27 - eminent domain

Sunshine, bright and golden, signaled the start of a new day in Baluntay. Rosie was among the first to pull herself upright and work the kinks out of her body. She quickly ran a brush through her hair and fixed it in a ponytail. Then, she turned her attention to Joy.

“Okay, doodlebug, it’s time to wake up.”

“Mmmmff,” grumbled Joy, “but it’s so comfy inside my sleeping bag.”

“If you don’t get out of bed now, you’ll only feel worse later.”

“Alright, alright, alright,” Joy threw off the cover of her sleeping bag and sat upright. Her hair, black and wiry, poked out in every direction. Rosie immediately reached for her hairbrush and went to work.

“Your hair looks like a rat’s nest. Sit still so I can comb it out and make it pretty.”

Rosie carefully ran a brush through Joy’s hair, careful not to pull at any tangles. When she finished, Rosie fastened Joy’s hair into a ponytail with a rubber band.

“There now, doesn’t that feel better?”

“I suppose so.”

“Well, it looks a lot better.”

As Rosie and Joy emerged from their sleeping bags, the rest of the lot slowly joined them. One by one, children rose from their cocoons and stretched the sleep from their tired bones. With the change in location came a change in mood.

“Miss Saspy, I’m simply starved,” said Herve, “when can we eat breakfast?”

“I’m not sure, but we will find something. First, we should roll our sleeping bags, store them neatly in the corner, and tidy Mr. Rana’s store.”

Before everyone was finished, the big black sedan arrived outside, along with an army of dump trucks and bulldozers. A little brown hatchback brought up the rear.

“What’s all this?” asked Jonny.

“We’re going down to the village and fix things up.”

  “I thought you said…”

“Never you mind what I said. These people need a place now and I’m going to give that to them.”

“We need to fix breakfast for these children and then we’ll meet you there.”

“There’s no need for that. Jaki thought of everything…”

Jackilyn Gomez emerged from her little brown hatchback with an armload of large grocery sacks.

“What do you have there?” asked Mr. G.

“Happy Meals from Jollibee!”

A cheer arose from the children as they rushed in to lend a hand.

“I can carry this!” said one.

“How can I help?” said another.

Soon, a parade of children returned inside with enough food for everyone.

“Where will we eat?” asked Jonny.

Mariposa, Mr. and Mrs. Rana were already re-assembling furniture.

“We can’t possibly impose like that. This is brand new furniture.”

“It’s okay,” said Mr. Rana, “what is a good host if he cannot be sincere in his gift? Anyone who sleeps on the cold floor can surely enjoy the warmth of my table.”

He held a chair for Jonny. Jonny happily sat down. Then, Jaki and her helpers placed a tiny Styrofoam box in front of every chair.

“Rosie,” said Mr. Rana, “will you grace us with a blessing?”

Mr. Rana’s request surprised Rosie. Still, she conjured a short breakfast prayer.

“Dear Lord, today we are blessed with a warm sun and cool breezes. We are blessed by smiling faces and heavy hearts. Still, we are resilient. We are simply blessed to be together. Amen.”

“Amen and Hallelujah,” said Mr. Rana as he gently squeezed his daughter’s hand. Mariposa watched her father as he picked a chair and sat down. Then, she quickly sat next to him.

“Father, this is very unlike you. Why are you so happy?”

“How can I not be happy?”

“Because Dalisay is gone.”

“Maybe she is and maybe she isn’t. That is in the Lord’s hands. Today, I have you and that makes me very, very happy.”

In a very rare display of affection, Mr. Rana bent towards his daughter and planted a kiss squarely on her forehead. Then, he leaned to the other side and did the same for his wife. Mrs. Rana gave her husband a puzzled look.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m showing you how much you mean to me.”

Mrs. Rana shook her head as she shot her husband a dubious look. He simply smiled at her. Mariposa smiled, too.

“What do we have here?” asked Mr. Rana.

“They’re Jollibee Breakfast Packs,” replied Jaki, “A little bit of rice, a little bit of egg, and a little bit of beef. That way, I figured it would be something good for everyone.”

“Looks good,” said Joy, “but there’s nothing to drink.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” said Jaki dismissively, “I’ve got milk and papaya juice for everyone, too.”

“I want a papaya juice!”

Mr. Lee, who had fetched the drinks, handed her a juice box and a straw.

“Here you go, Miss Jaramillo.”

“Yummy, yum yum!” said Joy as she stabbed a straw into the box and took one long sip.

“Anyone else thirsty?”

Hands reached for the sky and Mr. Lee filled every order as quick as he could. Then, he set the container aside and took a seat for himself next to Jonny. Rosie and Brian were there. So, too, were Joy, Juive, and Mrs. Velasco.

“I’ve given so much thought to the things you’ve said to me about the people of Baluntay. I think I can give them the care they need.”

Mrs. Velasco scoffed.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“What they need…what they need…how would you know of these things?”

“I see the troubles you and your friends go through.”

“I don’t think you’ve worked an honest day in your life.”

“I shouldn’t even dignify that with a response, but I must tell you, my business wouldn’t survive a day if I wasn’t an honest man.”

“Alright, alright,” interrupted Mr. Rana, “I don’t want angry words moving through my store. It’s bad for the air.”

Mr. Lee said nothing about the fact that Mrs. Velasco was eating one of the simple fast food breakfast meals his assistant delivered to her. He also said nothing of his future plans to scoop these people up and move them up and out of their previous life. Instead, he left it at that. If nothing else, he wasn’t going to be called dishonest. He’d worked much too hard for that.

“Okay,” said Mr. Lee, “if everyone’s ready, we’ll head on down to the Academy and get to work.”

They cleaned up their spaces and loaded themselves into the various cars, trucks, and tractors. Of course, Mr. Lee’s black sedan led the way. Mr. G. sat in front while Brian, Joy, and Rosie sat 1-2-3 in the back.

“That Mrs. Velasco,” sighed Mr. Lee, “she sure has the wrong notions about me. Then again, I suppose most of the villagers do.”

“You can’t take her so seriously,” comforted Jonny, “she is just concerned about her situation.”

“Well, I wish she knew that’s why I’m here. I don’t need her to shower me with praise, but I wouldn’t mind a simple thank you, either.”

Jonny patted his old friend on the shoulder. Arvind nodded slightly as he piloted the large black sedan down Academy Road. He pulled into his usual spot beside Brian’s old minivan and stepped out of his car and waved on the rest of the caravan.

“Go on down to the site, boys. I’ll be there in just a moment.”

The parade of vehicles continued down Academy Road until they reached the old motorcycle dirt pad. Everyone waited for Mr. Lee and the teachers at the entrance.

“Chop, chop! Hurry yourselves up! We have a village to build!” commanded Juvie. Of course, she was only joking, but Mr. Lee wasn’t laughing.

“We’ll get there when we get there,” he said grimly as his gait slowed.

“Sometimes, I wonder if it’s all worth it,” he sighed.

“Of course it is,” said Rosie, “That’s just how the Velascos are sometimes.”

Mr. Lee and the teachers cut a swath through the group of villagers and stopped at the water pump at the center of the village.

“We have a very long day ahead of us, so if everyone does their part, it’ll make it easier on all of us. We’ll separate into two groups. One group will be responsible for building each house. The other group will supply each site with all the rough materials.”

“How do we know which group we’re in?” asked Joy.

“The adults who can work power tools will build and everyone else will move supplies.”

The laborers unloaded air compressors onto the concrete pad and connected them by hose to air pumps on the truck.  A tangle of air hoses snaked from the concrete pad to the far end of the village, where the laborers began their work.

“Rosie,” said Mr. Lee, “I need you to split everyone into two groups so we can build two houses simultaneously. Then, we’ll break them down into groups of three to accomplish smaller tasks.”

The villagers quickly complied, working like ants to cart scrap wood from the large pile to form smaller ones. Meanwhile, the laborers laid out the scrap wood and constructed individual wall units. The wall units were fixed to lumber uprights and lashed together with simple rope before being fastened together with heavy bolts. The new houses were sturdy; a far cry from the piecemeal houses that once stood there.

“Rosie,” added Mr. Lee, “grab a few of your hardest workers and head out to Academy Road. We need someone to cart wheelbarrows of sand from the dump trucks.”

Maria Serencio and Juvie Velasco went with Rosie to the dump truck. Men dumped shovel loads of sand into wheelbarrows and sent the girls back to the village. As they returned, the girls met Mr. Lee and his assistant.

“It looks like everything is in good hands here,” said Mr. Lee, “Jaki and I have to file some paperwork with city hall.”

“Okay,” Rosie replied, “we should be fine. Thanks again for everything.”

“No problem at all.”

Rosie and her helpers headed towards the village while Arvind and Jaki were on their way downtown.

“Grab the files from your car,” said Arvind, “and we’ll take my sedan.”

While Arvind drove, Jaki sorted through her paperwork. Things had not changed much in Sarangani over the last few days. Everyone was still in rebuilding mode. All along the highway, people on bicycles and in bare feet were loaded down with scraps just like the tricycles and jeeps that clogged the main road. However, it was nothing new to either Arvind or Jaki. Instead, they focused on their own work.

“Call…Mary Kirkpatrick.”

“Calling…”

“Hello, Arvind. How are things going?”

“We’re moving the families back into Baluntay right now. Jaki and I are going to file building permits and then we’ll meet you at the main construction site in about an hour.”

“I’ll see you then.”

The parking lot at city hall was largely empty. Inside, the auditor’s office, a lone clerk sat at the main window while the remaining desks were unoccupied. Jaki approached the clerk.

“Good morning, Laiza! I have just a few things to file today.”

“Good morning, Miss Gomez. Let me see what you have here.”

Laiza collated the paperwork on her desk and stapled them into several sets before starting to punch them with date stamps. Then, she typed information into her computer and looked it over. She organized the paperwork into a file and set them aside.

“Please hold on while I speak with my supervisor for just a moment.”

Laiza weaved through the maze of desks and disappeared through a door at the other end of the room. She re-appeared a short time later with another clerk.

“Some of these permits are for new housing in Sarangani Highlands. Are you sure that’s right?”

Jaki nodded.

“Before we can file these building permits, we need both the auditor and the mayor’s office to sign off on the corresponding zoning permits.”

“Where can I get those zoning permits?”

“Those get issued by the provincial auditor.”

“Okay…how do I do that?”

“You’ll have to speak directly with the auditor and he’s not in today.”

“When will he be in?”

“It varies depending on the day.”

  “Can I set an appointment?”

“No, I’m sorry, but my hands are tied.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” said Arvind, “I’ll talk directly with the auditor.”

“We’ll save these in a temporary file where they’ll be ready to file after you do that,” Laiza reassured them.

Laiza’s supervisor gave her a sideways glance, as if to indicate Laiza was saying or doing too much. Arvind pulled Jaki aside and led her to the parking lot.

“What was that all about?”

“City politics. Somebody wants a payoff before they’ll sign off on things.”

“Isn’t that illegal?”

“You know the game, Jaki. It’s not about money. I scratch their back and they scratch mine.”

“We do all that for a simple zoning permit? That’s just not right.”

“Sometimes, we do whatever it takes.”

Arvind and Jaki drove back to the construction site Mary’s car was there. Unfortunately, so, too, was Eiselle’s little red car.

“I wonder what she’s up to now,” said Jaki.

As they walked towards the construction office, they could hear Eiselle talking with Mary.

“Oh!” said Eiselle, “there you are…with your little…helper girl.”

“Hello, Eiselle,” said Arvind plainly, “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to have a few moments alone with you.”

“Whatever you have to say, you can say it right here.”

“But it’s just between you and me.”

Arvind exhaled, letting his body slowly deflate as he looked his wife up and down.

“Alright,” he said, “come with me and we’ll talk privately.”

Arvind and Eiselle circled the empty second floor of the unfinished resort and paused near the edge. Eiselle leaned into Arvind as he leaned on the railing.

“Arvind, I want to come back home.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I’m so sorry for being demanding and selfish. I’ve been a bad girl. I’ve been so maarti.”

“Yes…maarti....” sighted Arvind.

Girls who were maarti, the self-obsessed and materialistic ones, hardly ever took no for answer. Most often, they found a wealthy ex-pat, dug their claws into him, and bled him dry. Going into his relationship with Eiselle, Arvind already knew the score. Now that she’d been spurned by Arvind, there was some certain sense of vulnerability to Eiselle. She’d been knocked around by Arvind just enough to soften her hard edges.

“Arvind…” she purred.

“Eiselle,” he replied in a half-mocking tone.

“Is there anything I can do at all?”

Arvind fished his keys from his pocket and peeled off the new house key.

“Take this and come back home. This time, I want you treating both Jackilyn and Mrs. Kirkpatrick with all due respect. I tell you now, if you act up again, you’re right out on your tailbone in the blink of an eye.”

Eiselle threw her arms about Arvind and whispered into his ear.

“Don’t you worry about a thing, my dearest husband. This time, I won’t let you down.”

Her heels clicked across the floor and echoed through the skeletal frame of the building as Eiselle marched towards the construction office. Both Jaki and Mary gazed expectantly at the door as she approached. The women scampered into position and waited. When Eiselle flung open the door, the women braced themselves against the office furniture and prepared for Eiselle’s worst.

“Hello, dearies,” said Eiselle defiantly, “I’ve just come to grab my purse and coat before I return to my rightful place in the Highlands. Ta-ta!”

The door slammed shut and Eiselle headed for the parking lot. With each fading step, Jaki and Mary grew at ease. Still, when the door opened again, both women jumped.

“Holy moly, Arvind!” exclaimed Jaki, “you about gave us a heart attack!”

“I didn’t mean to…”

“Well,” added Mary, “you did, and what’s more, it seems Eiselle is back in all our lives again.”

“Don’t be surprised if you see a brand new Eiselle Lee around here…and what’s more, I think she’ll be an invaluable asset for the company.”

Jaki contorted her lips awkwardly, unable to agree with her boss. Arvind gave her the once over, but she remained silent. Mary, on the other hand, had plenty to say.

“I maintain that she’s a disruption, but it’s your choice. I talked to Jaki while you were outside making nice with yoru trophy wife. We’re probably going to have a real issue with this zoning permit. Most of the provincial council has property in the Highlands and they don’t want squatters there to ruin the value of their land.”

“I suppose you’re right, but they have to stay someplace while we continue construction.”

“We’ll think of something, we just need a little time.”

“They can’t possibly continue staying in that furniture store,” said Jaki.

“They’ll have to. It won’t hurt them.”

“It might not hurt the children, but the elders can’t stay another night on that cold, hard floor.”

“Jaki, do we have an empty building space we can use in Sarangani?”

“It’s all zoned for office use.”

“Don’t remind me about zoning issues right now,” groaned Arvind, “In the meantime, let’s just focus on these people. I’ve got an open basement I’m not using. I’ll move some things around and people can spend the night at the Lee Estate.”

“Ha!” spat Jaki, “I want to be there when Eiselle sees that.”

“Me, too,” said Mary.

“I can’t say she won’t react in the same old ways, so you’ll just have to take her as she comes.”

Arvind chuckled at the women as dour looks came over their faces.

“Plus, I think she’ll come in rather handy for the Baluntay Project.”

“If you say so…”

“I’ll worry about her. Let’s return to the village and see if they need help.”

Arvind and Jaki took the roundabout trip from the construction site to the village next door. The cacophony of buzz saws buzzing and hammers hammering was music to Mr. Lee’s ears. Four new homes were finished and two more were underway.

“Great work, everybody!”

“Thank you for your praise, Mr. Lee, but we have so much more to do.”

“Then, by all means, let’s get to it!”

Mr. Lee advanced into the site and grabbed a hammer. Meanwhile, Jaki joined the wheelbarrow brigade. They worked through the afternoon, stopping just before sunset.

“We’ll break for the night,” said Mr. Lee, “Tomorrow morning, we’ll pick up right where we left off.”

The group broke off into several small groups and headed up Academy Road.

“Where are they going?” said Arvind to Rosie.

“They’re going to use the shower at Mr. G.’s house.”

“That may take all night. I’ve got plenty of hot showers at my plantation.”

“We can’t possibly invade your space,” said Jonny.

“Why not?” interrupted Mrs. Velasco, “He’s inviting us into his spacious home. It would be rude not to graciously accept his kind offer.”

Anyone who was willing loaded into the back of a dump truck and headed to the Estate. Meanwhile, a handful of people, including the Rana family, the teachers, and Joy Jaramillo, stayed behind.

“Do you want to go with us or stay here?” Mr. Rana asked Joy.

Joy had already thought she was headed to Mr. G’s house, but when Mr. Rana offered, she was torn between being with Rosie and having a sleepover at the Rana house.

“Ummm…can Mari stay with us at your house, Mr. G?”

“It’s up to Mr. and Mrs. Rana, but I don’t see why not.”

Mari looked to her father for his permission.

“Go,” said Mr. Rana, “I think you deserve a night of fun.”

Joy launched into Mr. Rana and gave him a bearhug. He gently patted the little girl on her shoulders for several moments until she finally let go. Although Mariposa’s thankfulness was quiet, it was just as warm and heartfelt.

“Thank you, daddy,” she said with a smile.

“You’re welcome dearest Mariposa.”

The smaller group hiked the short way to Mr. G’s house before the girls broke out into a sprint to the door.

“Do you think I’m spoiling them?” asked Mr. Rana.

“Probably, but they’re kids, so it’s perfectly okay.”

After dinner, the girls settled into Rosie’s bedroom and enjoyed all the creature comforts while Mr. G., Brian, and Rosie cleaned the kitchen.

“Rosie, will you be okay here with the girls if Brian and I go to the Estate for the night?”

“I guess…why?”

“It wouldn’t be fair if we left all that to Mr. Lee. He’s been gracious enough.”

Rosie nodded and the two men headed to the Lee Estate. Meanwhile, the other villagers were already spoiling themselves with hot showers and clean clothes. Jaki had even taken the time to place a catering order for the group.

A large buffet table waited on the veranda, complete with crisp white linen, silver service trays, and a handsomely attired staff. Tiki torches flickered in the sea breeze and wisps of kerosene mingled freely with the fragrant odor of the jasmines that bloomed along the railing. The children hardly knew how to handle themselves. Most, however, formed a line near the pizza and chicken tenders.

They gathered on the veranda overlooking Sarangani Bay, which was just as beautiful as ever. Of course, on a moonless night, all things were made equal. Rubbish and refuse hid in the shadows and the water’s surface, slick with oil and gasoline, glistened in one long, black veneer.

“Everything looks so…” started Mrs. Velasco.

“Wonderful,” said Juvie, “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“You should start here…near the shrimps and chicken kebabs.”

Juvie loaded her plate and found a seat at the row of dining tables. Soon, her friends surrounded her as they laughed and gossiped about the beautiful house.

“I’ve never been in a house such as this,” said Maria Serencio.

“It’s quite elegant,” replied Juvie, “but so empty.”

Servers came along and whisked away the children’s plates and silverware before they had even finished eating. The servers disappeared into the rear part of the Estate, somewhere none of the children could go.

“Let’s find a good place to lay our sleeping bags,” suggested Maria.

“I think we’re all sleeping downstairs,” said Juvie.

“That’s exactly where everyone is staying, down in the unfinished basement.”

Jonny overheard Mrs. Velasco, but didn’t dare to correct or condemn her. He knew it would do little good anyway.

For the most part, the group settled in comfortably. The plush basement carpeting was a step up from the hard concrete floor at Mr. Rana’s furniture store, but Mrs. Velasco still managed to complain, although it was in hushed tones to the other parents.

“Mrs. Velasco,” interrupted Mr. Lee, “would you be more comfortable laying on a couch?”

“I wouldn’t want to be of any trouble.”

“It’s no trouble, I assure you.”

Arvind led the old woman up the steps to the main living room and pointed Mrs. Velasco to the large leather sofa in front of his desk. Mrs. Velasco stood there for a moment and said nothing.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure that would be good for my back.”

“I’ve got just the place for you. It’s the old guest bedroom. Whenever Eiselle had trouble getting rest, she’d sleep there. If it’s good enough for her, it should be good enough for you.”

He led her up the steps and she plopped into bed.

“Will that work?”

“I think so.”

“Nighty night, then.”

Arvind closed the door behind him and headed down the hall to his own bedroom. He heard the whispers of the children who had migrated into the living room. He thought that was strange, since the hard bamboo flooring couldn’t possibly be half as comfortable as the carpeted basement. However, if the children didn’t mind, how could he?

He fell asleep for only a brief time. He woke to a rapid jostling motion. It was Eiselle, using all her weight to shake the bed as violently as possible.

“Psst…psst…Arvind, wake up!”

“What is it, Eiselle?”

“There are street urchins all over the living room floor.”

“Those are not urchins. They are from Baluntay.”

“Like I say…street urchins. They smell…rotten.”

“They can’t possibly smell rotten. They all took good hot showers tonight.”

“I am telling you, they smell rotten. They are leaving first thing in the morning, right?”

“I’m not sure. They need a place to sleep.”

“Can’t you find them a place?”

“I’m trying.”

“Well, maybe you should try harder.”

“Oh, Eiselle,” said Arvind in a long, exasperated groan, “just lay down and get some sleep.”

“I don’t know if I can get sleep with all those strangers in my house.”

“I suggest you try.”

Eiselle slipped out of her dress and gave it a careful box-fold before draping it over Arvind’s suit attaché at the end of the bed. As Arvind lay there next to his wife for the first time in weeks, he realized he’d never said anything about the regular tobacco stink that occurred every time she’d placed her clothes next to his. He hadn’t said anything about her natural body odor, either. Right now, all he wanted was for her to be quiet and for him to get a good night’s sleep. He closed his eyes and soon, he did just that.

.