Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:59:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Michaels <mmanlookin@yahoo.com>
Subject: FILIPINO LOVE - Chapter 22
FILIPINO LOVE
BY
JM
Email: mmanlookin@yahoo.com
Disclaimers and other info: see chapter one
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
At this, Ronni's mother came forward and gave him a hug. While in the
hug, she reached back with her hand and took mine, giving a supportive
squeeze. It looked to me as if things were not going to go well for the
planned meeting. Ronni's mother appears to be on our side, but his father
was the great unknown. And why was this other woman here and not his lola?
She had an extremely unpleasant look on her face like she'd just been
sucking lemons. His father, though, was totally unreadable, and there was
nothing to indicate what he was thinking or feeling by his neutral
expression. His body language was also giving nothing away.
"Where Lola?" Ronni asked again. The woman said something in Tagalog
with a nasty sneer slinking across her thin mouth.
"No!" Ronni shouted at his aunt. "If lola say she be here, she be
here. What you say is not true!" Her sneer turned into a look of contempt
as she said something again, most likely directed at Ronni.
"I not believe you," he said forcefully. "And you have enough
English, you speak English for my friend so he hear too!" At this, his
father stepped forward, speaking sternly, and obviously reprimanding his
son for speaking disrespectfully to his aunt as he gestured between them.
"Papa, I am sorry," he said more calmly, "but you know she not like me
and treat me bad, so I not like her too. And please speak your English.
Phil not understand."
"Tita Sara is your aunt and your elder. You must always show
respect," he said clearly.
"I show respect to her long time, but she no show respect to me. But
for you, Papa, I will try now." His father gave a brief nod..
Ronni's mother had, in the meantime, released her hold on him and
began directing us to sit down. I realized that without Lola Sanie being
present, my plans were most likely down the tubes. Evidently, this sour
old woman is Ronni's Aunt Sara, and I could tell by the looks she shot
between Ronni and me, that she wasn't exactly trying to figure out what to
get us for Christmas! She obviously had a great deal of influence over her
younger brother, and I wasn't sure if he would even listen to our proposal.
I also knew that I'd have no idea what the true conversation would be
because I was aware of their limited English skills, and they would
definitely be talking Tagalog to be able to express some of the more
complex parts of what Ronni and I needed to accomplish, and that was only
if Ronni was able to grasp what I was saying so he could translate.
Without Sanie present, I had a feeling that things would be said that would
have been dismissed or at least tempered by a formidable and much-needed
ally. Shit!!! Things seemed to be going pear-shaped at an alarming rate!
Then, I had an idea. Before taking our seats, I excused Ronni and me and
took him outside, he , with a puzzled look as to what I was doing.
Once outside and, hopefully out of hearing of the others, I said,
taking his hand, "Sweetheart, first thing I need to ask, is Tita Sara your
father's older sister?"
"Yes, why?" he asked. Damn! That confirmed my worse fears.
"I think she has a lot of influence over your father, and even I can
see that she doesn't like you very much, and me, probably even less. She
can make things very bad for us, and I think she's already tried to talk
your parents against us just before we got here. If your lola was here, I
think we'd be ok, but she isn't. We need help, I think."
"What help?" he interrupted.
"I was thinking I'd call Josie to see if she could come to be
translator. It's not that I think you can't do the job, but there will be
some legal terms and things that you may not be able to explain to them so
they'd understand. She can also give me a clear translation of what's
being said. Your feelings for me would make it too hard for you to do it
fairly. I think you might feel you have to keep something from me so it
won't hurt my feelings. And that's not a bad thing, Love. I just want to
make it as easy for you as we can, especially with your aunt here. I have
a feeling that she can really make things really bad for us, and having
Josie here would give us someone who's on our side. So do you think it's
ok to try to call of Josie?"
"I know what you say," he said, thoughtfully. "Tita Sara not like me,
and I not like her. She not want anything that make me happy. I like idea
of Josie. We have someone on our side." He got it!!! And he understood
the situation!!! I gave him a huge hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Let me call her, and you go back inside. I'll be right there. Maybe
you can find out about Lola."
"Ok," he said, returning the kiss. "I hope Josie will come."
"Me too," I said, with a deep sigh. With that, he went back inside
and I pulled out my cel phone to see if Josie could possibly come to our
rescue. Someone was definitely watching out for us, as she answered on the
second ring. When I explained the situation, she said she'd be glad to
help, and that she had just left her office and was on the way home, which
would take her right past our location. She said she'd be here in about 5
minutes. Thanking her profusely, I put my phone away and almost pissed
myself with relief. With Josie there, I knew that at least our plans
couldn't be scuttled by the language barrier. When I got back inside,
there was a heated discussion between the aunt and Ronni's father. She was
touching her neck, then pointing at Ronni, obviously having seen the
love-bites in his neck. His mother was trying to say something, and every
time she did, the aunt would just talk right over her. Finally in
exasperation, she surprised us all by placing two fingers in her mouth and
giving out a shrill whistle that immediately got everyone's attention and
even shut up the harangue from The Bitch, as I've now come to think of her.
Turning her back deliberately to TB, she began talking to Ronni's
father in a no-nonsense tone. He actually looked rather meek as she
continued, pointing first to Ronni then me, which got a snort of derision
from TB. She turned her head to glare at the offender before turning back
to Papa, continuing what she was saying, but this time, in a much gentler
tone. His father's shoulders slumped, as he looked first at Ronni, then at
me before focusing his attention back on his wife and spoke softly to her.
I saw her nod her head as he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Not able to keep her mouth shut any longer, TB began in again, her harsh
voice rising. Ronni's mother faced TB and made a chopping motion with her
hand, surprising auntie into shutting up in mid-sentence. Just then, there
was a knock at the door, and there stood Josie, our knight in shining
armor. I was never so glad to see anyone in my life!
Ronni went to meet her with a hug and led her into the room. He then
introduced her to the others. To say there were shocked expressions on
their faces at the intrusion on what they thought was going to be a family
meeting is a forgone conclusion, most notably from TB, who actually began
to look a bit uncomfortable. Josie then took over, explaining who she was,
what her relationship was to Ronni and me and why I'd asked her to be
present. Ronni was my personal translator while this was going on. His
father asked a question, which Josie answered, and then TB said something
that caused Josie's back to stiffen and Ronni's parents get a shocked look
on their faces. Whatever had been said to her, Josie very calmly but
coldly responded. Ronni also looked shaken, but recovered enough to turn
to me to tell me that TB had asked Josie if she was sleeping with me as
well. I felt my blood boil, and if I had been close enough, I would have
slapped the fucking bitch! And from that moment on, THAT became her name.
She got an upgrade to FB! At that moment, a figure burst into the room and
began talking loudly and angrily, all the while shaking her finger at FB.
Sanie had arrived, and she was furious!
It was actually funny to watch as this diminutive woman stormed over
to FB, her voice strident, dripping with scorn and derision, and to see FB
actually cower, with a look of horror on her face. Ronni was just standing
there, with his mouth hanging open, unable to speak, so I got Josie's
attention and asked what the hell was going on. She was also totally
caught up in the bit of drama being played out in front of us but pulled
herself together enough to be able to fill me in. As she translated, I
again felt my blood pressure rise again, and I'm sure my face now showed
them same shock as the others. This is what she translated.
Sanie had been ready to leave earlier than she needed to, thinking
she'd have some time to spend with her daughter and grandkids before we had
our meeting. When she got to the shed beside her house where she kept her
motorcycle, she discovered an older teen, the son of one of FB's neighbors,
slashing the front tire of her bike. Given Sanie's local reputation, he
was terrified, and confessed that FB had offered him 100 pesos if he would
disable her bike. He had been told when Sanie would most likely be leaving
for the meeting and hadn't expected her to leave this early. Sanie then
asked FB what she had to say for herself.
FB had recovered somewhat from the verbal assault and pulled herself
up into a self-righteous pose before delivering her harangue, for that's
just what it turned out to be. She told Sanie that she had no right having
any influence over the family, that as the eldest sister of the head of the
family, Ronni's dad, that it was HER right to be matriarch. She went on to
say that Sanie was no more than a sham and a fraud who was only able to
gain respect by instilling fear in others with her witchcraft. It came
across to all of us, I'm sure, that FB was insanely jealous of the love and
trust others had in Sanie. At this point, I was reminded of something that
was a very raw wound for my love, and since FB seemed to be on a role
confessing, decided to get everything over and done with all at once.
I turned to Josie and said," Ask her why she has such strong feelings
against Ronni." Clearing her voice to get attention, she did as I asked.
If I thought FB was a spiteful woman up until now, it was nothing compared
to the absolute venom that dripped off every word, her eyes wild and spit
flying out of her mouth as she spewed forth her true hatred, rising from
her chair and gesticulating wildly with stabbing motions in Ronni's
direction. The woman was insane with anger and shaking with self-righteous
indignation! What she said shock and horrified everyone as her real
reasons for never liking Ronni came pouring out.
She said that Ronni never should have been born. Even though the
family is devoutly Catholic, she said she had urged Ronni's mother to end
her pregnancy with him when it was discovered that the fetus was probably
malformed and that her health...her very life...was in danger. Venus, his
mother, had adamantly refused, having a strong faith that God would make
things all right. Her refusal angered FB, since she felt that her advice
should be heeded since she was the eldest sister of Marcus, the father,
and, as such, was THE final authority in matters of family. When Ronni was
born, his arms were even then undersized, and FB pointed that out as proof
that she should have been listened to. She even tried to get Venus to kill
the newborn, calling him the devil's spawn and not fit to live, that he
would never amount to be anything but heartache and trouble for Venus and
Marcus. She also said that it was further proof that Ronni was unfit to
live because of the "unnatural and abominable" relationship he had with me.
Poor Venus broke down completely at this point. Through her broken
sobs, she told her husband that she hadn't told him about this because she
didn't want to cause problems between him and his only other living
relative. She hung her head, sobbing loudly and asked him to please
forgive her. With tears streaming down his face, Marcus took his
heartbroken wife into his arms, and in that simple gesture not only showed
his total forgiveness but his deep love for her as well. With her face wet
with her own tears, Sanie went to them, putting her short arms around them
as best she could, giving her love and comfort as well. While this was
going on, FB sat there, glaring in contempt at the family tableau before
her, her bony chest rising and falling rapidly with the intensity of her
passionate hatred for Sanie and Ronni.
Ronni had been wrapped in my arms from the beginning of that horrific
confession. He was crying so hard that he was hiccupping and
hyperventilating, and I was doing my best to pour my love into him,
desperate to take his pain on as my own. Holding him tightly to me with
one arm, I gently caressed him, kissing him lightly on the side of his
head, whispering my love to him, over and over. I suddenly felt several
pairs of arms enfolding both Ronni and me in a loving embrace. Lifting my
tear-stained face, I saw Marcus, Venus, Sanie and even Josie enfolding
Ronni and me in a cocoon of love. Fucking Bitch was still where she had
delivered her poison with a sneer of derision on her sharp, pointed face.
Then, she began to talk again. I felt Ronni's dad stiffen and pull away
from the rest of us and slowly advanced on his clearly deranged sister.
His face was livid with anger as he stopped in front of her, which only
then shut the bitch up. He then raised his hand and with considerable
force, slapped her across her sneering face, delivering his backhand on the
return. The force of the blow sent her reeling back until she lost her
balance, banging her head on the wall, which was the only thing able to
stop her momentum. With a stunned look on her face, she slid down the wall
until she was sitting on the floor, holding the side of her face where the
blow had landed. Marcus stood over her, speaking quietly but with deadly
clarity. When he saw her shake her head, he reached down, grabbed her by
the arm and hauled her to her feet none too gently. He then shoved her to
the door and pushed her out, slamming the door shut.
Whatever this last verbal exchange had been had set my Ronni off
again, and he only began to calm down when he witnessed his father ushering
`Auntie Dearest' out the door. Curious to know what FB had said to set off
Marcus like that, I asked Josie. Ronni was, by this point more wrapped
around his mother than me, although he refused to lose contact with me
completely. Quietly, in my ear farthest away from Ronni, she whispered
that Sara had said that she knew she was right all along, and that Ronni
should have never been allowed to live, and the evidence, as she said, was
right before everyone's eyes. He was a skinny-armed faggot who was a
disgrace to his family and society and deserved to die. Josie looked
apologetically at me, her face flooded with fresh tears, obviously upset by
what she ha heard and at having to tell me that but also conveying her
sorrow at the whole situation and especially for Ronni. I gave her a hug
of appreciation and turned back to my love. His mother had done what only
a mother can do in situations like this, and he was once again fairly calm,
knowing that he had the unconditional love of his family and me.
Sanie was the one to bring everyone back to the moment. She had
disappeared sometime after the final confrontation between Marcus and his
sister, and now returned with a tray with several glasses, several cans of
coke and a small bottle of rum. What a gal!! She knew exactly just what
was needed. Getting everyone seated, Ronni snuggly ensconced on my lap,
she began to bartend, mixing a fairly light drink for Venus and Josie, and
a much stronger one for Marcus and myself. As she started to hand Ronni
his own can of coke, he looked at her with his puppy dog eyes clearly and
jokingly (?) asking for his own rum and coke, whereupon she simply smiled
at him, patted him on the cheek and pushed the can into his hand. With a
theatrical sigh, Ronni popped the tab and took a healthy slug, winking at
me, so I know he hadn't been serious. As nerves began to settle,
conversation eventually got around to the reason I wanted to meet with the
family. Through Josie, I told them that after all that had happened this
evening, that maybe now wasn't the best time, but they pressed me to tell.
So, I told them about my plans to buy the cottage and the land for a hotel.
They were duly impressed and asked for details, which I supplied. I was
still hesitant to get into the real reason I wanted the meeting, but it was
Marcus who said that while he was impressed and pleased with my plans, that
it couldn't be the full reason for meeting. I finally admitted that it was
their help that I needed, and went on to explain about the laws of land
ownership. When I got to the part about wanting Ronni to be the owner and
for them to be trustees until he reached the age of majority, Marcus said
enthusiastically that they would be happy to help in any way, including
being Ronni's trustees. Josie said that she even had the required forms in
her briefcase, which was in her car just outside the alley. She had gotten
them from her office in preparation for our meeting the next day, hoping
that the meeting with the family would be successful. Marcus insisted she
go get them right now, and we'd at least get the paperwork filled out.
When Josie returned with the forms, it turns out they were really
quite simple. All that needed to be done was to fill in the names of the
trustee(s) and the minor with a space for two witnesses along with a space
for the date signed. Josie signed as one, and Sanie signed as the other.
Josie said she'd file these with the land office and the court first thing
in the morning, and we were good to go ahead with the rest of the plans.
She said that she'd also contact the owners of the cottage first thing and
get things rolling. She was positive that with the cooperation of my bank
in the US and reliable fax machines, that everything could completed by
next Monday, Tuesday, at the latest. I hadn't told her yet that I already
had an established bank account here that I'd set up before leaving the US
to come here. I decided that I was too emotionally exhausted right now to
go into all that. I'll tell her in the morning.
Ronni asked Sanie that since she couldn't ride her bike into town, how
did she get here? She said that she actually got a ride with the guy who
had slashed her tire. She laughed as she said that she laid such a guilt
trip on him about what he'd done, that he was falling all over himself to
try and make amends. Then I asked if she was planning to go home or spend
the night in town. When she said "town", I offered a place at the cottage,
telling her that I could take the couch, and she and Ronni could share the
bed, getting a hairy eyeball from my lap warmer. She must have seen the
look, because she started laughing again and said "thank you" but that she
would be staying here with Marcus and Venus in the kids' room. That
brought another question that never really occurred to me until just then,
given the intensity of the evening from the very beginning: Where were Sara
and Christian? They were at a friend's house for a birthday party and
sleepover. I'm sure everyone was glad that the little ones didn't have to
witness what went on earlier.
I noticed that it was getting late, and both Marcus and Josie – and
possibly Venus - had to go to work in the morning, so with my love in my
arms, stood up to say goodbye. Josie also stood and offered us a ride
home. It may only be 15 minutes away, but both Ronni and I were wiped out,
so I eagerly accepted her offer. Hugs and goodbyes were passed all around,
and we were soon at the door. Josie went first, and as I started out with
my love-leech, Marcus patted me gently on the back. It now looks like the
last of the major hurdles with our relationship had been cleared. Now I
can focus my attention solely on building our relationship and our future.
We got to her car, got in and were soon on our way home. The short
ride was quiet but comfortably so. As she pulled up to our cottage, Josie
said, "With one glaring exception, what a wonderful and remarkable family."
"I couldn't agree more," I responded. "I have to admit that I was
nervous about meeting Papa, but I shouldn't have been. Anyone who raises
such a sweet, loving child like this guy here has to be a very good person.
It's not every man who can say that he genuinely likes his in-laws." This
got a chuckle and a squeeze from my guy. "Thanks so much for the ride
home. We'll see you tomorrow when you have time. Just don't call too
early. After the emotional roller coaster ride we had tonight, I think
we'll be sleeping late."
"Not a problem," she said. Thanking her again, I stepped out of the
car with my precious cargo, and we headed to the cottage, as she gave her
now-signature toot and wave and was gone.
This was a particularly hard chapter to write, but life can't always
be hearts and roses. I hope you're enjoying the story and would like to
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