32 - right of way

Eiselle pulled into the gravel lot outside the Sarangani high-rise, only to see that her husband’s car was not there. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and shot Arvind a quick text. When he failed to reply, she gave him a follow-up call.

“Come on, come on, come on, pick up your phone,” she begged. However, when he failed to answer, Eiselle deposited her phone into her purse and headed up to the construction office. Mary and Jaki were there, talking to the construction foreman. When Eiselle burst through the door, everyone’s face dropped.

“What do you want?” asked Jaki.

“I want to see Arvind.”

“Of course you do, but he’s busy.”

“It’s very important.”

“What is it?” interrupted Mary, “maybe I can help.”

“Maybe you can. It’s about Anne-Marie.”

“What about her?”

“She’s going to block construction on this building.”

“That’s what she thinks, but we’re ready for whatever she dishes out.”

“You are?”

Mary nodded as she returned to her conversation. Eiselle stood there for a moment, not sure what to do or say next.

“Well?” said Jaki, “what else?”

“I don’t know.”

“I think Mary’s got it under control. Why don’t you go plan another cotillion or something?”

“But I want to help.”

“Actually, you’ll be of great help,” said Mary, “if you organize another big event and make sure every VIP in the region is there.”

“How soon do you need this done?”

“The sooner, the better.”

Eiselle’s face brightened as soon as she was made useful. She turned about and headed to the house. She had a party to plan.

“Do you really want her to do that or are you just trying to get her out of our hair?” asked Jaki.

“Both,” said Mary, “we could use the freedom from her restlessness plus being able to rub elbows with important people would be very important for the company right now.”

While both Eiselle and Mary went about their plans, Anne-Marie set out on her own agenda. She began by sending the City Planner to the worksite and putting a stop order on all construction.

By the time Anne-Marie arrived at the worksite, the City Planner was already talking to Mary and Jaki. A devilish smile spread across Anne-Marie’s face as she approached the group.

“Having problems?” she said proudly.

“Not really, Miss Kwok, I’m just talking to the City Planner about a little problem you have at your office.”

“I don’t have any problems at my office.”

“Don’t sound so self-assured. The copies of the blueprints you gave him don’t match up with my blueprints How can you explain that?”

“That must be your fault. My office never makes mistakes.”

“Look here on page 55. You’re missing a dozen pages of material about the multi-use complex that was going to be attached to the resort.”

“I guess your copy is a forgery.”

“I don’t think so,” said Mary, “the auditor’s website agrees with my paperwork. Someone must’ve made a mistake.”

Mary motioned to Jaki, who quickly produced a digital pad opened to the corresponding government webpage that matched Mary’s copy.

“It doesn’t matter,” spat Anne-Marie, “because you know you can’t build multiple long-term residential properties on a single lot without the proper clearances, and you don’t have them.”

“We don’t need them for a resort.”

“You just have all the answers, don’t you? You must be England’s very finest lawyer.”

“Barrister, but never you mind, dear Miss Kwok. I’ve been asked to come halfway around the world twice – once for Japanese builders in Australia, and now for a Chinese investor (that would be Mr. Lee to you) who will firmly establish a series of resorts in the southern Philippines. I’m multi-national, and as we say back in dear old England, you’re small potatoes.”

“You can’t go around me…”

“You don’t think so?” asked Mary as she cleared her throat, “You know that little guest house you have in your backyard?”

“Yes…” Anne-Marie replied hesitantly.

“Well, that’s an improvement to your property, established as a secondary for-profit residence. I bet you don’t have the permits for that in your perfect little office. The tenants are contracted workers who claim that property as part of their income. You’ve written that cost off on your taxes as well.”

“But that’s different.”

“Here’s what we’ll do…” said Mary pointedly, “Arvind Industries will overlook your indiscretions if you simply allow us to return to business as usual.”

Anne-Marie boiled inside, but Mary had all her pieces in place and Anne-Marie didn’t have any option but to relent. She spun about in place and returned to the cool comfort of her air-conditioned sedan. Sooner or later, she thought, she’d put Mary and Arvind in their place – and this time for good.

While tensions increased between Arvind and Anne-Marie, they finally began to ease between Joy and Mrs. Velasco. It really began after the worst of fights between the pair.

“I don’t have to! You’re not my mother!”

“As long as you’re under my roof, you’ll obey my commands, now make your bed!”

“It’s Juvie’s bed, too! Why doesn’t she have to make it?”

“She has other chores. She sweeps the floor every morning and does the dishes every night. If you want to trade with Juvie, then you can.”

“Okay,” said Joy, “I’ll trade right now. Juvie can make the bed and I’ll do her chores.”

Without a word, Juvie quietly tucked the sheets beneath the mattress and wiped away the wrinkles with her palm. Meanwhile, Joy began playing with her handheld video game.

“Unnh-uhh-uhh,” scolded Mrs. Velasco, “No playing games until you’ve finished all your chores.”

Joy waved a free hand towards the living room floor.

“See? Everything’s finished. Juvie already swept the floor.”

“I see that, but there are dishes in the sink.”

“That’s Juvie’s job.”

“Those are breakfast dishes. That’s your job, fair and square.”

Joy gave a good, hard look at the sink then back to Juvie, who had just finished making the bed.

“Would you like to trade?” asked Joy.

Juvie rested her hands on her hips and shook her head.

“Miss Jaramillo, you made the trade, now you live up to your end of the bargain.”

Joy reluctantly set her video game aside and trudged over to the sink.

“It’s too high to reach.”

Mrs. Velasco scooted an old milk crate into place and set Joy on top.

“There you go, now it’s just right.”

“I don’t know how to wash dishes.”

Mrs. Velasco positioned herself next to Joy and turned on the water. Then, she added a squirt of soap and stirred her hands to made suds.

“Now what?” asked Joy.

“Now, we scrub.”

Mrs. Velasco stood behind Joy and took a steel wool pad in one hand and a plate in the other. With rugged circular motions, she scoured each plate before rinsing it under a slow stream of water. Afterwards, she stacked each clean plate neatly in the dish rack. When she was finished, Mrs. Velasco unplugged the sink and let it drain.

“Was that so hard?”

Joy nodded affirmatively.

“Well, you’ll get used to the work. Now off to school you go.”

Mrs. Velasco watched as the girls headed up Academy Road with the small group of school children.

“Good to see that again!” said Mrs. Serencio, who was watching from her own front porch.

“Yeah, it sure is, but that Joy Jaramillo sure is a bundle.”

“She’s just a kid – and she’s going through a lot right now.”

“I suppose, but sometimes, she’s a spoiled brat – pure maldita.”

Mrs. Serencio chuckled, “Pure maldita or not, she’s going through a lot right now. You just have to be patient.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not raising her.”

“Anytime you want to give her up, I’m right here.”

“I’ll remember that,” said Mrs. Velasco as she returned to the confines of her home. She turned on the television and listened to a telenovella while she continued making the house into a home. She organized the small shelf where Joy kept her meager collection of things. Then, Mrs. Velasco had a couple of thoughts as she looked at the empty shelves. It would, however, constitute a road trip to General Santos City. She took a short jaunt up Academy Road and made a quick stop at Our Lady Lupita Academy. She stood outside and motioned to Brian, who was sitting in a chair against the far wall. Brian tiptoed out to the playground as some of the children watched.

“Is there any chance I can take Joy out of class for the day?” she whispered to Brian.

“You want me to get Joy and Juvie?”

“No, I just want Joy.”

“I guess that wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

Brian pulled Joy from class and delivered her to Mrs. Velasco.

“Would you like to go on a field trip with me today?”

“What about Juvie?”

“Juvie is going to stay in class while the two of us go on a field trip.”

Joy peered back into the class.

“I guess that would be okay. Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” said Mrs. Velasco.

Joy took Mrs. Velasco by the hand and went with her to the National Road to catch a Jeepney. The ride was long and miserable, with bodies packed together in the cramped passenger cabin of the old Jeep.

“It’s so hot in here.  Where are we going?”

“You’ll find out when we get there.”

“Why can’t I find out now?”

Joy draped her tired little body over Mrs. Velasco, but Mrs. Velasco quickly pulled away.

“It’s so hot,” she whined.

“We were going to the mall in Gensan, but if you don’t shape up, you’re going back to the Academy.”

Joy suddenly perked up.

“Can we have papaya ice cream?”

“Only if you start acting like a lady.”

Joy snapped upright and held a demure pose as best she could. The mall was only a few stops away.

“That’s not so hard, is it?”

“No, I guess not.”

“Good, now let’s go shopping and we’ll get papaya ice cream for dessert.”

Joy did just that as she fell into place at Mrs. Velasco’s side and never strayed far as they shopped for a new set of clothes. When they were finished, Mrs. Velasco stopped at a toy shop.

“Would you like a brand new stuffed animal to keep you company while you sleep?”

Joy nodded.

“Go ahead then – pick one.”

Joy took quite some time deciding on which animal to take home. Finally, a tiny stuffed penguin caught her eye.

“I want that one.”

“Why on earth would you want that?”

“He’s so cute and cuddly!”

Joy grabbed the penguin and squeezed him by the neck. If the penguin had been alive, Joy would’ve certainly strangled him.

“Alright, get the penguin and let’s go.”

Joy carried the penguin all the way to the counter, not letting go when the cashier scanned the tag.

“Joy! Let her have the penguin.”

“It’s okay, ma’am, I can get it from here.”

After the cashier totaled the purchase, she leaned across the counter and snipped the tag from the stuffed penguin’s ear.

“Now you’re good to go!”

Mrs. Velasco and Joy continued through the mall, stopping for papaya ice cream on the way. The penguin sat across from Joy and every so often, she paused to feed him an invisible bite.

“Does he like it?” asked Mrs. Velasco.

“He says it’s yummy!”

“Good, we wouldn’t want an unhappy penguin.”

Afterwards, Mrs. Velasco and Joy returned to Baluntay and met Juvie at home. She was already preparing a mid-afternoon snack for herself.

“Sorry we didn’t bring you anything,” said mother.

“It’s okay, I’m making rice noodles.”

After Juvie ate, Joy modeled all of her new clothes and showed off her new toy penguin. Later, Mrs. Velasco fixed dinner for all three and they ate just before bedtime. As promised, Joy did the dishes again, but Juvie volunteered to help. Afterwards, Juvie made space for Joy’s penguin and the three of them slept quite well together. The next morning, the two girls shared their chores again and headed off to school together.

“I see things are going better between you and Joy,” said Mrs. Serencio.

“They are,” replied Mrs. Velasco, “I wonder what it takes to adopt a child.”

“Now you want to adopt Joy?”

“Why do you sound so doubtful?”

“You just don’t seem like you’d want to take on another child.”

“I think it would be good for both of us.”

“If you’re serious, then I think it wouldn’t be too hard to adopt her, especially for a hard case like this. They have information at the Red Cross shelter.”

“Ugh, I was just in Gensan yesterday. Could you go with me?”

“Of course I could.”

The two women took a day trip to Gensan and visited all the local agencies, in search of answers. What they were given were bundles of paperwork.

“Would you be able to help me?” asked Mrs. Velasco.

“Of course, but we’ll have to gather all the necessary. You know, birth certificates for Joy’s parents and so forth. Do you know where they were born?”

“Not a clue,” replied Mrs. Velasco, “but I’ll find out.”

 By the time the two women had returned to Baluntay, all the children were out in the high end of the dirt pad, playing hopscotch and jumping rope. They whooped and hollered without a care in the world.

Mrs. Velasco joined Mrs. Serencio in cooking dried milk fish and eggplant. The smells filled the air along with the thick sooty smoke. When the two women were finished, Mrs. Velasco called for the children.

“Supper’s ready!”

Juvie and Joy and Maria and Herve raced towards the fire pit until Mrs. Velasco instinctively held out a hand.

“Stop it right there! You know better than to play by the fire pit.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Now go sit yourselves around the table. Juvie, you can help Mrs. Serencio by carrying the plate of eggplant to the table.”

As they gathered for supper, the conversation drifted about aimlessly and the table was filled with chatter until Juvie asked about the women’s whereabouts that day.

“Where were the two of you all day long?”

“We went to Gensan,” said Mrs. Serencio, “and collected information about adoption.”

“Who is getting adopted?”

As soon as Mrs. Serencio realized she’d said too much, she grew quiet.

“Is it me?” asked Joy.

“Well…” said Mrs. Velasco.

“I don’t need to be adopted. I already have a mother.”

“But Joy,” interrupted Mrs. Velasco, “your parents are missing and we don’t even know if they’re alive.”

“My mommy will come back…and so will my daddy…and Jose and Dalisay, too! We can’t give up!”

The table grew silent as Joy pushed away from the table and ran into the Velasco house.

“I’ll get her,” said Juvie.

“No,” said Mrs. Velasco, “it’s my fault. Let me take care of it.”

Joy had thrown herself down on the futon as she sobbed uncontrollably. Mrs. Velasco kneeled beside Joy, combed the bangs away from her face, and planted a small kiss at the top of Joy’s forehead.

“Oh, Mrs. Velasco, it hurts so much that my heart feels like its being crushed.”

Joy burrowed her head in the hollow of Mrs. Velasco’s shoulder as she began crying again.

“It just takes time to heal,” reassured Mrs. Velasco.

Joy’s breath was hot as she mumbled into the folds of Mrs. Velasco’s blouse. Mrs. Velasco simply held on tight.

“I didn’t mean to say all those mean things to you.”

“I know.”

“And I wouldn’t mind it at all if you and Juvie adopted me.”

“All of that will come in good time, my dear. Right now, it’s time for dinner.”

“I don’t want to go out there with all these tears. I just can’t.”

“Do you want me to fix you a plate and bring it back here so you can eat in private?”

Joy nodded.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

As Mrs. Velasco emerged from her home, the little bit of conversation at the picnic table drew quiet. Mrs. Velasco quickly and quietly grabbed Joy’s dishes and returned to Joy without a word.

“What did they say?”

“They didn’t say anything,” said Mrs. Velasco, “just eat your dinner and don’t worry about them.”

For Joy, the rest of the night was one of deep reflection. As she sat in silence, the only sound was that of silverware clanking and Joy chewing her food. By the time she’d finished, Juvie came in with an armload of dirty plates. Joy joined Juvie, drying all the dishes Juvie washed. At bedtime, Joy crawled into bed next to Juvie and waited for a bedtime story.

Mrs. Velasco came over and planted a soft kiss on each girl’s forehead.

“Tonight, girls, I think I’ll just say good night and sweet dreams.”

Joy did not say anything, although she very much wanted to hear one of Mrs. Velasco’s old folk tales.

Instead, Mrs. Velasco went to her chair and read her book. Joy squeezed her penguin by the neck as she listened for each turning page.

The house was quiet. So, too, was the village. Even the as the next morning unfolded, the children gathered and went up Academy Road in silence. It wasn’t until much later in the morning that something broke the silence.

As heavy vehicles rumbled down Academy Road, Mrs. Serencio came to Mrs. Velasco’s front door.

“Mrs. Velasco!” she called from the porch, “Come here a second.”

Mrs. Velasco, who’d been sorting through her paperwork and enjoying the silence, rose to her feet and joined Mrs. Serencio on the porch.

What do you think that is all about?”

A concrete mixer, a pair of flatbeds, and a dump tuck sat on Academy Road just beyond the old motorcycle pad. Their engines growled as they idled in place. Mary and Jaki were there, too, heading up the rear. Mrs. Velasco immediately strode towards them.

“Good morning, Mary. What brings you back here?”

“We’re building a floodwall.”

“Why on earth would Baluntay need a floodwall? It was one tidal wave in a thousand years.”

“It’s part of a bigger plan. Arvind is developing Baluntay. As he says, ‘fish for kings can be manna for everyone.’”

The backhoe was being offloaded from the flatbed as they spoke. Soon, it began tearing a ditch in the muddy soil near the shore as the dump truck moved into place. It scooped up the earth and moved it to the dump truck. Shovel-by-shovel, a trench formed around the low edge of the village.

Mrs. Velasco and Mrs. Serencio watched for a bit, but soon enough, the noise became unbearable.

“C’mon,” said Mrs. Serencio, “get your paperwork and we’ll go up the road and find a quiet place to fill out forms.”

They headed up Academy Road and stopped at Jardin Sarangani.

“Such a welcome surprise to see you here today!” said Mr. Soliman, “What can I do for the two of you?”

“We’d like to sit for some tea.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have a café. This is just a market.”

“We’re looking for some peace and quiet,” explained Mrs. Serencio.

“Yes, what is all that noise outside?”

“Mr. Arvind is building a floodwall around Sarangani.”

Mr. Soliman nodded, “Okay, I will brew some ginger tea and you can take it to the web café next door.”

“Fair enough,” said Mrs. Serencio.

The women sat in the web café for the whole day, sipping tea, filling out forms, and drinking in the cool and quiet ambience.

“I think everything will turn out just fine,” proclaimed Mrs. Velasco.

“Yes, me too,” replied Mrs. Serencio.

.