“Hey, come back here!” Jacked yelled out. “You’re gonna get tangled in the nets, get back!” He was alarmed. But the boy didn’t have any problems, swam right over the buoys and markers and after 10 minutes of swimming. He was the bahay isda.

Jack watched as Augusta was jerked out of her reverie by the arrival of the little boy, he didn’t come up, he stayed in the water and pointed back at Jack. Her head jerked back as she looked up at the figure on the beach. It wasn’t that far from the beach, just far enough to be distracting.

They waved at each other and Jack watched the two of them seemingly have a conversation. He saw Augusta’s head bob up and down several times, she seem to be trying to pass on a message. It didn’t take long before the little boy swimming back. At one point the poor kid stopped, rolled on his back and started to back stroke. Jack felt sympathetic pains, the kid was starting to tire out.

When the boy was close enough, Jack took off his shoes and waded into the surf to help the boy out of the water. The boy flopped down on the beach gulping huge breathes. He kept trying to say something, holding up a hand to Jack, before falling back in to panting. Jack pulled out a 10 piso note this time. The boy’s eyes got huge like saucers.

She had told him a lot to remember and he remembered it all, but his English wasn’t all that good since he didn’t go to school as often as he was supposed to.

“Balik ka sa pension house. Indi ka di ma hulat.” He said. “Kita nya lang kamo to.”

Jack understood “pension house”, that was the extent of his Samburan.

“Go, go.” The boy said, pointing in the general direction of the city. Jack looked up to see Augusta making large arm movements, shooing him away.

“I’m supposed to go back to the pension house?” He asked the boy.

“Yeah yeah!” The boy answered between slowly dissipating heaves. “Go.”

Then as Jack stood alternating between staring at him and looking back to Augusta, the boy, with a loud deep sigh, picked himself up off the beach and took Jack’s hand and walked him back to the main road. They walked back towards the pension house .

When they ended up back at the pension house, the little boy turned to Jack with his hand out asking for the ten piso note Jack had been holding. Jack gave him the money and tousled the boy’s head.

“What’s you’re name?” Jack finally asked him.

“Vong.” His eyes lighting up at the sight of the money. “You want I help you? Bossman?

“Oh, I think I’m ok here, Vong.” Jack replied. He turned and was about to enter the house.

“She coming.” Vong said after him.

“What?” Jack whirled back.

“She coming.” Vong said and then his eyes furrowed in thought. “Wait!” He found the work he was looking for.

Jack looked at this skinny little boy, saw the eagerness in his eyes and heard his stomach rumble. He smiled. “ Are you hungry?” Jack slapped his own forehead. “Of course you’re hungry, I’m hungry!”

He took the boy over to Renata’s and let him order whatever he wanted. He was feeling generous and suddenly became fond of this little stranger who knew where he could find his heart. Vong’s friends all watched as he ate what looked like half his body weight.

Augusta watched Jack and the little boy walk back through the trees and disappear. How did he ever find her? She was glad that Ton-Ton had to go check on another area when Jack showed up. She knew she shouldn’t be seeing Jack. But yesterday Chita was with her so that was ok. But Chita wasn’t here today, would she really go visit him alone?

She still didn’t understand why she told him that he had already made her cry. There was something about him that made her want to move, run, jump, scream; something, anything. She continued to paint, she decided that if she could get away from Ton-Ton then she’d go to the pension house. If Ton-Ton took her home, then she wouldn’t go. She rationalized that if something was meant to happen, it will happen.

When Ton-Ton returned, he had some netting in the boat. He told her that he needed to take the netting to get it fixed so he would take her back to Renata’s and from there, she would just have to get back to the house on her own. So it was as Augusta wished; the decision was taken from her hands. She would go see Jack.

When Ton-Ton left her at Renata’s Augusta told him she would stop to shop for a new brush in the market. Then she watched as his tricycle roared away towards the other side of town before she made her way to the pension house.