A Miserable Husband
15 July 1916
I'm here. Chuck arrived and in his advantage - lodged in our house. I better left and spent my timeless solitude, honing my pains. Though, I could not imagine how happy my wife is - as they both shared reveries right now. I loved her this much.
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"What?" George yelled to himself.
Magee was teary eyed.
" Who's that guy she was with! You go on George. There's no stopping here, its still spotless." Magee urged him.
"This is so upsetting. I hate their story. How come a husband at that allowed his wife to be with another man, how insolent?" He was reddish and a bit angry.
"Please...Lolo is a very patient man. He's just giving sufficient time without realizing he had been overstepped. Yet Ina had personal reasons too, I'm sure." Such a deep seated emotion for Magee.
"Okay. Here's another page."
21 July 1916
I was gone for a week, thinking everything's fine and when in my quick return, I saw her running, heading towards me, hugged me while crying too hard. She told me he'd left back to Wisconsin....
"Mag?"
" George...its just maybe a coincidence, just continue.
Then he looked at her, deeply sighed and shook his head, then he continued. Why I'm thinking oddly on this, huh!
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...and I was the gallant shock absorber again that I never knew. Till she slept on my lap.
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05 August 1916
I made a bahay-kubo next to our house, it was her request. She stayed there during daytime and had her manual knitting and sewing activities. It was too small but she comfortably spent in a day's stay and she loved the meals and merienda I prepared for her whenever she's busy. Sometimes, she wants me to sit next to her. I'm just as subtly happy as that and when she unknowingly slept in her bahay kubo, I fetched and brought her back to our house - in her shipshape room.
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18 September 1916
I was enormously upset but still happy for her. I had her checked in the barrio for vomitting and found out she's pregnant. Its absolutely not mine. We never slept together, ever since. In short, after knowing, I carried her in my arms when she held my hands and shouted for joy. She even shouted with happiness that she wants a baby girl for us. I nodded and smiled with her and was teary eyed but she softly told me not to cry and wiped my tears. Yes, I was completely crazy over my 15 year old wife.
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"Oh dear, Sr. Sibal's life was too glum and morose, how come he kept on smiling and laughing in his house and making fun with you and the two mestizo boys, even before the day they were murdered. Poor man."
" Hmm...if Ina Lolita is Lolo Sibal's wife, who were the father of my foster brothers, Chad and Rod?" Magee glanced at him while thinking loud too.
"Lunch is served! here's your boiled sayote leaves with lemon sauce and salt my little goddess and to my lieutenant - nothing, you just eat the whole grated cassava mixed with sugar. But we also have mushroom with horseraddish soup. Enjoy your lunch! Masarap yan! ( That's delicious!) Then Albrecht got out and left the bamboo tray.
George bowed down his head and laughed.
" Your brother Albrecht is indeed humorous, he always tickle me even in the warzone.
" Yes, likewise. He's really funny. Anyway, let's have our lunch together, hmm, they're well cooked by our chef." Magee commented and they both laughed.
While they enjoyed the food George looked at her and spoke.
" Mag, would it be possible that I was her child?" He smiled.
" Its not possible. How can it be when the baby's here and you lived in Wisconsin?" She smirked while putting some sayote leaves on his plate.
" Hmm...yeah, you're right." He nodded and took some bite of the crunchy boiled leaves she gave him.
After lunch he aided her to the bathroom and while waiting they chatted with Baldur who, at the moment was still enjoying his lunch.
" Baldur, you lived with Sr. Sibal here for quite some time. Did he stay here straight starting 1918 down to that time when all of you got out?" George asked.
" Hmm, yes. Ah no! there were also times during post pandemic when he and Dad handed our sister Magee to Lolita, his adopted. It was after our mother died for giving birth. Subsequently, we're all male and Magee had a frail body and poor health, so Dad decided to find a woman who can take care of her. Dad and Lolita were already friends, I've heard that."
"Baldur, Ina Lolita and Sr. Sibal were husband and wife, the journal says."
"What?" Baldur said in amazement and was thinking blankly.
" I see." George sighed and Magee tapped his shoulder.
"Let's go in." Magee whispered to George as she smiled to Baldur.
" Baldur, if you have vacant time this afternoon, can you visit us inside. Hmm, we have so much to ask and you might help us."
" Yeah, after my siesta." Baldur replied.
When they reached the bedroom, he tied her hair with his handkerchief while she's sitting on her bed and fanned her with an anahaw leaf.
" Refreshed now?" Then he smiled at her.
" Hmm...thank you, so sweet of you." She smiled.
" Ouch! okay, haha! let's continue reading.
" This time I'll read it but after I get tired you'll be the next storyteller." So they agreed.
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29 October 1916
A three month pregnant. I bought and cooked the food she wanted to eat and wants me to continue talking to the baby when she's already sleeping. It made me so touched - an angel, and my wife's baby. So its going to be my child too, a blessing.
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"Hey! you're upset or what... c'mon." Magee carefully rubbed his head while leaning his face on bed.
" Nothing. It bothers me knowing there was such a man like Sr. Sibal. At first he's a bit weird and he even upsets me but he's kinda saviour at this point of his journal."
"You're right. Here's another entry on 25 December 1916
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25 December 1916
The baby is now kicking, I could now hear George, at last!"
Magee forcibly stopped and he took from her the journal then reread it.
"Isn't this still coincidence, Mag..." He was teary eyed.