Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:59:54 -0700 (PDT) From: John Michaels 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 hear your comments. Getting emails is not only the way in which I know I'm doing a good job of entertaining, but it's also the only "pay" I get for it. I ask you to please consider a donation to Nifty. Although it's free for the readers to enjoy the stories there, it takes a lot of time and money to keep the site up and running. So, please: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html Thanks!