Butterfly People by Robin Lim

Author:Robin Lim [Lim, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789712728945
Publisher: Anvil Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2017-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

20

The Blessing

A letter came from the Philippines for Baby. It was from her mother. It said only one thing: Baby, when I have saved the money for postage, I’m going to send you back your candle. It was signed: Nanang.

“What does it mean?” asked Jeff, Baby’s husband.

“She’s referring to the fact that I’m my nephew Philip’s godmother, and in her opinion, I’m not living up to her standards. She wants me to come home.”

“Baby, let’s not get into this discussion again. I already told you how I feel about it. I don’t want you and the kids over there in the P.I. while I’m in ‘Nam. Christ, I could get killed over there. Then you and the kids would be stuck.” Jeffrey Baker had put off his orders for Vietnam many times. He wanted to serve his country in this war, but he wished to wait until his daughters were old enough to help their mother cope. Five children, alone in a country still strange to her, would be a load for his wife Baby. Now he knew there was no postponing it. He would have to go and serve his year there.

“Stuck! You call being home with my people, stuck! Better I should stay here and attend luncheons with the military wives’ club? I hate it, Jeff. You don’t own me. While you’re off fighting a war for your country, I should have the right to visit my country. I’m tired of my children being regular ‘Americanos.’ It’s time I took them home.”

“Shit, Baby, isn’t it enough that I fork out money from each paycheck to help out your family in the P.I.? I’ve had it up to here. None of the men I work with have to put up with the big Filipino family running their lives from across the damned Pacific Ocean.”

“Fine, Jeff, if you want a divorce so you can have an all- American wife with a rich family, I’m ready to give it to you today. If you can find a white woman who will put up with you, then I hope you’re happy.”

“I’m sorry, Baby,” Jeff was shaken, “but Christ, give me one good reason why I should allow my wife and children to go to the Philippines. You’re a naturalized American now. And you’re my wife, God damn it.” Jeff was leaning into Baby, his face red with rage, “You’ll obey me… or else!”

Calmly, Baby said, “My bottle garden.”

Baby had saved soda pop bottles until she had hundreds. One warm spring day, she dug a slender trench around her flowerbeds, circling the house. Then she planted the bottles in two rows, upside down. The border of the bottles looked eerily like outer-space stones. When her gladiolas came up, it was glorious. The children would stand out in the full sun and watch the light glint off of the bottle bottoms. Jeff knew well how the neighbors had ridiculed Baby for her eccentric gardening. One nosy neighbor reported it, saying it was not military housing ‘regulation’ landscaping.

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