. He said he'd take care of it and use the connections he have. He also implied that some of the people he knew were big fans of him, and would be more than willing to help.

"Melvin," said Mark. "I know you more than you think I do. What is it that you're really afraid of?"

"Responsibility," was the soft answer. "All these years, I just wanted to try something different. But not this way."

"Was it the need to be heard?" his bestfriend asked.

"Frankly no," he was looking straight at his eyes. "It's not a deep longing to be heard, rather it's a deep longing to speak."

He then continued, "When I wrote that book, all the time I was speaking with myself."

Mark was silent. Melvin still said, "I came to believe that when you want to do something passionately, you can do it. Then the world would not become a hindrance. It would help you rise up to the place where you ought to be. For me, that is the secret of life; to find your place in this world."

"I thought it was just work," Mark said.

"No," he said. "What I was doing was purely play. Why? Because I came to love my work."

A week later, a press conference was called on the sudden death of Melvin Santos, author of "The Spring Lies Eternal." Having no relatives, his body was cremated and was given to Mark Lopez. Authorities said that it was a coronary disease that lead to a stroke.

He left a note for Mark to read. In front of television crews and journalists, Mark told the world of Melvin's last words:

"What may be the ultimate truth for you could be the biggest lie for me."

In a few short years, there were allegations by some people that Melvin was seen running naked on a beach in the South. At the same date that the author of "The Spring Lies Eternal" was said to have been seen, someone was using the pages of his book as toilet paper.

QUESTION NO. 19

The nicknames you've had all your life. . . .