Herbs, Spices, and Ornamental Plants

Because my garden is very tiny, I intend to maximize it by using a combination of the tricks I’ve read online, and by prioritizing the plants I’d include. 

Moringa (malunggay). Our very first plant. 

The plants must also serve other purposes besides making my super tiny bit of a garden (and my house) beautiful. They must also do one or more of the following: make my house smell fresh (especially because I have indoor pets), keep rats/mice away, and must be medicinal/culinary.

Of course, there will also be ornamental plants. But I'd be very choosy with the plants I'd include. I'd plant only the special ones, and by special, I don't mean pricey, but less common, and those that will come from friends. You wouldn't say no to plants as gifts, no?

Based on my online readings, here are the plants that I need:

Plants to keep rats away. (Because I want to keep unwanted guests away).

Marigold Garlic

Peppermint Lavender

Tomato

Plants that are safe for cats and are natural air fresheners (Because if you are a pet owner, you’d want to use things that are safe for the furry babies).

Lemongrass Rosemary

Peppermint Thyme

Citronella Eucalyptus

Culinary/medicinal herbs (Because if you are health conscious and a voracious eater, you’d want to drink teas, and add some natural nutrients to your diet)

Lemongrass Mint Sambong Thumeric

Moringa Pandan Ginger

Oregano Basil Garlic

What we already have (Because we are just starting, hehe)

Lemongrass Sambong Some indoor plants whose name I do not know.

Moringa Pandan

Oregano Citronella

I also want to grow some vegies. I have yet to determine which ones I can plant, though. Any ideas?

Oregano. One of our first plants

Lemongrass.

When You Must “Abandon Ship”: Emergency Preparedness Tips

My neighbors laughed when I told them what I intended to do with the rope I bought.

“You have a wild imagination,” one of them said.

This picture by Lyn Rillon published in Philippine Daily
Inquirer during the 2011 Bulacan flooding inspired me to
come up with emergency/disaster plan for my pets.

I wondered how they could not see the brilliance of it. “Disasters can happen anytime. I don’t want to be caught unprepared,” I retorted.

It was a few months after Ondoy — that flash flood that inundated Metro Manila in September 2009. My apartment was among the thousands of houses and establishments that were submerged during the flood. My father, my then three-year-old nephew who was vacationing in my place, and I had to swim neck-deep floodwater to get to safety. Since that experience, I had become more safety and preparedness obsessed.

I say “more” because I have always been safety conscious. Compared to many, I tend to be better prepared for eventualities such as disasters. However, I realized during Ondoy that I was not as prepared as I wanted to be. So immediately after that great flood, I began devising escape plans and procuring things I may need to get myself—and hopefully others—to safety in case of emergency. Hence, the rope and the other “escape tools” I had bought since then.

I have two door accesses in my apartment, so maybe I’m pretty safe in case of fire. But I have a third possible exit, the window. The only problem is that, as my apartment is on the second floor, I will have to jump off and probably sustain fractures in order to escape. Realizing this, I bought a rope I could use in case my only exit left is the window.

Wild imagination? Maybe. But could you say that when disaster strikes and all you need to get to safety is a few meters of rope and realize you don’t have it?

I am not one who wouldn’t do my part and then blame the government for lack of preparedness. I believe that disaster preparedness is a function of families and individuals. Making sure that our place is safe is our responsibility, not the government’s. Moreover, sometimes, during emergency, the only way we could help in rescue efforts is by getting ourselves to safety on our own, so that rescue workers could focus on others who may be in worse situation.

Now, more than ever, we should be taking disaster preparedness more seriously. The typhoons that visit and the floods that inundate our country are stronger and more frequent. Fires are a regular part of our evening news. We can never be too prepared.

That said, let me share with you some emergency preparedness tips I practice.


1.  Do preventive measures. Doing preventive measures is the best preparation for any emergency. A strong storm has been forecasted? Ensure that your house is safe, and the tree in your backyard has been trimmed to reduce the possibility of it getting uprooted, or at least minimize the damage it would cause in case it does get uprooted. Buy your groceries beforehand so you wouldn’t have to go out amidst strong rains and howling winds and put yourself in danger.

Do preventive maintenance even when no actual forecast has been made. Remember, many disasters are preventable. During summer, have your roofs and walls and your electric wirings checked. Many fire breakouts are caused by faulty electrical wiring. When your electrician recommends that you re-wire your house, do it. Immediately.
 
2.  Put your “Escape Docs” in a Ready-to-Grab Bag. Simply put, have your important documents (passports, contracts, IDs, etc.) in a ready-to-grab bag (preferably waterproof) and let everyone in the house know that it is the first thing to be secured in case of emergency — that is, if there is still ample time to grab it and run to safety.

This is one of my brother’s idea and it has been our practice for years now. During Ondoy, our “Escape Docs” was one of the things that I secured and brought with me when we decided to abandon the house.

It again worked to my advantage in 2011 during a fire scare. A house two blocks away caught fire. Because the things I needed to bring out were properly identified beforehand and were ready-to-grab, I was able to add a few more clothes for me and my brother in my “escape kit.” In 10 minutes, I was ready to leave the house. (My preparation could have been a lot faster if I wasn’t writing when the fire broke out. Since I was — and because I noticed I still had plenty of time before the fire would reach the house next to mine — I decided to shut down my laptop properly first and secure it as well). Fortunately, the fire was put out by my neighbors before it spread.

3.  Prepare emergency kits (clothes, extra IDs,) in ready-to-grab box. This is so that in case of emergency, you wouldn’t waste time thinking of what things to pack, and actually pack them. With your basic things ready, you will have more time to think of other things you need to bring with you, or in case there is no more time, to just grab your kit and run to safety.

4.  Have a disaster/rescue plan for your pets. When I saw in Philippine Daily Inquirer a picture of pets left behind by their owners during the Bulacan flooding in 2011, it hit me that I don’t have the heart to leave my pets behind if the same thing happened to me. So I thought of ways in which I could save my pets and myself. The solution I thought of? A carrier that could contain them all and which I can easily carry along with my other things. It’s bulky, true, and it occupies a big portion of my closet-turned-stock-area. But that is the only way I think I can get them all out in case of emergency (instead of using one basket for each and possibly fail to secure one or two of them in the process).

5.  If you are not in your place (say you’re in a hotel, workplace, etc), always take note of emergency exits and where the fire extinguishers are. And it would be great also to discuss with your companions, especially children, your escape plans in case of emergency — where to meet each other or where to go to should you lose each other during the emergency and the chaos that might ensue.

6.  Don’t panic. Tips 2-5 would be useless if you panic during actual emergency. In times of disaster, the only way you could increase your likelihood of escape is by not losing your mind. When you lose your mind during emergency, you not only put yourself but also others to more danger.

Changing the Narrative

Good afternoon.

My name is Sherma, and I am a fictionist. As a fictionist, I make up stories based on my experiences and observations. I tell stories as I see them, or as I imagine them. But today, I will talk about a true story.

When I was in my teens, life had been difficult financially. It was so difficult that I often wondered why others seemed to have it so easy, while my family struggled. But now that I am an adult, I look back and realize that to the contrary, I'd had a privileged life.

There are many reasons why I say so, but let me focus on just one: the gift of writing.

As with anything, my foray into writing started with an introduction. I was introduced to it by my father, a literary artist writing short stories and novelettes in Ilocano.

When we were young, my three younger brothers and I would gather around our father at night. We would play indoor games with him before going to bed. At other nights, we would ask him to tell us a story. My father always obliged.

He told us about famous Philippine folklores such as Malakas and Maganda, Ang Matsing at ang Pagong, and mythical characters such as the kapre, the tikbalang, the manananggal, and many more. He also told us about princes and princesses of faraway kingdoms of long, long time ago.  He introduced us to the princesses in distress, and the princes that rescued them in the nick of time. But he never introduced Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Snow White, and all the other princesses and their respective princes to us. This was because in my father’s stories, they never existed. The princesses he told us about were either named Princess Sherma or Princess Jing. (Jing is my nickname – reserved for family members and close relatives.)

Those story-telling moments had been magical. From my father’s stories, I realized that I could live in my imagination; that there are many worlds out there to be explored; and that there is a life right here that must be lived.

Unlike many girls, I knew even as a kid that my father's stories were make-believe. I knew, because long after each story-telling session had ended, I would still be thinking about the characters and the plot, and I would try to re-imagine the stories; sometimes, even revising them.

It was fortunate that my father used my name in his stories. The gesture showed me how much I meant to him. It also allowed me to ‘own’ the stories. By thinking that the stories were about me and that I owned them, I felt free to revise them. So I did, but I did not know then why I felt compelled to make changes.

It was when I was in college that I realized why. In one of my GE subjects -- Social Science I -- we had a discussion on political correctness/incorrectness of bedtime stories. We worked on Little Red Riding Hood. It was then that I realized that I did not like many of the Western stories my father told us about. 

I never liked it that the Princesses always needed rescuing. That they were so weak. That they could not fight – much less win – their own battles. In my revised version, I imagined the princesses fighting off the monsters by themselves, and winning. I also imagined myself wielding my own sword, and maiming my enemies, my own demons.

I was also disturbed that the ugly Princesses had to become beautiful toward the end of the story. I was worried about the message such ending gave our children: that they only deserved to be loved if they were beautiful. I was worried that such flawed and dangerous message was incorporated in our children's stories -- why no one seemed to want to change them. 

That was how I started becoming a writer: revising stories in my mind. Then slowly, I started creating stories -- for myself. Yes, just for myself. I was not really convinced I could write. I was a writer in denial for a long time. I was afraid of getting out of my shell and be exposed.

I thought it was already a great privilege that I could travel from our world to those other worlds in my mind at will. I thought it was such a magnificent gift that whenever I was down and hurting yet unwilling to expose my deepest worries, and fears, and thoughts to another soul, I had my writing to turn to. I could make my pen do the talking, and I had all the blank pages in the world to pour out my heart and soul to. To me, that was more than enough.

But soon, I began feeling some restlessness deep within me. I felt there was something I had to be doing, but wasn't. 

When, in my 20s, I gave in to the urge to write, I first went back to the stories I "revised" as a child and realized that not only were there so many people without a voice and so many stories that needed to be told, there also were so many narratives that were dangerous and had to be changed.

So I got out of my cocoon, and wrote socially relevant stories – stories that are not being talked about openly. I wrote about diaspora. I delved on abortion. On rape and pedophilia. On abuse.  On role reversals. And many more.

So this is one reason that I write.

And this is why I consider writing a great privilege and responsibility. I have been given the gift and the chance not just to write my own story and that of others, but also to try to change the social narrative. I intend to do just that. One story at a time.

The Conspiracy

MONDAY 6:35 p.m.

I glowered at the sight of Mr. Mario Ventura, our new HRD officer, and Mr. Rolando Bautista, our Sales and Marketing manager, at my doorstep. They were still in uniform — black slacks and long-sleeved barong. Mr. Ventura was carrying a black leather briefcase in his right hand. I looked at each of them hard, not bothering to conceal the extreme annoyance I felt about their presence. I had a long bout against them and their fellow managers in the conference room the whole day today. Their tired, thirty-something faces were the last things I wanted to see after work. For a brief moment, I considered slamming the door on them.

“Won’t stay long.” Mr. Bautista announced as he stepped into the living room, not waiting to be invited in. My face must have made it explicitly clear that an invitation was not in order.

I moved into the living room without bothering to check if they were following. Reaching the center, I turned around, my face still tight. I didn’t ask them to sit down.

Mr. Ventura set the briefcase onto the center table. He opened the briefcase slowly, his eyes focused upon my face. I gave him a nasty look then lowered my gaze to the newly opened bag with its content now exposed. My eyes, swollen from crying and lack of sleep, literally bulged at what I saw. Money! An awful lot of money!

Both men noticed my reaction and were evidently pleased by it. “Five hundred thousand pesos in cold cash,” Mr. Ventura stressed. “For you.”

I dragged my gaze from the briefcase back to his unsightly face. “For me to keep my silence?”

“And for you to withdraw your charges against Mr. Uy.” He said, referring to the sexual harassment charges I filed this morning against Mr. Uy Huang Lu, our Chinese general manager.

“And why would I do that?”

“Five hundred thousand pesos, that’s why.”

“Get lost!”

“You’re a fool not to take the money, Jhannie. You’re sending off your brothers to school, aren’t you? And your father’s still battling with bronchopneumonia, isn’t he?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with malice. I glared at him, damning him for knowing just the right button to push.

“Forget about yourself, Jhannie.” Mr. Bautista interjected. “Just think about your family. How would you feel if something happens to your father, knowing that you could have prevented it? And if your brothers dropped out of school, wouldn’t you feel guilty knowing that you could have done something about it? Be practical. Anyway,” his voice dropped, “nothing happened.”

“Nothing?” I instantly flared. “I was nearly raped. I am about to lose my mind. I haven’t slept for 48 hours. And now, you calmly tell me that nothing happened?”

“I mean physically. What are kisses, embraces? I’m sure you did more than just those with your past boyfriends. I’m sure you’ve…”

“You’re insulting me, Mr. Bautista.” I cut him off. “The issue is not whether the act was consummated or not. We’re talking about a violation committed against my person!” I gritted my teeth. “Your boss is a devil.”

I noticed Mr. Ventura not-too-discreetly signal Mr. Bautista to leave things to him. The latter kept quiet, eyed the sofa, and proceeded to sit down. Mr. Ventura turned his attention back to me. “Jhannie, calm down…”

“Calm down? You’ve got the nerve to order me to calm down after what he did to me?”

“Jhannie, listen…”

“No, Mr. Ventura, you listen.” My voice was hard. “Clearly, we see things differently. And it’s apparent to me whose side you’re on. Tell me, if you could bribe me, what are you going to get in return? Promotion? Reward money?”

“Nothing. I’m just protecting the interest of the company.”

“Interest of the company? At the expense of the employees? Sir, you’re the HR manager! You’re supposed to protect the employees, not just the management!”

“And I’m doing just that. Jhannie, can’t you see? You have no case! No witnesses. No physical marks. No proofs. How could you prove that he molested you? It’s going to be your word against his. And who would take the word of an executive secretary over that of a respected country general manager? No one.” He breathed hard, then his voice softened. “Take the money, Jhannie. You’ll lose one way or another. Remember, you don’t come quite clean, what with the issue with Eric.”

I raised my eyebrows at the mention of my American friend’s name. “What’s Eric got to do with this?”

“Oh come on. You may be able to fool your officemates into believing that your relationship with Eric Collum is innocent. But the management knows better. And remember, an affair with a married man wouldn’t help you through this case in the least.”

“Affair with a…” My head spun when I realized what he was insinuating. “You’re accusing me of sleeping with him, is that it?”

“Aren’t you?” he countered.

I glared at him. “That’s absurd! We’re not doing anything wrong.”

“I find that hard to believe. You’ve been spotted together many times. What will your officemates think? The management?”

“Ridiculous! Having lunch together does not warrant an affair.”

“Yes. But if we’d take it as a character reference,” he paused, a nasty smile playing on his lips, “we can easily plant a seed of doubt about your character in the mind of whoever is going to investigate this case.” His face moved closer to mine. “And where will that leave you?”

My hands balled. God, how I wanted to knock him off!

Again, he smiled. “Take the money, Jhannie. Save your face.”

“Get out!”

“Sure, we will.” He answered as he calmly closed his briefcase. “But think about it, Jhannie. You have until tomorrow morning to decide.” He picked up the briefcase with his right hand then, beckoning Mr. Bautista to follow him, walked to the door, his confidence unshaken by my outburst. They were already at the door when Mr. Ventura looked back, his face arrogant. “Choose well.”

I glared at him, but he and Mr. Bautista just walked coolly to the parked company car.

TUESDAY, 7:45 a.m.

“HAVE YOU decided yet?”

My heart missed a beat at the sound of Eric’s voice; I didn’t know he had arrived. I was doubly surprised that he knew of the bribe Mr. Ventura had offered me, of which I had planned to tell him this morning. I jerked my head up to look at him. He was settling himself on an officemate’s desk to my right, deciding to half-sit, half-lean on it, making him seem a few inches shorter than his actual height of six feet flat. I gazed at his bluish-gray eyes that were fixed upon mine. “How’d you know I’m to make one?” I asked, my brows creased.

“I have sources. I know about the bribe. So, what’s your decision?”

I didn’t answer. I stared at him with questioning eyes.

His eyes met mine. “I didn’t know five hundred thousand pesos could make you indecisive.” He sounded disappointed.

“It’s a lot of money.”

“Not much compared to what you nearly lost.”

I looked down, unable to answer.

“Did you really think if you dropped the charges, they’d give you the money?” he asked when I didn’t answer.

Again, I looked up at him mutely.

“They won’t. They’d have you drop the charges then relieve you from your post. Where will that leave you?”

I sighed. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Then you are naïve.”

Again I sighed, focusing my troubled eyes upon his. “Eric, Mr. Ventura mentioned something about us. He… The management thinks we have an affair.”

“Damn!” He burst angrily. “Jhannie, listen. I … shit!” He swore when he heard voices coming from the first floor. “They’re here. You know what to do.” He said, then walked to his office.

No. I don’t know what to do, I told myself.

9:30 a.m.

THE MANAGERS were already settled when I entered the conference room. Mr. Uy wasn’t there. I felt relieved. I didn’t want to see him. I took the only vacant seat near the door. There were only five of us in the ten-seater room, but the room seemed too small for all of us. Already I was gasping for air.

“So, Jhannie, I take it you’ve already made a decision?” Mr. Ventura sounded nice, while Mrs. Teresita Canida, the deputy manager and the only female in the room excluding myself, looked at me calculatingly. Gone was the calm, motherly face she always wore, replaced by something more akin to what she really was — a scheming bitch. Even the other managers — Mr. Bautista, Mr. Allan Cabuyao, and Mr. Tim Lanuza — were staring at me. They were sure I was going to take the money. Somehow, that thought angered me.

“Yes.” I answered.

“In that case, we’d better go to the police station so you could drop the charges.” Mr. Ventura said, looking pleased.

I looked directly into his eyes. “No, Mr. Ventura. I’m pursuing the case,” I said, surprised that my voice sounded strong.

Mr. Ventura’s smile instantly turned into a frown. For a moment, he looked angry, but he soon controlled his anger. “If you say so,” he said, shooting Mrs. Canida a look. Their eyes talked.

Mrs. Canida adjusted her oval eyeglasses, opened the cream folder she was holding, then stared at me. I stared back. “You very well know that you don’t have witnesses. No physical marks. And your morality is questionable,” she began. I started to say something, but she lifted her right hand, signaling me to keep quiet. “Even if you say you’re not having a relationship with Collum,” she said, referring to Eric “we can easily make people believe you two are having an affair.”

I glared at her. God! How I wanted to kick her in the ass! How could she talk like that, as though she doubted Mr. Uy’s guilt when she was with us in the conference room yesterday, when he admitted his crime and begged me for forgiveness? And why are they — the managers — covering up for him?

“In addition to that, Mr. Uy hadn’t signed an overtime form,” she continued. “That means, technically, your stay in the office after the regular work hour is illegal.”

“He told me he’d sign it the following Monday,” I said defensively.

“Is that our SOP?” She looked up at me, her right brow raised. Then continued, without waiting for me to answer, “No. Our office procedures explicitly instruct employees to have OT forms signed by their superior or whoever asks them to render overtime work before actual OT.” Again, a smile played on her lips, telling me that she knew I was on the verge of crying.

“We also have the guard’s report on the date you claimed Mr. Uy harassed you. It says here that at 3:30 pm, about fifteen minutes after you clocked out, you were seen sitting at the reception area. The guard warned you that employees are not allowed to loiter in the company premises once they’ve clocked out. You answered you were waiting for Mr. Uy. Ten minutes later, you and Mr. Uy left the office in his Cefiro driven by his driver, Bong. That means…”

“Excuse me, Ma’am!” I interjected, failing to restrain myself. “That’s not true. I clocked out at 3:15, about five minutes after Mr. Uy harassed me. I immediately fled the building. There’s no way that incident could have occurred.” I said, trembling with anger. “Everything in that report is a lie!”

“Calm down!” Mr. Ventura and Mrs. Canida shouted at me. I kept quiet, but continued to glare at them.

“This is an official report.” Mrs. Canida continued. “It came from a third party.”

“You bribed the guard.” I replied.

“You can’t prove that.” She countered, sounding hard. “Besides, we have with us Bong’s statement, corroborating the guard’s report.” She emphasized the last words. I shook my head. Tsk, they had everything well plotted. “And what’s more, it says here that Bong drove you to … hmm, surprise, surprise … to Mr. Uy’s unit in Greenbelt Residences! Tell me Jhannie, what did you do in Mr. Uy’s apartment?”

“You’re in a better position to answer your question, ma’am,” I answered sarcastically. “You’re the author, you’re the one who knows the events in your story.”

She ignored my sarcasm. “Even if it were just your word against Mr. Uy’s, Jhannie, you’re already disadvantaged, given your questionable character. But there’s also the guard’s report and Bong’s statement. Tsk, tsk.” She shook her head as though she pitied me. “Anyway, because you didn’t accept our offer, you’ve only two choices left: either you resign or we’ll terminate your employment.”

“That’s illegal.”

She smiled. For a moment I thought she was Satan’s female counterpart. “You must remember, my dear, that you’re merely a contractual employee.” She held out some documents. “”Here’s your evaluation.”

I took the papers then slowly read them. There’s a letter signed by Mr. Ventura, informing me that I failed to meet the standards of the company. With trembling hands, I turned to the evaluation sheets. Incompetent. Inefficient. Lacks cooperation. Those were the remarks of the supervisors who evaluated me. I knew these were all just made up, but I felt bad. These very same people had been very happy with my work. Impressed even. Mr. Uy himself had said so. Now they’re telling me I failed to meet the company’s standards? Yeah, right!

Mrs. Canida handed me two unsealed envelopes. “One contains a termination letter, the other, a resignation letter. It’s up to you which one you prefer. Just make sure you sign one.”

“You’re all evil.” I cried.

“Just sign, Ms. Ancheta.” Mr. Ventura prompted. I glared at him. I grabbed the pen he was offering me and signed the termination letter.

“Good. Mr. Uy will be very happy.” Mrs. Canida said, smiling. I scowled at her but she merely laughed. “In this life, idealism got no place, Jhannie. You’re still young; you still have a lot to learn. But remember this so you’d wisen up: In this life, nothing but money talks. Money makes things go round. Not idealism. Not self-respect. Money! Lots of money. That gives you power! And when you’ve got power, you’ve got everything. Everything, Jhannie. Ev-ery-thing! So strive to get a lot of…”

I stood up and walked out of the door. I didn’t have time for craps.

11:20 a.m.

“What are you doing?” Eric asked, planting himself behind me.

“Packing.”

“Yeah, I can see that. But why?”

“Why?” I repeated. “I lost, that’s why.”

“No, you’re not going to lose.”

My brows furrowed. What was he saying? “I’m afraid, I already have.”

“No. The battle has just started.”

I abruptly turned around to face him, annoyance evident on my face. “What are you saying? We have just finished and I lost.”

“Nope. HR officers from Hong Kong will be coming in tomorrow,” he said, referring to our head office. “Heads will be rolling, but definitely not yours,” he announced calmly.

My forehead creased. “What do you mean? I just got fired, can’t you see? I won’t be here tomorrow. Today’s my last day!”

“You’d still be here. Listen,” his voice dropped. He walked me to his office. Once inside, he closed the door, making sure no one would hear what he was about to say. I walked to the chair opposite his desk and sat. As he usually does, he half-sat, half-leaned on his desk, slipping both his hands into his trousers’ pockets. “Hong Kong knows everything that went on in there yesterday and today. Someone has been passing to Hong Kong what had been discussed in the meetings.”

My brows furrowed deeper. “But who…? Why…?”

“Who? It is I. Why? Because I had orders.” He cut me off. “Hong Kong had been receiving complaints against Mr. Uy, albeit anonymous ones. We’ve identified only two victims, both unwilling to file a case. The first one is a girl who used to hold your position — her name’s Edna — very young, just your age…”

“What about her?”

“Mr. Uy got her pregnant.” I was shocked. Mr. Uy, nearing 60 years, got a twenty-three-year-old girl pregnant? I looked up at Eric, wanting him to confirm that I heard him correctly. He nodded. “He’s supporting the baby. But we can’t act on that case because, like I said, Edna’s not willing to file a complaint.”

I sighed. “Does Mr. Uy’s family know?

“I don’t think so.”

I sighed.

“Did you know why your HR manager is relatively new?”

I shook my head.

“Mr. Ventura joined the company a full month before you did. That must be… what, six months ago? Mrs. Cayetano, the old HR manager, was fired because she witnessed Mr. Uy harassing another young employee. This employee is no longer with the company. She didn’t file a complaint; she simply resigned. Mrs. Cayetano tried to talk her into filing a complaint. Promised to help her. But she — Mrs. Cayetano — was fired before she could do anything. Mrs. Cayetano filed a complaint right after that — illegal dismissal. She also told Hong Kong about a conspiracy among the managers, including Mr. Uy, of which I vaguely know. This is still being being discreetly investigated; I wouldn’t tell you by whom, but this I can tell you: that conspiracy explains why all these managers are covering up for Mr. Uy.”

He paused, allowing me to digest the information. I knew my eyes were betraying my confusion, but I couldn’t make them leave his.

Eric let out a long sigh, raked his fingers through his longish dark blonde hair, then he continued, “Anyway, with the new developments, the girl never got to file her complaints. But still, Hong Kong decided to probe this sexual harassment issue, separate from the conspiracy thing, but also very discreetly. They thought I was the perfect person to do the job, as no one would suspect I’d be interested in other matters besides providing technical support to Philippine projects. I was specifically tasked to look after young, good-looking new employees like you.”

My head snapped up. “Why?” I asked.

“It was likely he’d make you his new victim.”

Anger immediately bubbled up inside me. “So I was set up, is that it?” I shouted. “And you didn’t even bother to warn me? To tell me I might be in some danger?”

He held up his hands “No, no. Don’t think it that way. You were hired as an employee, not some kind of specimen we had to observe. Your employment was, and still is, legitimate. Neither Hong Kong nor I have anything to do with it. But we reckoned he might be interested in you, so they made me look after you. But I wasn’t allowed to say anything about my mission, until now. It was top secret. We weren’t sure he would harass you, though we reckoned he might. Besides, how do you think that knowledge would have made you feel?” he asked. Then, without waiting for my answer, continued, “You’d be bothered. So, I looked after you instead. I was always with you, wasn’t I? Always made sure that I knew where you were no matter how busy I was. We even became good friends. Did you think I’d let anything happen to you? Had I not gotten sick Friday through that fateful Saturday afternoon, he wouldn’t have had a chance to lay a finger on you.”

I calmed down, but I was confused still. “But you weren’t in the conference room yesterday and today. How could you have known…”

“Mr. Ventura. He was reporting to me.”

My mouth opened up in surprise. “But Mr. Ventura…”

“… was the one who offered you the money, I know. He was instructed by Mr. Uy and Mrs. Canida.”

“So why would he go to you and tell you about what he and the rest of the managers have been doing?”

“Because he’s our undercover. He — he’s the uncle of the girl I just told you about.”

My brows creased as my mouth opened wider. I was so dumbstruck I was unable to utter a word for a long time. Eric, too, didn’t volunteer any more information, allowing me to digest what he’d just shared. “Why didn’t you tell me those things yesterday, when I told you what had happened?” I asked after a while.

“Three reasons. First, I told you, I wasn’t allowed to say anything about my mission. Second, I didn’t want to influence you on your decision. Lastly, I knew you’d do the right thing.”

“You couldn’t be so sure about that. I myself am not sure I did the right thing. Until now.”

“Then maybe I knew you more than you know yourself,” he smiled. “I knew that for a while, you may feel tempted, but you’d always do what’s right. You’re a decent person, Jhannie. I swear, older people could learn a thing or two from you.”

“What if I accepted the money? What would you have thought of me, then?”

“Funny it didn’t occur to me that you would,” he replied. “But I think I could understand if you did. Your family needs money. Either way, you’ll always be my friend.”

I bowed my head. I didn’t know what to say. Again, we were quiet for a long time.

“Thank you,” I said, looking up, tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Anytime,” he replied, smiling.

I meant to smile back at him. But instead of a nice, grateful smile, a hysterical laugh rang out. It was a relieved, carefree laugh. It was like the laugh of a condemned, good-for-nothing person who just outsmarted the devil by sheer luck. Immediately, I recognized it as mine. I was crying and laughing at the same time. It was crazy. I felt so good. The pain, the hurt, the uncertainty that plagued me are now gone. This morning I felt damned. Now… now I felt so relieved. If not for Eric’s presence, I would have danced, and jumped, and sang at the top of my lungs. But I was worried he’d think I’d gone crazy. But then he, too, was laughing! Had he gone crazy, too?

© Sherma E Benosa 2004