Story: Molly in Singapore. Part 12.

By Camille Langtry and Monica Graz

I could tell that Signora was genuinely surprised when she saw me coming in. “I can’t believe it, Molly, you look so pretty, so real; your friend Linda is so clever. But how you managed to pay for all this; was the money enough?”

“Linda oper to help pay, Ma’am,” I said nearly curtseying but stopping myself the last minute, I wasn’t in my uniform now.

“How kind of her, she is such a good friend. I love your short skirt and blouse outfit, it’s so girly, so Filipina girly. I bet you would be the envy of your village if they could see you now. John Carlo is going to love this.”

I felt uneasy again when she mentioned John Carlo, I wasn’t sure how the whole situation would develop but I had to thank my employer for being also so generous, “Thank you, Ma’am, give me money por buy new clothes, pirst time have new clothes, no uniporm, since work for Signora Matei in Milano, Ma’am.” I said not forgetting my bad English with the heavy sing-song accent.

“That’s ok, Molly, you deserve a little reward after all that effort during my dinner party,” Signora said magnanimously and added, snapping her well-manicured fingers, as if just remembering something: “I have another surprise for you, I asked Mr. Singh to give to John Carlo our SUV to drive you in style this time; how do you feel about that, girl?”

Another uneasy feeling clouded my good mood, John Carlo and the SUV, it is a bit much isn’t it, I thought to myself but I answered with a voice full of gratitude, “Thank you, Ma’am, but big car not need, we take bus, Ma’am.”

She didn’t like my reply because she said slightly annoyed, “Stop being ungrateful, girl, as I said, John Carlo will drive you in style tonight.”

This time I said blushing all over, “Thank you Ma’am, I very excited”.

The Signora made a few steps, critically inspecting my “party look” once again, her high-heeled sandals making the clicking sound on the hard floor. As always, she was dressed to the nines - a fitted dress, tasteful makeup, perfectly coiffed hair, expensive perfume. I often wondered how she could wear the heels most of the time, even at home. My legs hurt for hours after wearing the pumps she gave me for the party, yet the Signora was wearing even higher heels almost non-stop. She was like those upper class female characters one would see in soap operas, women of style and leisure. Then of course, there was always someone behind the scene, making sure such women could lead their lives without a worry in the world - working class girls just like me.

In her usual fashion Signora suddenly decided that she had enough of me and turned to go, “You can wait in the kitchen or in your room until your date arrives, Molly, have fun,” were her last words before she walked towards her study. She never let me forget my place, that woman.

I was finally left alone for a little while. Both Linda and the Signora really boosted my confidence, but looking at my reflection in the mirror I was getting second thoughts. Was my skirt way too short? Was my blouse too revealing? Was my new hairdo too much? And I’ve never worn so much make up! The girl at the salon really outdid herself with the sexy, bold look that really complimented my dark skin and Asian eyes.  With no make up I still looked a little like my old self, but the girl staring back at me from the mirror would never be mistaken for a Westerner. I was 100 percent Asian, there was no question about that.

Still, I was worried. What if John Carlo doesn’t like how I look? I was now outside my comfort zone, with no cap and apron to protect my anonymity, pushed into the world and forced to embrace my Molly persona not only as a maid, but also as a woman, whose aspirations and desires were unlike those of the girl I once was. Whatever was happening tonight was a novelty for my Molly persona, but also a totally unheard situation for my old self Julia.

Within the hour I found myself sitting in the front seat of an immense SUV driven by a very well-dressed and scented John Carlo. His after shave was cheap but at least he was able to get rid of a permanent food smell on his clothes. I was wearing a cheap perfume myself which the girls in the beauty shop added as a last touch at the end of my makeover.

I gave a side look to John Carlo Ignacio Puente, as it was his full name. I managed to get a glimpse at his passport the other day so I knew that he was about 4 years older than me and he was born in Cebu.

“We’re going to the All Asian Mall, Molly, have you been there before?” he asked me casually in Tagalog as he was driving very skillfully through the busy streets of Singapore.

“No, John Carlo, I haven’t been there before, though I heard some of the girls in the Church talking about it. I know it has a big cinema complex.” I answered back in my halted Tagalog.

“Yes and they play only Asian films, mostly Bollywood, I picked one for us to see,” he said, his eyes inspecting my legs that were barely concealed by the pleated mini skirt.   

“You did?” I said in a surprised tone and tried with little success to move the hem of my skirt closer to my knees. “What it is about and what language do they speak?”

“It is called Nil Battey Sannata and they speak Hindi, but the subtitles are in English. I hope you will be able to read a bit and of course I’ll explain to you if you miss something, I am trained to read subtitles in English, I have been doing that for many years.”

I secretly smiled, it was sweet of him to try to help me reading English subtitles and I pretended to be grateful, “It is kind of you John Carlo, but I’ll try my best to read as much as I can; my friend Linda keeps telling me that I should make a bigger effort to learn but I am too busy with all my chores and duties, no free time for that.”

“Yes, you certainly work very hard, much harder than I’ve seen most girls here that often do the bare minimum. I’ve been observing you for a long time, you are a hard-working girl. You are probably the best cleaner I’ve seen here!”

“Thank you,” I answered, not sure where he was driving at. It was obvious in a minute why he was complimenting my working skills.

“I have a restaurant in Santa Maria, Bulacan, very nicely located next to several big hotels, many clients, mostly foreigners. It’s run by my sister in my absence. I am sure we could use help of someone like you  there!”

I remained silent.

“You haven’t been to Bulacan, have you? It’s beautiful. Much nicer than Manila. You’d love it there!”

He was driving very masterfully and he certainly seemed to know his way around so I asked him in Tagalog, “You seem very familiar with the streets of Singapore, you drive like a taxi driver.”

He laughed saying at the same time, “Clever girl to pick that. The truth is that I was a taxi driver for two years before I became a cook. So I know Singapore quite well.”

At this point we arrived at the mall and John Carlo parked easily in the underground garage and soon we were sitting in the cinema’s back row’s comfortable seats enjoying a big container of popcorn. I couldn’t remember when I’ve been last on movie date - must have been back in high school!

Almost as soon as the film started John Carlo started to touch me - taking advantage of the fact that there was no one sitting behind us. He first began caressing my hand, then my thigh and finally unbuttoned my blouse and started playing with my boobs. I was really embarrassed, but also strangely excited. I also didn’t want to make a scene in public so I barely moved.. I felt like a 15 year old girl on her first date. He wasn’t particularly aggressive and that made me slightly more willing to let him have his way. It was very peculiar what was happening to me - a combination of humiliation and excitement not unlike the one I felt in the presence of  Signora as her maid.

But also the film itself started to interest me. It was about a housemaid and single mother with a daughter who wasn’t doing that well in school, hence the meaning of the film’s title, Good for Nothing in Hindi. Was John Carlo trying to tell me something with his pick of a film?

The movie itself was pretty good - definitely of much higher quality that the TV soapies that I regularly watched - and I found myself laughing a few times with the audience. About mid-film John Carlo grabbed my hand and put it between his legs, expecting that I’d return his advances by massaging his bulging member. I didn’t like it one bit and tried to quietly move the hand away, but he held it there and I had to squeeze his penis through the pants a few times before he let me go. That was already way more than I was willing to take, but again, not wanting to make a scene, I just sat there, waiting for the film to finish.

The movie was soon over and lights were on again, forcing John Carlo to keep his advances to himself. I straightened my skirt and buttoned my blouse again as he just stood there, inspecting me up and down and smirking.

“You are very beautiful,’’ he finally said.

“Thank you,’’ I answered and we headed for the exits.

Our next stop was a restaurant just outside the mall that John Carlo told me was really good. We were seated in a small booth reserved for us and my companion reached for the wine list. I couldn’t remember when I last tried alcohol and, truth be told, I never really liked it. However John Carlo, by the look of things, was quite a connoisseur.

“What would you like to drink?” he asked me, as he continued browsing through the menu.

“Just water, thank you.”

He looked at me as if I’ve just said something incredibly stupid.

“Seriously? Water? What’s the fun in that? I am ordering you a beer.”

I wanted to protest, but on second thought realised that I could probably drink some if only to relax just a bit. More importantly, I didn’t feel like confronting John Carlo, who was clearly enjoying this whole dating game.

We ordered food and the waitress soon brought us two beers.  John Carlo was in a very good mood and was talking non stop, only allowing me to make brief comments. He’s saved some money working in Singapore and is planning to return home soon. He had big plans for his restaurant. He also talked at length about his family, but I quickly got lost in his many sisters, brothers and cousins - some of them stayed in the Philippines, while others were migrant workers across Asia - in Saudi Arabia, in Hong Kong and in Dubai.

His parents, I’ve been told, were rice farmers and he intended to help them as well. He also said a couple of times - rather unceremoniously - that he didn’t mind that I was an orphan and didn’t have a family, he really liked me nonetheless because I was a hard-working and honest girl who knew her place unlike those spoiled city girls that he used to know.

It was getting late - I had my early shift to look forward to. We stood up and headed for our car. John Carlo took me by the hand and I, after some hesitation, let him lead the way - I was fine, but alcohol worked its magic on me - the first glass was followed by a second on John Carlo’s insistence - and I was stumbling just a bit on my wedges.

The drive home seemed somewhat longer than I remembered and I didn’t recognize the route John Carlo was taking. Was this a shortcut? Again, I didn’t want to ask questions and just sat there next to him - thankfully he kept both his hands on the wheel.

We were now driving across the part of Singapore I haven’t been to - there was a large park with a lake to our right. John Carlo stopped the car at the end of a narrow road and looked at me.

“I made a small loop to show you something. The best view in town.”

He opened the door for me. The street was deserted. It was dark, but tree shapes were visible in the night sky with skyscrapers seen in the distance.

“Thank you, John Carlo, I think we need t…”

He didn’t let me finish. He put his arm around my waist and began kissing me hungrily. I wanted to say something in protest, but that only allowed John Carlo to insert his tongue into my mouth and squeeze me tighter. He pushed me against the car and continued kissing me, not allowing me to speak or to move.

He probably wasn’t that much stronger than me and, if I really tried, I could probably kick him really hard, but before the thought occurred to me I felt a forgotten sensation of sexual arousal. My body was betraying me! Alcohol has really lowered my defenses and I could feel my nipples harden even as my mind was screaming in protest. Soon I was kissing him back, my submissive genes working in overdrive.

John Carlo - apparently no longer afraid that I would scream or run away - moved his lips from my mouth to my neck. His confidently lifted my skirt, slowly put his hand inside my panties and inserted the tip of his finger inside me. A jolt of pleasure run through my body and I spread my legs wider to give him better access.

Not wanting to lose the momentum, John Carlo lowered me on the leather back seat of the SUV and unbuttoned his belt.

What followed in the next half hour remains very blurry in my head. All I remember is that we had sex and at one point I surrendered myself completely to John Carlos' machinations feeling an unusual pleasure mixed with strong reservations that I am doing something completely wrong.

As we were driving back John Carlo was in high spirits, but I was feeling increasingly guilty and worried as I was using a tissue to clean sperm from the leather seat and my inner thigh and the doctor’s warning from the medical checkup kept playing in my head: “Do you know what protection is? If you get pregnant you’d be out of Singapore in no time at all!”