35 - grand designs

For Joy Jaramillo, it was yet another dismal day as the rainy season unwillingly drew to a close. In one last dying breath, storm clouds rolled across the sky and darkness gobbled up every last bit of light.
With shoulders slumped, Joy carried out her morning duties and shuffled off to school with her classmates. As the children approached the Academy, Rosie was busy scrubbing water stains off the statue of Maria Magdalena with a toothbrush.
“Good morning, Miss Saspy!” said Herve.
“Good morning, Herve! How are you doing today?”
“I’m doing fantastic! What about you?”
“I guess I’m doing fantastic, too! Good morning, everybody!”
“What are you doing with that toothbrush?”
“With a tiny bit of soap and water and elbow grease, I’m making her as good as new.”
She patted the children on their heads in duck-duck-goose fashion as they entered the playground one-by-one. When Rosie went to pat Joy’s head, Joy ducked out of the way.
“Hey! What’s up with that?”
“I’m not having a good day.”
“How can you say that? The day has barely begun.”
“I know, but the sky is gloomy and gray.”
“Oh, come on!” chirped Rosie, “cheer up already!”
 “There’s no reason.”
Rosie orbited around Joy in a half-skip as she broke into a little song and dance.
“Grey skies are gonna clear up. Put on a Happy Face! Brush off the clouds and cheer up! Put on a Happy Face!”
By the time everyone took their seats, their spirits were bright and happy. That is, except for Joy. Rosie snatched Joy by the waist and tickled her in a last ditch effort to get a smile.
“Stop it, Rosie! Please stop! I hate being tickled.”
“Oh come on, doodlebug, everyone likes being tickled.”
“Not me, and please don’t call me doodlebug, either!”
“Hey, hey, hey,” interrupted Mr. G., “what’s all this about?”
“Why can’t I just be sad?”
“Well, I don’t think any child should be sad.”
“I know, but I’m sad.”
Jonny nodded, “Would it be okay if you and I took a little walk?”
Joy nodded.
Jonny took her by the hand and led her outside. As they hiked back and forth along Academy Road, Joy was distant and withdrawn. Mr. G. remained silent until they reached the highway the second time.
“You know Rosie’s just worried about you, right?”
“I know, but I’m fine.”
“Yes, but Mrs. Velasco is worried about you, too, and so am I. Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
Joy shrugged.
“I promise, if you tell me, it’ll be our little secret.”
“I want a memorial.”
“Ah, yes, that…”
“You know about it?”
Jonny nodded, “I know a little.”
“Who told you? Was it Rosie?”
“Mrs. Velasco told me something about it, too. What kind of memorial do you want?”
Joy pointed down to the place where Academy Road ran into the bay.
“I was thinking it would be nice if we put some sort of statue where the old piggery stood.”
Mr. G. nodded, “I think that would be nice, too. If you give me a chance, I’ll talk to some people and I’ll see what we can do.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely,” nodded Mr. G., “Is it okay if I share your little secret?”
“You bet!”
For the first time in a very long time, Joy’s face brightened.
“There’s that smile I’ve missed so much.”
He squeezed her hand in his and she squeezed back.
“You ready to get back to class?”
Joy nodded.
“Good, I’m sure everyone will be glad to see your bright and shining face.”
Jonny took Joy back to Our Lady Lupita and immediately made a cal to Arvind Lee.
“I have this special favor I’d like to ask you. There’s this little girl who attends my Academy and her name is Jocelyn Jaramillo.”
”She’s the one who lost both her parents and her brother, right?”
“That’s the one.”
“What about her?”
“She wants to build a tsunami memorial.”
“That’s a grand idea. Let me talk to Mary and we’ll get someone to draw up the paperwork.”
“Remember not to go too big. She’s just a little girl.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll make sure we do it up just right.”
Arvind hung up his phone and immediately turned his attention to Mary who was busy writing new court filings.
“How do you feel about another project?”
“What kind of project?”
“One of Jonny Gutierrez’s students has an idea for a tsunami memorial in Sarangani.”
“Go on…”
 “That’s all I know for now.”
“Well, I think it’s an absolutely fantastic idea,” said Jaki.
“Before we get too excited, let’s talk to some people and see how much support it gets around town.”
As Arvind circulated the idea through the social circles, everyone gave it favorable reviews and support through Mindanao grew at an overwhelming pace, with those living near the coast being the most vocal. However, there was one person he decided not to tell. Unfortunately, Anne-Marie would hear about it sooner or later as word of mouth spread through the community.
About a week after Jonny had floated the idea to Arvind, the familiar click of heels echoed outside the office at Arvind Construction.
“Arvind Lee, are you there?” called a voice.
“Is that Eiselle?” asked Mary.
“No,” said Jaki, “I’d recognize that squawking anywhere and it’s much, much worse.”
Anne-Marie craned her neck around the corner and poked her head into the tiny construction office.
“How may I help you?” asked Jaki.
“I was surprised not to see you throwing some permit application across my desk recently with all this gossip about more construction in Sarangani.”
“You mean the tsunami memorial?”
“Of course I mean the tsunami memorial. What else would I be talking about?”
“Heaven only knows with you, Anne-Marie.”
Anne-Marie’s jaw dropped as a finger wagged back and forth and gave Mary an accusatory glance, “Do you let her talk to all your business associates like this?”
 “I’m not even going to play these petty little games with you,” said Mary, “Here’s the zoning change application you’re looking for.”
“You don’t have blueprints?”
“Nobody’s drawn up design plans yet, but I assure you, once they cross my desk, I’ll be sure to deliver them to you in person.”
Mary returned to her paperwork without missing a beat. Anne-Marie looked to Jaki, but Jaki ignored her and returned to her own work as well.
While Anne-Marie couldn’t find a proper audience for her complaints, Joy was overwhelmed by the attention she received as a pair of long, black sedans pulled up alongside the Academy. A crowd of children gathered at the door, eager to see who was visiting them now.
“Hello, children!” said Mr. Lee, “where is Miss Jocelyn Jaramillo?”
The children parted as Joy made her way to the front of the group.
“Here I am,” she said, “the one and only Jocelyn Ann Jaramillo!”
“I’ve got a friend who wants to talk to you.”
“Hello, Miss Jaramillo. My name is Francine Rios and I am one of Mr. Arvind’s design architects. Do you know what that is?”
Joy shook her head.
“I create special drawings so other people can build things. I want to hear all of your ideas so we can build that tsunami memorial that you want.”
“You really want to hear my ideas?”
“I do indeed.”
“Wait right here!”
Joy ran down Academy Road as fast as her little legs would take her. When she reached the village, she sped right by Mrs. Velasco and Mrs. Serencio, who were sitting at the picnic table, drinking their morning tea, and headed for the Velasco house.
“What on earth are you doing?” called Mrs. Velasco.
“I’m looking for my drawings.”
Joy returned outside a few moments later, but she was empty handed.
“Did you throw my drawings away?”
“No, they’re right there on the table next to the mattress.”
“I looked there.”
“Well, you must not have looked hard enough.”
Joy stood there as Mrs. Velasco strode past her and into the house.
“They’re right here where you put them yesterday afternoon.”
“Perfect! Thank you, Mrs. Velasco, I mean mommy.”
“You’re welcome, my dear daughter, but what do you need those for?”
“Mr. Lee wants to build a memorial.”
Joy clutched the drawings tightly in her hand and ran back to the Academy. This time, though, it was more of a walk punctuated by brief jogging bursts. By the time Joy reached the Academy, she was completely out of breath.
“Here you go!”
“They’re a little wrinkled,” said Arvind.
“That’s okay,” said the architect as she carefully smoothed the paper over her knee, “they’ll work just fine.”
The architect sat with Joy for a moment and drew in her sketchpad as Joy revealed her big idea – or rather her dozens of little ideas.
“You could have some sort of pump to put water in at the top and it would flow back into the sea.”
“Like a waterfall?”
“Yes, but also a river, so people could walk barefoot through the water as they looked at the memorial.”
“Oh! That’s simply wonderful!”
“And we could put a graveyard over on the side, with tiny crosses.”
“Instead of headstones, let’s build a wall with a row of plaques. Each plaque will hold the name of someone we lost.”
Joy looked over the architect’s shoulder as she continued with her drawings, “I would like it to be in fancy gray stone like they have at the courthouse.”
“You mean marble?”
Joy nodded enthusiastically.
“Well,” chuckled the architect, “I can’t promise you anything, but we’ll see what we can do.”
Soon, the architect had a complete set of sketches featuring every aspect of the memorial. Still, she continued working feverishly until the children came out onto the playground for lunch.
“You’ve been very helpful,” said the architect.
“When do you think it will it be finished?”
“It’s a very long process and we’ll have to talk with many people.”
“Then I guess I’ll just have to be patient.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we get finished as soon as possible. It’s been an absolute pleasure to speak with you.”
“You, too,” replied Joy as she stuck out a hand. The architect took it in hers and gave Joy a firm handshake. Then, the two women said their good-byes as Joy joined her friends on the playground.
“What was that all about?” asked Juvie.
“I am helping to build a tsunami memorial.”
“Aww, c’mon.”
“No, I really am.”
The children gathered around as Joy described the idea for the tsunami memorial once again. Meanwhile, Arvind and the architect returned to the construction office and sorted through the architect’s sketches.
“This is all Joy’s idea?” asked Jaki.
Arvind nodded.
“It’s really something, you know.”
“I know.”
“What do you think Anne-Marie will do about this?”
“There’s nothing she can do. It would be political suicide.”
“Then, let’s hope she decides to fight it. I wouldn’t mind dealing with someone else down at City Hall.”
“Enough of the wishful thinking; get Eiselle on the phone and make sure this cotillion of hers goes according to plan. We can use it to unveil Joy’s memorial project.”
“Okie dokie,” chirped Jaki
The nervous energy was infectious as everyone focused on the project.
“Eiselle, it’s Jakilyn Gomez down at Arvind Construction.”
“Yeah, what do you want?”
“Arvind asked me to call you about the cotillion. Is there any way you can move it up to this weekend?”
“No. I’ve made all my plans. It’s next Saturday night.”
“Arvind wants it this Saturday.”
You tell him he has to wait.”
“I don’t think he’ll like it.”
“He doesn’t have a choice.”
“Alright, I’ll see if I can smooth things over with him.”
“Why does he want it pushed to this weekend anyway?”
“He wants to make a special announcement at the cotillion about building a tsunami memorial near the bay.”
“Hmph,” snorted Eiselle, “it can wait one more week. I have already made all the plans and sent out the invitations. However, I’ll make sure it goes perfeckly this time around. You just tell Arvind that.”
Jaki decided not to argue with Eiselle. It wasn’t because of their rocky past, but Eiselle was right. Plus, that would give Jaki time to make sure all of her ducks were in a row. She used her connections to spread the word and soon, Eiselle’s second grand cotillion was fully booked. Jaki also took the following week off as Arvind’s assistant to work for Eiselle.
“You want to work for me?”
Jaki nodded.
“What could you possibly do for me?”
“You name it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Alright, I need you to start calling all the people we need to make this go right – the bakery, the caterer, the chair rental place.”
“Do you have all the contact information?”
“Yeah, I’ll send you the file.”
“It says that you’re using the Bridal Shop. I have a couple of friends who work there.”
“Of course you do,” snorted Eiselle, “You can be the one to deal with those people. I don’t like them anyway. They’re all such snobs.”
Jaki shot a sideways glance at Eiselle, but used her better judgment against saying anything as she went about putting the finishing touches on the event.
When the big night came, the Lee Estate was packed with VIPs from every corner of The Philippines. They came in fancy European sedans and Japanese sports cars and were dressed in their finest suits and gowns. It was the grand cotillion Eiselle had always dreamed about.
“You’ve done such a lovely job, my dear.”
As Arvind moved in for a kiss, Eiselle instinctively pulled away. Still, Arvind planted the lightest of kisses on her right cheek and Eiselle checked her makeup as she always did before returning to her duties as party host.
“Oh, hello, dearie!” she greeted Ysabella Marquez-Monroe and her husband Billy, “Did you see the ice sculpture out on the veranda?”
“Not yet,” answered Ysabella.
“Well, it’s an absolute must. The sculptor worked on it all evening and I have two attendants keeping it cool with hand-held chillers.”
 Eiselle was the most gracious of hosts, saying nothing of Billy’s bright blue Hawaiian shirt and cut off jeans at a formal event. After all, she thought, he was both a surfer and an American, who could possibly train either of those kinds of people?
Soon afterwards, Rosie and Brian arrived with their students. Eiselle looked on as Arvind greeted them.
“What are they doing here?” she whispered to Arvind.
“They are here for the presentation of the tsunami memorial project,” stated Eiselle.
“I guess that will have to do.”
“Have to do what? See that little girl over there next to Jaki? She’s the whole reason for this cotillion.”
“Do I have to remind you this is my cotillion?”
“Not at all, but you have to treat these kids with some dignity. Disgracing them will only end up disgracing yourself.”
“Oh, I suppose you’re right, but you know how I feel about children.”
Arvind placed a hand lightly in the small of Eiselle’s back and led her to a group of old businessmen, where she was at her best. Meanwhile, an uninvited and unwelcome guest crossed the doorway. It was Anne-Marie Kwok.
“Are you kidding me?” whispered Mary, “What is she doing here?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m going to make sure she doesn’t spoil this evening.”
Uninvited or not, Arvind knew that Anne-Marie wouldn’t miss a chance to make a public appearance. Undaunted, Arvind strode across the room and greeted Anne-Marie.
“Well, hello, Miss Kwok, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company tonight?”
“I simply couldn’t resist a chance to support my best friend. You know, I didn’t even get an invitation, but I figure someone must’ve misplaced it.”
Arvind nodded, “Well, have you had a chance to look at the artist’s renderings of the tsunami memorial?”
Just as gently as Arvind had always handled Eiselle, he guided Anne-Marie through the house and out to the veranda where a crowd had gathered around the drawings. Of course, Joy Jaramillo was there between Jaki and Rosie, admiring the drawings
“You see this?” pointed Joy, “that waterfall is my idea.”
People looked on with smiles, even as Anne-Marie broke through the crowd and pushed Joy out of the way.
“Yes,” said Anne-Marie, “it’s a lovely idea, but a waterfall isn’t very practical, especially because it will cost the taxpayers hundreds, if not thousands of pesos each year. Who will be the ones to pay for that?’
“Oh, Anne-Marie,” interrupted Jaki, “does everything have to be about money?”
“In this case, yes it does.”
“We’ve all lost someone this last August, and that includes you. Still, you’re stirring up a mess where you’re not even invited. Why can’t you be a little bit compassionate about that?”
“I am compassionate, but these people are dead and gone. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
“Alright, alright,” interrupted Arvind, “let’s settle down and take our seats so we can have the presentations. There will be plenty of time to discuss it afterward.”
Before Arvind even took center stage, a hush came over the crowd.
“I am sure that most of you know my dear wife Eiselle and I am happy she threw this grand cotillion and that each and every one of you could be here tonight. Also, there’s my assistant Jaki Gomez and if you don’t know her, she is another of the strong females in my life. She has gone to great lengths to organize the tsunami project. Without further hesitation, I introduce tonight’s master of ceremonies, Miss Jakilyn Gomez.”
Before Jaki approached the podium, she invited Joy and Francine Rios to join her at center stage. Joy motioned to Jaki and then whispered into her ear. Jaki cracked a smile as she grabbed a chair and placed it next to the podium. Joy stood upon it so everyone could see her, even the people at the far end of the patio.
“Good evening everyone. As Arvind said, my name is Jaki Gomez and I have had the ultimate pleasure of working with these two women over the last few weeks. This is Jocelyn Jaramillo and she’s a student at Our Lady Lupita Academy in Baluntay. She came up with the original idea of a tsunami memorial here in Sarangani. Also, we have Francine Rios, who took Jocelyn’s ideas and created the design proofs and blueprints you see here…”
There was some sense of tranquility as the three women discussed the tsunami memorial. Even Anne-Marie, who had stood firmly against Arvind’s multi-use complex and rebuilding the small squatter village at the end of Academy Road was left speechless. A group of VIPs orbited around Joy Jaramillo afterwards, shaking her hands and giving her loving embraces. The little girl had accomplished more for Sarangani with a collection of crayon drawings than any politician had done in quite a long while.
“Hey Joy!” said Jaki, “It looks like you did it! Everyone loves your idea.”
“Yeah, but my arms are so tired. I’m afraid they’ll fall off if I have to shake someone else’s hands.”
“Alright,” laughed Jaki, “no more handshakes, I promise.”
Joy returned to the Academy in the passenger seat of Jaki’s hatchback. While Brian and Rosie rode in the back. It was not long, however, that Joy fell asleep. When they arrived back at Baluntay, Brian plucked her out of her seat and carried her piggyback to the village and dumped her on the futon.
“Where am I?” asked Joy.
“You’re home.”
“Good, because that’s right where I want to be.”
.