The Ark

Copyright © 2020 by VeryWellAged

What was and what will be...15

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

What was and what will be...16

Breakfast is a meal I typically eat alone. Each of us has a different schedule, and so, when we rise and grab a bite it’s pretty informal and varied in time and substance.

Today is only a bit different, as Debbie is sitting by me as I partake in some fried rice and links of longanisa.¹ I have a glass of buko juice² today, as the gals opened some young coconut from which they harvested the ‘milk’. The juice, conserved in a couple of two liter pitchers, must be poured off before the milk can be removed. There’s a hint of sweetness to it. The gals know it’s my preferred juice in the morning.

Debbie pours herself a glass of the juice and just looks at me. She is a fine looking woman. No longer the young teacher I first met, she is thirty now. While she still looks youthful, these days, no one will mistake her for one of her students. She must be about five foot two. I know they use centimeters here, but I just can’t make the adjustment. Her hair is black but her eyes are brown. Her complexion is lighter than many Filipinos.

I’ve mentioned before that there’s nothing physically wrong with her. It’s what is in her head that has been the problem. Why she doesn’t have a partner in life is curious, but not entirely unusual.

As marriage here is a forever thing, some Filipinas often don’t marry until later in life. But there typically is a partner, even if they are not married. I gather there’s none for this gal. I don’t think she is a lesbian, so what her issue is in this regard is unknown.

Eva came to my room last night.

Oh? Was that a problem? I told all to not give you any problems.

No problem. We talk. Eva a good girl and a smart one I think.

We can agree on that.

You change her life. You know that.

Sure. That’s obvious.

Why you do that?

What do you mean?

When I ask that she come here, she need a place to live and food. Nothing else. I know there be sex, but she say she willing, so I think, yes, here a man, maybe he a pervert but she get a place to live and food. That what I think.

I’m not sure why you think that. You already knew I have placed the land I bought in the gals’ names. But whatever… what’s your point?

But you like young girls! That the point.

Why do you think that?

Why else you have Ann and Reyna and even Ri she just barely eighteen then?

The gals told you why, years ago.

I not believe them. Men not have sex with children unless this their true desire. That mean they are perverted.

OK, so now I’m confused. What is the issue?

Eva say when she younger you not spend as much time with her or Reyna as you do with Cincer, Bim, Nelia and Jessa. They the one you with most. She say, even now she not with you as much as you with them.

Once again, Debbie, what’s the issue?

Why?

Why what?

You like young girls. Why you not with them more?

You still stuck on that? … Look, I like Eva, and Reyna and Ann. And now that they are older it’s easier for me to be with them. They needed the knowledge that they were accepted as mates, if only to get them to stop being crazy with worry. I would have been happy to just give them shelter until they got old enough to leave here. They didn’t want that. But as a general rule… no! I don’t ‘like’ young girls. I like adults.

Then WHY?

Why what?

Why you not want ME?

Oh.

Why?

Two reasons, I guess. But the first one is the most simple. I have too many here already. I had too many here before Eva and Jessa joined.

What the other reason?

You.

What?

You, Debbie. You, from the very first time I met you… you have been accusing me of being a bad man. You have been sneaky, insulting, mean spirited and, in my mind, dangerous. But I have a question for you.

What is it?

Why don’t you have a partner?

She just looks at me. For the very first time this morning, she is silent.

Well?

Nothing. She is just looking at me as tears begin to form. I just sit and wait. I take a sip of the buko juice and wait. The tears are on her cheeks now. She’s not wailing. She’s silent. Sitting upright with tears falling from her cheeks. I take another sip of the buko.

It is because of you. I love you.

How? I mean, Why?! I haven’t been nice to you.

Yes, true. You are mean to me. I not want to love you.

And you really don’t, do you, Debbie? It’s just that, to be one of my gals, you get to own land, you get a place to live, you don’t have to attend to me, as there are others here who will. So you get the economic benefits, without the day to day drudgery of being a wife. Right?

No! No! That not true.

So, what is it? If you are here, you can save more girls?

She gasps. Ha! That’s it! Well, let’s see if I can spoil that for her. Debbie, first the requirement is that any additions come in pairs, and I’m absolutely not wanting anyone underage. So, if you want to be accepted, you would have to find a gal around your age who would also want to foolishly join nine other gals as one of my consorts. … The second is that you and she would have to have sex with all the other gals in this house. I don’t think that is going to happen. The third requirement is that the two of you have to convince me that you don’t want to bring anyone else along. And the final requirement, is that I have to actually want you and the other one. I honestly don’t think you can get past the first requirement.

Why you make the rule about age? You not have that rule before.

When all this started, I never even thought an underage girl would be possible. So I didn’t make it clear. And when the first gal who was underage joined me, she was seventeen and turned eighteen in a month’s time. The underage ones were not what I wanted and tried to exclude. This time I know to make a requirement about age. How many times have I told you I don’t want young ones?

But they say you good to them. You have sex with them. You not say no. Eva and Reyna say you very sweet with them.

I didn’t say I was unable to be with a young one. I only said I do not want more.

Maybe if there a special one?

Jesus, Debbie, what’s with you? You think I’m evil for taking young ones and then you give me young ones. Why do you do that?

Maybe best for them. Maybe I wrong. Maybe you not evil.

Debbie, you are here because you say you think that I have others here and we have all been lying to you. I told you that you may stay until you are satisfied that there are no others here. I agreed to that so you would stop harassing Ana and Bim. If you have decided we are not lying, and not evil, you need to leave.

Please…

Debbie, you are here for one reason only. And…

Ira! Eva has entered the room and it was she who has just yelled my name.

What?

Let her stay.

Why?

Because I asked?

Eva, Bim doesn’t want her here and Ana certainly is uncomfortable with her here. Talk to them. I’ll agree, only if they say Debbie can stay.

OK. I talk to them. Wait until that done?

No, Eva. You have until tonight. If they say OK by then, then I’ll agree. But if they don’t tell me OK by then, it has to be over.

Salamat³.

I don’t think Eva will be saying ‘thanks’ after having a word with Bim.

OK, Debbie, you have until this evening.

There are times when the food you were enjoying simply becomes fuel. The joy of it is gone. Jessa has been in and out of the room since she first placed the food in front of me. She clears my plate and returns to sit by me, as Debbie has left the room.

There are no words spoken, but her hand holds my hand in silence. Outside are fields of rice surrounded by banana trees on one side and coconut trees on the far side. There’s beauty there. There’s a peaceful calm in the view. That is so different from the turmoil in my head. I hold Jessa’s hand, tight. I don’t want to let go.

No!

Am I to understand that Eva came to you regarding Debbie?

Duh! Oo. Of course!

OK, Bim. I’m not surprised. I pretty much expected that you would say ‘no’ to the request.

Why you want her to stay? You say last night, no more!

Did Eva tell you I want Debbie to stay?

She say it.

She is wrong and she knows better than to tell you that. I want the woman gone. Eva wants her to stay. I told Eva that if all you gals wanted her to stay I wasn’t going to fight all of you. But if just one of you doesn’t want her here, then she has to go. I told her to go this morning. Eva pleaded with me to allow her to stay longer.

Good. Tell her to go!

Bim, did you tell Eva that you don’t want Debbie to stay?

No, she ask. I tell you.

Go tell her. She needs to hear it from you.

Without another word, Bim leaves.

Difficult.

Yes, Jessa, difficult.

What you think will happen?

You mean when Bim tells Eva that Debbie needs to go?

Oo.

I don’t know how invested Eva is in having Debbie stay, but I know how invested Bim is in the gal going. It may not be fun for them, but Eva needs to know that I’m not being arbitrary.

But then she is angry with Bim. That not good either.

If there is a problem with Eva’s feelings toward Bim, there are others here who will tell Eva that she is in the wrong. Eva needs to get over it, even if she doesn’t want to.

Nelia will agree with Eva.

Anyone else?

I not know.

How about you?

You not want her, so I not want her. Simple for me. I think Ri like me. If you say no, she say no.

Well, Cincer will agree with you and I suspect Ann will too. What about Reyna?

Ha! My sister thinks her teacher is maldita⁴. She not want her here. I sure that.

In a way, I have never understood Nelia’s desire to add gals as Jesus’s answer to some grand plan. In all other ways, Nelia is as great a gal as you could ever want. But that one thing leaves me scratching my head.

Eva’s salvation was based on Debbie’s actions. I get why she is supporting Debbie’s request.

That’s enough pondering about what I don’t need to be thinking about right now. Breakfast is over. Jessa has tasks she needs to follow up on. Ann gives me a kiss as she takes off to city hall in Tacloban. Cincer wants to talk about getting some of our equipment fixed or scrapped for newer stuff. I ask why some of these things failed so soon. I never saw stuff fail so fast in the US. Is the equipment being mishandled?

Maybe we use it harder here?

CiCi, I doubt that.

You think the equipment in the US better?

I don’t know. It’s the same brands. We have Black and Decker, Makita, and Bosch in the US, same as here.

Maybe same name but different? Maybe China made?

You think so?

Maybe.

Let’s find out. I can get someone to ship me a cordless grinder and a cordless drill from the US. Let’s find out.

Ira, they use different electric in the US, right?

Sure, but I suspect the batteries are the same and we can use the chargers we have here, or we can use a step-down transformer to run the US battery chargers. I’ll email someone back in Washington to purchase them for me.

It will take a while. What we do now?

Try to fix them again. Maybe they will last long enough for the US stuff to get here.

OK… Ira, have you seen Bim this morning?

Yeh, maybe forty-five minutes ago. Why?

She supposed to go to Tacloban to pick up somethings for the guys getting bananas ready to ship, but she not go yet. I not find her.

I’m not sure I can help you but look to see if she is with Eva or Ana.

I get eyebrows and Cincer is gone.

Using the computer these days is pure frustration.

The speed is the same as it was before, but the websites load so much slower. Even my Hotmail account loads more slowly. I haven’t been in it for a while. There’s no one here in the Philippines I exchange emails with and there’s little I need to connect with back in the States any more.

Working through spam, I find an email from Tom that has been sitting in the inbox for a bit. I decide to send the email I need to send first before I deal with this.

I get a message out to the contractor I used in Kennewick asking if I send him money, will he purchase and ship a couple of tools to me. That done I open Tom’s email.

Hey Ira,

Look, I am sorry for giving you the cold shoulder when you were here. I guess I was pretty confused about you being with a Muslim. Not sure how that works and maybe I was wrong.

Elena and I are thinking of taking a trip to the Philippines. Is there any chance you are up for a visit?

All the best,
Tom

That’s a pretty thin apology / non-apology, but it really doesn’t matter, as the cover story was designed to keep him from discovering what was up. How do you weigh a non-apology for a lie?

There’s no way I can answer him. It wasn’t me who told him I was with a Muslim. That was Elena. So if I tell him I don’t know what the fuck he is talking about that will blow back, maybe in a number of ways, towards Elena, who may be accused of lying; and then Tom will want to know the ‘truth.’ From me? From Elena?

As I have an email address for Elena, I decide to send her the following.

Elena,

Below, I have sent you a copy of an email I received from Tom. I haven’t answered and I don’t have a safe way, for your sake, to do so.

Ira

Lies. They all too often come back to bite you. In this case, it will bite Elena, not me. Still, it’s a minor mess. My email to Elena is far from satisfying, but there’s nothing I can do to fix this. I close the computer down. Between the slow websites and the emails I can’t deal with, there’s little reason to spend time on that damned machine.

I’ve promised to take my four four-year-olds (MJ, Ed, Ris2x and Mac) plus Leeni and Loy2x, both of whom will be four soon enough, plus Niana, to Jollibee’s.⁵ Nelia, Reyna and Eva will come with us as I just can’t handle the six kids on my own. I’m not counting Niana as a little kid, and she is like an older sister to each of them, so that makes for five parenting figures for the six little ones.

I tried to get the kids interested in MickeyD’s, but it just doesn’t work for all sorts of reasons. As a concession to me, I’ll get a Big Mac and fries via the drive-through at MickeyD’s before we arrive at Jollibee’s.

We are all assembled and ready to leave, except Eva’s nowhere to be found. I need another ‘parent.’

Ann is probably already in Tacloban. I text her and ask if she will meet us at Jollibee’s at 11:30. She responds that she is happy to do so, and so, off we go without Eva. Do I need to even mention that Ann is Ris2x’s mother?

If we were in the States, the drive into the city would be highly illegal. Not a single kid is in a car seat. And with three adults and six little kids, and one aged twelve, we have far more in the vehicle than there are seats. So, while it’s illegal there, it’s par-for-the-course here.

Spaghetti and fried chicken. Not a single burger is ordered, nor is there an order of fries, but right along with spaghetti, the fried chicken and rice, there’s gravy! There are no potatoes in sight, but there’s gravy.

Never in a million years would I ever dip fried chicken, in gravy but that’s why it’s here. It’s not for the rice. They don’t put gravy on rice. It comes with the menu item ‘1-pc. Chickenjoy with Jolly Spaghetti.’ Every one of them, kids and moms, are having the same thing, except for Ann. She’s having a ‘Cheesy Classic Jolly Hotdog,’ and a spaghetti.

I’m so glad I had my Big Mac, even if I did have to eat it in the vehicle. Yes, this place is fast food, but not the type I like. I do not begrudge that it’s what they want. But it just doesn’t work for me. Yes, the chicken is pretty good, and I’ve no problem with buying a bucket of it, but the stuff that comes with it makes no sense to me.

And then there’s the thing that fried chicken is nice, but it’s not what I’m looking for when I decide I want a burger and fries. If I want fried chicken, I want beans, coleslaw and mashed potatoes with my gravy.

Our time at Jollibee’s is over. It takes a while, but we finally get the kids back in the SUV, and I have put the vehicle in gear. But, at that moment, my cellphone chimes, a text has been received. I figure it’s best to check it now before we leave town. Taking the vehicle out of gear, I read Cincer’s question,

When will you be back?

Leaving Tacloban now. Be back soon.

OK. Text as soon as you get back.

Problem? Can I pick up some part here before we return?

No. That not it. Explain later.

With the vehicle loaded like it is, I take it easy getting back, but forty minutes later, I pull onto the pad below the carpark.

OK, we are at the house. What’s up?

Come to Eva’s room.

This can’t be good.

§ § §

§ § §

What was and what will be...17