Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:59:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Michaels <mmanlookin@yahoo.com>
Subject: FILIPINO LOVE - Chapter 19

			       FILIPINO LOVE
				    BY
				    JM

Email: mmanlookin@yahoo.com

Disclaimers and other info: see chapter one


			     CHAPTER NINETEEN


     "Welcome to our home," I heard him say to Ms Fudulan, shaking her
hand, guiding her into the house and shutting the door against the heat
outside.  I'm quite sure he was setting the example of speaking English
right from the start out of deference to me, and I'm also positive I saw
him swell with pride at being able to offer that simple greeting.
Evidently, by asking him to answer the phone and the door, he was feeling a
sense of belonging and ownership that was lacking before.  This had been MY
house and although he and I were most definitely a couple, he hadn't, until
just now, realized his true place in our relationship.  He was also
behaving in a very mature manner, although he had always impressed me as
having more of an adult take on life than others his age, even though I had
seen his youthful side on more than one occasion in a most delightful way.

     I had decided that we'd sit at the small dining table that was part of
the main living area in it's own defined space.  That way, if Ms Fudulan
had any documents or such, we'd be able to lay them out so Ronni could see
too.  I was not going to leave him out of anything since our futures were
now so completely entwined.  It looked like I'd made the right call since
she had her briefcase with her, and I took that as a hopeful sign that
maybe we would be doing some business today before she left.  As we got
settled around the table with Ronni sitting beside me, Ms Fudulan smiled at
us and opened her briefcase, taking out a handful of papers.  I found her
smile to be a good indication about what we were about to discuss.

     "Mr. James," she began, before I interrupted her.

      "Ms Fudulan, " said, "since I have a feeling that you and I are going
to do a great deal of business together, I think we should cut out the
formalities.  My name is Phil and this young man is Ronni."  He sat up
straighter at the mention of his name, unable to suppress a small smile on
those oh-so-kissable lips.

     "I agree", she replied "and if the information I've been able to get
together for you and is acceptable, then I think we'll be seeing quite a
bit of each other.  My name is Josie, by the way.  I think that you will
like what I have put together for you to consider but only if you find it
acceptable, of course."

     "I think before we go too much farther," I said, "I think it only fair
to tell you that Ronni is very special to me and is as much a part of all
this as I am."  I saw her eyes open a bit wider as I said this. Then I saw
her look back and forth between Ronni and me, her eyes widening even
further when she notice the love-bites on Ronni's neck.  Shit!!  I'd
completely forgotten about those and now wondered if she was going to want
out of any dealings with us, or maybe even turn me in to the police for
child molestation!  I was really beginning to sweat at this point until I
saw a smile creep onto her lips, and it didn't really look like one of
those NIGYYSOB (Now I Got You, You Son Of a Bitch) looks.  Although I
couldn't see my own face, I think both Ronni and I had turned beet red.

     I almost shit myself with relief when she said, "You love him, don't
you."

     "Yes, with all my heart," I admitted quietly.

     "I thought there was something more between you when you were in the
office yesterday.  I can see it now.  And please don't be embarrassed,
either of you."  This directed at Ronni.  "I saw yesterday and can see
today how much love there is between you.  I only wish I could be so
fortunate," she said with a sigh.  She gave a small shudder as she brought
herself back to the task at hand.

     "Ronni, Mr.  Ja..., ah, Phil", she corrected herself, "I got the
information on land ownership you asked about, and your assumptions were
correct.  Ronni can indeed own land, but his parents or legal guardians
will need to be trustees until he reaches the age of 18.  I anticipated
something you might ask and can tell you that you, yourself, cannot be his
guardian in this matter.  Anything having to do with land ownership must be
by Filipinos only and preferably by a parent or other close relative."

     That actually had been in the back of mind.  I thought that having
Ronni as a Filipino land- owner, it wouldn't matter who the legal guardian
would be.  This is only a very minor setback, though.  I'm sure that his
parents would be willing to do this, and if they proved to be reluctant,
then I'm quite sure Sanie would VERY persuasive in convincing them to do
it, if not offering to do it herself.

     "I have to admit that I had different thoughts on this, " I said, "but
I really don't think there will be a problem.  I've met Mrs.  Martinez,
Ronni's mother, and she seems to be fully supportive of our relationship.
I have yet to meet his father, but from what Ronni has told me, they both
offer full support for anything that has to do with Ronni and me.  His
grandmother, as matriarch of the family, is also in total support and will
convince his parents should it become necessary.  You were in the US long
enough to maybe have heard the song, `Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets'.
That's definitely the case here."  At my mention of the song, Josie started
laughing uproariously, and it took her a few minutes to regain her
composure.  I was also chuckling at my own humor, and Ronni was looking
back and forth between Josie and me wondering if we'd lost our minds, not
quite getting the reason for our amusement.  Even though he was confused,
he couldn't help but chuckle himself, since seeing others laughing is like
seeing someone yawn.  You just can't help it.

     "Oh, Phil," she gasped, trying to regain her breath, "thank you!  I
haven't had a good laugh like that in far too long.  And, yes, I DO know
the song, and every time I heard it, it made me laugh because of the name
of the character.  I always translated it to mean what it does here, and
the big difference between Lola of song and the Filipina lola was just too
much!"

     I could tell Ronni simply wasn't getting what Josie and I found so
amusing, so I leaned toward him and told him if he remind me later, I'd
explain, followed by a kiss on his cheek.  He gave me a small smile, nodded
and returned the kiss.

     "I really needed that," said Josie, referring to the laugh and unable
to suppress another small chuckle.  "Well, I guess I'd better get back to
why I'm here.  First, good news for you.  There was an email at work when I
got there this morning from the owners of this property.  They've found the
place they want to buy in Bulacan and are desperate to sell this place.  So
to hopefully speed things along, they've dropped their asking price to
700,000.  I hadn't contacted them yet about your interest, wanting to wait
until I had the information you wanted about land ownership.  I know this
place well as I've been the rental agent for two years, and I can tell you
in total honesty that it would be an excellent investment opportunity for
you, providing we can get the land issue settled to your satisfaction."  I
was in complete agreement!

     "Josie, that's great news!  I'd really like to make this deal complete
as quickly as possible.  Ronni and I need to sit down with his parents,
today, if possible, and preferably with his lola present as well to insure
things turn out as we want.  If you could wait just a few minutes, I'll
have Ronni call his parents and lola to see if we can maybe arrange for a
meeting this evening.  If all goes well, I can hopefully give you the
go-ahead tomorrow morning."

     "I can definitely wait, since the owners REALLY want to sell," she
said.

     Turning to Ronni, I said, "Love, do you think either of your parents
are home right now?"

     "I know Papa is at work.  Mama work for others to cook and clean, but
not same day every day.  Maybe she home," he replied.

     "Would you please call and see if anyone is home?" I asked.  "If they
have cel phones, you can try to reach them on those if they're not home, as
long as they won't get in trouble for getting a call at work."

     "What you want me to say?" he asked.

     "Ask them if they will be home after dinner this evening so we can
meet with them, that it's very important and may take some time.  Also,
call Lola and ask her if she can be there too, that we may need her help."

     "Ok," he said, hopping up, giving me a peck on the cheek and heading
for the phone, clearly excited about doing something that made him a part
of this meeting.

     I turned back to Josie, and said, "Now that he's busy for a few
minutes, I want to ask if you had any luck finding a property for the
hotel.  I didn't really want him to hear, since I'm sure that it will
involve a great deal of money, and big money frightens and confuses him.
After our meeting yesterday, it took me a while to get him to calm down and
accept the fact that I could afford to do what I had planned.  And without
you saying anything, I just know that if you found suitable hotel property
that the price would send him into orbit.  So, do you have something for
me?"

     "I do, and I think you'll be very pleased with not only the land, but
the location as well."  She rummaged around in her briefcase and handed me
a slim file folder, which I opened and began going over the documents as
she continued.  "As you can see, the property is about 2 hectares, roughly
20 acres, with 500 meters, or about 1500 feet, of continuous white sand
beech frontage and less than 2 kilometers from the airport.  It has
excellent road access, is close to electric and water connections and is
not on any flight path for the airport, so noise will be at a minimum.
Because of the size of the parcel and location, the asking price is
20,000,000 pesos, or roughly $500,000 US.  It's a great deal of money, and
you could have gotten it for a fraction of that 10 years ago, but there has
been a lot of foreign investment in the Philippines in recent years, so
property values have risen dramatically.  In today's market, the current
price is actually quite reasonable, and I say that not because I make my
living selling real estate, but because it is the truth.  You only have to
look at the land records of recent sales to know how true it is."

     "I believe you.  Land prices back home have gone through the roof, so
I know it's not just here," I said.  "These photos of the property are
giving me some great ideas of the style I'd like the hotel to be and
several other interesting things that would make it an attractive travel
destination for many types of people."  By this time, I could hear Ronni
winding up a call to his grandmother, so I closed the folder to keep it
from curious eyes, at least for the moment.

     Noticing my actions and apparent reason, she said, "I can take you to
show the property any time that's convenient for you.  Just give me a call.
I can usually rearrange my schedule fairly quickly and easily."

     "It may be sooner than later, if all goes well with the meeting with
his parents tonight.  I'll call you in the morning, and we can take it from
there."

     "That will be fine", she said, just as Ronni returned and took his
seat.

     "So what did you find out, Love?" I asked him.

     "Mama and Papa both home tonight and say any time about 7:00.  They
ask if we come eat with them, but I tell them we have plans tonight, but we
come eat there soon.  I tell Lola about meeting with parents and time, and
she say she be there too."  He was positively beaming with pride at
arranging all this.  He knew why we were meeting and how important it was
to both of us, not just me.

     I gave him a quick hug and kiss of appreciation and love and said,
"You did great, Sweetheart.  And maybe we can have your parents and lola
come to dinner here at OUR house soon.  Would you like that?"

     "Oo, yes.  I like very much!" he enthused with a big grin.  I know
he'd be very happy to play host along with me for his parents and lola, but
I think the grin was more for recognizing the emphasis I put on the word
"our".

     "Well, I guess we're done for now," said Josie cleaning up her papers
and putting them in her briefcase before closing it.

     As we stood up, I asked, "Would you care to stay and have lunch with
us?"

     "As tempting as that sounds, I'm afraid I'll have to decline this
time.  I have another meeting in about a half hour and need to get back to
the office and get prepared.  I'll take a rain check, though, if it's
available."

     "Most definitely," I replied.  As we got to the door, we shook hands
warmly, and as Josie was about to leave, she turned, looking first at Ronni
then at me.

      With a tear in her eye, she said, "What I see when I look at the two
of you is so very special and precious.  Always take care of each other."
With that, Ronni launched himself at her, enveloping her with his thin,
sweet arms.  He didn't say a word. He didn't need to.  Everything he wanted
to say was conveyed in that loving hug.  Josie's eyes were really watering
at this point as she hugged him just as tightly.  Finally breaking the hug,
Josie reached out and gently stroked Ronni's face.  She then turned to me
and also gave me a hug exactly as she had Ronni.  When she stepped back,
she again looked at each of us with a sweet smile.  "So good," she
murmured, "so good.  With that she opened the door and walked out.


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