A continuation...
After breakfast Mariz's father had to travel to another town to conduct Saturday worship at a new congregation, or as the INC call them, "Locales" (low-Kalayz). As her mum puttered around the home we all sat around in the "sala" (parlour/living room) and MJ and my mate, Robert began telling me about how Robert was now well into the conversion process. I got the distinct feeling that this was particularly directed towards me because of Mariz.
Any Jew who spends any amount of time with non-Jews is well aware of how prostelysation is always around the corner. In the case of cults like the INC I was also aware that they sometimes use attractive women to seduce men into the fold. The American Hippie Christian cult, Children of G-D" were reknowned for this despicable practice which they called "Flirty Fishing." I wasn't aware of INC practices in this area but was immediately on guard with Mariz.
None of us could go anywhere because to be seen in public with either Robert or I would scandalise MJ, Mariz and their family as well as cost their father his position as pastor and their home and car since everything is owned by the Church. Therefore we spent the day watching DVDs and talking as I tried to stop nodding having taken my afternoon dose of morphine at lunch. When I'm active, even simply walking, I never nod. However, sitting in some strange cult's well guarded compound and making small talk led me into a struggle to stay lucid- a struggle I more often than not lost. Robert apologised on my behalf telling them "confidentially" that I had recently undergone "oral surgery."
After supper Robert, MJ and myself got our things together for the return trip to Manila. As I was walking to the SUV Mariz very shyly handed me an envelope and begged me not to read it until I was back in Manila. As her parents and younger sisters watched we said our chaste farewell and off I went on that 5 hour drive back to the capital.
Naturally, as soon as we were on the hiway I opened the envelope and to my suprise it was a poignant and heartfelt letter about how much she had enjoyed our short time together. She told me that she didn't always agree with her Church's teachings but like them or not, they forbade relationships between members and non-members. She realised that I would never consider conversion but she wanted me to know that she liked me a lot and really wished things were different. The letter's message wasn't a suprise of course.
Back in Makati, the section of Metro Manila where I sublet my studio, I began preparing for my suprise trip to Mindanao for Lovely's. 23rd birthday. Getting online-since Lovely believed that I was still back in the US- I sat down to chat with the birthday girl. Right away she started that same tired shit about how I never loved her, was just toying with her and would never truly be hers.
Now, in describing the breakup in that entry I deleted I mentioned how the situation was still too painful to talk about. The jist of all that is that back in February, while I was still primarily living in my home in Rizza's family compound, Lovely and I had been having a conversation on the phone in which she had asked me if I had ever cyber-dated. I told her that no, I had never tried that and then naturally asked her whether she herself had done so. Laughingly she told me how her eldest sister- the one married to the much older American and living in Maryland- had pushed her to do so and had even made two profiles for her but it was all months before I had met her at that gathering at her home.
I asked her if those dating profiles still existed and she replied that she had no idea but gave me the names of the two sites in case I wanted to check on it. After we hung up I went online and couldn't find her profile. I then searched using her particulars and much to my suprise found two profiles on that one site. As she had told me one profile was indeed unused for months. However, the second profile had been active 2 days prior and in several photos she was wearing outfits I had bought her!!! My head was spinning and I quickly phoned her.
To be continued...
After breakfast Mariz's father had to travel to another town to conduct Saturday worship at a new congregation, or as the INC call them, "Locales" (low-Kalayz). As her mum puttered around the home we all sat around in the "sala" (parlour/living room) and MJ and my mate, Robert began telling me about how Robert was now well into the conversion process. I got the distinct feeling that this was particularly directed towards me because of Mariz.
Any Jew who spends any amount of time with non-Jews is well aware of how prostelysation is always around the corner. In the case of cults like the INC I was also aware that they sometimes use attractive women to seduce men into the fold. The American Hippie Christian cult, Children of G-D" were reknowned for this despicable practice which they called "Flirty Fishing." I wasn't aware of INC practices in this area but was immediately on guard with Mariz.
None of us could go anywhere because to be seen in public with either Robert or I would scandalise MJ, Mariz and their family as well as cost their father his position as pastor and their home and car since everything is owned by the Church. Therefore we spent the day watching DVDs and talking as I tried to stop nodding having taken my afternoon dose of morphine at lunch. When I'm active, even simply walking, I never nod. However, sitting in some strange cult's well guarded compound and making small talk led me into a struggle to stay lucid- a struggle I more often than not lost. Robert apologised on my behalf telling them "confidentially" that I had recently undergone "oral surgery."
After supper Robert, MJ and myself got our things together for the return trip to Manila. As I was walking to the SUV Mariz very shyly handed me an envelope and begged me not to read it until I was back in Manila. As her parents and younger sisters watched we said our chaste farewell and off I went on that 5 hour drive back to the capital.
Naturally, as soon as we were on the hiway I opened the envelope and to my suprise it was a poignant and heartfelt letter about how much she had enjoyed our short time together. She told me that she didn't always agree with her Church's teachings but like them or not, they forbade relationships between members and non-members. She realised that I would never consider conversion but she wanted me to know that she liked me a lot and really wished things were different. The letter's message wasn't a suprise of course.
Back in Makati, the section of Metro Manila where I sublet my studio, I began preparing for my suprise trip to Mindanao for Lovely's. 23rd birthday. Getting online-since Lovely believed that I was still back in the US- I sat down to chat with the birthday girl. Right away she started that same tired shit about how I never loved her, was just toying with her and would never truly be hers.
Now, in describing the breakup in that entry I deleted I mentioned how the situation was still too painful to talk about. The jist of all that is that back in February, while I was still primarily living in my home in Rizza's family compound, Lovely and I had been having a conversation on the phone in which she had asked me if I had ever cyber-dated. I told her that no, I had never tried that and then naturally asked her whether she herself had done so. Laughingly she told me how her eldest sister- the one married to the much older American and living in Maryland- had pushed her to do so and had even made two profiles for her but it was all months before I had met her at that gathering at her home.
I asked her if those dating profiles still existed and she replied that she had no idea but gave me the names of the two sites in case I wanted to check on it. After we hung up I went online and couldn't find her profile. I then searched using her particulars and much to my suprise found two profiles on that one site. As she had told me one profile was indeed unused for months. However, the second profile had been active 2 days prior and in several photos she was wearing outfits I had bought her!!! My head was spinning and I quickly phoned her.
To be continued...