Chapter 3

Abbey soon settled into her new home. She loved the fact that she could walk to work in just a few minutes, which meant that she had less stress and more money because she no longer had to pay rent or her daily fare on a jeepney. Although she worked in a restaurant, Abbey had to buy her own food because staff were not provided with meals while on duty. Again Joe helped Abbey to save money because he made sure that there was always food in the refrigerator for Abbey to cook for him and for her.

However, Joe continued to eat his breakfasts in the restaurant, and he was often joined by a few other older retired western men. Abbey always made a point of making sure that she was their server. She got to know the members of the group quite well. They were from different western countries, but they were all united in having decided to retire to the Philippines, and also in teasing Joe and Abbey about the fact that they were “living together.”

The expression made Abbey blush because although she had had boyfriends in the past, and she was not a virgin, the idea of having a relationship with Joe excited her because it was vaguely taboo. Joe was about twice Abbey’s age, but he was still healthy and fit. He exercised every day, and apart from his legs being a little painful sometimes, he did not seem to have any health problems. That is if it were possible to ignore his farting, which Abbey did not like, but which she had to put up with.

At times, Abbey let her mind fantasize about being dominated by Joe. She did not really feel attracted to him, but she liked the idea of an older man from the West controlling her. Secretly, Abbey was a submissive, but she did not realize that. All she knew was that she would like a man who could control her and be quite firm. A man who was strict and who knew what was best for her.

Nevertheless, Abbey was unable to understand what made her feel like being controlled. She just knew that it felt good and exciting to have such thoughts.

However, she did not have these thoughts too often because she had bigger problems on her mind. Her older niece was ill and had been hospitalized with dengue fever. Abbey’s sister in law was dependent on Abbey for support in her everyday needs, so Abbey knew that it would be impossible for her to pay for the hospital treatment that her niece needed. Although she had more money to spend because of living in Joe’s apartment, Abbey had to find some other way to make money besides what she earned from her job as a waitress.

Then something happened that allowed Abbey to find the money that she needed. As one of her duties, she had to wash Joe’s clothes, and when she was preparing to put his shorts into the washing machine, she carefully checked his pockets in case he had left something in them. On that day, he had indeed left something, and that’s when she discovered a roll of dollars. Abbey could not help but check to see how much there was. She was amazed to discover that there was almost $500 in small bills neatly rolled up.

Abbey had been raised as a Catholic, and she still believed that stealing was wrong, but she also had an obligation to her dead brother’s child. She was tempted to take all the money and run away, but she instantly realized that Joe knew where she worked, so that was not an option.

However, Abbey started to rationalize taking some money from the roll. She started by thinking that Joe had a lot of money because his retirement pension was from his former multinational company. Then she thought that he would not notice if she took some of it because there was so much money in the roll. Finally, she hatched a plan. She would take $300 and leave $200 in the pocket of the shorts and then put the shorts with the money into the washing machine. This would destroy the money, and Joe would not know how much she had taken because there would only be pieces of notes left. Abbey was sure that this would succeed, and she would be able to help her niece.

The plan would probably have succeeded if she had not taken so long to consider all her options. Unfortunately, just as she put the shorts into the washing machine after having taken $300, and while she was still holding the money in her hand, Joe came into the kitchen where the washing machine was located.

As soon as he saw Abbey holding the money, he remembered that he had withdrawn it from his bank earlier in the day, and that he had left it in his pocket.

“Oh, Abbey, thanks for taking my money out of the pocket before you washed my shorts” he said, holding out his hand for her to give him the money.

Abbey had no choice but to hand over the money that she had hoped to steal.

Joe took it and then went back to the living room without counting it.