Chapter 14: Lily - suitable for any occasion

Knowing what you want and getting it are two very different things. Lily has known this all her life. She doesn't get discouraged by it. She accepts each thing she wants to get as a challenge and then sets out to surmount the hurdles. The first time I saw it was in our rental in Mindanao when I had convinced Jake to kiss Rose and Lily.

It was Lily who at age 12 grabbed Jake's dick when he showed some wood. That is a remarkable thing for a 12 year old to do under any circumstances. And even though what we were doing at that moment wasn't exactly an innocent encounter, no one else had grabbed genitals. No, Lily knew what she wanted and ahead of all others, she went for it.

Now after two years, I know I can no longer hold her back from Jake. If I don't formally arrange it, she will make it happen some other way. I also don't want her to resent me and that is a line that we have inched right up to already. It is time to talk with Jake.

I find Jake in his office, his eyes fixed on the screens in front of him. He has not even noticed that I am in the room. He is clearly working on something and I wait until he looks like he is taking a momentary break, to announce my presence, by making a little noise. He turns and I get a smile at his immediate awareness of my presence. It makes me smile back. I know how lucky I am to have this guy in my life.

Husband, I have a problem and shortly you might have a problem. Lily is insisting that you should take her virginity. I know she isn't fifteen yet and I know you think she is too young. The problem is that she is convinced she is not too young. To the extent that she knows what she is doing in bed, she is not.

I proceeded to explain what she had just done to me. All the while, Jake was shaking his head and asking where she got the handcuffs. I had no answers for him of any substance.

If I refuse – I gather I am going to have a real problem.

Yes I think we both will.

We need to talk with Gel. I think you are right, but nothing is going to happen without Gel involved.

Gel is out shopping with Nic2 and I text her to find out when she will be back. The answer is that she is on her way now. Two minutes later her car pulls into the driveway – Nic2 is driving. When Gel sees me, her face shows the question of, what's up? I say one word: Lily.

Gel is a smart woman. Not much gets past her. She looks at me, and then a smile comes over her face. Well, anak you slept with her last night. What happened?

Jake laughs. I am sure he can't help it. All of what I tell Gel, Jake has already heard. But he is patient and I retell her the whole story. Gel does not ask where the handcuffs came from. She doesn't interrupt me once. I need to talk with Lena. Then we will see.

She kisses Jake on the cheek and says: pogi asawa talaga! (truly a handsome husband) giggles, smacks me on the ass playfully and grabs her cell phone.

The call to Lena happens in front of Jake and me, but it is in Visayan and like I have said before, I have lost most of my Visayan. We can tell they are talking about Lily. Gel is laughing as they talk. Visayan is spoken very fast and I can't make out much at all. Finally I stop trying and look at Jake who is smiling and shaking his head.

Cin do you have any idea of how much happens in my home that I have no clue about? Hell it happens right in front of me and I might as well be on another planet for all it's worth.

Well at least you are not the only one. I have no idea what they are saying. You know, Gel does that way too much.

You're not much better! When you want to ask Gel a question it is often in Tagalog.

He is right of course. We all do it to him. We are very lucky he is tolerant. I have learned from my Filipina friends that many men would not put up with it at all. It is the cause of many fights in the homes of others. I think Jake's bottom line is, if he can trust us and there are no dishonest actions, we are completely free to do as we like (with the limitation that there are always limits on children because they are children and for no other reason). Jake once told me that no man can require a woman to be good, honest and faithful, but by being arbitrary and controlling he can make it hard for her to be good, honest and faithful. So the problem for the guy – in his way of seeing things – is to find a good woman, love her like crazy, never lie to her and never get in her way. He figures that if she is really good, then there is no reason to worry, she will act in the man's best interest.

He may not be right, but it seems to have worked for him. That seems to me to tie into the courtesy he always pays to us. He certainly has opinions, but he listens to us without stating his opinions. And if we can really resolve an issue without hearing his opinions, that seems to work for him. It is only when our 'solutions' do not fully resolve a matter that he is likely to insert his views.

Because he does things that way, Gel thinks he is smarter than we are. He thinks that we are very smart and smarter than he is, but that there are moments because of life experience he has a different understanding. I think Gel is right. He is smarter than we are, but so long as no one gets hurt he stays out of the decisions.

Nic2 has walked into the room while the cell phone conversation is in progress, asks me a couple of things and then listens to the progress of the conversation. Nic2's native tongue is Visayan.

So, he and I stand there awaiting the decision from Gel and Lena which evidently Nic2 already knows. When it comes, I guess I am the most surprised. Lena seems to have expected this. Gel is not happy about a new 14 year old in her husband's bed, but thinks the whole situation is absurd. That is why she was laughing. She knows why she loves Jake, but why Lily should, is a true mystery to her. In any case, it is settled. Jake will bed Lily tonight.

Jake takes it all with a shrug. There is nothing for him to do until later.

As Lena is not here, I expect the question of who is to prepare Lily for the evening will fall on my shoulders, but in that I am wrong. Gel says it will be Nic2 and her who will deal with Lily. Nic2 whispers in my ear that the message is that all the wives had to agree, that Lily couldn't force it by forcing me. She is asking to join the wives ... all of us and she needs to see that we all agreed to allow this. I had never considered that, but they are clearly right. Once again this decision is made without Jake's input.

Exactly what happened between Lily and my fellow wives, I do not know. I see Lily that late afternoon as she is presented to Jake. She is wearing a pencil thin yellow dress and heals. I detect clear hose and garter clasps under the dress. There is a string of pearls around her neck and dangling pearl earrings. There is a lose fitting pearl bracelet on her left arm. She is holding a yellow silk clutch purse with pearls. Her shoes are strappy four inch heel sandals the straps are the color of her milky looking pearls. Jake has nice slacks, a nice dress shirt, but no tie and a light weight silk and wool sports coat. He is wearing his Lucchese boots with the chiseled toe. Lily is so beautiful and Jake is pogi. I am sure there will be whispers at the restaurant. She looks just a bit too young and far too pretty! It is only 4pm. Why are they leaving so early?

At the door, Lily has an overnight bag and Jake's overnight things are there as well. Nic2 loads the bags in the car as the two say their good byes to the rest of us. And then they are gone.

As they drive off, we are both happy for her and unsure of where we will be in the future. Will Lily and Rose be happy being wives to Jake, or is our life on less stable ground because there are so many of us now? Where are they headed tonight? What has just happened?

[I learn this later]. Three hours after they drive off, they are in a city far from home. Jake has a reservation for the night at a nice hotel and a reservation for dinner at 7:45pm. The time during the drive is partially taken up by significant discussions.

As they are leaving town, Lily turns to Jake and asks him point blank: Do you want me as a wife, or do you just want to fuck me because I was a pain in the ass with Cin last night?