A continuation...
Mariz, alone in the guesthouse with me as everyone in the compound was asleep, presented a very, very delicate situation for me. Obviously I could make a move and possibly end up taking her virginity, or, I could be the good hearted soul I like to imagine myself to be and usher Mariz back to her house after a few wise words of counsel...Fuck it, I tore that ass up. Hey, I never said I am a saint.
Of course it wasn't the wisest of decisions given the cult's propencity for violence and the high price tag attached to virginity in the Philippines, but I hadn't had sex since late-June and Mariz's night clothes revealed that she was far from the stick figure I had imagined her to be. We spent 3 hours together before she finally left to sneak back into her house. Of course she professed her deep and undying love to me which shocked me back to reality, I now had a real responsibility towards this girl.
The whole "relationship" up to that point had not been anything especially deep and meaningful. I was looking for a rebound liason to clear my head of Lovely and her incessant flip-flopping mindgames, and treally had never intended to move beyond spending time with Mariz, chaste and unencumbered. Now, too quickly, everything had changed. My biggest concern was that damn cult. Taking her virginity basically tied me to the girl and being tied to Mariz meant that I would have to join her cult- something I wasn't prepared to do. With these thoughts in my head I joined Mariz and her family for breakfast just as the sun was coming up.
At the table Mariz's father, the pastor, asked me how long I would be staying on Luzon, I told him- without looking at Mariz- that I would be heading back to Makati the following morning and then flying back to New York that same evening. I could feel Mariz's eyes boring into me and then- she kicked me under the table. I almost choked on my Congee as I continued to tell the pastor that I would like to have a word with him after the meal. Everyone's ears perked up as they wondered what I wanted to discuss, least among them Mariz who was now chomping at the bit to have it out with me.
After breakfast I quickly told Mariz to hold whatever it is she wanted to say until after I finished hashing it out with her father. Joining the pastor on his short walk to the church I basically told him that I had serious intentions towards Mariz and would like to discuss the conversion process with him. I knew he would promptly tell his family and thought that this would buy me some breathing room with Mariz. The pastor told me that he would refer me to an INC (Iglesia ni Cristo) congregation, or "locale" in New York. I begged off and asked that he himself help me undergo the process explaining that such a radical change would be best undertaken with a pastor who knew me personally and understood the difficult choice I was making. The pastor quickly agreed and I quietly let out a sigh of relief, dodging the proverbial bullet- at least for the moment.
To be continued...
Mariz, alone in the guesthouse with me as everyone in the compound was asleep, presented a very, very delicate situation for me. Obviously I could make a move and possibly end up taking her virginity, or, I could be the good hearted soul I like to imagine myself to be and usher Mariz back to her house after a few wise words of counsel...Fuck it, I tore that ass up. Hey, I never said I am a saint.
Of course it wasn't the wisest of decisions given the cult's propencity for violence and the high price tag attached to virginity in the Philippines, but I hadn't had sex since late-June and Mariz's night clothes revealed that she was far from the stick figure I had imagined her to be. We spent 3 hours together before she finally left to sneak back into her house. Of course she professed her deep and undying love to me which shocked me back to reality, I now had a real responsibility towards this girl.
The whole "relationship" up to that point had not been anything especially deep and meaningful. I was looking for a rebound liason to clear my head of Lovely and her incessant flip-flopping mindgames, and treally had never intended to move beyond spending time with Mariz, chaste and unencumbered. Now, too quickly, everything had changed. My biggest concern was that damn cult. Taking her virginity basically tied me to the girl and being tied to Mariz meant that I would have to join her cult- something I wasn't prepared to do. With these thoughts in my head I joined Mariz and her family for breakfast just as the sun was coming up.
At the table Mariz's father, the pastor, asked me how long I would be staying on Luzon, I told him- without looking at Mariz- that I would be heading back to Makati the following morning and then flying back to New York that same evening. I could feel Mariz's eyes boring into me and then- she kicked me under the table. I almost choked on my Congee as I continued to tell the pastor that I would like to have a word with him after the meal. Everyone's ears perked up as they wondered what I wanted to discuss, least among them Mariz who was now chomping at the bit to have it out with me.
After breakfast I quickly told Mariz to hold whatever it is she wanted to say until after I finished hashing it out with her father. Joining the pastor on his short walk to the church I basically told him that I had serious intentions towards Mariz and would like to discuss the conversion process with him. I knew he would promptly tell his family and thought that this would buy me some breathing room with Mariz. The pastor told me that he would refer me to an INC (Iglesia ni Cristo) congregation, or "locale" in New York. I begged off and asked that he himself help me undergo the process explaining that such a radical change would be best undertaken with a pastor who knew me personally and understood the difficult choice I was making. The pastor quickly agreed and I quietly let out a sigh of relief, dodging the proverbial bullet- at least for the moment.
To be continued...