Decisions
Marjune sits on the terrace this overcast Sunday. It’s been two months since the edict. I gather the gals gave them seven days to complete the changes that they required.
In all that time, I have not seen her. Myra told me that Alida left as demanded. She wanted Analiza to go with her, but Analiza decided to stay with her grandmother. Alida was furious, of course, but, in the end, she left alone.
Marjune is here to thank me. However, I am the only one in the house who doesn’t deserve thanks, a point I make to her emphatically, via Jecim’s assistance. I had nothing to do with what occurred. She doesn’t want to believe me. Jecim tells her that even though she agreed with the decision, she had little to do this it as well.
Jecim suggests, I call into the house for Jelou, and the girl appears soon enough.
Sweetie, Madam Marjune came here to thank me for what I did to fix the problem with Alida. I told her I had nothing to do with this. She doesn’t believe me. Please tell her how the decision was made. You can do it in Cebuano.
I get eyebrows and then she launches into her exposition, of which I have nothing to learn as I don’t speak the language.
Jecim remains on the terrace and is listening.
It takes a few minutes, but, once it is done, Marjune asks Jelou a question. Jecim tells me, she asks, ‘Child, when you say she should be with you, that because you want this?’ … Jelou says, ‘No Ma’am. She come and talk to me. I know Rolie not want this and I think maybe it OK to happen. But me and Analiza talk. I decide Rolie right. It wrong for her. But I also know, you love her a lot. I learn that from her. If she come here, you not see her. So, I decide, that the way to make you agree! I explain that to her and she say, OK. If they not agree then they not love her enough. So she agree.’ … Marjune asks, ‘You are fourteen, child?’ … ‘Fifteen now, Ma’am.’ … ‘It was your plan, not Myra’s.’ … ‘Me and Vieve. I think it, but talk with Vieve. She is the one who explain to the others.’… ‘My Analiza is not as mature as you are, child. She never could have understood all that.’ … ‘Yes Ma’am. Rolie tell me something about how I changed by my life. Analiza not. He say, childhood stolen from me. Not right, but it done. We not do this to Analiza.’
Marjune looks at the three of us for a moment, stands, smoothing her dress, and announces that she must go, thanking us for our time.
As she closes the gate behind her, Jelou turns to me and says, as if talking to herself, or maybe to Marjune, Alida and Analiza, Done now.
It’s a good day. I do feel the chapter regarding Alida is over. Now in a month we may have the judgment of separation. It cannot happen any too soon. Jecim is six months along and looks very much pregnant. There have been no more pregnancies, but I suspect that it is only a matter of time before there are two more.
Iren is over here almost every other day, fussing over her daughter. When she isn’t here, Jecim’s sisters are here.
Mother and siblings also make a big deal about me. It is cute and silly. Jomar comes by often at night now, to share brandy with me. And so, I deplete my good brandy bottles far more often these days. He will be the Godfather for our child. Myra is to be the Godmother.
Jomar and I will be related through the child. I don’t have many friends, but Jomar is one now, and for all the best of reasons. And now, there are many times other PNP officers arrive with him at night. I must say I have found it a bit disconcerting, but there have been no problems and I seem to have made friends with a number of them.
But today, there is a new development in that relationship. About an hour before Marjune came by, one of the officers we see on occasion stopped by with a request. He needed to speak with Vieve. But before he did, he sat down with me.
Sir Roland. I sorry to do this, but I must speak with Miss Vieve. We know she a good girl now. No problem with that, but we need her to help us. Maybe she the only one who can do this?
I don’t like the sound of it, but all I ask is, Why?
Sir, the sister of Miss Vieve is dead now. She shot three times. Her mother shot once but alive. We find her holding a gun. She in the hospital but under arrest. There is a man dead too. We think maybe the mother shoot the man in self-defense but she not say anything to us. She afraid of us. I not know what happen. We know she not have a license for a gun. The gun is illegal. But maybe if she trying to protect herself or her daughter, we ignore that. If the mother of Miss Vieve will talk to her, maybe we can help her. We do this for Miss Vieve. We know her mother bad, but it affect your family. Your family our concern now.
Officer, will you allow me to explain this to her? You will be here, but maybe it will go better if it comes from me.
Yes, that will be good. Thank you, Sir.
It is I who should thank you, and I do. I thank you very much.
It is good Sir, that we are friends, I think.
I agree. Now let me get Vieve.
It doesn’t take long to get her out on the terrace, but, when she sits down, she is clearly scared.
You can relax a bit. You are safe. The officer is here as your friend. Believe me when I tell you that, if it were not the case, he never would have come at all. He knows you are a good girl, and thinks he needs your help. It is up to you to decide if he really needs it. But first let me tell you what he knows. This is difficult news. Stop me at any time if it is too much for you to hear. … Your sister has been killed. She was shot a number of times. Your mother was shot once and lives. A man was there and he was shot dead, maybe by your mother. He thinks maybe she shot the man in self-defense. They don’t know. … Your mother refuses to talk to the officer. Maybe she is afraid of someone else. He thinks that maybe your mother will tell you. He will help your mother if he can for only one reason. … He respects you.
Vieve has teared up. She gets up from the chair were she was sitting, takes the three paces needed to approach the Officer, kneels and honors him and then kisses him on the cheek. She continues to cry, and comes to me, crawling onto my lap before speaking.
Sir, Officer, my mother a bad person. I not know what she do or why. I not know if she innocent or guilty. If guilty, you must do the right thing and not think of me. I will try to help, but she not talk to me for long time now. We not OK with each other. Still I try. Will my mother live?
I not know Miss Vieve. She hurt bad, but maybe yes.
She gets up to go and I ask her if she needs me to go with her. She says, no, she will be OK. She knows the Officer will keep her safe.
That was all before Marjune appeared here. She is gone now.
As I sit on the terrace, Vieve returns via a PNP vehicle. She comes right to me and sits on my lap, putting her arms around me, and resting her head on my shoulders.
I hear, Thank you. And then a kiss comes to my cheek, and another kiss to my neck, and another, Thank you, Rolie, Thank you.
You’re welcome, but why are you thanking me.
Maybe I be dead too. Yes maybe it me who dead.
What happened?
Hard to explain. Mother, she stupid, full of drugs, Shabu. She try to steal. Need money for the Shabu. My sister help her do that. They caught and then the guns. She guilty of murder I think. But I think she will die, so no trial. I tell the doctor, let her die. Give her to God. No one pay her bill. So leave her be. What she live for? She die in jail. She too sick now. Doctor say she have TB. She close to die anyway.
There is nothing to say. She may well be right. If she hadn’t found us, even if this wasn’t her time, she sees the road that would have been in front of her. I just hold her. That’s all I can do.
The next few days end up being simply sad. Her mother did die only a few hours after Vieve had met with her. I will never know, but I suspect the docs ‘let it happen.’
Both mother and sister got paupers’ internments. I was willing to help pay for better, but Vieve refused to allow me to assist. It was her call and I respect it. She told me after it was over that they were not a family for her, we are her only real family. I suspect that is about right.
Vieve has been a little clingy but, considering everything, it seems understandable. We are all being careful, but I am not sure Vieve needs that as much as she just needs to feel grounded here. And that she is getting from all of us.
She is in my bed each night, but there has been no sex. She just needs me to hold her and sleep. I am happy to provide that. Maybe I understand that better than some other men. Just the closeness, the tenderness, is enough for me as she slowly comes to a new sense of balance.
Two weeks into this ‘very alone’ mourning and loss, she just snaps out of it and decides it’s time to tease everyone in the house. She is playing pranks and just being silly. We get the message, Vieve has regained the ranks of the truly alive.
In an odd coincidence, on the same day, I get a text from my attorney. We have a court date for the hearing on the separation. It’s just one week away.
I am looking forward to it as I need closure for legal means. I will need to adjust my Visa to a ‘retirement’ visa from the one I have now. The retirement visa is more expensive, but it is not a major problem for me.
As far as my life functions, it will not have any impact at all. The confusion and sense of bewilderment I felt in the beginning is long gone. I have five gals here. I didn’t need five, but that is neither here nor there. They are here and they are not leaving.
Added to the good news, I have learned that I can apply for PhilHealth myself, once I get the retirement visa. It is a new option and comes at just the right time!
Today is the day of the hearing. Vieve’s mourning ended last week, the same day I got the notice to be here at the court.
At the moment, I am sitting in a very warm courtroom. Fans run but are simply inadequate to the task. The court’s docket is a full one, as case after case is called, people rise from the benches in the back and come forward.
There are stacks upon stacks of papers and manila folders on the judge’s desk. He appears to be a patient man, with a long-suffering bench of clerks assisting him. There are no computers, or microphones or any trappings of technology here.
We wait for four hours before my case is called. The judge asks my attorney some questions about the basis of the request, to which he is told the wife has confessed to infidelity.
Is she here?
No your honor. She is in America. We have this affidavit that has been received and authenticated by our Consulate in America.
This is in the record?
Yes, Your Honor.
At which point, the judge asks a clerk for the document, and, five minutes later, the judge is handed the thing, reads it to himself, and then reads it aloud for all the court to hear.
He asks his clerk if there is any challenge. The clerk informs him that there is none. He asks, has the defendant been served? The clerk says that the defendant has been served via her attorney who advised the court that they will not contest.
He then looks at me and asks, Sir Roland, Why did you not go back home?
This is my home now.
After you are so treated, you still like the Philippines?
Yes, Sir.
You know you may never marry here?
Yes, Sir. I understand.
If I grant this separation, you are still married. Do you understand?
Yes, and neither can she, Your Honor. And she cannot inherit from me.
And with that, the old bird smiles, Yes, I see you do understand very well. Very good. It will serve her right. Your petition is granted. Attorney, please come here. We will sign.
Twenty minutes later a very sweaty me is outside the courtroom. It is done.
The separation is now real. Nothing else needs to be done, but … revenge is a dish, as they say, best served cold.
The gals did not come with me to the court. But, though I was unaware, they did ask the attorney to text them the result as soon as she could. And so, I arrive home to a celebration and a ‘wedding cake’ with only a groom on it.
Iren is here, as is Marjune, as are all of Jecim’s sisters, and Jomar and his wife. This is my family now. It is that simple. Life in the Philippines is about family and these people are that.
Jecim is seven months along and looking very much the mother-to-be. She is all smiles. Myra is five months along, and, though not as big, there is no question that she is carrying.
The party ends and the clean-up begins about eight at night, but as those cleaning are also the partiers, the actual end time for the party is, in reality, less than clear to me.
Whatever the matter, all is cleaned and all the others are gone by nine-thirty. And at nine-thirty they all line up in front of me and ask, which one gets me tonight?
Can we all fit on my bed?
That produces, hoots, laughter, the decision to try and a scramble up the stairs.
They want to get right to it, but I really need a shower, and that slows down the proceedings by a few minutes.
I have been thinking about this moment for a while. I know nothing is really different for me, but I have come to a decision. I never want these gals to be hurt and lose the sense of love they truly feel. I may not really ever feel it again, but there are times that lying is a good thing. This is one of those times.
I am out of the shower, and, as I get on the bed, they are already grabbing me.
Stop for a bit. I need to say something to all of you now. Right now, before you get me going! That gets a few giggles. I could not say this until I was separated. In my mind, it would have been the wrong thing to do. Now that I am separated, to not say it, is the wrong thing to do. I am not sure this makes any sense, as there are five of you here, but listen and please accept it for what it is. Each of you is my dearest love. I love each of you in a way that I cannot explain, other than to say, it is a pure and real love. A love that knows no limits. I do not and cannot put one of you over another. All I know is each of you has my complete love and no one else in the world ever will… other than the children you give me.
There is silence and then from Jezryl, Well, it is about damned time!
That is followed by a chorus of agreement, which is then followed by an assault upon my person.
There is a mouth on each of my nipples, a mouth sucking my nuts, a mouth over my dick, and a mouth on my lips.
I guess I ought to say I am on sensory overload but that isn’t the case. There is so much going on, it is a bit confusing. Still, they do slowly get me going, primarily as each slows down her attack a bit and it is less overwhelming.
Jecim is the one on my lips and that is fine with me. She was the first here, if not the first in my bed. But, with all the stimulation, it is hard to think about kissing. She gets that, and kisses my eyelids, my forehead, my cheeks, my chin, my nose.
Myra and Jelou have my nipples and they are sweetly torturing me.
The two masters of the craft have me in a way that makes it clear they know exactly what they are doing. It has been a long day and I wasn’t exactly horny when they started. But, given what is happening, I am just about bouncing off the mattress. Jezryl has my nuts completely in her mouth and Vieve has me down her throat. Both are humming the same tune and vibrating all below in a way I would never have thought possible.
Oh damn! Oh, fuck. I can’t hold on any longer! Damn, this is so not fair.
And then it is too late. I give them all I have as I wail. Shit!
It is clear, no one is getting pregnant from this evening's events. But no one is complaining.
In the minutes that follow, positions are changed and sleep comes.