Fifteen

Copyright © 2019-2020 by VeryWellAged

Back to The way forward...3

Author's note: These chapters are NOT stand-alones...The story starts here.

The way forward...4

Stefan's place was crap and Stefan is nice, the opposite can be said for Brian.

I have no idea who we are meeting next. Jana tells me that they have collected two more names and numbers. I may be struggling with each of these visits, but the girls are having a great time. Exactly why eludes me, but it is clear that they are not having any problems.

I noted that Brian and I were served separately from the girls. I wonder how they liked the dishes that they might have never seen before. Well, that was the question. The answer is that they were served Filipino dishes. Brian's wife does not eat what she serves to her husband. I am not surprised.

Craig? We all talk to Ester today and Mona yesterday. I think they both love their guys, but they not like each other. Stefan, she¹ speak Filipino and they mostly are with Filipinos. Brian, he not speak any Filipino and he has a bad attitude, but he not want to go back to the UK. Ester, she say Brian is always lonely, but he was lonely when they live in the UK. We not think you like them. We think Filipinos not so different from each other. Why you all different?

Jana, I don't think I am in agreement with you about how Filipinos are all the same. As far as Stefan, Brian and me, well, we are all white, but are you like Japanese, or Koreans, or Chinese?

Why you ask that? That not the same!

Well Japanese, Koreans, Chinese and Filipinos are all Asians. Right? These guys and I are white, but Stefan is a Belgian, Brian is a Brit and I am an American, a Bostonian. These are all different cultures. To you, we are all the same. But to me we are worlds apart. Even Americans can be very different from each other. Different parts of my country have very different customs from other parts. But are you girls really just like someone from Manila?

I not know. Maybe we will think about it. Someone say we to be invited to a party where we to meet an American. Maybe you more like him.

I have to smile. Did she get what I was saying? OK, we will see. ... So now that you have me upstairs in the bedroom, do you have any plans? Or are we just going to sleep?

I not let you sleep.

She won't, at least not for a while. She really is a pretty girl. Perfect? Maybe not, but what is 'perfect?' Looking at her makes me happy. Knowing she and I are about to make love, makes me very happy. I know her body now and that means I know what gets her off. She likes her legs played with. She likes her belly licked. She likes a thumb up her ass while being fucked hard.

I have been far more playful with Jana than I have been with Mel. Mel has a nervous disposition and new things tend to scare her. Jana is the opposite. Jana is an explorer. She shares a great deal with Lexi in that way.

Within minutes I am deep in Jana's cunt, with a thumb up her ass as I bite down on her lower lip. Jana is bouncing around. She likes a little pain with her sex and she is getting it now. I smash my thumb in as far as I can and wiggle it around as I pound her cunt.

And within minutes Jana is losing it, crying out, and if I would ever let go of her lower lip, she might cuss a blue streak. As it is, she is drenching my cock and the hand down by her ass.

Our lovemaking doesn't take long. I am not a stud like in the x-rated movies and Jana has probably never seen such a movie with which to compare me. Our lovemaking probably doesn't last ten minutes. But in those ten minutes, Jana has definitely cum and so have I.

I don't think I have anything to prove with her as she snuggles into me. She is happy. This lovely, seventeen-year-old sweetheart may well truly love me.

So, yes, I may have hit a couple of bumps in the road. Yes, maybe I didn't have my eyes completely open before. Yes, it is clearly possible to live in a place that seems like it's next door to hell. Yes, there are some sorry-ass guys here who were sorry-assed long before they ever got here. None of that has to reflect my life here.

I wasn't best of buds with everyone in Dorchester, either. Typically, men my age will only have two or three real friends and it takes a good long time to find those. I don't figure I will even have one true friend here in the Philippines. Oh, I will make acquaintances, sure. And I will be friendly with some of them. But real friends? That's just not likely. I have met a few expats. It is sweet and silly for my girls to think I am going to bond with these guys.

I didn't come to the Philippines to be part of an expat community. Do the girls think I will get lonely if I don't have 'white guy' friends? Is that it? If it is, it's cute on their part and totally misguided.

Jana has fallen asleep, as my mind has been traveling down rat-holes again. It is time to sleep.

Thursday morning is another day without many requirements. There isn't even a party tonight. The girls need to go shopping and, as we have a van to haul bags, I am requested to come along. Other than that, I am uncommitted. It's a good feeling.

I have a text from my personal banker in Boston. The cashier's check has cleared and the money has been wired to my account here. As an addendum to the text, he hopes that this ends up being a good decision. He has his concerns.

I have finished breakfast and am ready to drive to the supermarket when Lyn announces she has a text from Rena.

I am waiting on Lyn to tell me what's up, but Lyn starts giggling and texting back, and then giggling again. The rest of us are all just looking at Lyn, who isn't engaging with anything but her cellphone.

Finally the texting session ends and we have our girl's attention.

Well? What did she tell you?

You won't believe it!

I can't if you won't tell me. What did she say?

She bargained, like you say, but she start at forty.

Wow, that's low. What happened?

The guy say, 'You sure the money is real.' Rena tell him she sure. Ha! The guy say, OK, if the money really here, we can have it for forty tomorrow. But if the money not really here and he has to wait, then it fifty. Craig, we really have the money?

Yes, oh, yes... That's only eight hundred thousand pesos. Absolutely yes!

Really? We can pay tomorrow?

I can but I do not know if Atty. Trujillo has the paperwork ready. We can't close the sale without the paperwork.

Call him!

OK, let's see. ... wait... is her tomorrow, our today? When did Rena have this discussion? Was it yesterday or today?

Oh! I not know! Wait! I will text her again.

There is much I still need to learn about the Philippines. I have no false sense of security that I have anything mastered. What I am sure of is that they themselves live lives of ambiguity. It works for the most part, such as when we are supposed to show up for dinner. But there are times it trips them up. We may have just run into one of these.

We all just stand by, waiting to hear the news. There is a bunch of back and forth and then nothing.

Jana is beside herself. Lyn, what is she saying?

She say, 'wait a minute,' she texting the guy. He texted last night, but she was in bed then. She only read it today, So she asking him if tomorrow means today or tomorrow!

I don't want to rattle Trujillo if I don't need to do so. I also don't want to sound matter-of-fact about something that needs immediate attention. And so we wait on all contacts.

The concept of a twenty thousand square meter lot compared to a one hundred meter lot is a little humbling. I will assume that I am not the only expat who will control so much land, but I also will assume that it is not the norm.

I am getting the feeling that my economic forecasting was based on a very different level of need, comfort and concern than for others who are here.

Dido is playfully hitting Li2x. I hear, Yes we are!

But Jocelyn is answering back, Maybe, not sure, Dido. He not say that.

I am curious, What hasn't been said?

Dido thinks we will have a farm. That is why you buy the two hectares.

And are two hectares the normal size for farms?

Yes, this true.

Dido, Li2x was correct. I did not say we will have a farm and this land is not for a regular farm. We can grow some vegetables for ourselves, but no this is not a farm. Do you want one?

Yes! A farm is a good thing. It mean we safe. It mean there is food and money. Why you not want a farm?

Who will be the farmer? You are all in school, except for Mel and me. Mel is taking care of the cooking for us and I am not a farmer. Who will be the farmer?

Oh! I not know. But a farm is good!

I see. Well, this may not be the only land we will buy. If we can figure out who will be the farmer, maybe we will have a farm.

I have no doubt that in Dido's family there has always been the dream of a farm. It makes perfect sense. My presence in a manner of speaking makes no sense. I am the square peg in a land of round holes.

Lyn's phone comes back alive with a new incoming text. She say, he ask, if you have the money, why not today?

Tell her to tell him, I need the Attorney to get the paperwork ready. I can't give this guy the money without the paperwork and he needs to bring the actual title to our attorney's office when he is ready.

OK, it is better if I call her. I will explain. This is a good reason. I think it is OK for tomorrow.

Find out. I am not OK with a guess.

She flashes her eyebrows up and makes the call.

There is a bunch of chatting that once again sounds more like gossip than simple instructions, but that is just my culture getting in the way. The call ends and we are ready to start waiting again, but Lyn interjects, I told her you would cover the cost of her cell load to call the guy.

I have to smile. She is about to make three thousand pesos and she is worried about five pesos? OK, sure I will cover her cell load. Why not, she is saving me two hundred thousand pesos. I was ready to give her a hefty bonus for the price she negotiated.

The clock is ticking slowly, or so it seems. I have to remind myself once again, things run at a different speed here than they do in Boston. There, this negotiation would have been wrapped up long ago. They would have asked that I place the money in escrow and then the lawyers would take whatever time they needed to complete the deal.

Here there not only is no escrow, there is no cashier's check. I will be handing over coin of the realm and to do that I need documents, signed and notarized on the spot and at the same time.

Lyn's phone chimes an incoming text. The forty per meter price is good until tomorrow. The guy will bring the deed.

I get on the phone with Trujillo's secretary and explain the matter. She puts me on hold and then, upon returning, asks if I have a good copy of the title. I do and I tell her the copy we have, has been verified. The owner will bring the original tomorrow. That being the case, she tells me they will have the paperwork ready by one in the afternoon tomorrow.

I have enough in the bank account here that, even if the wired cash doesn't arrive for a day or two, there will be no problem.

And so, just like the speed of gathering up these girls seemed outrageously fast, this land purchase is also happening way faster than it would happen in the States.

And then it hits me. Just a few minutes ago I was remonstrating quietly to myself about how slow the process is when in truth the process is blindingly fast. The optics of it all is confusing.

The shopping trip is put off until after lunch, as we have spent a fair bit of time with this.

I know that I need to slow down. There is no way I am going to rush to find an architect or civil engineer yet, but the itch is there. The itch is definitely there. I decide to sit down with a paper and pencil and just draw out some additional ideas. I am no artist and certainly no architect, but I do have some ideas and the property will be big enough that I don't have to worry how to fit the house into the lot.

The land does slope a bit, from one side to the other, but the slope is gentle and won't present any problems.

Craig?

Lexi startles me a bit. I was deep down one of my mind's side alleys again.

Yes?

You building a house on this land? Correct?

Yes. Our house.

How big?

I don't know yet. We don't have a plan even started.

As big as this one?

Yes, maybe a little bigger, but different too. Why?

Just wondering.

Really? Just wondering?

Well...

Yes?

Who cleans it? I mean if we all in school and getting jobs, who cleans?

Ah, so I should make it smaller!

Maybe no, but maybe we think about who cleans. OK?

OK, but you have some ideas, I think. What are they?

Well it can't be my friends because maybe you will want them to go to school. So no one my age, I think.

OK, and?

There are three who maybe it will work. ... May's mother, Katrina's mother and my mother. But I really don't want my mother here.

May's and Katrina's mothers have no husband. Your mother does, your father! So I can exclude her anyway.

No, my father not with my mother. They never marry but he dead anyway. Mother is alone. When Mel gets pregnant then it OK if our mother is here?

Maybe. I said once Mel is pregnant that she could visit. I didn't say she could stay. And, I also really don't think I want May's and Dido's moms in the same house while I am fucking their daughters. That would just be too weird.

Lexi is giggling. Maybe you will like them too!

Really? Lexi, you have a weird brain. You really want me to be fucking their mothers?

Why not? They lonely I think.

You really think they would want to fuck me? Lexi, that just isn't going to happen.

Well, we will need maids. No choice, I think.

That puts an end to my drawing. Lexi is correct, but I will not only need at least a couple of maids, I will need a groundskeeper. Maybe I need a far smaller house. I need to think about this.

We are all here and ready to go shopping. Lunch has been consumed and the trip to the supermarket is just about to begin when Lyn gets another text. We are invited to a party. Lyn does not know the person who is texting. It seems that Mona is the connection between the parties. The party is on Saturday, and Lyn provisionally accepts, saying we will try to make it. She texts the question, 'what can we bring?' The answer seems to be, 'nothing, just come.'

If there will be a large number there, it will allow us to duck out more easily if things aren't comfortable. On the plus side, we will possibly meet a number of folk and can figure out whose homes we want to see.

But that's for later, now it's time to go shopping at the supermarket.

I find a shady place to park, with the diesel still running to keep the air conditioner working. The girls have gone inside. I have a book with me, but my thoughts circle back to what it will take to maintain two hectares. It might be turned into lawn and trees. It might be more orchard than open lawn. It might have some farming activity on it. But no matter what I choose, it will need labor.

The same is true for the house I build, but that's not all. Oh shit, what have I been thinking?

Until March I had three who were essentially full time maids: Mel, Lyn, and Jana. Then Lexi graduated and the youngest three were off for their summer break. So, right up through this week, I have seven maids. But school starts on June 3^rd, just a few days from now. Only Mel will be at home with me.

My problem regarding maids is not a down-the-road problem. It is a right-now problem. Why didn't I see it?

Lexi has a point that taking young girls raises the issue of why they aren't pursuing an education... and it begs the question of will they be entering my bed. So her suggestion about the mothers has merit. I don't like it, but it has merit. I am not sure. I don't want entire families just grafted on to me. Each mother, other than Lexi's, comes with other kids. I just don't see that working.

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The way forward...5