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Kellys Adventures

Kelly's Adventures - (M/F, F/F, oral, cons)

by Dorsai

Copyright (c) 2001 - Dorsai@mail.com

LEGAL DISBLAMER

Erotic fiction. Not legal for everyone everywhere. It’s up to you to
know YOUR situation.

INFORMATION

You can get a copy of this story in text and (when it’s complete) .pdf
(Adobe Acrobat) formats, and my other stories, at the alt.sex.stories text
repository at

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donation, and you can donate anonymously - see their donations page to
learn how.

You can reach me directly at my public email account at:

dorsai@mail.com

This story is released for FREE public distribution provided the
copyright notice is retained. This story is NOT FOR SALE at any time, by
anyone. This story may NOT be included in any collections, or posted on
any site, for which ANY type of fee or other charge is required before the
user can read it. I *WILL* prosecute any violations of my copyright, or
the terms of distribution.

For those wishing to provide feedback to me, or any other author, there
are a number of anonymous remailers available from the site:

http://www.1netcentral.com/anonymous-email.html

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Part One

My best friend in the world was Paul.

Divorced with 3 kids, I helped him out in his job as a salesman when I
watched out for his kids when he had to go out of town on business. They
were good kids, so it wasn't much of a problem. When his daughter, Jan,
was in high school, I was watching out for them one time when I
accidentally interrupted her while she was masturbating.

That one event led to changes in my life that I had never even
considered: from getting her started on learning sex education on the
Internet (she and Paul’s other kids attended Catholic schools, where sex ed
wasn't well thought of), things progressed to introducing her, and her best
friend Kelly, to physical intimacy.

Then things progressed to teaching several of their other friends about
love, and sex. When all was said and done, I'd deflowered a half-dozen
girls before they even graduated high school - including Jan, with Paul’s
explicit permission. To top things off, the extremely intelligent and
attractive Kelly had fallen in love with me, as I had with her, and moved
in with me. After high school, she'd gone on to attend college, majoring
in mathematics and philosophy. On graduation, she'd gone to work for me in
my engineering business.

She'd been working for me for a little over a year when one of my
customers (a loyal bunch - they knew that despite my rates, I was actually
*saving* them money with my designs) let me know that they were seriously
considering opening a manufacturing facility overseas - specifically, the
Philippines. Knowing I'd spent time there while in the Navy, they asked me
to take the lead on finding them a good site for their plant. After a few
days of exhaustive discussions detailing what they needed, what they
wanted, what they'd like to have, costs for land/labor/materials, and so
on, I agreed. My job wasn't to actually sign any contracts or anything;
rather, I was to narrow down the number of choices to a half-dozen or
(preferably) less. That done, I'd go back with a few of their people to
make introductions and get things started. From there, their own people
could take over to make the final selection, and seal the deal.

As I pointed out to them, my knowledge of the Philippines and its people
was limited, and likely years out of date. Their response was to observe
that it was still infinitely better than anyone else's that they thought
they could trust with the job.

With the details of who and what and when and where worked out, we
signed a contract for my services: I was to go there for a period of four
to eight weeks, returning with between two and six potential sites that met
a checklist of requirements necessary to support their facility. I was
also to return with the names of at least two lawyers to represent them,
and a detailed list of the various legal and financial requirements they'd
have to meet, as well as the names and titles of any government officials
that they'd be dealing with. It wasn't a small task, and they knew it -
they didn't grumble in the slightest at the hefty fee I was charging them.

They were willing to pay Business Class airfare; I got a price quote for
that rate to submit with my expense report, and then bought First Class
tickets. Yes, ticket*s*. Kelly had made it quite clear early on that if I
went on *any* business trip without her, I'd come home to a house without
her in it. I didn't think she'd actually DO it, but she'd made her point.
If I was going to the Philippines, I wasn't going alone. The departure
date was for a good six weeks away - ample time to get passports for me and
Kelly, get my other clients set up to deal with my absence, and make all
the other arrangements. As always, my secretary worked wonders for me, and
I made a silent vow to bring her something *extra* special from the
Philippines.

Still, *I* had to deal with such things as doing some research on the
Philippines as it was at the time, and contacting a company in the
Philippines to arrange for a guide and driver. Then contacting that guide
- a Miss Marlyn Ramos, age 32 - to let her know what I was going to be
there for, and what places I wanted to visit, so that SHE could make the
hotel reservations and such - ensuring that we got the best possible rates.
From previous experience, I knew that given a chance, too many businesses
there had Filipino (regular) and American (inflated to varying degrees)
prices for about everything. She was also the one to make contact with the
officials in the different cities that we expected to visit, ensuring that
we would have access to them when the time came. At her suggestion, I
agreed that she would be the one to hire our driver - so that he could also
pull duty as a guard for us for increased pay. Americans weren't immune to
the political kidnappings that happened there, and she assured us that our
driver/guard would be there for more than mere appearances. With the
knowledge of what we were there for, and the main places we wanted to go, I
gave her authority to make additions to our itinerary, and take care of the
sequence and scheduling. She even emailed us a brief description of her
qualifications for the job, along with her description and a digitized
photo we could use to help identify her at the airport. When Kelly saw it,
she just looked at it for a while, without saying anything. We responded
in kind, sending descriptions and digitized photos of the two of us, as
well.

With that taken care of, all that remained was to try to ensure that the
house didn't burn down and that our cat, Cat, didn't starve while we were
gone. Jan and the others quickly worked out a system and schedule of who
would be doing what, and when, to make sure things would still be there
when we got back. Every last one of them flatly refused ANY kind of
compensation or offer I made them to repay them for their help; I quietly
resolved that they would NOT go unrewarded - I remembered the beauty and
delicacy of the silverwork I'd seen in Baguio, years before.

The fateful day finally arrived. Paul took time off from work to take
us, along with Jan and one of her friend, Sandra, to the airport to see us
off. We were flying a U.S. airline as far as Los Angeles; from there it
was Philippine Air Lines the rest of the way. We got to the airport in
plenty of time, and didn't have any trouble getting our tickets in hand, or
our baggage checked through. Kelly and I both kept a carry-on, though,
with a couple changes of clothes in it - while I expected our luggage to
arrive with us, it wasn't something I was willing to bet money on. Paul
and the rest kept us company as we made our way toward the gate - even
going through the security checkpoint with us so they could stay with us as
long as possible. Jan and Sandra were both terribly jealous of Kelly
getting to go with me; Kelly was both frightened and excited at the
prospect: her biggest adventure to that point had been when her parents had
taken her on vacation to Canada one summer, when she was still a child.

Finally, it was time: Paul and the others gave us a final hug and kiss
(okay, Paul only kissed Kelly) before watching us head down the jet way to
our plane. As the plane backed up, we could see them watching us through
the big terminal windows. We waved, and they saw us well enough to wave
back before we lost sight of them.

The flight to L.A. was pretty typical. Granted, in First Class we got
a little better treatment than the thundering heard in Coach. But really,
at 30,000 feet and 400 miles an hour, what can you DO? Things improved
somewhat after our two-hour layover in L.A., and we boarded the flight to
Manila, via Hawaii and Hong Kong. Once airborne, the flight attendants
(all young, female, and cute as could be) quickly began pampering us. When
one of them brought us our drinks, I thanked her in Tagalog, the 'common
language' of the Philippines - it being slightly more common than English,
and a definite improvement over the multitude of local dialects. She
looked surprised at my "Salamat po!" (honorific version of "Thank you"),
and asked where I'd learned Tagalog. I told her that I'd been stationed
there, and was going back on business. I added that my wife and business
assistant - indicating Kelly - was going with me; her first trip outside
the U.S. The flight attendant told us her name was Mhay, and that she
would be happy to come back and visit with us. Kelly thanked her, and Mhay
dimpled prettily before moving on to take care of some other passengers.

Kelly leaned over to whisper in my ear "She is such a *doll*!" then
looking around and adding "They ALL are! Are all the women there this
pretty?"

"Nope. Most, but not all. These are the cream of the crop, so to
speak. They don't have any problems there about hiring practices, so the
airline is free to hire only the prettiest young girls they can find. A
job like this - travel, good pay, plenty of chances to meet eligible men -
is highly desirable, so they don't lack for applicants."

Kelly poked me in the ribs, and said "No, really, what are they like?"

"I just told you. Think about it - do you think a businessman on a trip
wants to look at the guy that served US on the way to L.A., or somebody
that looks like one of THESE? Then think about WHY the airlines would hire
that guy anyway."

She looked at me doubtfully, but thought it over, finally telling me
"Okay, I can see your point. You mean this airline can really DO that? I
mean, just hire the pretty young girls and no one else?"

"Sure. It's a fairly poor country, so the general attitude is that ANY
job is better than NO job; and nobody's inclined to fuss at the companies
that have the jobs. Besides, it's their country and their rules. If you
don't like it bad enough, don't go there."

She gave me another doubtful look, and I went on to explain "Kelly, this
is something that you need to understand, completely and fully, before
anything else: we are going to a FOREIGN COUNTRY. It is NOT a suburb of
Los Angeles or New York or anyplace else in the United States. It is THEIR
COUNTRY, and THEY make the rules. *WE* ARE THE FOREIGNERS. I've traveled
through a lot of Asia, without any problems, by keeping that in mind AT ALL
TIMES. Give them half a chance and you'll probably find the people we meet
to be friendly, courteous, and helpful - but never lose sight of the fact
that it's THEIR country and THEIR culture. We can learn to get around in
it. But if we're not careful, we run the risk of assuming we KNOW it when
we don't - by getting too comfortable and confident - and making a mistake
that gets us into trouble. When the stewardess gets back, I can give you
an example."

Kelly looked surprised, but nodded her agreement. A few minutes later,
Mhay reappeared, telling us "I have a few minutes before we start the meal,
if you would like."

I assured her that we certainly WOULD like, and she took a seat on the
armrest of an empty seat on the aisle. She looked at us expectantly, and I
spoke up, saying "Mhay, this is Kelly's first trip outside the United
States, and I am trying to help her understand that not all places have the
same customs. If you would be kind enough to help me, I think I can help
her understand what I am talking about."

Mhay assured me that she would be happy to help, and I asked her to show
us how she would gesture for someone to come over to her. She nodded, the
stuck her arm out before letting her hand drop toward the floor. Kelly
looked at her quizzically, and I asked Mhay "Why do you do like that?"

She answered "Because that is the nice way."

I went on to ask her "You know how Americans do it, right?"

She nodded, and said "You can do that, too, but it is only for servants
or like that. The other is the polite one."

I turned to Kelly, and said "You heard her. The way WE would normally
gesture someone over, by crooking a finger at them, is the RUDE way. If
you did that anywhere in the Philippines, you would almost certain cause a
problem. But doing it the RIGHT way - for the Philippines - would make
people think you were polite. It's just the REVERSE of that old saying:
different folks, different strokes." - making her smile at that last part.

We heard someone say something in Tagalog, and I saw Mhay turn her head
and nod to the speaker. When she turned back, I asked her "You have to go
back to work now?" She smiled and nodded, and I thanked her for her help.
She said it was her pleasure, and I asked her if she would be able to come
back and help me practice my Tagalog, and maybe learn some new words. Her
whole face lit up, and she assured me that she and the others would be
happy to help however they could.

When she was gone, I told Kelly "You saw how she perked up when I asked
her to help me learn more Tagalog?" Kelly nodded, and I went on "The one
constant I found in my travels was that if the local people can see that
you're at least TRYING to learn and fit in, they'll be happy to help you -
sometimes even going out of their way to do it. You can mangle the
language, botch a custom, or foul up a ceremony, and they'll forgive you -
as long as they can see you're TRYING. If I asked Mhay or any one of the
others how good my Tagalog is, they'd assure me it was fine - except that I
already *know* my pronunciation is bad, and my accent worse. But I TRY,
and that's what counts."

Kelly nodded her understanding, and I told her "While we're in the
Philippines, you'll see me do different things, and say different things.
CAREFULLY watch and listen, not just to me, but to the Filipinos we meet,
and I think you'll get the idea. Until then, don't be afraid to explain
yourself before answering questions, or asking for help before doing
things. Don't hesitate to tell someone that you don't know how to do
something the Filipino way. Even if you get it wrong, they won't be upset
because you at least made the effort."

Kelly put her head on my shoulder and hugged my arm before saying "You
sound like you had a lot of fun traveling around."

"I did. Made a lot of mistakes, got confused a lot, was *constantly*
lost, but sure, I had a blast. Anyplace I went the first things I tried to
learn was some key phrases in the local language."

"Such as?"

"Such as 'Hello', 'Thank you', and most important 'where's the
bathroom?'" - earning myself a giggle. I continued by telling her
"Actually, I did have a lot of fun. Met a lot of nice people, and visited
a lot of pretty and interesting places. Learned a lot, both about the
countries and the people in them - how their cultures worked, how they
evolved, stuff like that."

"Ever get into trouble?"

"Never anything serious enough to get arrested for."

She tilted her head back to give me the fisheye; I was saved from having
to explain myself right then and there by the reappearance of Mhay, who let
us know that they would be serving lunch soon, and asking what we’d like,
after detailing our choices. Kelly simply looked at me, waiting for me to
decide for both of us: we’d been given a choice between braised beef and a
Filipino dish, chicken adobo. It took me only a moment to decide – we’d go
with the chicken adobo. After Mhay left, I described what the meal would
be to Kelly: essentially, a chicken ‘stew’ with plenty of vegetables,
served over rice. Several minutes later, Mhay returned with out meals.
After taking a tentative bite, Kelly’s face lit up as she told us “This is
*good*!” – and getting a smile from Mhay before she left to take care of
her other passengers.

Shortly after Kelly and I had both removed the last molecule of the
adobo from our plates, Mhay turned up again to take them back to the
galley. With our trays cleared, she came back again to ask if there was
anything else we’d like.

“Isang sarbisa, paki”, I answered. A GI *never* forgets how to order
beer, no matter WHAT the language.

Mhay nodded, and I continued “San Miguel?”, and she nodded again.

Mhay waited patiently when Kelly asked me what I’d just ordered. When I
told her I’d asked for a beer (“Isa is ‘one’, add ‘ng’ to the end for
grammar; sarbisa is beer, paki is please”), specifically a San Miguel
brand, she indicated she’d like to try one, too. I looked up at Mhay, and
said “Dalawang, paki”. She smiled her understanding, and left us to return
a few moments later with two cold bottles of San Miguel, and two glasses.
Kelly and I both carefully filled the glasses before taking a sip; again,
Kelly’s eyes lit up at the taste.

Kelly and I had both gone through about half our beer when Mhay showed
up again, along with one of the other stewardesses. She introduced us,
saying “This is my friend – kaibigan in Tagalog – Cherry”. I could feel
Kelly start to giggle next to me, and I discretely nudged her to indicate
that it wasn’t the time for that. She quickly got control of herself, and
told Cherry “It’s nice to meet you.” followed by my own greeting.

Mhay told us “Cherry wants to practice her English – she already speaks
Chinese – so she will be helping me.”

I could see on Kelly’s face that she was surprised that the cute little
Cherry already spoke _another_ language, and wanted to practice yet a
different one. I assured both of them that we would be happy to help, and
thanked them for taking the time to help US.

For the next couple of hours, the two of them coached both Kelly and I
in pronunciation and expanding our grammar as we coached Cherry – who took
our polite corrections in the good will that they were intended. A few
times, Mhay and Cherry both laughed when Kelly or I (or both) badly
mispronounced a word, and started to blush at embarrassing us – until Kelly
and I laughed along with them, and assured them that we thought it was
funny, too. As it sank in that we weren’t going to play at being
‘Important People’, they gradually became even more friendly, and willing
to correct our errors.

When they finally had to leave to take care of their other duties, Kelly
and I both had a secure grasp on several key phrases, and had passable
pronunciation.

When Mhay and Cherry were both out of earshot, Kelly leaned over to tell
me “Never before in my LIFE have I heard anyone with the name ‘Cherry’ – I
nearly laughed when Mhay introduced her!”

“I know – that’s why I nudged you” – “Nudge, my foot; I thought you were
going to cave in a rib!” Kelly exaggerated – “to let you know not to.
Something else you need to know is that the country we’re going to is
roughly ninety percent Catholic; it seems like about two girls in three has
the first name of ‘Maria’, so it’s pretty common for them to use nicknames.
There’s no telling what you’ll hear somebody called, so try to remember
that no matter what it sounds like to YOU, it’s somebody’s NAME, okay?”

That sobered her considerably, and she thought things over for the next
several minutes as I finished off the remains of the latest beer Mhay had
brought me – my excuse being that I needed to keep my vocal cords well
lubricated.

Finally, she spoke up again, telling me “It really *is* different, isn’t
it? I really didn’t _understand_ what you were telling me about customs
and cultures and all of that; at least, not until we got on this name
thing. I started thinking about what you said, about people’s names; and I
suddenly realized that MY name could be laughed at, too – like in ‘Kelly
green’. I know *I* wouldn’t like it much, and that gave me a different
perspective; it kind of put me in Cherry’s shoes. Now I really DO
understand that we’re going to a different place with different rules.
Before, it was still kind of abstract, but now it’s REAL. If she comes
back, I think I have to apologize to Cherry.”

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.”

“Why not?”

“Because if you apologize, there’s a real risk that she wouldn’t
understand what you’re apologizing ABOUT – remember, to her, it’s a
perfectly reasonable name – and you might find yourself trying to explain
WHY you thought you were giving offense. And like I told you, the
Philippines is like 90 percent Catholic, and not particularly ‘liberal’
about such things as sex; the girls there are EXPECTED to be virgins right
up to the time they’re married, so your explanation would likely embarrass
the hell out of her, if not outright offend her.”

Kelly thought that one over for a bit, and said “I see your point.
Better to just let it go this time, and learn from it.”

“That’s it. And just so you know, we’re probably going to run into
people with names that cause just the opposite reaction.”

“Such as?”

“Such as we meet a girl – though possibly a boy! – called ‘Baby’. She,
or he, will likely be the youngest child, and that’s what they’ve been
called all their life. Doesn’t mean anything to them, particularly, but to
us it’s a different matter: Baby could be a term of denigration or
endearment, and you might find yourself having trouble using it without
adding the emotional value we Americans would give it.”

I watched as she rolled that one around in her mind for a while before
asking “So what do I do, then?”

“What I found works for me is to use my emotions as a kind of alarm
system – if something hits me that brings up an emotion, I use that as a
way to kind of ‘flag’ it for INTELLECTUAL processing, rather than just
responding to it immediately. If I have trouble saying or doing something
because of the way it makes me feel, I stop a moment to examine why – and
deal with it then, rather than let it tie me up in knots. If I can’t
settle it any other way, I just remind myself that it’s their country and
their rules, not mine, and go from there.”

Kelly nodded her understanding, and got thoughtful again. She stayed
that way until a couple hours later, when Mhay and Cherry showed up again.
Remembering our previous lessons, she greeted them in Tagalog, and thanked
them in it when they told her she was doing very well.

Cherry and Mhay both gave us language lessons a couple more times during
our flight to Manila; after Kelly and I had our talk, she was appreciable
more intent on the language lessons, and much more willing to ask Cherry or
Mhay the *why* of a certain phrase. She showed more interest in asking
them cultural and situational questions – what do I do if…, how should I…,
and so on. Being female as Cherry and Mhay were, Kelly thought of things
that simply wouldn’t have occurred to me – and I learned even more about
the culture in the process.

We finally made it to Manila, and made it through Customs without any
problems. Baggage in tow, we made our way out of the secure part of the
airport to the receiving area for our flight. Tired as we were, it still
didn’t take we long to spot Ms. Ramos.

She seemed to recognize us about the same time, and moved to meet us as
we headed toward her. Straight black hair to the middle of her back, a
little button of a nose, full lips, dark eyes, and a nicely curved figure,
she was a delight to look at with her smooth, clear complexion. Standing a
full 5 feet, 2 inches tall, Kelly and I both towered over her.

“Mr. and Mrs. Marshall? Welcome to the Philippines.”

“Mabuhai (Greetings)” I told her, followed by Kelly asking “Kumu sta
ka?” (How are you?).

Ms. Ramos got a delighted smile on her face, and answered “Mabuhay!
Mabuti!” ([I’m doing] Fine!).

She looked at both of us for a moment, and then asked “How is it that
you know Tagalog?”

I explained to her that I’d been there while serving in the Navy (I saw
what she thought of THAT), and that both of us had asked for – and gotten –
language lessons from a couple of the stewardesses on the plane. Through a
twist of fate, I saw Mhay and Cherry walking a little distance from us, and
pointed them out to Ms. Ramos. About that time, Mhay happened to look in
our direction and saw us. She smiled and waved at us, then nudged Cherry,
who did the same. I was proud of Kelly when she remembered to extend her
arm and let her hand drop to gesture that we’d like them to come over.
Both readily changed direction toward us, and in a few moments, they were
in an animated conversation with Ms. Ramos. When they were done, Mhay and
Cherry both told us it was nice to see us again, and wished us well. Kelly
and I reciprocated, and the two of them headed back the direction they’d
been going while Ms. Ramos watched.

When they were out of earshot, Ms. Ramos told us “You pleased – and
surprised – both of them very much with your willingness and ability to
learn to speak Tagalog. Cherry in particular is grateful for your help in
letting her improve her English.”

Then she looked at me speculatively, and said “There aren’t many U.S.
sailors that come to our country that take the time or effort to learn our
language, Mr. Andrews.”

“Please, call me Dan – and this is Kelly. I’m sorry to say that I know
that, Ms. Ramos.” – “It would be Miss Ramos, but I think Marlyn would be
better since we’ll be together for a while.” – “But the Philippines isn’t
the only country I spent time in, and I found that I LIKED to learn about
the places I was lucky enough to visit. I also found that it was easier to
get the help that I so often needed if I was able to speak at least a
LITTLE bit of the language. I have no illusion that I am fluent in
Tagalog; but I hope that I can at least be POLITE.”

She listened to that, and when I was done, told me “Yes, I think that
you were probably the kind of visitor that we LIKE to have here, Dan.” Then
she turned to Kelly and said “I was told that this is your first trip to
our country. You impressed Cherry and Mhay very much with how quickly and
well you learned the Tagalog they were able to teach you. And Mhay was
*very* pleased that you remembered how to show them you wanted them to come
over here. It isn’t often that we get visitors that take the time to learn
OUR way of doing things.”

Kelly answered her by saying “Dan was able to explain a few things to me
on the flight here, and help me understand that *I* am the foreigner, now.
I am sure that I am still going to make mistakes, but I would hope that you
would be kind enough to correct me, so that I don’t make any more than I
have to. This is a new place for me, and I know that I have a lot to learn
– I don’t want to be an ‘Ugly American’”.

Marlyn smiled at that, and told her “You are too pretty to be an *ugly*
American anywhere – but I understand what you mean. I’ll be happy to
help.” She went on to tell us “Your driver is waiting out front with the
car. If you’ll give me moment, I’ll get him to help with your luggage.
Please, wait here.”

I assured her we wouldn’t move from that very spot, and she smiled at me
before heading for the door. True to her word, she was back in a minute or
so with a very fit-looking middle aged man. When they were standing in
front of us, Marlyn told us “This is your driver and bodyguard, Bhoy”. I
could see Kelly thinking *that* over as Marlyn went on “He is retired from
the Philippine Army, and even served a tour in Viet Nam, so he really is
qualified as a bodyguard. He works as a driver and guard only to have
something to do, and to make a little extra money. I’ve worked with him
before, and he is very good and very helpful. As I told you in the email,
we won’t be going anyplace where there is any real risk; he is here more as
an insurance policy, I think you would call it.”

I told her “I understand, and thank you.”

She smiled again, and said “It is I who thank you, Dan. Ours is a poor
country, so anyone who is bringing jobs for our people is someone we want
to take care of. If you’re ready, we can get you to your hotel now.”

Kelly and I both indicated that we thought that was a fine idea, and
Bhoy quickly moved to take command of the three largest of our bags, while
Marlyn picked up a fourth. Kelly and I both tried to protest, since we
were left with only our carry-on bags, but Bhoy and Marlyn both ignored us
as they led the way out of the terminal.

Once outside, Kelly immediately knew why I’d ‘suggested’ (all but TOLD
her to wear) light clothing for the flight: we were hit with heat and
humidity that was happily very rare in our part of the U.S. I watched,
too, as Kelly tried not to react to the varied smells that hit us – the
combination of odors that any large city in the tropics develops: auto
exhaust, decaying vegetation, and too many people - all leavened with heat
and humidity. For someone who’d never been exposed to it before, it can be
a real assault on the senses.

Once Bhoy had stowed the luggage, we all piled in. Bhoy drove, of
course, while Marlyn took shotgun; Kelly and I were left with plenty of
space in the back. I was more than a little surprised when Marlyn had Bhoy
drive us past the monumental garbage piles near the airport as we made our
way to the hotel. When Kelly saw it, I saw her turn pale and her
expression change slightly when she saw the number of people digging around
in it. A little farther along, we passed a shantytown, and Kelly saw the
crude shacks that lacked even the most basic plumbing. I heard Kelly draw
a breath, and quickly squeezed her hand to let her know to keep quiet.
When she looked at me, I mouthed the word ‘later’, which she understood to
mean that we’d talk about it in private. As we got closer to the hotel,
Kelly started noticing the traffic – and I saw her flinch a few times when
she thought we were going to have an accident. I suppose I should have
warned her about the insane Manila traffic.

When we got to the hotel, the outside staff quickly got the van unloaded
while the desk clerk (five feet of condensed cute) got us checked in.
Ready to head up to our rooms, I turned to Marlyn and said “If you don’t
mind, I would like for us to go over your plans for our trip this evening.
I would be delighted if you would join us for supper in a few hours, after
we’ve had time to rest from the flight, and clean up a little.”

Marlyn answered “I was thinking the same thing, except for the dinner
part - but I accept. What time would you like me here?”

I checked my watch to find that it was getting close to 3:00 PM. “How
about seven o’clock, then?” I asked, and she readily agreed. I went on to
say “I don’t think we’ll be going very far tonight. Do you think that we
should ask Bhoy to stay?”

She thought it over, and answered “No, I don’t think you need to. This
is a good hotel, and there isn’t any trouble around here. Just don’t go
more than a few blocks, and you should be fine – I think you know what
places you will be safe in. Once we leave Manila, though, you will want to
let Bhoy know what your plans are, since he can help you better than I
can.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do; thank you. We’ll see you at seven, then?”

She nodded, and we parted company.

Up in our room, I tipped the bellboy when he’d unloaded our luggage, and
he left happy - carefully closing the door behind him. Kelly and I both
had a look around the rooms (it was actually a small suite) before both of
us released a sigh of relief. I was the first to start undressing, but
Kelly didn’t hesitate to follow my example. In just a few moments, both of
us were naked as we headed for the bed to lie down.

As the air conditioning dried the thin film of sweat from our bodies,
Kelly looked at me and said “I couldn’t BELIEVE that pile of garbage, and
how all those people were digging through it! What were they doing there?
And what about that place with all those shacks? I thought I saw some
woman actually peeing behind a bush!”

“That garbage pile is actually kind of famous – every so often, a chunk
of it falls over and kills a few people. All the people you saw on it
actually LIVE there; they dig through all the stuff trying to find things
they can sell for food or clothing or anything else they need.”

“But it’s GARBAGE!”

“So? Haven’t YOU ever thrown away something that was still good, just
because you didn’t want it any more? We recycle aluminum at home, but
here, it’s not so important – so there’s plenty of aluminum cans and other
stuff for them to dig out and sell. It’s not fun, but for most of them,
it’s do that or starve. I know which one *I’d* prefer.”

I went on to tell her “And that bunch of shacks we saw is a poor
neighborhood, is all. The woman you saw probably WAS peeing behind a bush;
damn few of those places have running water inside, never mind actual
toilets. But even the people in those shacks are better off than the ones
at the dump, aren’t they?”

She looked at me as though she couldn’t believe I was saying all of that
as matter-of-factly as I was.

I told her “Kelly, I’ll tell you again: this is a POOR country. Up
until the end of World War II, the Philippines was a U.S. possession that
we got when we won the Spanish-American war. After that war, the U.S.
government really screwed them over when they started fussing that they
wanted to be their own country. Try reading up on the Philippine
‘Insurrection’ sometime. We didn’t get around to ‘giving’ them their
independence until after World War II. For the last couple hundred years,
they’ve always been under someone else’s control; it’s taking them a while
to figure out how to do stuff on their own. Shucks, OUR country had a
tough time getting going after we got OUR independence from England.”

She looked at me doubtfully, and I went on “It’s true, Kelly. None of
the countries that has had control over the Philippines has done them any
favors. The Spanish laid the Catholic religion on them, and look what’s
happened: the Church doesn’t believe in birth control, so they’ve got more
people than they know what to do with here. There are only so many jobs
and other work to go around, so the surplus population is left holding an
empty bag – if they’re lucky enough to have the bag. They’ve also got a
corruption problem; I expect _that’s_ a freebie from the Spanish, too – it
seems to be a pretty common problem in ALL the countries Spain
‘discovered’. So, because of the corruption, the people with power and
money tend to get MORE power and money, while everyone else loses out.
It’s almost as though the average person *expects* their politicians and
government officials to be crooks; the only time anything significant
happens about it is when it gets too blatant. Hell, look at what Marcos
did here: when they got fed up enough to chase him out, he left the country
with many, many millions of dollars – on a salary of a few thousand a year.
Part – no, *most* - of the reason Marlyn is with us is to help me figure
out who has to be paid how much for what, if my client builds a facility
here. Sure, my client is going to get tax breaks and all that - but
they’ll be paying some of it back under the table, you can bet on it. *I*
know it, my client knows it, and Marlyn knows it. The definition of an
honest politician here is one that STAYS bought after you’ve paid him.

“No, it’s not ‘right’, by our standards. But it’s THEIR COUNTRY. It’s
up to THEM to decide what to do with it, and when. The only problems they
have are the ones THEY recognize, and decide to change THEIR way. All we
can do is offer help they’re willing to accept: bringing in jobs and money
to help them develop a larger middle class, and stabilize a shaky economy.
We can come in, and when they let us, SHOW them the benefits of some of
what we do; and help them recognize the problems they have, and show them
possible solutions. But until THEY decide what changes they want to make,
and how to make them, all we can do is let them run their country their
way. We wouldn’t like it if they started trying to tell us how to run OUR
country, so we have to show them the same restraint in return.”

I finished up by telling her “I’m not sure why Marlyn took us by those
places; I KNOW there are other ways out of the airport. When we’ve gotten
to know her a little better, I’ll ask her – but I’m not really expecting
any kind of real answer, either.”

Kelly listened to all of this, and when I was done, I saw her give a
small shudder as she thought about what she’d seen.

The only consolation I could offer her was to say “I know, Kelly. I
don’t like it, either. But by being here, we ARE helping; and if things
work out, we’ll have helped even more.”

“How?” she asked.

“While we’re here, we’re spending money – good old U.S. dollars – that
they didn’t have in their economy before. The money we’re spending is
going into the pockets of the people here, more than the politicians.
Marlyn has as much as a couple months of work while we’re here – and the
money she earns will be spent on things that make jobs for OTHER Filipinos.
We’ve got a driver and bodyguard; he only has to work because he wants to –
but the money we pay him will be spent to increase HIS life style a little.
For all we know, he’ll throw away enough aluminum and other stuff to feed a
couple of those families on the garbage mountains for several DAYS. When
we leave Manila, more of the money we spend will stay in the local
economies – which means that they’ll have that much more for things like
schools and such; maybe some child will have a textbook that they wouldn’t
have if we HADN’T come here. If my client builds a facility here, they’ll
be hiring Filipinos – creating jobs that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
The folks they hire will spend THEIR money, making jobs for the things
other Filipinos make – who will spend THEIR money, and so on. Yes, a fair
chunk of the money will be wasted because of the corruption. BUT, and this
is important, most of it WON’T – there will be kids that are able to go to
school and learn that it doesn’t HAVE to be this way. There will be
parents that don’t have to spend all their time just trying to survive; and
with more ‘free’ time, they’ll be able to pay more attention to what’s
happening around them, and why it’s happening – and change things, if they
want. When they’ve had a taste of a better life for themselves and their
kids, you can be damn sure they’re not going to want to go back – which
will put pressure on the corrupt politicians to actually DO something to
help the people – if for no other reason than to stay in their profitable
government jobs.”

“It isn’t much, is it?”

“No, not really. But it’s SOMETHING.”

“It won’t happen very fast, either, will it?”

“No. But better to happen slowly, than not at all.”

Kelly sighed deeply, and said “I guess when you’ve got nothing, ANYTHING
is *something*.”

A moment later, she looked at me and said “Promise me that if we get a
chance, we’ll do something more – even if it’s just for ONE person.”

“If we can, we will. You already know that.”

She sighed again, and answered “Yeah, I know – but I just wanted to make
sure.”

By unvoiced agreement, we decided to let the subject drop in favor of a
good cuddle. When Kelly saw my eyelids start drooping, she got up to dig
out the wind-up alarm clock I’d brought along. She quickly set the time,
then the alarm; after making sure it was fully wound up, she set it on the
night stand and lay next to me again. I don’t think that it was more than
a few minutes before both of us fell asleep, exhausted from the flight.

----------

It wasn’t the alarm clock that woke me up, but the feeling of Kelly’s
warm mouth wrapped around my erect penis. When I looked down at her, her
eyes gleamed as she released me long enough to tell me “This seemed like a
*much* nicer way to wake you up than that damn clock!” We’d tested it
before we left, and both of us found it an *extremely* effective – if
unpleasant – way to wake up.

Taking me back into her mouth, she easily slid her lips down me until
her nose was touching my pubic hair, before lifting her head again. After
all the time that we’d lived together and been married, it still amazed and
delighted me that she was so able to get me going like this. I watched her
for a minute or so, enjoying the sensations she was creating, and the
effect she was having on my libido – but it wasn’t much longer than that
before I wanted to return the favor. We’d been together long enough that
she recognized the signs, and without prompting, started to move herself
around so she could straddle my head.

When she got close enough, I helped guide her leg over me, and quickly
lifted my head to sample the nectar that I still loved: spicy and sweet at
once, it was a flavor I never got tired of.

With the taste of her on my tongue, I pulled my head back a bit to have
a look at her womanly flower: thin vaginal lips fully extended and parted,
framing the glistening entrance to her womanhood; her Mound of Venus
covered with a dark, dense, but surprisingly short and soft pubic hair. At
the top of her cleft, her larger-than-usual clitoris was erect, and clearly
visible. No matter how many times I saw it, the vision of her sex always
delighted me.

Lifting my head again, I ran my tongue between her labia to collect
another taste of her essence before putting my mouth over her mons.
Forming a rod with my tongue, I slid it into her opening as though it were
a miniature erection, and started making love to her with it. I heard her
moan of pleasure, and felt its vibrations in my erection. Mischievously, I
timed my penetrations of her to be OPPOSITE to the way she was sliding her
lips up and down my manhood – as she was taking my penis IN, I was pulling
my tongue OUT, and vice-versa. I’d done that to her before, and she told
me that it always made her feel as though she was at opposite ends of the
same penis – and got her *very* aroused. As I’d expected, it had the
desired effect this time, too – in less than a minute, I could tell that
she was getting even wetter and hotter inside as she started slowly
hunching her pelvis against my face, trying to get more of my tongue inside
her.

Sadly, I couldn’t hold my tongue like that for as long as SHE would have
liked. I finally had to let my tongue muscles relax a bit, and moved my
attentions to her clitoris to begin softly ‘milking’ it with my lips. That
was something that she particularly enjoyed, and I felt her clitoris stand
out even more from my attentions. I felt her deep-throat me a few times
before she started dancing her tongue along the underside of my penis - she
knew what *I* liked, too!

I continued tending to her nubbin for another couple of minutes before I
felt the overflow of her essences touch my lip. Taking her clitoris
between my lips, I softly sucked on it for a few seconds as I fluttered the
tip of my tongue across it *ever* so lightly; and heard/felt her groan of
pleasure as she pressed her pelvis against my face. When she paused to
take a breath, I quickly moved to put my mouth over her opening again, and
began lapping her secretions from between her vaginal lips as though she
were the Flavor of the Month. Her response was to spread her legs more,
inviting me to continue; which I gladly did. It wasn’t long before I let
myself start dipping my tongue into her again, delving into the source of
her precious oils.

When I’d exhausted the immediate supply, I decided to stimulate
production by taking one of her labia in my mouth and gently sucking on it
as I softly pulled at it with my lips. She deep-throated me a couple more
times, then went back to gently sucking on me as the let her tongue and
lips wander along my length.

It didn’t take much longer before the pleasure of what I was doing to
her – and what she was doing to me! – began to have their effect, and I
felt my scrotum begin to tighten up. With Kelly cupping it in her hand,
she knew when it happened, too, and quickly increased her efforts to bring
me to a climax. I didn’t want to leave her ‘hanging’, and reciprocated by
focusing my attentions on her still-erect clitoris by circling it with my
tongue as I applied varying degrees of pressure to it. I knew my actions
were having the desired effect when I felt her start a rhythmic thrusting
of her hips against my face as I continued to stimulate her sensitive
nubbin. Even as she was responding to MY actions, I was responding to HERS
– I could feel myself getting closer and closer to my release as Kelly
continued to use her mouth and lips and tongue to stimulate me.

I finally got her to the brink of orgasm, and held her there for several
long seconds before pushing her over the edge with a rapid fluttering of my
tongue across her clitoris. When her climax started, she pressed her mons
against my lips, and I happily started a gently sucking on her clitoris in
time with her spasms. What I didn’t expect was the prolonged moan of
pleasure she released, and how quickly it would push me into my own release
– even as she was drawing a breath after the first wave passed through her,
I was flooding her throat with my seed. It was a challenge for both of us
to continue our attentions to the other, but we managed; when it was over,
Kelly all but fell off of me to lay at my side, both of us gasping for
breath as we tried to recover from our pleasure.

Kelly was the first to move as she slowly managed to turn herself around
so that she was lying head-to-head with me. I managed to roll onto my
side, and ease myself over so that I was next to her. I laid my arm on her
belly so that I could hold her breast in my hand; she put one hand on my
arm and the other on my thigh before I said “Yup. That’s _definitely_ a
better way to wake up than that damn alarm clock!” Mustering what little
enthusiasm she had left, she rapidly nodded her head in agreement before
both of us started laughing. And we had an even harder fit of laughter
when ‘that damn alarm clock’ DID go off.

But, as planned, it _did_ get us up, and moving – first to shut it off,
then to make our way into the bathroom for a shared shower. I took the
opportunity to caution Kelly to enjoy the hot water while she could – there
wasn’t any guarantee that anyplace we stayed at outside of Manila would
have genuinely HOT water; more likely, we’d be showering in tepid water, at
BEST. I knew she was paying attention to what I told her when she elected
to enjoy it for an extra minute or two after I got out and started drying
off.

Dried, rested, and again fit for public viewing, the two of us made our
way down to the lobby. There wasn’t any sign of Marlyn, so we elected to
have a seat on one of the surprisingly comfortable couches available. When
we first sat down, Kelly started to move to pull my arm around her; I
pulled it back, and whispered to her “I’d love to – but the rules here are
that public affection isn’t a good idea; even for American tourists.” Kelly
smiled her understanding, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes.

We’d been seated only a few minutes when we saw Marlyn enter the hotel.
Kelly and I both got up, and moved to meet her.

She saw us moving toward her, and changed direction to meet us halfway.
Once we were close enough, Kelly and I both greeted her in Tagalog while
she responded in English.

“It’s been a long time since I was last in Manila, so if there is a
place that you would like to recommend, or a place that you prefer, I would
be more than happy to hear about it.” I told Marlyn.

“There are several places near here that would be fine. DO you have any
preference?”

Kelly told her “I *loved* the chicken adobo we had on the plane; so I’d
like to try some more Filipino food, if you don’t mind.”

Marlyn smiled, and said “I don’t mind, at all. Too many of the visitors
I work for want to go to restaurants that feature THEIR food, so I seldom
get to go to the better Filipino restaurants. I know just the place, and
it is right on the next block over.”

Kelly and I both voiced our agreement, and Marlyn started for the door,
then stopped and turned around. Kelly looked at her quizzically, and
Marlyn told us “Dan, I am sure you know what to watch out for, but I think
I must tell Kelly. Tonight, in the dress you are wearing, you don’t have
to worry about it so much, but any time you are wearing *anything* with
pockets, you have to watch out for the children. Many of them are
pickpockets, and will steal from you. You will also see people begging.
No one will stop you from giving them money, but I have to warn you that
many of them are not as disfigured or poor as they look. I know that Dan
will be watching out for you, and so will I. But if anything happens, and
you find yourself separated from us, do NOT let *anyone* try to help you –
just stay where you are, in a public place, and one of us will find you.
Never, EVER go into a dark place without one of us with you. You are an
American tourist, and it is not likely that anyone will bother you very
much, except to try and sell you things for too much money; but sometimes,
things happen. What is your expression? Oh, yes – better safe than
sorry.”

Kelly immediately looked at me, and I told her “She’s right. Remember
what I told you before?” – she nodded, and I went on “Now think about what
it really means, and you’ll understand. You don’t have to be afraid, just
careful, okay?”

Kelly looked at both of us, and told us “I’ll do exactly what you say.”

Marlyn smiled in reassurance as she told Kelly “Please, I don’t mean to
frighten you. I only want to make sure that you stay safe, and enjoy your
time here.”

Kelly smiled back, and Marlyn turned to lead the way to the restaurant.
As she’d said, it was on the next block, though at the far end. Between
the hotel and the restaurant, we were swarmed by a small army of children.
As predicted, they tried to pick my pocket; I was ready for them, having
wrapped my wallet in several large rubber bands to give it extra friction
before sticking it in my FRONT pocket. It wasn’t going ANYWHERE without my
noticing. We also saw several different varieties of beggars, and were
accosted several times to make a purchase from a street vendor. Kelly
stayed right next to me, and Marlyn impressed me by walking on the other
side of her, so that the two of us provided protection for her. Entering
the restaurant, it was as though we were passing from a combat zone into
public park, the change was so dramatic.

The hostess at the restaurant told us that it would be several minutes
before she could seat us, and told us that if we would leave our names,
they would let us know in the bar when a table was ready. Marlyn had a
brief conversation with her in Tagalog, and then told me “They’re busy
tonight, so if you want to wait, you can get something to drink in the bar
and they will come and get us.”

I told her that was fine with me, as did Kelly (who, I suspected, wasn’t
quite ready to run the street gauntlet again). Another brief conversation
between Marlyn and the hostess, and Marlyn was leading us toward the bar.
Inside, a waiter quickly guided us to a small but comfortable booth. I
ordered a beer, while Kelly and Marlyn both settled on a Coke.

The waiter had the drinks on our table in short order, and Marlyn
chatted with him for a moment before he left. When he was gone, she told
us “I just told him that we were waiting to eat. The drinks will be added
to the meal.”

After we’d all had a sip of our drinks, Kelly turned to Marlyn and said
“I don’t want to insult you or anything, but I’m curious to know where you
learned English – you speak it very well; better than I do most of the
time!”, with a grin.

Marlyn smiled back, and said “I graduated nursing school here, and
worked at a hospital in Houston, Texas for almost two years. It was there
that I learned English so well.”

Kelly stared at her, and asked “You’re a nurse?”

“Yes, I was. A Registered Nurse, working in the emergency room at the
hospital.”

“You said ‘was’. You’re not a nurse any more?”

“No, not now. There was a problem at the hospital, and I had to come
back here.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, what happened?”

Marlyn got a sad look on her face, and told us “I was working one night
when we were very busy. An ambulance brought in a young boy, and all of
the doctors were very busy with other patients, so one of them told me to
take care of him. I checked him, and realized that he was overdosing on
drugs. I ran some tests, and found out what it was – heroin. I treated
him for it, and got him stable, even after his heart stopped. When I was
done, I wrote in his records what I’d found, and what I’d done, just the
way I was supposed to. The next day, I was called at home and told to come
into the office immediately. I did, and was sent up to the hospital
administrator’s office. In there, there was a woman that the administrator
told me was the young boy’s mother. She was upset that I’d written down
that her son had overdosed on heroin. I told the administrator what I’d
found and how I’d known what was wrong with him. The symptoms could ONLY
have been from a drug overdose, and the tests I did PROVED that it was an
opiate, specifically heroin. One of the doctors that night was called in,
and he verified my diagnosis. But the mother was the wife of an important
person, and didn’t want her son to have any record of ANY kind of drug
usage. She insisted that I was wrong, and that the records be changed. I
said that I wouldn’t do that, and she got very angry. The administrator
told me that I had done a good job, but that he thought I should change my
diagnosis. I refused, saying that the tests I’d done, and the medications
I’d used, would only be valid for a heroin overdose – that anyone who
looked at those would know that my diagnosis was wrong. I told him that if
they wanted to change ALL the records, they could, but that I wasn’t going
to change MY diagnosis. He got upset with me, and told me to leave. That
night, when I got to the hospital, I was told that I had been discharged
for working without the supervision of a doctor. The doctor that had been
in the managers office found me, and told me that everyone knew that I had
done exactly the right thing in treating the boy, and that I had only done
it because another doctor had told me to take care of it; I was only being
fired because the boys mother was causing trouble, and that was the only
excuse they had.”

Kelly was horrified, and told her “That’s TERRIBLE! Wasn’t there
anything you could do? Someone you could go to for help?”

Marlyn just gave her a sad smile and answered “No, not at that time. I
was there under a professional visa, since the hospital needed nurses.
When I wasn’t working for them any more, I had to leave to come back here.
And when I got back here, none of the doctors or hospitals would hire me
because I had been discharged from the hospital in Houston; WHY I was
discharged didn’t matter. So I had to find different work, and I was lucky
enough to get this.”

“Wasn’t there anything your family could do to help?” Kelly asked.

“My family is all gone – they died in a typhoon while I was in college here in Manila.”

“Where are you from?” I asked.

“San Fernando. It is a few hours north of here.”

I nodded; I knew – approximately – where it was.

Marlyn started to say something else, but the hostess for the restaurant
approached to tell us that there was a table for us. I turned to Marlyn
and asked her “How much should I leave as a tip for the waiter?”

She told me “You can leave him just a couple of pesos, if you want. He
will also get ten percent of the tip you leave for the meal, too.”

I fished a couple of 1-peso coins out of my pocket and left them on the
table as the hostess started to lead Kelly and Marlyn into the dining area.
I quickly caught up, and held Kelly’s chair for her when she sat. Marlyn
watched as I did it, but didn’t say anything as she seated herself.

When we were all seated, I turned to Marlyn and said “You started to say
something in the bar, before the hostess came in. What was it?”

She looked at me a little sadly, and answered “Oh, it is nothing. Don’t
worry about it”, before turning away slightly.

I looked at her a few moments, and finally got her to look at me so I
could tell her “Marlyn, I think there is something that you should know
that will help BOTH of us – you AND me – while we’re in your country. It
is not my habit to ask people about themselves unless I am *interested* to
know the answer. Kelly is like that, too – you saw how she reacted when
you told us what happened about your job in the United States. We really
*are* interested in your country, and in YOU.”

When I finished, she looked at me intently for a few seconds, then
seemed to reach a decision. She looked at Kelly, then back at me, before
saying “I was going to tell you that the typhoon that killed my family didn’t just take my mother and father and sisters and brothers. It killed
almost everyone I knew. The only ones left were me, here in Manila, and my
brother’s daughter. She was only a few months old at the time, and they
found her crying where she was trapped in some tree branches that were
tangled together. It took them almost an hour to get her out.”

Marlyn looked at Kelly after that, and saw the sadness on her face as
Kelly asked her “Is she okay, now? Where is she?”

Marlyn told her “She is fine. She had some scratches and was suffering
from exposure, but nothing more. I could not take care of her, so she was
put in an orphanage. I send them money whenever I can so they will take
good care of her, but it is still hard on her – and me. I visit her often,
but I still can’t take her into my home; it is too small, and I don’t make
enough money to get a bigger one.”

I asked “What is her name? How old is she now? Does she go to school?”

Marlyn looked at me again, and answered “Her name is Marilyn, and she’ll
be 13 years old next month. While I was working at the hospital in
Houston, I was able to send enough money for her to go to school like she
should; but since then, not so much. To help pay her expenses, she has to
work at the orphanage, and doesn’t have much time for that anymore.”

Kelly saw me start to ‘go inside’ myself as I started thinking about
what Marlyn had just told us, and told her “I’d like to see what she looks
like, if you have any pictures.”

That distracted Marlyn long enough for me to finish my thoughts, so I
was ready when Kelly handed me the photo of Marlyn’s niece. Looking at it,
I saw the shy smile she was offering the camera. I could also see clear
signs of the intelligence and humor in her eyes. There was a distinct
family resemblance, and I didn’t doubt for a moment that she was going to
be a real cutie when she grew up.

I handed the photo back to Marlyn, and asked “If you don’t mind my
asking, what did it cost you to pay her expenses while you were in
Houston?”

Kelly knew me well enough to give me a joyous look before Marlyn told me
“I was sending them fifty dollars a month to pay for her expenses, and
school supplies”, as she looked at me curiously.

I looked at Kelly, and she nodded happily, before I asked Marlyn “Would
you mind if Kelly and I sponsored her, instead?”

Marlyn looked stunned, and objected “But it is too much! And you don’t
even know her!”

I replied by telling her “No, it is NOT too much – we can afford that,
easily. And you have already told us everything we need to know about
her.”

Still in shock, Marlyn started to say “But…”

I cut her off by telling her “’But’ nothing. You and I both know that
there are many organizations that sponsor orphans here - and some of them
charge more than fifty dollars a month for a child. Fifty dollars is less
than what we would have to pay if we were still in the United States, and
in this case, Kelly and I would KNOW that ALL of the money was going to the
person that needed it. And Kelly and I would both know WHO that child was,
and why she is there. We would *know* that she wasn’t just the child of a
prostitute, or a poor family that couldn’t take care of her, or anything
like that – you have already told us that she is from a good family that
she lost in a disaster. Looking at her picture, I think she is smart” –
“She is!” Marlyn hastened to assure me – “and that is the *best* reason I
can think of to help her go back to school.”

Marlyn was still sitting there, dumbfounded, when the waiter approached.
Marlyn absently ordered pancit; I told the waiter that Kelly and I would
have some, too. I also requested refills for our drinks; by the time they
arrived, Marlyn was able to speak again.

When the waiter had left, she told me “I am having trouble accepting
your offer, Dan, because I don’t know how I can ever repay you – or even
thank you for your offer.”

I answered “I don’t remember saying anything about repayment. And
knowing that that young girl will get an education that she will obviously
benefit from is all the thanks I need, or want.”

After a few moments, Marlyn suddenly looked at me suspiciously, and
asked “Why are you doing this? REALLY?”

I looked her straight in the eye and answered “Because it’s the *right*
thing to do, and I _can_.”

Still suspicious, Marlyn asked “You don’t want her? Or me?”

I couldn’t help answering “If all I wanted was a little girl, I could
find one here in Manila. The same thing for a pretty Filipina. For extra
money, both would be virgins. If *that* was all I wanted, do you think I
would be talking to you like this? With my *wife* sitting right next to
me?”

I paused to take a breath and continued “If you want, we can go back to
the hotel right now, and I will give you five thousand dollars cash. You
take that money, and have your agency send another guide. You have the
money for your niece, and you don’t have to see me again – ever.”

We were all saved from any further conversation by the appearance of the
waiter with the first course of our meal. All three of us ate silently,
though Kelly and I shared a few Looks.

After the waiter reclaimed our dishes, Marlyn made a few false starts
before she was finally able to tell me “I am sorry if I have offended you,
Dan – and you, too, Kelly. I am so used to seeing the American men that
come here on ‘business’ and only want to use our women, that I forgot about
the other Americans that I met and knew in Houston. I also let myself
forget that you aren’t like the other American sailors that were stationed
here, Dan, and I apologize. You do not have to give me the money, or find
another guide. I will be happy to stay with you and show you my country. I
am most grateful for your *kind* interest in my niece, and I accept your
offer to help her – if you are still willing.”

I wasn’t particularly surprised when Kelly spoke up, telling Marlyn “I
am glad to hear your apology, because I think you offended Dan, and I KNOW
you offended _me_ with your suspicions. But I know Dan well enough to know
that he will still want to help Marilyn, as I do. When you get to know us
better, you will understand that the LAST thing EITHER of us would do would
be to force someone to do something, or to take advantage of them. You
didn’t know that before, but I think you will before we leave the
Philippines.”

There was another, longer, pause in the conversation when the waiter
brought our main dishes. Kelly’s face got a pleased look after she sampled
her pancit (mixed vegetables and rice), and the side dishes that went with
it. By mutual consent, all of us decided to let the matter of Marlyn’s
niece drop for a while.

When we’d finished eating, Marlyn reached into her purse and handed me a
couple of folded sheets of paper. She told me “This is the itinerary that
I would suggest. You can see that we are starting in the south, in Davao,
and generally working our way north. I know some of the places fairly
well, others not so much. There is enough time in the schedule that if you
want to spend more or less time in a place, we can accommodate that. I
also have the names of several lawyers here in Manila, as well as at least
two more in each of the places on the list. I have had no contact with
them other than to tell them that you are representing a company that is
considering building a small factory here, to make sure that they are
qualified for that kind of work.”

I looked over the list Marlyn had given me, and saw that there weren’t
any real surprises on it – all of them were at least mentioned in the
research I’d done as being potential sites for foreign investment.

I was just finishing looking the list over when the waiter reappeared to
see if we were interested in dessert. Kelly and Marlyn both opted for ice
cream while I settled on cheesecake.

After he left, I started talking to Marlyn about the places we were to
visit – asking her questions about the areas to try and get some background
on them. Even as we were enjoying our desserts, we continued talking about
the different areas, and what I could expect to find when we got to them.

When it was clear that we were done, the hostess quickly brought over
the check for our meal. I again asked Marlyn how much of a tip would be
appropriate. She told me that ten percent was sufficient, but that if the
service had been *particularly* good, I could go as high as fifteen. I
decided on the latter figure, since the waiter and hostess had both been
prompt and efficient. I moved to help Kelly with her chair, and was
surprised when the waiter quickly moved in to assist Marlyn, too. She
politely thanked him, and he and the hostess both thanked US.

When we got close to the door, Marlyn told me “The waiters here know
that they SHOULD help women with their chairs, but seldom do. But when YOU
helped Kelly, he was ashamed not to do it for me, too. When they see the
tip you gave him, perhaps it will help them remember to do it again next
time.”

We ran the gauntlet back to the hotel, and Marlyn again took station on
the opposite side of Kelly so that we formed something of a shield for her.
My size and broken Tagalog told most that I wasn’t to be trifled with; they
didn’t even BOTHER with Marlyn. Again in the hotel lobby, I asked Marlyn
if she would like to have a drink – alcohol, coke, or coffee, her choice –
with us before she left. She thought it over a moment, and agreed. We
went into the bar and I ordered a beer, which Kelly duplicated. Marlyn
selected coffee, and the three of us settled into the booth the waiter had
shown us to.

When we’d gotten our drinks, I asked Marlyn “How soon could Marilyn
start going to school again?”

The subject surprised her a bit, but she readily answered “The day after
the orphanage got the money for it.”

Kelly asked “How much would they want to start?”

“Only the first month.”

Kelly went on to ask “How soon could you get it to them?”

“If I called to let them know, I could telegraph it to them and it would
be there in one day only.”

Kelly looked at me, and then excused herself – I knew that she was going
to go up to the room to get some money, and took the opportunity to discuss
a few things with Marlyn.

“I would like to thank you for helping to watch out for Kelly, by
walking on the other side of her from me.”

To my surprise, Marlyn blushed slightly, and answered “She is too pretty
and too young to let anything happen to her.”

“When we get to the places we’re going, will you be with me during the
meetings?” I asked.

“Oh, no, that won’t be necessary. All of the people you will be seeing
are fluent in English.”

“There is something that I would like to ask you to do, then, while I am
busy during the day, if you would.”

Marlyn looked at me curiously, and answered “I would be happy to, if I
can.”

“Actually, it is a couple of things, but one of them will be easy, I
think.”

She nodded for me to continue, and I said “First, if you can, I would
like to meet the American managers of any companies in the area we visit. I
think they can tell me things that only another American would think
important. The second one is if you would keep Kelly company – show her
different places, go shopping with her, and like that.”

Marlyn smiled, and said “Yes, I think the second one would be easy. The
first one, I will try. I don’t know if a Filipina could get you an
appointment, though – they might think that I am only trying to get someone
else into their office.”

“I suppose that’s true. I’ll give you some of my business cards; if you
tell them why I’m there, and who I’m visiting, that should help convince
them that it really is another American that wants to see them.”

“Yes, I think that would do it. Is there anything else?”

“Only that I am interested to know *anything* that you can tell me about
the different places we’re going, and the people that I meet. I have had a
*very* good business relationship with my client for a very long time, and
I want to do the best job I can for them, and send them to a bad place.”

About then, Kelly made her reappearance with an envelope in her hand.
She sat down with us again, and discretely slid it over to Marlyn, telling
her “There is $200 inside. That should cover the cost of the telegraph and
the telephone call, plus what Marilyn will need. If you need more, don’t
be afraid to tell me, or Dan, and we’ll see that you get it.”

Marlyn sat there in stunned silence for nearly a minute before we saw
her eyes start to tear up. Kelly quickly reached out to take her hand,
asking “What? What’s the matter?”

Marlyn took a deep breath, and told her “This.” – gesturing at the
envelope – “You are so kind to me, even after the way I talked to you in
the restaurant. She is my only family, and I feel so bad that I cannot
help her more, and now I can because you are so kind.” as tears started
down her face.

Kelly quickly squeezed her hand, and said “Its okay, Marlyn. We’re
doing it because we want to help her.”

“But you are still so kind to me, and to her, I don’t know how I can
thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank us. When she is able to leave the orphanage
with an education, that will be all the thanks we need.” I told her.

She looked at both of us gratefully, and carefully put the envelope in
her purse. When she looked up at us again, she was sniffling a bit, and
Kelly quickly handed her a couple of paper napkins. Marlyn thanked her,
and started dabbing at her eyes, but not making much progress. Kelly slid
from the booth, and took her by the hand, saying “I think you need some
time in the ladies room”. Marlyn slowly nodded, and made her way to stand
next to Kelly. With a look to me, Kelly led the way toward the sign that
indicated where the ladies room was.

Several minutes later, I saw as they made their way back to the booth;
Marlyn once again looked like the composed professional she’d first
appeared, while I could see that Kelly had shed a few tears of her own.

When they’d sat down again, I asked Marlyn “I saw on the schedule that
we were supposed to leave for Davao tomorrow morning at nine o’clock.
Would you like us to leave later, or even the next day?”

She hastened to assure me “Oh, no, we don’t need to do that. I can send
them the money tonight, and call them tomorrow morning before we leave.”

Kelly told her “Marlyn, please, *please* don’t hesitate to tell us if
there’s anything we can do to help.”

Marlyn quickly told her “Oh, no, everything will be fine, really. It
isn’t a problem.”

“Hindi malaking bagay?” (No big thing) I asked, teasing.

“Oh, no”, she smiled.

Kelly looked at me, and I told her “We have a little drive tomorrow, a
few hours, to get to Tacloban. Spend the night there, and another easy
drive to Davao. Of course, the driving is always easier when it’s somebody
else doing it!” making both of them laugh.

A few minutes later, Kelly yawned, and I suggested that we’d better get
some rest – that we still hadn’t really caught up on our time zones.
Marlyn seconded my opinion, and Kelly readily agreed. We all stood up, and
I told Marlyn “If you want, you are welcome to join us for breakfast
tomorrow. If you will be busy, though, we’ll understand. I thought we
would be in the restaurant here in the hotel about 7:30.” She said she’d
try, but couldn’t promise. I said that I understood, and she wished us
both a good evening before heading for the lobby of the hotel. Kelly and I
followed her as far as the elevators, and then made our way to our room.
Both of us were again feeling the effects of the flight, so neither of us
felt frisky enough to try any repeats of our earlier performance. I left a
wakeup call, and Kelly again set that damn alarm clock. Sure that we’d
wake up in time, the two of us made our way to bed, spooning as we fell
asleep.

----------

The next morning, the wakeup call from the front desk was enough to get
me up and moving. I tried to get Kelly up, but she protested that it was
still too early. With a wicked smile on my face, I set the damn alarm
clock on the nightstand next to her before heading in to take a shower.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, I heard it go off, accompanied by Kelly’s
muffled curse before she shut it off. A minute or so after that, she
dragged herself into the bathroom; and after unloading the beer she’d had
the night before, joined me in the shower. We had a fine time waking each
other up with lots of soap and plenty of slippery fun.

Before we’d left, I’d shown Kelly a few things about packing a suitcase,
so it didn’t take us much to get ready for the trip. We made it to the
restaurant in the hotel a few minutes before 7:30, and didn’t have any
trouble getting seated. We waited a little bit, but didn’t see any sign of
Marlyn, so we both went ahead and ordered breakfast – the waitress was used
to American tourists, and had brought coffee on her first stop at the
table.

We were just finishing our meal when we saw Marlyn at the entrance to
the restaurant. The waitress saw her, and directed her to where we were
seated. She joined us in a cup of coffee as the three of us discussed the
day ahead. I remembered something, and told Kelly “While we’re on the
road, do yourself a favor, and just watch the scenery. If you watch Bhoy
driving, you’ll just get nervous.”

Kelly looked at me suspiciously; Marlyn just laughed and told her
“Driving rules here are MUCH different than in the United States. I think
the best description here is that biggest and fastest has right of way.”

Kelly gave Marlyn a look of disbelief, but let it go – I could tell that
she wasn’t quite sure if we were joking with her, or not. I didn’t worry
about it; she’d find out - one way or the other – soon enough.

When all of us were ready, we left the restaurant. I went over to take
care of the bill while Kelly politely flagged down a bellhop. A few
minutes later, and Bhoy was loading the van while Marlyn told us a little
about the different areas we’d be passing through. Kelly had made sure to
keep her camera out, and was anxiously looking forward to the start of her
first real adventure. I had a look inside the van, and saw that someone
had taken the time to load a small cooler with drinks, and then iced them
down.

That reminded me of something else, and I discretely pulled Kelly to the
side and told her “There’s something else I forgot to mention before now.”

“What?”

“About drinking here.”

“I’ve already been drinking here. I had a beer last night, remember?”

“No, I mean about drinking for thirst. If it doesn’t come in a bottle,
or it hasn’t been ‘processed’ somehow, DON’T DRINK IT. Coffee, sodas, hot
tea, bottled water, beer, all that stuff is fine. Ice is ‘iffy’ outside of
Manila; better not to actually put it IN your drink. They can’t really
afford the extensive water treatment systems we’re used to, so there’s a
risk of there being something in the water. Nothing that would actually
kill you, probably, but you might WISH you were dead. Okay?”

She gave me a Look, and said “I’m glad you remembered to tell me that
BEFORE, instead of AFTER!”

I glanced around, and saw that no one was looking, so I gave her a quick
kiss and said “Me, too!”

We looked around, and saw that the only thing missing from the van was
us, so we quickly took our seats in the back.

Bhoy started the van, and then had a brief conversation with Marlyn.
She turned to us and said “Bhoy wants you to know that if you want to use
the seatbelts, he doesn’t mind. He said that he knows most Americans feel
better when they have them on.”

I looked at the rearview mirror, where I could see Bhoy looking at me,
and I told him “Why would I want to wear the seatbelt? That would just
make it harder to get out after he crashes.”

He just laughed, and put the van in gear as Marlyn smiled at my joke
with him.

As I’d expected, Kelly couldn’t HELP but watch Bhoy drive. After about
an hour of feeling her dig her fingernails into my hand, I could see as she
almost had to FORCE herself to look at the scenery instead. On the plus
side, once she’d had a look at it, she didn’t bother watching Bhoy any more
– there was just too much for her to take in.

The van had air conditioning, but with the windows open a bit, and the
speed we were doing, I didn’t feel any need for it. Kelly was too wrapped
up in watching things go by - and trying to take photos out both sides of
the van at the same time - to think about it.

We made a brief stop about 12:30 for a light lunch, and then it was back
on the road again. We rolled into Tacloban about 5:30, and made the hotel
by 6:00. Once we’d gotten our luggage into our room, Kelly and I shared a
quick shower to rinse the road grime off. Dressed in fresh clothes, we
joined Marlyn in the lobby so the three of us could go out to eat. Bhoy
assured us that we didn’t need a bodyguard for the places we planned to go
to – all within a few blocks of the hotel – and left us to make his own way
for the evening.

After supper, Kelly and Marlyn (with me along as load bearer) decided
that a little shopping was called for – Kelly decided that she *really*
needed some lighter-weight clothes. Marlyn found a few bargains, as well,
so I had my hands full by the time we made it back to the hotel.

Marlyn passed on my offer for something to drink, so Kelly and I enjoyed
a cold beer in the bar after we (I) got the stuff unloaded in our room. We
bought a couple of cold Cokes each to take back with us to the room,
keeping them chilled with some ice the hotel provided.

After watching a little Filipino tv – and understanding about 1 word in
5,000 – it was time for bed.

Marlyn joined for an early breakfast the next morning, and when Bhoy
showed up at the appointed time, we packed up and headed south to finish
the journey. Kelly discovered that she didn’t have anything even remotely
like ‘sea legs’, even for something like the ferries that took us between
the islands of Luzon and Samar, then later, Leyte and Mindanao. But she’d
brought along some Dramamine, and hung in till the rides were done.

It took me only three days each to get the information I needed in
Davao, then Surigao; both places were well-geared toward foreign
investment. We spent only a day in Prosperidad; the officials I met were
more interested in lining their pockets than attracting a factory that
would create jobs.

Cebu took a little longer – but only because Kelly all but fell in love
with it. I had *my* work done in 4 days, but Kelly talked me into staying
a couple more so she could look around, to Marlyn’s amusement.

Ormos took nearly a week – they wanted the factory and jobs, but had
something of an organizational problem. I finally did get to meet with
everyone I had to talk to, but the confusion over my presence did little to
reassure me.

Plaridel had a lot going for it, but I didn’t think it had enough to
make it to the finals.

We skirted around Manila, heading for Dagupan. There, I spent the
better part of a week, slightly impressed with how ready and eager they
were for foreign investment. It was while we were there that I noticed a
certain wistfulness in Marlyn’s face. I thought I knew what the deal was,
but discretely checked a map to make sure: we were barely an hour away from
San Fernando, where Marilyn was.

I knew I didn’t even have to check with Kelly; the next meal the three
of us shared, I told Marlyn “There is a side trip that I would like to
make. I know it’s not in the itinerary, but I think we have enough time for
it. Heck, even if we don’t, we’ll MAKE time for it.”

Surprised, Marlyn looked at me and asked “Where is it that you want to
go?”

“Well, I think it’s time we paid a little visit to a town north of here.
Maybe you know where it is?”

“Perhaps. What is the town?”

“San Fernando.”

Kelly just grinned as Marlyn sat there in stunned silence for a couple
minutes before jumping out of her chair to come over and hug me – then
blushing furiously in embarrassment. She quickly sat down again – blushed
some more – and told me “You would do that? You would go there for me, so
that I can see Marilyn?”

Kelly laughed, and told her “Of course we would. I didn’t know he was
going to do that, but it sounds like a FINE idea, to me!”

Marlyn suddenly got a crestfallen look on her face, and told us “I can’t
go. My employer would be upset with me if I went to that place while I am
your guide.”

“But that isn’t a problem. It wasn’t YOUR idea to go there, it was
MINE. Kelly and I are going, and it is your job to keep us company, right?”

Marlyn nodded her head, still unsure, before I told her “Besides, *I’m*
not going to tell your employer, and KELLY isn’t going to tell your
employer. Would Bhoy tell?”

Marlyn smiled, and said “Bhoy isn’t even working for them, he’s working
for me.”

“Then the only person we have to worry about telling them is YOU. So
stop crying, and get to work.”

She looked at me, confused, and I told her “If we’re going to San
Fernando, and it’s not on the itinerary, you’re going to have to find a
place for us to stay, aren’t you?”

She nodded, and with a happy smile on her face, told me “I know just the
place, and you don’t need reservations. It is a Filipino place, but very
nice. I think you will like it.”

“Good, then it’s settled. What time do we leave tomorrow?”

“Ten o’clock will be good. We won’t have to hurry to leave, and we will
still get there in time for lunch.”

I had a thought, and asked Marlyn “What are the rules for the orphanage?
Does Marilyn have to stay there while you are visiting?”

“Oh, no. I am her family, so she can stay with me”, she answered – then
suddenly realized what I was getting at, and said “NO! You can’t!”

“I can’t what?”

“You can’t let her stay with me in the hotel. It will be too
expensive!”

“Too bad. I’m going to pay for it. If you want to waste the money,
then that is up to you.” I told her.

She started to get indignant until Kelly took her hand and said “Marlyn,
I promise you – Dan will do *exactly* what he just said. Dan and I have
been together for over six years, and when he gets like this NO ONE can
argue with him – not even me. So accept the gift he is offering, and enjoy
your time with Marilyn.”

The fire in her eyes told me that Marlyn didn’t think the matter was
closed – but *I* knew it was. And when Kelly looked at me again, she knew
it, too.

----------

Part Two

The next morning, while we were having breakfast, I asked Kelly to keep
Marlyn distracted for a couple of minutes after Bhoy showed up. She asked
why, and I told her that there was just something I wanted to talk to him
about. She knew I was up to something, but didn’t bother trying to find
out what it was.

All of us were ready and waiting in the lobby of the hotel shortly after
9:30; little before ten o’clock, Bhoy pulled up in front of the hotel. We
quickly had the luggage loaded, and Kelly and Marlyn took their traditional
seats in the van. I stayed back with Bhoy, and when he closed the tailgate
to the van, told him “There’s something I’d like your help with, if you
would.”

He looked at me blankly, and I said “Bhoy, I know your English is better
than you pretend. When we left Manila, you laughed at my joke, without
Marlyn having to translate it for you. Since then, whenever I’ve asked
Marlyn to have you take us someplace, I’ve seen that you were already
starting to do it before she started telling you. If you want to pretend
not to understand or speak English, that’s fine with me – that’s your
choice. All I’m asking you for is a little help when we get to the hotel
in San Fernando.”

He didn’t say anything, but didn’t move away, either, so I went on to
tell him “We’re going there so Marlyn can have some time – a few days –
with her niece, Marilyn. I’d like the two of them to have as much time
together as possible, so I want to pay for her niece to stay with her in
the hotel; but I think she’s going to try to stop me. The help I would
like from you is just for you to listen while she gets our rooms, and if
she doesn’t include her niece, to let me know - I’ll do the arguing with
her.”

He grinned at that, but didn’t say anything as he turned to head for the
driver’s seat. I went around the other direction, and took my seat next to
Kelly. Marlyn didn’t seem to notice that I’d been anywhere *near* Bhoy,
since the two of them were engrossed in conversation when I got in and
closed the van door behind me.

An hour and a half later, we were pulling up in front of a smallish
hotel in the suburbs of San Fernando. All of us got out and went into the
lobby – Kelly and I stayed a little distance off while Bhoy positioned
himself a few feet from her. I discretely watched Bhoy, and saw him use a
Filipino gesture to indicate that there was something needing my attention
at the desk. I made my way over to where Marlyn was and asked “So what is
the damage?”, inquiring about the rates.

She told me what it would cost for us to stay there for the 3 days we’d
agreed on during the trip, and I pulled out my wallet. As I was counting
out the money, I asked her “Is that including your niece?”

She immediately got the fire in her eyes I’d seen the night before, and
told me “No! It is too expensive.”

I counted out an additional 30 percent, and handed it to the manager.
When he picked it up, I told him “There will be another person. Miss
Ramos’ niece will be staying with her, too.”

Marlyn tried to protest, but I just stood there and looked at her until
she finally ran out of steam. Next she tried to argue with the manager; he
just looked at her as though she’d suddenly sprouted antlers. She was
still aggravated with me, but had settled down when I told her “I’ve given
him the money. The rooms are paid for. Now, let’s unload our bags so we
can go get your niece.”

She tried to stomp off, but there simply wasn’t enough of her for her to
really pull it off – though it was still fun to watch. I moved to follow
her, and as I passed Bhoy, I told him “salamat po!” – getting a grin and
nod in return.

Half an hour later, we found ourselves in front of the orphanage. Bhoy,
Kelly, and I all stayed in the van so that Marlyn could have some private
time with Marilyn. We’d been waiting – patiently – for about an hour when
we saw Marlyn coming toward us, her niece at her side. As it turned out,
they weren’t quite ready for lunch yet; rather, they wanted to show us
around the orphanage. Kelly and I quickly accepted, while Bhoy passed in
favor of a nap in the van.

I didn’t KNOW what to expect, but had a fair suspicion of what we’d
find. Kelly kept her composure, though I could see how much it hurt her to
see the conditions the kids were living in: crowded, barely adequate food,
many of the younger ones dressed in third- or fourth-generation
hand-me-downs. Even the clothing worn by the older kids was obviously
worn.

Kelly and I both had plenty of time to take a closer look at Marilyn.
She was clearly intelligent and fun-loving, even if she obviously didn’t
get much chance to enjoy herself. Roughly four feet tall and slender, she
bore a clear resemblance to Marlyn. Though her dress was slightly too
large for her, I thought I could see the first faint swellings on her chest
and the slight narrowing of her waist that would soon define her figure.
She was shy with both of us, me more than Kelly.

After we’d had our informal tour of the place, the staff readily agreed
to let Marilyn stay with Marlyn – I suspected that they were just as happy
to not have to stretch their meager food supply to include another mouth.
The two of them had a brief conversation in Tagalog, and when it was over,
Marilyn was clearly delighted to be able to stay with her aunt for a few
days. As we made our way back to the van, I saw that Marlyn had decided to
forgive me when she gave me a look of gratitude.

Bhoy was waiting for us, and greeted Marilyn as she got into the van –
sitting on the other side of Kelly, away from me. She responded in kind,
if a bit shyly. Apparently, the idea of two Americans in her life was
somewhat overwhelming for her.

After leaving the orphanage, we quickly decided that some lunch was
called for. Opinions were solicited, and we decided to go with Marilyn’s
tentative suggestion: a Filipino fast-food place with the improbable name
of Jollibee’s. Kelly and I were both pleasantly surprised to find the food
rather good. While Kelly and I quietly talked, Marlyn and Bhoy were
discussing something else. Marilyn was too busy wrapping herself around
some spaghetti (Kelly and I were both amazed at how popular it was in the
Philippines) to say anything.

When all of us were relatively full, I mentioned that I’d like to spend
the next day at the beach. Kelly seconded the idea, and went on to say
that Marlyn and Marilyn were both welcome to join us. Marlyn looked a bit
hesitant, but Kelly quickly assured her that we wanted to get to know
Marilyn, too. She thought it over a bit – getting some whispered input
from Marilyn – and eventually agreed.

Kelly’s next suggested that the three of them go shopping. Marlyn
readily accepted THAT idea, though Marilyn looked a bit reluctant.

Kelly seemed to know what the problem was, and asked Marlyn “Does the
orphanage accept donations?”

“Oh, yes!” was the answer, “That is often the only way they can get the
things they need.”

“Then I’d like to get some clothing for the children there - *all* of
them.”

Marlyn easily understood what Kelly was getting at, and told her “I
think that would be fine. I know that they would appreciate it very much.”

That settled, I tossed in my own thoughts: “I do *not* want to go
shopping with you three – I know who’d wind up carrying all the packages.
How about if we find someplace where I can sit outside and drink beer, but
is close to some stores? That way, when your arms get full, you can just
put the stuff in the van, and go back at it while you leave me in peace?”

Kelly laughed, as did Marlyn, and both of them cheerfully agreed. I
went on to say “Marlyn, if Bhoy wants, he’s welcome to join me. I trust
him not to drink too much, and I’m not looking for someone to talk to –
just drink beer with.”

Marlyn had a quick conversation with Bhoy, then told me “He says that
sounds like a good idea to him, too – he doesn’t want to carry packages,
either!” with a laugh.

With our plans for the afternoon settled, we all decided that some ice
cream was called for – Marilyn being the most happy at the idea. Kelly and
I both suspected that she didn’t get much in the way of treats in the
orphanage.

Refreshed from the ice cream, we all again piled into the van – Marilyn
still careful to keep her distance from me, though not *quite* as shy.
Marlyn directed Bhoy to a medium-sized shopping mall toward the center of
town; across the street from it was a chain restaurant where Bhoy and I
could sit outside and drink. Bhoy parked the van so that the shoppers
could find it easily, and we all headed to our self-assigned duties.

Bhoy and I spent the next four hours sitting on the patio of the
restaurant, drinking beer under the shade of a large patio umbrella.
Between the shade and the light breeze, it was a pleasant way to spend the
afternoon. Neither of us felt any obligation to say anything except to
order another round from our exceptionally cute waitress – both of us were
content to simply sit there and watch the world go by.

We were interrupted only once, when Marlyn came over to complain to me
“Kelly is spending too much! She is buying clothes for *everybody* at the
orphanage!”

My only response was a calm “Okay”. She looked at me closely, to see if
I was drunk; seeing that I wasn’t, she realized that I really didn’t CARE
how much money Kelly was spending, and gave up - to go shopping some more.

By the time the three of them came to get us, I was giving some thought
to supper; when Bhoy and I got to the van, we saw that they’d obviously had
a REAL good time shopping: there was barely enough room for all of us in
the van.

At my suggestion – and with Marlyn’s agreement – our first stop on the
way back to the hotel was at the orphanage. There, we unloaded about 95
percent of the stuff from the van - and becoming instant celebrities while
the people that ran it repeatedly assured us that they would be praying for
us. Marlyn told me that the rest would go back with Marilyn.

With a little more room for people, the ride back to the hotel was a bit
more comfortable. I saw Marilyn watching us as Kelly quietly hugged my arm
as thanks for letting her help the kids in the orphanage.

Back at the hotel, we all paused in the lobby as I told Marlyn “You and
Marilyn are welcome to join us for supper, if you want. But Kelly and I
will both understand if you want to have some time for just yourselves,
too.”

Marlyn nodded her understanding, and thanks, and I went on to tell her
“We’ll be leaving here for a restaurant about 6:30?” – the last a question
to Kelly, who agreed – “If you want to go with us, we’ll meet you here
then. If you’re not here, that’s fine, and we’ll see you in the morning.”

When I was done, Bhoy said something to Marlyn, who told us “Bhoy says
that there are several nice places to eat about two blocks from here, to
the west. This is a quiet area, so you don’t have to worry about any
trouble. If you want to go someplace else, he will be happy to drive you.”

Kelly and I shared a look, and I said “No, that will be okay. We can
walk a couple of blocks. He can go ahead and take the evening off and have
fun.”

She relayed the message to him, and he left us with a smile.

Kelly and I started to head for our room when Marlyn reached out a hand
to touch my arm. When I stopped, Kelly did too, and the two of us turned
to face her again. Hesitantly, she told us “I… I wanted to thank you. Not
just for helping me, but the orphanage, too. You have been very kind to
me, and Marilyn. I think maybe TOO kind” – that with a reproachful look at
Kelly, who ignored it – “It isn’t often that I get to meet Americans that
are as kind and generous as you are. And I understand, now, what you meant
when you told me in Manila that you are not the kind of people that take
advantage of others, or hurt people. So I want to apologize again for my
suspicions that night – now I know how wrong they were.”

Kelly responded by telling her “its okay, Marlyn. All that matters to
us is that we’re able to help.”

Marlyn looked at both of us carefully for a few moments, then gave a
small nod of her head before we all headed to our respective rooms.

Back up in our room, Kelly quickly moved to hug me after we’d closed the
door behind us.

“That was *so* happy to see them together!” she exclaimed as she started
to cry.

“Yeah, it WAS nice”, I answered.

“Marilyn is so _cute_! You can look at Marlyn and just KNOW what she’s
going to look like when she gets older. But that *place*, that orphanage!
I don’t know how they manage to keep it going!”

“I know. But we’ll be sending them money – and more than just fifty
bucks a month! All the stuff we – you! – bought will help a lot, too.
We’re going to find out what else they could use right away before we
leave, and see that they get it. After we get back, there are some other
things I plan to send them, too.”

“Marlyn tried to tell me that I was buying too much” – “She tried to
tell me the same thing; I just ignored it.” I told her – “but I could tell
that she was still having fun. Did you see that dress Marilyn was wearing
when we were done?”

“Yeah, I saw it. She seems pretty shy, so I didn’t think I’d better say
anything about it.”

“Oh, she’s shy all right – but just around you. She was SO happy while
we were shopping – talking to Marlyn and me, both. I was surprised at how
good her English is; we didn’t have any trouble understanding each other.
She didn’t *ask* for anything, but I could always tell when there was
something she really liked. Marlyn stopped me most of the time, but I
still managed to get her a couple of special things, just for her. Marlyn
told me that Marilyn thinks you’re handsome – guapo, right?”

I nodded, and she went on “She wants to thank you for helping her, but
she’s not sure how. I told her that she didn’t have to, but she *really*
wants to. Is it okay if I tell her it’s okay to kiss you? At least on the
cheek?”

I grinned, and told Kelly “You know I’m always willing to accept a kiss
from a pretty girl. Yeah, I think a kiss on the cheek would be okay here –
she’s still young enough that nobody would think anything about it. You
should probably check with Marlyn, though, just to make sure.”

“I will.”

Both of us got undressed and went in to take a shower. As I’d predicted
in Manila, we’d had far more showers in tepid water than hot – and a couple
of them were outright cold. So we’d gotten into the habit of showering
together so that we could eliminate the risk of one of us freezing when
even the tepid water ran out.

We’d also learned not to dawdle in the shower – there was never any
telling just how much water there was.

The net effect was that we had plenty of time to clean up and change
clothes before heading for the lobby area. We got there about twenty after
six, and gave Marlyn ten minutes past the agreed-on deadline before going
out to eat. As Bhoy had said, there were a number of places to eat just a
couple blocks from the hotel. We talked it over, and decided that the fast
food from lunch had hit a pleasant spot, so we settled on Kentucky Fried
Chicken. It was most definitely a change of pace from the fresh-cooked,
low-fat Filipino food we’d had the last few weeks. Not necessarily a good
change, though – just a change.

There were a few stores nearby, and the two of us did a little shopping.
I settled on a couple of nice Barong Tagalog shirts (similar to the Latin
guayabera, a loose outside-the-pants shirt with embroidered designs) and a
few carved wooden figurines. Kelly chose some pretty seashell jewelry that
was surprisingly inexpensive.

By the time we’d finished our shopping, it was still relatively early,
but we headed back toward the hotel anyway. Along the way, we stopped at a
sari-sari store to re-hydrate with a Coke. I’d explained to Kelly on the
flight over that a sari-sari store is essentially a small booth where the
owner sold small quantities of a relatively few popular items at mildly
inflated prices – think of an entire convenience store scaled down to half
the size of a one-car garage. The owner never got rich, but seldom went
broke, either; you could buy anything from a single cigarette to a kilo of
rice, which made them fairly popular.

Once we were back in the hotel room, and had our purchases tucked away,
we got undressed to enjoy the relative coolness of the room as we watched
some TV. When it came time for the news, we shut the set off and snuggled
up to each other. I didn’t mind in the slightest when I felt Kelly reach
down to take my penis in hand, since I already had a hand cupped around one
of her breasts.

I kissed her softly on the cheek as I ran my thumb across her nipple,
feeling it growing slightly under my attentions. Kelly responded by giving
my penis a few gentle squeezes, then stroking it a bit as I began to grow
in her hand. When I moved to kiss her cheek again, Kelly turned her head
so that our lips met. From that initial contact, our lips soon parted so
that we could duel with each other’s tongues. I continued to grow under
Kelly’s tender care, even as I felt her nipple getting even longer and
harder under my hand. After a bit, I moved my hand to her other breast to
bring it up to speed with the first as Kelly continued to stroke me toward
erection while we kissed.

We’d already made love several times during the trip, but this one was
special. I knew that Kelly’s desire for us to make love wasn’t triggered
by the money she’d spent. Rather, I’d encouraged her to express her
concern for, and interest in, others; so she was physically expressing the
love she had for me, just as we had used our hearts and pockets to show
others our love and concern for them.

As I felt myself getting close to being completely hard, I let my hand
ease its way down Kelly’s body, ending up at the soft, dark cloud between
her thighs. She readily spread her legs for me so that I could draw a
finger between her wet and extended labia. As it passed over the entrance
to her womanhood, I could feel how hot and wet she was inside. I repeated
my actions a few more times; with each pass, I let my finger dip a little
deeper into her. By the time I finally let my finger slide into her slick
opening, Kelly was panting slightly with her arousal and caressing my
full-blown erection with more and more insistence.

When I knew she was completely ready for me, I slowly pulled my finger
free of the clasp of her vaginal muscles. Despite all the times that we’d
taken pleasure in each other’s bodies, she still felt wonderfully hot and
tight to me.

With my finger free of her intimate grasp, she quickly pulled my hand up
so that she could take my finger into her mouth to clean her own juices
from it. When she’d removed even the faintest taste of herself from it,
she let me pull it free of her lips with a soft ‘pop’ before giving me a
wanton, lecherous grin.

Kelly went on to put a hand on my chest to nudge me over onto my back;
once there, she moved over me to start kissing her way down my body until
she got as far as my penis. She locked eyes with me before slowly lowering
her head to take the head of my penis into her mouth. To my surprise, she
only held me there for a few seconds – just long enough to give me a
thorough coating of her saliva before raising herself up again to straddle
my hips. Once in position, she took me into her hand and held me in place
as she lowered herself onto my still-glistening member. With only a couple
of tries, she had me completely inside her, moaning her pleasure when she
felt our pubic hair mesh.

After a few seconds, she leaned forward to make her breasts available to
me. Firm as they were the first time I sampled them, her breasts were a
delight to the eye: a trifle larger than a B-cup, they were smooth and
without blemish. Her areolas were relatively small and puckered with her
arousal. They, in turn, were capped by the hard pebbles of her nipples. I
happily took the end of one of her breasts in my mouth and started sucking on it – which brought a soft moan of pleasure from Kelly. When I’d drawn
her nipple and areola to form little volcanoes in my mouth, I switched over
to do the same to the other. As I was doing all this, I was also letting
my hands wander across her body – caressing her sides and hips, back and
butt, legs and arms. I could never touch her without again marveling at
how smooth and soft and clear her skin was.

While I was nursing at her breasts and delighting at the feel of her
under my hands, Kelly started moving over me slightly by beginning a slow,
short hunching motion on my penis. Moving barely an inch along my member,
she was consciously using her internal muscles to clench herself around me
– using her vagina to milk my erection the way a farmer would milk a cow:
relaxing herself as she lowered herself onto me, then tightening around me
as she lifted herself up again.

The sensations she was creating felt exquisite (!!), so it wasn’t long
before I