Oh wait, it WAS only yesterday! Here’s how it went down:
I walked up the National Highway towards Subic town for 45 minutes, then walked back on the other side. It was as boring as it sounds, but I got my steps in at least.
Napped and showered, then headed into town for a haircut. Stopped at Queen Victoria on the way to have a chat with one of the waitresses there I’m friendly with. She had messaged me the afternoon before asking for help because her son in the province had been injured in an accident. Accidents are common especially when it comes to slip and fall injury cases . In such cases people can contact attorneys to compensation. Well, she offered to clean my house or do laundry, but I have people for that already. I told her my masseuse position was vacant, but she said she wasn’t good at massage. I asked if she wanted to go hiking with me the next day and she responded that she didn’t feel like it. Okay, then. I’m thinking, “you want my help but you don’t want to help me”, that makes it easy to say no. I didn’t tell her that though. So, after thinking about it some more on my morning walk I decided I would relent and give her the 3000 pesos ($60.) she had requested. She was very surprised when I handed her the money and got a little teary-eyed. I told her I’m more inclined to help those who are willing to at least try to return the favor and let it go at that.
My transgender barber was wearing short shorts and a halter top. I briefly thought it would be easy for a dick to fall out of those cutoffs, assuming she still has one. Then, just to be safe, I kept my eyes closed for the remainder of the haircut.
After I left the barbershop, I ran into my homeless “mama” in one of her usual spots. She was laying down again, and as I approached I asked if she was still resting her mind. She laughed and said, “no, I’m thinking about finding a boyfriend.” Why? For boom-boom? I asked. She said, “yes, and to take care of me, and take me shopping.” Hmm. I asked if she wanted her own place to live in and she told me, “oh, yes! I would like that very much, papa!”. Well, I can’t help her in the boyfriend department but I’ve asked one of my Filipina friends to help me find a small cottage-type place that I can rent for her. We’ll see.
Since I was already on the far side of town, I popped into Dive In for a beer and to say hi to Jessa. I was the only customer, so I bought Jessa a drink. We chatted a bit, then she challenged me to a game of pool. I suck at pool but played her anyway. I wound up scratching on the 8-ball so she got the victory. A bit later one of her regulars came in, so I finished my beer and headed out. Jessa was looking good though, and I almost felt some regret that things didn’t work out for us. C’est la vie!
Headed down the highway for some beers with a view at Palm Tree. One of my neighbors from Alta Vista was there and we had a nice chat. I was surprised when he told me he had rented his house out to a Canadian who’ll be moving in next month. I guess he’ll be my ex-neighbor soon. I’m still considering moving when my lease expires in June. I really like living in Alta Vista though. Wish I’d known that Tony’s place was going to be available. Oh well, I’ll keep my eyes open for future opportunities.
What else? Well, this gal from Manila I “met” on a dating site calls me “boss”. I don’t know why. She claims to be an extreme introvert, and I don’t get the sense she has any desire or intention to ever meet me in the real world. But she sent me this creation for some reason:
I wasn’t a big Rush Limbaugh fan, but I did appreciate that he gave voice to some viewpoints shared by people like me that would never be aired in the lamestream media. Rumor has it that this was his last tweet:
This was the poison I posted yesterday to annoy my lefty Facebook friends:
Alright, time for me to head out for Friday night darts! I had quite the adventure on today’s hike. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow…
“She had messaged me the afternoon before asking for help because her son in the province had been injured in an accident. […] So, after thinking about it some more on my morning walk[,] I decided I would relent and give her the 3000 pesos ($60.) she had requested.”
No idea whether her son’s really injured, I gather. Sucker! How easily we forget Rule #1. Well, I’ll at least look forward to your recounting of the day’s hiking adventure.
I thought you had asked “mama” before whether she wanted a place to stay, and she’d said no. I guess I’m mis-remembering.
Keep in mind that many homeless folks get so used to living on the street that, when they’re gifted with lodging, they fail to maintain their domicile and/or abandon it completely. Some habits are too deeply ingrained, and for the benefactor, the whole thing becomes a waste of money and time. I suspect that “mama” will need some constant supervision if this project is to go well and smoothly.
Back in my more bleeding-heart days, I did a lot of work with the homeless in the DC-Metro area. There’re tons of homeless folks in and around my hometown of Alexandria, Virginia. Most of them have some sort of mental/psychological condition, which is what often compels them to fuck up a good thing. As much as I’m a believer in free will and personal responsibility, I know that some compulsions are powerful and extremely hard to beat (viz. me and overeating). They CAN be beaten, but it takes time, effort, focus, and the care/support of other people to help one along.
Upshot: I’m not optimistic that giving “mama” a home will solve whatever you perceive her problems to be. I mean, I might be totally wrong, but experience and instinct both whisper that I’m probably right. My humble suggestion is this: don’t just set “mama” up in a home: become her guardian angel. Visit her almost every day and make sure she’s doing all right. Ask her what she needs; take a quick glance around her domicile to make sure there’s no gas leak, mold on the wall, clogged plumbing, broken glass or plastic on the floor, funny smells, or other hazards and inconveniences. I think you’ll have to really commit to this if it’s going to work.
For the opposing viewpoint—that giving the homeless homes is actually a very good thing that delivers positive results—read this interesting and optimistic article. I’m not on board with what the article says, but nothing in the article sounds irrational. So I guess it’s up to you as to how to handle this.
Yeah, I exercised some discretion with Maria. My first reaction was not to provide the help she requested. But I actually do know and like her, I believe her (instinct, not evidence), and she’s not your typical bargirl. For one thing, she is 45! Anyway, I slept on it, thought about it some more during my walk, and in the end decided the sixty bucks would buy me some peace of mind. I’ve denied three other pleas from desperate women this week, so Rule #1 is still in force!
Regarding “mama”, you make some excellent points and I also share your concerns. No, I had never specifically asked her whether she preferred living on the street, I just made that assumption. I also figured she may be too mentally unstable to maintain a residence but I didn’t really have evidence of that either. Well, other than she wound up homeless in the first place. Admittedly, I have no idea of the circumstances that led to her current situation. I know the first time I encountered her on the streets of Barretto was in 2017 when I was here as a tourist.
I get your point that helping her out by providing a roof over her hand may well backfire. Honestly, that’s why I’ve chosen to just give her 100 pesos a day for food rather than 1000 a week–I have no idea if she is capable of managing money responsibly over time. I’m not sure I’m equipped to take on the guardian angel role, but I am prepared to check on her regularly and make sure her needs are taken care of.
I’ve got a lead on a one-room/one bath place out near Baloy beach–an area where I know “mama” likes to hang out. The price is 3500 pesos a month ($70) and includes electricity and water. That way she won’t have any bills to pay. Essentially, it would just be somewhere she could go at night to sleep and bathe. I doubt she would change her lifestyle as a wandering nomad otherwise. Also, if I find out she is not actually using the place as intended I can let it go–there is no lease involved.
The thing that has impressed me about “mama” is she always seems happy and positive. If it turns out she prefers living on the street, that’s fine by me. Since she indicated having some desire for a place of her own, we’ll give it a try and see what happens.
Thanks for the feedback!
I wish you and her good luck with this.
Just curious as to why are you looking for someplace else to live? Seems like you have put a lot of time/effort/money into “your” place, making it what you want it to be.
What are you looking for that the current place does not offer?
(Not being critical, just curious)
Brian, I’m not sure how serious I am about moving, just something I’m considering at this point. My lease is up in June. I’m overpaying on rent here, maybe as much as 1/3 compared to similar properties elsewhere. And the landlord really irked me with not being amenable to my plan to put a nipa hut in the back yard. I do like Alta Vista and if I could find a newer/better place at the same price I might go for it.
Moving would be a pain in the ass though, so when it comes down to it I’ll probably take the path of least resistance and stay here.
The Boss. The girl you “met” from Manila thinks you are Bruce Springsteen. You might want to break the bad news to her. Or not. I wasn’t a big Limbaugh fan either but did listen on occasion. Any voice for the Right will be missed, especially in these coming years. Peace Out
Hmm, I think I’ll send her “I’m on fire” and see if she gets turned on.