Mrs. Velasco sat alone at the picnic table in the earliest hours of an early October morning, sorting through the adoption paperwork one last time. The sky was painted in the deepest shade of midnight blue and the leafy canopy of palm leaves swallowed most of the remaining light. A single storm lamp hung overhead, allowing Mrs. Velasco just enough light to read.
“Mrs. Velasco?” called a tiny voice. It was Joy Jaramillo.
“For heaven’s sake, why are you out of bed so early?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Well, just go back to bed and close your eyes for a bit.”
“But I’m not tired.”
Joy came up and sat on the bench next to Mrs. Velasco.
“What ‘cha doin’?” she asked.
“I’m just making sure all my paperwork is in order.”
Joy peered over Mrs. Velasco’s shoulder.
“All this is for me?”
“It sure is. It’s because you’re a very important person – my little VIP.”
“Oh.”
Joy sat there quietly as Mrs. Velasco continued working. Joy kicked her feet a bit until Mrs. Velasco pressed her hand firmly against the top of Joy’s legs.
“Please quit shaking the table.”
Joy sat there quietly for a moment and looked around. For her, it was much too quiet.
“Well, I think I’ll go to bed now.”
“Okay.”
“Are you coming?”
“I’ll be in as soon as I finish my reading.”
Indeed, Mrs. Velasco returned to bed a short time later. However, shortly after she fell asleep, a new day had already begun.
“Mother, wake up. Wake up, mother,” said Juvie as she tugged at Mrs. Velasco’s bed sheet.
“What time is it?”
“It’s just now 7 o’ clock.”
“Why didn’t you wake me earlier?”
“I tried, but you wouldn’t get up, so I let you get some rest while I fixed breakfast.”
“Get Joy out of bed and help get her ready. We’re going to General Santos to get birth certificates and immunization papers.”
Juvie pulled Joy from bed and helped her shower. Then, she combed and braided tiny pink ribbons through Joy’s hair.
“Why are you doing this?”
“You are going to General Santos City today.”
“I am?”
Juvie nodded, “I think you and my mother are headed to Juvenile Court to file the adoption petition.”
“We’re filing the what-what?”
“It’s the adoption petition. Mom has to prove she’s worthy to adopt you.”
“Oh,” said Joy thoughtfully, “I have already said it’s okay.”
“It’s not quite that simple.”
Mrs. Velasco waited patiently while the girls finished getting ready. When Juvie presented Joy to her mother, Mrs. Velasco looked Joy up and down as she investigated every detail.
“I guess that’ll do just fine. We’d better move along.”
They went as far as the Academy where Juvie stopped and headed inside.
“Juvie’s not going with us?”
“Not today,” said Mrs. Velasco, “Today it’s just you and me and the court clerks.”
“Oh.”
Juvie gave Joy a bear-hug and whispered into her ear. “Don’t worry, everything will work out just fine.”
After they said their goodbyes, Mrs. Velasco and Joy continued up to the far end of Academy Road and quickly hopped a Jeepney to Gensan.
The windows had been boarded shut, which made the passenger cabin hot and dark. Joy leaned against Mrs. Velasco.
“Dearest Joy, it is much too hot for that.”
Joy repositioned herself until she was somewhat comfortable. Still, her sweaty skin stuck the leathery plastic seat cushions. When a gentle breeze blew across Joy’s face, she closed her eyes and daydreamed about life before the flood.
No matter who it was, everyone had been telling Joy not to worry about a thing. However, Joy was sick and tired of hearing their advice. Things didn’t feel right. More than ever, she was missing all the people who filled her life just a few months earlier.
“Do you think they’re all in heaven?”
Joy’s tiny voice startled Mrs. Velasco out of her own daydreams.
“What?”
“All the people we lost during the flood. Do you think they are in heaven?”
Mrs. Velasco shifted uneasily in her seat.
“I’m just wondering,” stated Joy, “there must be a long line to get in.”
“I’m sure the good Lord has it all under control, so don’t you worry about a thing.”
The Jeepney sped into the city and Joy let go of a long, heavy sigh as another breeze whipped through the passenger cabin. Joy closed her eyes and tried thinking of anything else. Still, she could only think about the last summer.
“Come on,” urged Mrs. Velasco, “this is our stop.”
She jerked Joy by the arm as they quickly hopped out the back door and made their way to the berm. The Jeepney honked its horn several times as it pushed back into traffic.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to the Department of Statistics to pick up birth certificates.”
Joy followed Mrs. Velasco through downtown to the Department of Statistics. It was a tall, gray building with oversized wooden doors that was too heavy for Joy. As they walked through main hall, the click of Mrs. Velasco’s high heels echoed through the empty hall. A receptionist, who sat alone at a central desk, pointed them to the end of the hall where a group of people waited in rows of seats next to an empty receptionist desk with a small plaque. It said: “Birth Certificates Please Take One”
Joy peeled a numbered ticket from the ticker and looked at it.
“Sixty-Six,” she stated.
“I can see that,” said Mrs. Velasco, “we might as well take a seat. It looks like we’ll be here quite a while.”
Joy sat next to Mrs. Velasco once again and once again, Mrs. Velasco was sifting through her paperwork while Joy sat there doing nothing. She twiddled her thumbs for a bit and bobbed her feet back and forth as she attempted to wait patiently.
“Joy,” hissed Mrs. Velasco, “please quit it. You’re shaking the whole row of seats.”
Joy stopped, but she didn’t like waiting one bit. She looked up at the digital clock: “NOW SERVING: 59.”
Joy dropped her head backwards in despair. It was a short time until a lady came out clicked a button. Then, she called out to the group of people waiting.
“60?”
A young couple shuffled through the seats and disappeared with the lady through the door.
Joy waited quietly for number 61. Soon after it came and another person disappeared with the clerk, Joy began tapping her feet on the floor, imitating a little tap dance.
“Joy!” scolded Mrs. Velasco.
“But it’s so boring to wait.”
“You’ll be waiting for a good part of your life, so this is as good a place to learn as any.”
Joy heaved another long sigh.
“Don’t worry, you’ll survive.”
Sure enough, number sixty-six popped up on the digital clock and Joy followed the clerk into another area and she waited while Mrs. Velasco filled out a few forms and paid a small fee. Then, the clerk handed Mrs. Velasco two tiny blue pieces of paper.
“Can I see it?” asked Joy.
“Yes, but be careful. These are very important. They’re your parents’ birth certificates.”
Joy investigated every inch of the birth certificates, trying to remember every detail..
“Come on,” said Mrs. Velasco, “You’re holding us up.”
“Where are we going now?”
“We still have to get some paperwork from the Red Cross Center and then we’ll file the Adoption Petition with the Juvenile Court.”
The day drew out in front of Joy in several, long, slow lines. Finally, Mrs. They filed the Petition and they were on their way home.
Unlike the Jeepney into General Santos City, the one on the return trip had windows, which made Joy very happy. However, as she looked out the window, she looked at all the ruined buildings and it filled her with sadness. Her thoughts returned to those she missed. Of course, the Gensan-Sarangani highway was filled with those same sentiments. Partial families reclaimed what they could, but most of it was inhabitable. The debris had been cleared away, but ramshackle buildings stood as constant reminders of the past two months. As those empty shells waited for contractors to remove the rest of the debris, life simply went on. The poor remained poor and the rich remained rich.
Of course, the rich were sequestered in their mountaintop hideaways, far from the struggles down below.
“Hallo dearie!” a voice called over Lorna’s cell phone. Of course, it could only be one person.
“What is it, Eiselle?”
“Let’s go on an escapade.”
“Not today, I’m busy.”
“Busy, busy, busy; you are always busy. Is it your garden again?”
“No,” said Lorna, “I’m paying some bills.”
“Bills? Ha! Finish with that nonsense and let’s go charge things on my credit card.”
“Not this time, Eiselle. I prefer my nonsense to yours.”
Lorna ended the call and set her phone aside while she attended to her bills. Soon, a blaring car horn filled the street outside. It was another familiar sound for Lorna because again, it was Eiselle.
“What?” Lorna called from the porch.
“Come, come, get in and let’s take an escapade!”
“Is Anne-Marie going to be there?”
“Jesus Christ! I don’t run around with that stupid woman anymore.”
“Alright, you get me for two hours, but that’s it. Let me grab my things.”
Lorna quickly stuffed her bills into her purse and joined Eiselle as they headed into downtown.
“See? You don’t need bills.”
“Oh, I still brought the bills. It’s called multi-tasking. Can we make a couple of pit stops?”
“Where all do you want to go?”
“The bank, the post office, and I need to buy some load for my cell phone.”
“Alright, but make it snappy.”
Eiselle waited, not quite patiently, as Lorna ran her errands. When she finished, Eiselle reached into the back seat and produced a long roll of fancy ribbon.
“What’s this?”
“It’s for gift bags. I’m throwing a cotillion.”
“Didn’t you try that once before?”
“Yes, but this time it’ll be different, it’ll be better. I just need your help – and since you’re sitting there doing nothing while I drive, you can tie a pretty bow on each gift bag.”
“What?”
“We’re multi-tasking dear.”
“What is this cotillion for?”
“Arvind wants me to throw it for local VIPs.”
“Arvind wants that?”
“Actually, Mary said I should throw a grand ball and invite all the important people I know.”
“Hmmm,” nodded Lorna, “it sounds like busy work.”
“It’s not busy work, because it’ll be even bigger than the first grand cotillion.”
Lorna did not respond as she continued tying bows onto gift bags. The first grand cotillion had been cancelled when Arvind kicked Eiselle out of his house. It wasn’t, however, the only reason it was a bust. Eiselle had a singular way of burning bridges within her social circle and there were very few people who considered her a close friend. Lorna figured that even without the breakup, the first cotillion would not have been that grand. Still, Lorna continued tying ribbons on the bags until each one had its own ribbon.
“There!” proclaimed Lorna, “that’s the last of them.”
Eiselle glanced around the back seat and then over at Lorna.
“Use the rest of the ribbon and put on extra bows.’
“How many do you want?”
“Just keep tying until there’s no ribbon left.”
Lorna dutifully dressed the gift bags with extra bows, at least until Eiselle pulled into the parking lot at a Bridal Shop.
“Why are we stopping here?”
“They rent out party supplies.”
“Oh, of course,” replied Lorna.
A bell rang as soon as they entered the front door. Eiselle and Lorna stood there only momentarily, but it gave Lorna a chance to look around. The interior looked more like an old plantation house than anything else, with separate wings for separate things. Before they ventured too far into the shop, an attendant swooped in to greet them. .
“Well, hello Ms. Eiselle. What can we do for you today?”
“I need 100 chairs delivered to the Estate.”
“What kind of event are you hosting?”
“I’m throwing another grand cotillion.”
“Really?” scoffed the attendant.
“Yes…why?”
“Well, I don’t really remember you throwing a first cotillion. I do, however, remember you begging for your deposit after it got cancelled. You won’t do that again, will you?”
“No, that won’t be happening again.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m very sure. Just show me your chairs.”
The attendant led them to a small display of chairs in the far corner. They were all variations on a single theme: glitter and lace.
“I think I like the gold one,” said Eiselle, “What do you think?”
“Everyone likes the gold. They rent out at 600 pesos each for one night, plus delivery fees.”
“600 pesos?” exclaimed Lorna, “why not get the white cream? They’re only 60 pesos each.”
“Oh my dear,” snorted the attendant, “you certainly don’t want to send the wrong message to people.”
“Yes,” agreed Eiselle, “you don’t want to send the wrong message.”
“What’s the wrong message?”
“My heavens, if you don’t know the difference between being average and being the best, then…”
“Then what? They’re just chairs.”
“Who are you again, exactly?”
“She’s my friend,” interrupted Eiselle.
“Oh, I should have figured.”
“I’ve changed my mind. I need two hundred gold chairs – with the gold lace coverlets. How much will that be?”
“Let’s go to the service desk,” replied the attendant. As she and Eiselle chatted, Lorna stood idly by her side. She figured it wasn’t worth her time or effort.
“Alright,” said the attendant, “how will you be paying?”
“Just bill the Lee Estate.”
The attendant shook her head, “I need a card to make the reservation.”
“I don’t have one on me right now.”
“No card, then no chairs.”
“You know I’m good for it.”
The attendant shook her head.
“My name is good!”
“No…no, it’s not.”
Lorna tugged at Eiselle’s elbow.
“She’s not worth your time,” said Lorna.
“I’ve given this little shop so much money.”
“Come on, Eiselle. She’s not worth it.”
Even though the attendant’s attitude was more than Eiselle could take, Lorna managed to get her out of the bridal shop without making a scene.
“She thinks she’s so important,” spat Eiselle, “what a stupid bitch.”
“Don’t worry about her,” Lorna replied, “she’s so worried about her commission that she doesn’t care about us. Let’s go to a furniture store and we can buy handmade chairs for a lower price. Then, I’ll decorate them with pretty gold and silver paints.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Trust me,” said Lorna, “I know what I’m doing.”
Lorna directed Eiselle to a roadside furniture store. This time, though, she handled all the negotiations and returned to the little red sports car with a big smile on her face.
“What?” asked Eiselle.
“The old man actually makes wedding chairs for that exact bridal shop. He can make us a whole set for less than half of the price at the Bridal Shop.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Not one bit. He’ll even deliver them to the Lee Estate for free.”
“How long will that take?”
“He said two weeks.”
“Two weeks is too long. I need them by next Saturday evening.”
“Have you even sent out invitations?”
“No,” said Eiselle, “but that’s not the point.”
“Just wait one more week and you’ll have pretty chairs for your cotillion. Then, you can rub it in the salesclerk’s face.”
“Yep, you’re absolutely right.”
Lorna was never one to be small-minded about things, but she knew that spitefulness was always the best way to Eiselle’s petty little heart.
Coincidentally, those same mechanisms that made Eiselle’s heart tick were the same ones that worked in the heart of Anne-Marie Kwok. Of course, Jonny and Arvind had been using that to their own advantage.
“Arvind,” said Jaki, “I got another nasty call from Anne-Marie this morning.”
“What does she want now?”
“She wants us to stop construction on the flood wall.”
“That’s all?”
“She says she’s going to slap us with a fine.”
“How much?”
“I’m not sure, but Mary said it’s fairly big.”
“Well, have Mary call her and find out the details.”
“Do you want me to contact the foreman to have him stop building the flood wall?”
“Not at all. Just tell him to work until Mary-Anne personally hands him a stop-order.”
“Are you trying to make her mad or something?”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing. If she’s got her mind on the flood wall, that will keep her mind off the resort. I’ve got them working on the southeast villas as we speak.”
“Oh! You’re faking to the left and moving to the right!” exclaimed Jaki.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing, dearest Miss Gomez.”
The southeast villas, also known as the Multi-Use Complex, were Arvind’s real next move. However, Anne-Marie had raised such a fuss about construction at the Lee Estate, Arvind figured she might put a stop to the resort just to spite him. He also knew that Anne-Marie might even do it at the risk of losing the villas at her own property.
“Do you need anything from me?” said Jaki.
“Nope. Just keep everything headed on the same course. I’m sure Anne-Marie will take care of the rest.”
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