The First Love Of Alipang Havens

The warmth was quicker to come to Chilena than to Alipang. Dan was anxious to restore his strained relationship with Chilena, and Chilena was happy to have him restore it; but the only way Alipang could even see Kim during Thanksgiving week was to go to her house in the evenings. A large number of pet owners were asking to board their animals with the Tisdales in anticipation of being away on Thanksgiving trips, and Mrs. Tisdale was directing her daughters in hectic fix-up work on their stable and kennels. At least Alipang could volunteer to perform some of the dirtier jobs for them.

Melody and Harmony profited some in terms of their brother's attention that week. So did persons farther away, as Alipang caught up on correspondence. Especially with Brendan Hyland. Alipang had already gotten off a short e-mail of condolence for the deaths of Privates Wilcox and Fletcher; but now he managed some real communication with his friend in the Marines.

Brendan unloaded various unhappy feelings to Alipang, whom Brendan referred to as "the only person I know who can grasp what war means without ever having been in an official war." Yet there was a tangible holding back, a limit on what he could say. For there were expectations placed on active-duty servicemembers, that they would not openly criticize their chain of command... especially its highest levels, regardless of the competence level of the highest levels. At the end of one e-mail, Brendan wrote, "Remember what I said we needed to have back home."

Alipang remembered: before going to Parris Island, Brendan had said that good, knowledgeable civilians were needed. Civilians who were free to speak up on matters affecting the troops.

And now Alipang was old enough to vote. He would have to wait almost a year before he had an election to vote IN; but he resolved to get registered to vote before calendar year 2009 was over, and to make time for letters and phone calls to his elected officials. He had certainly seen that the other side was not shy in the sociopolitical arena.

In a conversation on Wednesday morning, Wilson Kramer gave him useful advice about pro-Christian, pro-American activism. This didn't give Alipang the same satisfaction as being kissed by Kim; yet his involvement was, in its own way, an act of love.

Thanksgiving Day proved fairly conventional. In addition to being thankful that Brendan was alive so far, Alipang was particularly grateful that all of his grandparents were still living, AND able to come to Smoky Lake and dote on Terrance.
 
The week after Thanksgiving was mostly filled with more daily routines; but it did allow Alipang to catch up on romance, as the surplus pets at the Tisdale home were retrieved by their owners. Alipang and Kim went on dates Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, on which large amounts of hand-holding served to express mutual emotional closeness without giving any rational person cause to complain of dangerous sensuality. Thursday evening for Alipang was devoted to getting ahead on his homework, so that his mind would be at ease in that quarter on Friday night.

That night came: the moment of truth for Dan Salisbury, as he went with Chilena, Alipang, Kim and Holly to the Performing Arts Center at Doverwood Community College to attend Judd Grovemore's original play, A Solstice Carol.

"What's that?" asked Chilena, pointing to a thing like a Maypole, but less pleasing to the eye, which stood outside the building entrance.

"It's a Festivus pole," Dan answered.

"The product of an empty-headed sitcom," Kim added.

"The ultimate in generic," Holly added further. "You don't _even_ have to have pagan beliefs for this."

In the lobby, speakers were playing the song "Imagine There's No Heaven." These five persons were the only Christians in the building that night. They were the only ones NOT laughing and cheering when the opening scene introduced the loathsome Pastor Scraggart. This clerical caricature was depicted giving a sermon which consisted entirely of spewing hatred against all poor people, all nonwhite people, all non-conforming people, and most women. The scene ended with the congregation singing a crude white-supremacist song to the tune of "Deutschland Uber Alles."

Holly and her allies endured this far; they had already known what was to be the attitude of this play. But none of them had seen a script or attended a rehearsal, so none of them was prepared for what Mr. Grovemore had come up with to take the place of Marley's Ghost.

Visiting Pastor Scraggart in the dead of night was....an actor costumed as Jesus Christ, with a huge cardboard cross over his shoulder in case anyone didn't instantly get the idea. As "the ghost of" Jesus, this young actor stated that his body had never been raised from the dead, and that he was terribly sorry for having spread a religion whose only purpose was "to hate everyone who is different." This was as original as Grovemore's writing would get all the way through; but Chilena didn't wait to see any more.

As soon as he realized that his sister was walking out, Alipang quickly asked Kim to go wait with her; "Dan still NEEDS to see the whole show." Kim did as he requested, and was glad to be spared the remainder of this "daring, brilliant" play.

Alipang, Dan and Holly clenched their teeth and watched the visit of the Ghost of Solstice Past, who showed Scraggart how perfect life had been for ancient peoples like the Aztecs before Christianity ruined everything. Then they watched the Ghost of Solstice Present showing Scraggart how Christians, specifically Christians, were directly responsible for all acts of terrorism in modern times. Then they watched the Ghost of Solstice Yet To Come showing Scraggart how the Christian fascists running the evil oil corporations planned to enslave the world while ruining the environment because they just felt like it.

Holly reached her limit, and joined the other ladies in the lobby--praying for Mr. Grovemore's redemption. But Alipang kept his seat, with a powerful hand resting on Dan's shoulder to make sure he also stayed to the finish. Dan, however, didn't need to be detained by force; he was rooted where he sat in horrified fascination.

When Pastor Scraggart saw the light, renounced Christianity and pledged his faith to Earth-Mother Gaia, there came a joyous finale, with the cast singing some gibberish to the music of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. "WINNNN-ter Solstice!" was heard in place of "Hallelujah;" and a few other fragments could be distinguished, such as "For there's no God; humanity reigneth." Alipang and Dan did not feel obligated to sit through the curtain calls.

When they rejoined the young women in the lobby, Dan looked as if he had aged a decade. The first words he said were to Chilena: "Thank you for being patient with me. I will never, never, never again act in any play which ridicules my Savior."

An instant later, Dan Salisbury found himself the recipient of a group hug.

Only awhile afterwards did Alipang remark to his friend, "Actually, some good still might come from your having been in Dark of the Moon. But just ONE show like that is enough to provide whatever good is possible from that direction."

Nodding, Dan replied, "I'm reminded of a saying, 'He who knows only his own side, does not even know his own side really well.' There's truth in that; but I totally know enough of the dark side now to last me for a lifetime!"


~ ~ END OF PART 28 ~ ~ ​
 
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PART TWENTY-NINE:
CITIZEN ALIPANG​


At 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, exactly one month after his eighteenth birthday, Alipang walked into the Pansit Paradise....and not as a customer, which was how he had come in on some recent Sundays with the church-lunch crowd. He walked in as a hastily-dubbed assistant manager. Master Pitik had known and approved of the reason for his top student to leave the Escrima class early.

When Alipang had come home from the atrocious play the night before, the message from Rafael Imada had been awaiting him. Alipang had already been expecting to get Christmas-season table-serving work at the Filipino restaurant; but Mr. Imada was offering him the higher post for two reasons. One, Maria Ramos was down with the swine flu, though she didn't seem to be in mortal danger. Two, Mr. Imada had some catering jobs coming up which had something private and confidential about them; only he and his wife Carmen would be going to the party locations, but he would be able to explain more later.

Borrowing the second parental car, Alipang drove through the winter rain to the dear old strip mall--still dear, despite the bloodshed which had defiled it almost a year ago. He was hardly out of the car before the restaurant door opened, and out flew an energetic aproned figure, who ran twice in a splashy circle around the drenched parking lot before hugging him. It was his young friend Emelinda Pascasio. "Merry Christmas, boss!" she exclaimed in Tagalog.

Alipang returned the hug, and returned the Christmas wish in English, adding, "Let's get inside. This rain's a lot colder than in the old country."

Having already known since daybreak that Alipang was accepting the management assignment, the Imadas had proceeded with their first mysterious catering job, which was taking them out of town. Thus, the only persons in the restaurant besides Alipang and Emelinda were the cooks, who also happily welcomed Alipang, and presented him with Mr. Imada's written listing of supplies on hand for the weekend. The Imadas would not be back until sometime after 7 p.m.; till then, Alipang was in charge. Two more servers were expected to arrive in twenty minutes.

"You picked a good time to come back," Emelinda told the new manager, persisting in using Tagalog. "Business has finally been getting lively again."

Alipang now reverted to their ancestral tongue as well. "So, there haven't been any recent threats by union goons?"

"None. The police have made it clear to those bums that they're not wanted in Smoky Lake."

"Too bad Rafferty's is outside the city limits." The independent truckstop had forfeited almost all of its local customers earlier this year, when it had caved in to W.A.L.N.U.T. and accepted forced union membership for all employees; but union bosses had kept the place alive by pressuring union members passing through the area to give business to Rafferty's.

Emelinda play-punched her friend's ribs. "Let's talk about something more cheerful, boss. Have you got a university scholarship yet?"

"Not yet, but there's no hurry. My _first_ year of college will be at Doverwood, because Kim will still be there, and because I can get most of my general-purpose courses there."

"So when are you and Kim getting married?"

"When God shows us the right time. At least I can feel fairly sure by now that my marrying Kim is a when, not an if. But come on, let's get busy with setup."

Emelinda held up a hand. "One thing first. Before Kim does marry you, and as my wish for your happiness--" She caught hold of Alipang's shoulders, pulled him toward her, and kissed him on the lips. "I think I had a right to do that _once,_ while you're still a bachelor. And now I can say that I kissed my boss at the first job I ever had."

"Umm, Emelinda, maybe it would be better if you didn't say that to anyone. I mean for your reputation as a worker. I don't think that Kim would be jealous. Well, not very."
 
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Jason and Kaitlyn Katon had both skipped church the previous Sunday, feeling uneasy about facing Alipang after being in the Christian-bashing highschool play. But Alipang's continuing to help Jason with studies the same as ever had put Jason and his sister at ease. On December 6, therefore, they were at Redemption Free Church once more--to hear Tom Stetzer preach about how the lesser-known prophet Micaiah had refused to "go along to get along."

After church, Alipang worked at the Pansit Paradise again--opened it for business, in fact, and managed it again, because Uncle Rafael and Aunt Carmen were off on another of their mysterious jobs. Jennifer Williams, Brendan's girlfriend, came with her family to eat, being some of the day's earliest customers. She and Alipang spoke some about their respective correspondence with the young Marine they both cared about--but not at great length, because Alipang had his hands full being in charge here.

Near the end of the peak lunch period, he was pleased to see the Kramers come in. Beholding the indications of mutual love passing in all directions among Wilson, Lorraine and Quinn warmed his heart.

Taking their lunch orders himself (though he would then pass them to Emelinda, and she would get the tip), Alipang asked the Kramers in a general way how they were doing. The question was general, but the answer he got was quite specific.

Wilson and Lorraine looked at each other and kissed; then Lorraine said, "You tell him, dear." But with a smile even wider than his wife's, the SEALS veteran replied, "No, you tell him; after all, you're doing the work."

So Lorraine turned to Alipang, looking even more beautiful than she had on that Prom night, and made her announcement: "Mr. Havens, we're here to tell you that your mother is not the only one who can have a baby after the age of thirty-five."

Alipang's notepad fell to the floor, and his jaw fell almost as far. When his jaw recovered, it was to cry out, "Praise God! Praise God! That's epic! It's radical! It's awesome!" Between the loudness of his glad outburst, and the fact that everyone present in the restaurant knew the Kramers, the Pansit Paradise was soon exploding with congratulations and joyful shouts.
 
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With semester finals impending, Alipang and Chilena needed the next four weekday evenings for their studies, and thus were together for long periods once again. They did not hold any more formal downstairs meetings, but neither of them saw any harm in occasional snuggling as they did homework together, nor did they cease their goodnight kisses on the landing.

Meanwhile, Maria Ramos recovered from the flu. On Friday afternoon, with the Pansit Paradise briefly closed until time for the supper crowd, Maria was present with Alipang and Kim for a business meeting called by the Imadas. Alipang and Kim, once the little conference was finished, would be having their own supper right here, then going to the movies.

Carmen opened things with a bang: "Maria, would you feel up to becoming the full-time general manager of this restaurant?"

Maria did a double-take before answering: "I, I hope it doesn't mean anything bad is happening to you and Uncle Rafael! But I believe I can handle it."

Kim reached over to hug Maria, who had always been easy to get along with when the two of them had worked together here. She had not finished this before Mr. Imada pressed ahead.

"The business Carmen and I were on last weekend went well enough, and has given us enough good feedback since, that I feel I can tell you three now what it was all about. We were catering banquets in Richmond--banquets held by the families of some prominent business people in the state capital. We heard nothing but good words for the cooking, in which we had been assisted by relatives who live in the city."

"I'm delighted for you, sir," Alipang said sincerely, "and you certainly deserve the attention; but how did you get the opportunity?"

"Word of mouth--still useful in the cyber-age, indeed online communication COUNTS AS word of mouth. You know that my brother, your Escrima master, goes to Richmond sometimes on business, both his tax-accounting business and martial-arts business. He has cultivated contacts over the years, and THIS year it led to a big break for us. Pitik, since he does our taxes, was easily able to show potential investors how good we are at keeping costs down; then all it took was our proving, at those banquets, that we still deliver a quality product."

Alipang was intrigued. "Investors, you say?"

"That's right. Restaurants, like other businesses, are affected by the current hard times; yet people DO still need to eat. The potential investors in Richmond figure that, with some restaurants going out of business, a new franchise may be able to--"

"Franchise?" Kim interjected, also intrigued.

"Yes! A Pansit Paradise franchise, filling part of the vacuum in the family-restaurant market where other establishments go broke. It's really what I was trying to do with the buffet at Rafferty's, and it would have worked there if not for the union thugs."

"Just how sure of this are you?" asked Kim.

"Not ironclad; but it looks hopeful. If the venture capital is forthcoming, we will open at least one new Pansit Paradise in Richmond next spring. Carmen and I will manage it, living with our relatives there, until we decide whether it makes sense for us to move to Richmond permanently."

Alipang sighed. "I'll miss you if you leave Smoky Lake, sir."

Rafael patted the young man's shoulder. "You're forgetting that YOU'LL be leaving Smoky Lake someday. Who knows, you might be able to get your dental school scholarship IN Richmond, or in the Beltway area which isn't so far off. In the short run, with Maria needing an assistant manager here, the original Pansit Paradise will be able to provide you as much paid employment as you can fit in with your first year as a local college student."

Alipang turned to face Kim. "You know something, Kim? None of the violent incidents I've been in have given me the same....GROWNUP feeling that this is giving me. Because those fights were unavoidable, but here I have a choice. A grown man's choice."

Now he extended a hand to grip Rafael's. "Sir, assuming that this opportunity turns out as you hope it will, and subject to my other obligations, I'm your man for holding down this fort."
 
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Alipang's new status as an assistant manager, acquired scarcely a month after he reached legal adulthood, had impressed the whole Havens family, especially Mrs. Havens, as divinely providential. Harmony had taken to saying that she would start working as a waitress under her brother's management as soon as she was a big girl of eight, and at recent mealtimes had played at taking orders from her parents and siblings.

On the morning after the discussion of expanding into a franchise, Alipang woke up looking forward to a good Escrima session; he would not need to leave class early this time. Before he had so much as risen to a sitting position, Chilena came in unannounced and shut his door behind her.

"I'm sorry I won't be at Escrima today," she said in muted tones. "You know I started to teach Dan skateboarding; this morning we're driving to the indoor skateboarding arena in Shilohsville."

Alipang sat up at this. "What, in the bad-news town?"

"It isn't bad _everyplace_ over in Shilohsville," Chilena replied. "When you and Maria did that catering job at their Unitarian Church, the worst thing that happened was Yvonne Delany trying to turn you on. Holly Brighton hasn't gotten hurt living in Shilohsville. Dan and I will be fine. And since he's driving, you can use my car today."

For a moment, Alipang thought that Chilena would make some joke about a makeup session of combat training, and would dive headlong onto his bed and wrestle with him. But she didn't. This morning was the first time Alipang could remember on which he had consciously thought of the morning as anticlimactic.

But when he drove early to Master Pitik's house, the morning became livelier than he had counted on.

An unfamiliar junkheap of a car was parked ON the grass of the Pitik Imada residence. Standing on its roof, with his back toward the freshly arriving Alipang, was a tall African-American, wearing what looked like an imitation of Bruce Lee's motorcycle suit in The Game of Death. He was shouting some of the foulest obscenities Alipang had ever heard at the unresponding house. Intermittently with the filth, he uttered one thing which made sense: "I told you, this is a challenge! I want a match!"

When Alipang exclaimed "What do you think you're doing?", the trespasser turned to face him.

It was someone Alipang had not seen in more than a year, and he seemed to have grown taller in that time. It was the delinquent Larry Edward Mannering, alias Leopard Man.
 
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Ooh! Ooh! I smell an interactive opportunity! My readers will now have a chance to say which of three directions they think my plot should take from here. I intend for Alipang to offer Leopard Man a fair, judged match; but which of the following should ensue?

--Having expected to fight Pitik, trusting in his youth to give him victory, Leopard Man chickens out. Thus no violence happens at all.

--Leopard Man agrees to fight Alipang, and accepts his defeat gracefully. (Hey, you didn't think I would let Alipang actually lose in a fair fight, did you?)

--Leopard Man somehow cheats, and/or brings in his buddies, making the incident much more serious. Master Pitik is drawn into the action.
 
IMO...somehow it seems like something bad/more serious is going to happen, so #3 seems the most fitting.
 
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I vote option two. Have him, for once in his life, actually fight fairly. Or better yet, after he fights Al make him apologize to Summer for that time several years ago. :p
 
The look Leopard Man gave to Alipang seemed one part fear to five parts blazing hate. "Your chicken-____ teacher won't fight me. Did he call you to be a man for him?"

Seeing no sign of weapons on the tall thug's person, Alipang left his balisong where it rested in his pocket. But he threw off his coat, despite the cold air. "I was coming anyway. What are you doing out of the correctional center?"

"I'm too old for it now, you ___________!" Leopard Man hopped down to the ground, not without grace, as if he had been enjoying the benefit of some training even while in the juvenile correctional system. "Besides, I got more self-esteem now, lotsa self-esteem. I also got Muay Thai;" and he fell into a Thai boxer's ready stance, his forearms held up with the heels of the hands toward Alipang.

"I heard you shout about a match," said Alipang, not bothering with a formal stance, yet very much alert. "Do you think Master Pitik has to fight every punk who harasses him? But if you want a match, I'll oblige you. Let's do it in his basement. I promise you, he'll judge it fairly."

"Will he? Okay, Flip, I'll give it a try. You knock on his door and ask him can we use his gym."

Alipang nodded, walking ahead of his enemy toward Master Pitik's door. But he took no more than three paces ahead of Leopard Man before making an unannounced sideways leap. Instinct had prompted the evasive move; and Leopard Man's long leg striking the space his head had been occupying, vindicated the instinct.

Alipang really had not wanted to fight in this winter air. Last Christmas Eve, when fighting for his life, things had been too frantic for him to notice the outdoor temperature; but now, his body was already well impressed with the raw chill of the morning. Still, at least the wetness of the grass would not be any more likely to spoil his footing than to spoil his antagonist's footing. If anything, Leopard Man would be more likely to slip and fall, using the high-kicking style of Thailand.

Leopard Man came at him, fists and feet. Alipang only dodged and blocked at first, trying to get a feel for how much the taller fighter had been able to learn over the past fourteen months. And who would have taught him? That had to wait; unnecessary thought had to wait. A rambling mind, right now, would mean a lost fight.
 
It soon developed that the gangster wanna-be, though right-dominant in punching, did most of his kicking roundhouse, with his left leg. So Alipang began circling to his opponent's left, making it harder for Leopard Man to deliver kicks as he wished. When Leopard Man finally resorted to right-leg roundhouse attacks, he proved less well balanced with his left leg holding his weight than the reverse. Alipang saw his chance, grabbed the kicking right leg and twisted--and the taller fighter fell on his face like a toppling tree.

Rather than deliver a finishing attack, Alipang withdrew, trying to minimize the conflict. "Not bad," he told his foe in a calm tone; "but you need more practice. Did they actually have a Muay Thai teacher come to the reform school?" He didn't think very highly of the idea of training young thugs to be _more_ effective predators.

Seeing himself not instantly threatened, Leopard Man rose to his feet and replied, "Not IN the juvenile center; I learned _after_ I got out. Been out for a couple'a months, left town...." A sudden grin crossed the young bully's face. "And I got to take lessons from a veteran who's been in Thailand. Wanna meet him?"

In the middle of Leopard Man's words, Alipang's ears had picked up a faint sound like a car door opening behind him. Due to the wet winter conditions, the windows on Leopard Man's car were dirty--and his standing on the roof had been so attention-getting, that Alipang had not looked closely to see if anyone else were sitting inside the vehicle. Once more, now, Alipang made a furious dodging leap without waiting to look, and once more it saved him.

But the respite was only barely enough. The new attacker, a white man who did look as if he might be a military veteran, was much better than his pupil at following a target's evasions. Alipang's visual observation of the new enemy's appearance was occurring _while_ he was forced to defend against a merciless volley of kicks and punches.

This man was a genuinely ambidextrous fighter: kicking equally well with both legs, punching equally well with both fists--and also making good use of knees and elbows to counter Alipang's efforts to get in close. He seemed aware of Escrima moves, guarding well against Alipang's efforts to trip him or kick his shins.

Now Leopard Man closed in to double-team with his teacher.

And as if to add insult to injury, one more figure emerged from the car: Tyrone Paulson, Alipang's ex-friend.
 
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Alipang's knife still waited in his trouser pocket; but even if using it had not seemed like an admission of defeat in the unarmed contest, he could not now spare the time it would take to bring the weapon out and open it. He was purposely retreating, making it harder for his foes to encircle him, as he looked for the chance to take out one of them.

This retreat led him onto the adjoining property--where, as dogs often do, a medium-sized mongrel which lived there chose exactly the wrong person to snap at. Feeling his pants torn, with teeth lightly grazing the skin on the back of his right leg, Alipang reacted by kicking up and back with his other heel. The dog was knocked loose and hurled off balance; but this was little consolation for what followed.

The white stranger landed a right instep kick, with a force which might have killed, had it struck the temple where the kicker was aiming. But Alipang had seen the foot coming a quarter of a second before it struck, and had begun to duck under it. The impact still knocked him to the ground, but he was alive and conscious.

The dog barked loudly at him, but did not attempt a fresh attack because it was unsure about the other humans. Tyrone, on the other hand, tried to score points with his older companions by stomping Alipang's ribs. This was deliberate, in recollection of Alipang having suffered rib damage last year.

Easily catching Tyrone's foot, Alipang threw him toward the apparent Muay Thai teacher, to hamper that one from closing in. The man was fast, no denying it; Alipang still almost didn't make it to his feet in time.

Now it was another fighting retreat, back onto the Imada property, fending off attacks by the stranger and Leopard Man, still trying to spot a good opening for an effective counterattack. But Alipang's counterattack was provided for him, as the door of Master Pitik's house finally opened....

...and out rushed not only Pitik Imada himself, but also Summer Heron and her boyfriend Evan.
 
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