Chapter 2

December 19, 1944

After breakfast and another shower at the sparkling clear waterfall and small lake near town, Eda called for a town hall meeting. She started by introducing the Group Leaders and where they were from. I saw a wide variety in their native clothing and protective equipment.

"There are about 7,000 to 7,500 Islands that make up the Philippines. There are 13 indigenous languages: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Kapampangan, Coastal Bikol, Pangasinan, Maranao, Maguindanao, and Kinaray-a, and Tausug. There are too many dialects of these to count up. This Group is from the Island of Luzon north of Manila. They lived in the Cordillera Mountains until the Japanese drove them out. They traveled the farthest to join our barangay village. They also wear the most colorful handmade clothing of any of us.

This next Group is actually from south of us and is from Indonesia. They like our mountain barangay and add a lot to our menus.

This Group is from far east of us. Their home was Palawan. There is the Iwahig prison there that is a Penal Farm where they could go off tending livestock and crops. This helped them make their escape easier. Like most of those that have joined us, they made their escapes in native "banka" boats.

Others came from Islands west and south of us like Guam. There is a lot of fighting and bombings on those Islands!

Everyone! This tall gwapo (handsome) American Army soldier is James Harold Simpson but everyone calls him "Blackie". He is here to help us with our struggle to fight the Japanese and survive this war. We will be working together to find some of the gold bars that are buried nearby so we can have funds with which to live. Blackie, do you have anything to say?"

I told them my background and what I wanted to do to help out. As I was talking to them, several kept asking me to tell them about America and how and where I grew up. We found out that our childhoods and home town areas were very similar!

Eda held up her hands and said "QUIET! We could hear distant drums and a drum in our barangay answering them.

"There are 30 of our young guerrilla fighters on their way here and they are coming up one of the northern back trails so they can't be followed by the Japanese soldiers. We will prepare a feast for them and get ready to give medical treatment to those that may need it. Blackie, you come with me so we can hide you. We don't want the young fighters to mistake you for an enemy! Girls, take him into Doc's nipa hut. Stay with him so he is quiet and comfortable until our young men get here and I can tell them about our new "Kano" (American) friend and how he is here living with us to help in our fight for freedom!"

I was instantly rushed by many girls and women! But my faithful 6 beautiful girls I called "Honey Ko" surrounded me and blocked off all the other "gwapa" (beautiful) hopeful Guards. As they walked me towards Doc's nipa hut I said "But we have not been properly introduced yet!"

"There will be a time and a place for everything. We have to wait until our fathers or brothers come home so you can be introduced. That will be the time for you to choose which one of us you are interested in courting and ask their permission. By the way, do you play any instruments and sing?"

I play a mean guitar and can sing. I've been told that I have a pleasant voice."

"That means a lot to us as this is a popular way to court your favorite girl. We all love ballads!"

She turned to talk with 2 very young maybe teenage girls that were still following our "parade". I couldn't understand their dialect, so when the 2 girls ran off, I asked her what she said.

"The Kano's new clothes and flip flops should be finished. Hurry and bring them to Doc's nipa hut as that's where we will all be. Also ask for jugs of water for him to bathe."

"Say what??? I can't take a bath with you beautiful girls all watching me. Big John will embarrass me for sure!"

"So you have named your "oten"? Such a manly, virile name! We will be very careful when we help you bathe and try not to wake him up too much. He really excited us on our way here to the barangay while you were laying there on the letter! But if you allow just one of us to help you bathe, then you must choose between us. If you can't choose, we will all help but we get to have shares equal shares in your bath. We just have to undress to keep our clothes dry for the fiesta we will have soon.

Your hair is still very short but we will shave you. Doc has a razor he keeps sharp for doctoring with and we will borrow that. Also, you need your fingernails and toenails cut so they won't scratch anyone if you decide that you want a sleep mate for some nights here.

I saw how you were looking at my young twin sisters. They just turned 13 years old last month and they are still just children even if their growing bodies suggest differently. They have had bad, scary times when they watched the Japanese soldiers raping, beating, killing and mutilating their young friends and even younger children back in our barangay before we could escape.

They still have nightmare dreams and scream and cry in their sleep. We will do everything we can to protect them and to try and give them the rest of their childhood back. They will grow up too soon! They are way too young for you so don't even think about them anymore!"

"I was just admiring their beauty! I have 2 younger sisters that are also twins. Last year before I left my Arkansas home to go to the Army Boot Camp they turned 13 years old. How I miss them! I would never have private thoughts about them or your 2 twin sis..."

The other 5 Honey Kos had started up the ladder and my eyes became like magnets drawn to watch their beautiful, limber bodies ascend the ladder one by one by one by one by one. They took my breath away as the view of their bodies going up got more intense! My tongue just quit working and I am sure that my mouth was very wide open! I remembered in high school a line from a book about "poetry in motion" but I had never totally understood what the Author meant until this moment! After the last beautiful Honey Ko got to the top of the ladder and exited did I come back down towards earth and finally felt the last Honey Ko jabbing me on my bare chest.

She said "I can tell by the awakening of your "Big John" that you are enjoying our parade but now you also need to get up the ladder quickly!" I got about halfway up the ladder and looked back down. She was standing below me with her mouth and eyes wide open, probably looking like I had earlier! I thought to myself "Self! This danged sarong skirt I am wearing is showing all of my swing glory to the world! I am ready to wear long pants again!"

When I got off the ladder the Honey Kos started trying to help me get out of my skirt. One said loudly "Girls, remember our vow, our Blood Oath! We are one for all and all for one! No one can or will try to get ahead of the others! We will wait until we are all up here!"

The last Honey Ko came up and dropped the rope down the open trap door hole. They all came over and starting pulling up the baskets and closed water containers. They pulled up the ladder, closed the trap door and opened the windows for light.

Somehow my skirt came off and I was led over to an oblong water tub. I stepped into it and shook as cold water was thrown over me. Well, this is not the treatment that Big John had expected so he decided to try and sleep through what was going to happen now. This brought on the giggles and laughs from the 6 Honey Kos.

They pulled me down to sit in the tub and started washing my hair and upper body. Many soft and warm hands gently rubbed and kneaded me. I saw that they were all nude and Big John noticed this also and popped up out of the water to look around. We were once again in Hillbilly Heaven! After getting rinsed off and getting a great upper massage I was told to stand up again.

I put one foot up on the edge of the tub but was unbalanced. Instantly 2 girls got on either side of me and draped my arms over their lovely soft shoulders. They pulled my hands down onto the front of their chests and put my hands over their soft yet warm and firm breasts that were the nearest to me. My forearms were touching their other outside breasts. They said "This is for your balance so you don't fall. We know that your balance is still off from your wound."

Many, many soft, warm and gentle hands started washing, massaging and caressing my lower body. I heard many exclamations that sounded like "Wow!" and "Sus!" when Big John immediately gave his "Thank You" to these beautiful bodies. The laughs and giggles were silent now.

I was truly embarrassed now! More than I had ever been in all of my born days put together! A few more dippers of water were applied to Big John and he went quietly back to sleep. Then I was told to step out of the tub.

We heard rocks hitting the sides of the nipa hut and loud voices telling us to hurry so warm, soft towels were quickly applied. The shaving and trimming of my fingernails and toenails were quickly accomplished. I put on my new clothes and I felt like a new man without my hated sarong skirt. I had tried not to watch the Honey Kos get dressed so as not to disturb my sleeping "Big John" but that was useless.

I gallantly offered to go down the ladder first and hold it in place for them to descend, but they all saw through my ploy. One yelled down and 2 women grabbed the ladder on the sides and held it in place and said that I would go down last. Well, "Shucky Darn" again!

At the bottom of the ladder Doc motioned for me to go back up before I tried out my new flip flops. I went up and opened the floor door and he came up behind me.