don't think we'll have any problems getting into Dagupan, but I wanted a couple of other options. Would you be able to come in here and give the folks going with you a little heads-up on the customs and language and all that?'
'I'd be glad to – I'd have offered if you hadn't brought it up. Of course, your people are going to need passports and all that; shots aren't needed, but probably wouldn't hurt. I'll have some additional stuff for them to look over, too, so a week before we leave would be good. We can cover the basics in about half a day, tops.'
'You've got it. I'll set the tickets up – I know the lawyers wouldn't be happy flying business, so I'll just send the bunch of you first class.
Anything else?'
'The sooner I know how many, the better, is all.'
'I'll email you the list first thing Tuesday. Will that work?'
'That'll be great, Bill. Thanks.'
'No, it's me thanking you, Dan. I'll talk to you later.'
With the end of the conversation, I went in to where Kelly was fine-tuning the analysis she'd done of the sites for the final version of the report.
Sitting on the edge of her desk, I told her 'I'll be going back in just over two weeks. I'll be taking along a couple of Bill's lawyers to get them started, and riding herd on some of his people to see if they'll be able to fit in there like we need.'
Kelly looked up at me, and said 'And you're hoping I don't want to go.'
Seeing the look on my face, she went on to tell me 'Its okay, Dan. I know you'll be busy – a lot busier than when we went there. And I know that if I went with you, you'd feel bad about not spending as much time with me as you wanted; I know you wouldn't do anything but the best job you could for Bill. So I'll stay here and hold down the fort with Sarah. I don't know enough to handle the design work you do, but I can sure ask the right questions so that you know what's needed when you get back. Besides, it'll only be a couple of weeks, tops, right? We were gone quite a while, and I need to get caught up with Jan and Sandra and all the others, anyway. So go ahead, and don't worry about it, okay?'
Once again, she'd reminded me of why I loved her so much. Smart enough to figure out the problem, but understanding and caring enough to accept the only proper solution. She looked surprised when I gently pulled her up out of her chair to give her a hug and kiss before telling her 'Thanks, Kelly.'
She kissed and hugged me back, then told me 'Like I said, its okay.
Besides, this just means that we'll be able to get Marlyn and Marilyn
The next day, Saturday, Kelly and I were ready for Paul and everyone.
We'd laid in a good supply of burgers and hot dogs, buns, chips, drinks, beer, and anything else we thought we might need. Kelly had picked up the film she'd dropped off, along with all of the resulting photos. We had time to go through them and write brief descriptions of the where/what of each one. Her camera put the date and time on the film, which made the process a lot easier.
Paul, the boys, and the girls all showed up at the agreed on time, and we were soon in full cookout mode. Kelly and I took turns toggling between driving the barbeque grill and telling the rest of them about our trip, supplemented with the photos. It was well into the evening by the time we finished. Everyone thought Marlyn was more than passably attractive, and that Marilyn was as cute as she could be.
When Kelly told them about what had happened to Marlyn, all were as offended as Kelly had been; they were also as horrified as we'd been when Kelly and I told them about the conditions we'd found in the orphanage – not so much the living conditions, which were passable, but the lack of stimulation for the kids and limited food supplies. It was Robyn that simply said 'But of course, you fixed that.' Kelly admitted that we had covered their immediate needs, but were planning to see if we couldn't get them some long-term help, too. Jan asked who we were going to get to help, and I told her 'Well, my first stop is going to be Bishop Ferguson.' All of them laughed before Susan said 'Yeah, he'll help – if he knows what's good for him!' – prompting another round of laughter. The first contact between the Bishop and I had been after I'd threatened to sue the local Diocese. Since then, we'd become at least friendly, if not friends.
While I was talking, I saw Paul reach into his pocket and pull out his checkbook to start writing. When he was done, he handed me a check, saying 'Here's a thousand dollars; you know how to get it to them. The food and clothes and even the toys were all things they needed. But I know there's other stuff that only money can help.' The girls quickly went for their purses, and in just a couple of minutes, I had over $1500 in my hand. Kelly started to cry, which got the others going, as I told them 'The orphanage will have this in their hands day after tomorrow, at the latest.' Paul just nodded as he put his checkbook away.
On that marginally happy note, the gathering started to break up. John and Leo accepted a hug from Kelly while the girls gave me a kiss. They went on to kiss Kelly while Paul and I chatted a moment; then Kelly gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek, embarrassing him slightly.
When they'd gone, I promptly made arrangements to wire the money to the orphanage, using the details from the business card the manager had given me. While I was at it, I bumped the collection up to an even $2,000. With the money on the way, I called their office; the time zone difference worked in my favor, for a change, so I didn't have any trouble reaching them. It being early Sunday there, the only person in the office at the time was a secretary who readily told me when the manager would be back from church. I thanked her, and giving him a little extra time to return, called back. He was right there, waiting for my call: the secretary had gotten word to him in church that I'd called, and he'd hurried back to the office as soon as services were over. When I told him that I'd wired them some money, and how much, Kelly (who was listening too) and I heard nothing but silence on the phone. It was a full minute before we heard him say something in Tagalog to the secretary, who promptly started crying in the background before he got back on the phone with me. He tried to talk to me several times, but was so excited that he kept speaking Tagalog. We finally heard him draw a deep breath before speaking to us in English, thanking us over and over again. When he finally started to run down, I interrupted to tell him that the money I'd sent was just a gift from some friends – I hadn't yet spoken to the Bishop, or made any other arrangements. We heard him say something to the secretary, who's crying promptly picked up, before he started thanking us all over again. Kelly just smiled at me, happy that we – well, Paul and the others – had been able to bring them so much relief and joy. When he gave me the chance, I hastened to assure him that it was our pleasure to be able to help – and that we would pass along his promise to include all of us in their prayers. I asked him a few questions which he happily answered before I thought I'd better close the connection.
When the call was over, Kelly hugged me before saying 'It's amazing what a little money can do. Here, that two thousand would last a family of four a month, maybe two. How long do you think it'll last over there?'
'Six months, at least. I wouldn't be surprised if they stretched it out to last a year or more, though; and you can bet they'll get every penny's worth out of it, too.'
'What are you going to tell the Bishop?'
'The truth: that if they sent even ten percent of their charity money from here, it would do twice as much good as what they kept.'
Kelly grinned, and told me 'I'll bet that gets his attention. Especially coming from you!'
I grinned back as the two of us headed in to get some sleep.
Around midmorning the next day, we got a phone call – from Candice, who told us that she was on her way to an assignment for her paper. Kelly immediately told her that if she didn't spend the night with us, she was going to be in big trouble. Candice just laughed, and said that that was exactly why she called. I just asked her what time her flight came in, and she told me – late that afternoon. She didn't even bother trying to tell me she'd take a cab. The three of us chatted for a few minutes before Candice told us that she had to go. Kelly said we'd be waiting, and the connection closed.
Kelly immediately called Jan to tell her the good news; Jan told us she'd call the others, and asked what time they should come over. Kelly told her, and Jan said they'd be here.
At the designated time, Kelly and I were waiting at the gate where Candice's flight was to arrive. We stood back and off to the side, making ourselves easier for her to find. As I'd expected, she was among the last to appear; she'd told me before that after all the flying she had to do, she found it easier to just wait for the thundering herd to fight their way out the door, then get up and make her way off the plane with little fuss or aggravation. She hugged and kissed both of us, and we led her down to the luggage claim area. She told me what her bag looked like, and I easily recognized it: it proudly sported a number of stretch bands from all the luggage tags that had been put on it.
