Its 2:45AM. Long past midnight. Emelie came back from the disco about an hour ago. She's the secretary of the organization to raise money for the upkeep of the chapel in her little citio, Combalbag. Once a year, they hold the disco. I was there last year. I danced until my lungs hurt, charged with the heady excitement of mood, music and movement, until my wife pulled the plug. "You danced like a cow that just broke free of its chains" she told me. She brought me back to myself with that one! We laughed all the way down the hill to her house.
There is nothing unusual about my time spent here in the Philippines but every day feels like a special event. I wonder if this is because I am in a foreign country or because of the life style I've chosen to live. There is irony in the fact that I have always thought of settling down and having kids as a very boring way to live your life. Next to being dead; just passing the time until that final moment.
And now? Well, life is damn exciting having two teenage boys and a two year-old girl to watch after. I enjoy it to the same degree that I dreaded the thought of it for all those years of my life. Interesting how my perceptions got in the way of experiencing a part of life so wonderful. Got any more misconceptions, Mr. Schroeder? I'm sure I do. Ha!
I spent the evening, with the little one, in our internet cafe. On a thin pad designed for one, the two of us huddled close together between the money table and the wall. Shane wrapped herself around one leg of the table as if it was a life preserver. We listened to smooth jazz on our office computer. I'd had enough of Barney, Old MacDonald, The ABC song and such. (I can't seem to get kid's songs out of my head these days.)
Emelie left us 'on the sneak'. She didn't want Shane to know she was leaving. Since her mother left, over a month ago now, Shane clings to Emelie, the real life preserver in her little life. My wife is wonderful with her. She knows just what to do in almost every situation - in contrast to me.
I have a myopic view of raising kids: make'em laugh, keep them entertained for about 20 years, and let them fill in the gaps when they get old enough to figure out how much I left out. Having never had kids before, I can't say that its a tried and true method. It's just a way I developed and perfected years ago for passing the time with kids until their parents come to pick them up, after I've gotten them wound up tight, silly and bouncing off the walls. Now I get to hang around them long enough to see the results of the mess I created. It ain't pretty. But Emelie steps in and cleans up after me. She gets the kids' heads out of the silly gases that float through the clouds, where I left them. I get a little scolding or just a stern look for it, but it's a small price for bringing order and sanity back to our family.
Well, time for me to return to the mat. I'm tired. Maybe Shane won't do one of her violent, mid-sleep rolls on me tonight. Last night I got slapped in the face with both hands and kicked with one of those little feet that is attached to a tiny, but powerful leg.
Good Night All..
I liked this story very much. In fact I liked just about all the stories you have here.
ReplyDeleteI thought enough about them to add a link to my website at: http://texaninthephilippines.com
I put it under my "Other Expat Sites".
I hope you have something new to read soon.
Do you think that Shane's mother thought that y'all could provide her with a better life or do you think she just wanted to run the clubs and didn't want a kid in the way? Either way is irresponsible, but I 'might' be able to understand the first thing.