This chapter of the novel "In the Country" by Mia Alvar portrays the lives of Filipino women living in Bahrain during the 1980s. The chapter highlights their weekend gatherings, where they host parties and engage in various activities.
The women come together in Luz Salonga's kitchen to prepare food and enjoy each other's company. They discuss topics like children and marriage, finding comfort in the noise and aroma of the kitchen. Meanwhile, their teenagers often get bored and borrow the car keys to go to the shopping mall. They return with rented Betamax tapes and watch sanitized movies and music shows.
The women refer to their younger children as "babies" or "Catholic accidents" since they were born later in their lives. These children grow up in Bahrain, learning from Irish nuns, playing with local children, and adapting to different accents and cultures. They even imitate the call to prayer from the mosques.
The husbands retreat to a separate room, where they can smoke and indulge in their secret gambling activities. They place bets on horse races, breaking the rules of their Arab superiors. This becomes their way of releasing the pressures of their workweek
In the evenings, the women come together with their families to eat and sing using a stereo system called the Minus One. They sing popular songs and sometimes modify the lyrics to suit their experiences in Bahrain. The women try to understand the Arab culture and lifestyle, although their perceptions differ. Some admire the Arabs' religious devotion, while others see them as materialistic or incompetent.
The Filipino women in Bahrain consider themselves fortunate compared to other Filipinos who work as domestic helpers or laborers in the country. They welcome these workers into their gatherings, treating them with respect and kindness. They try to set them up with potential partners and even assist them in maintaining connections with their families back in the Philippines. The women see these workers as a reflection of their own parents who migrated in search of better opportunities it portrays the lives of Filipino women in Bahrain, their interactions, their efforts to integrate into the local culture, and their compassion towards other Filipinos working in the country.
The narrator and her group of Filipino friends encounter Baby, the newest addition to their community in Bahrain. Unlike their initial expectations of a modest and unassuming woman, Baby stands out with her tall stature, high heels, and striking appearance. She exudes an air of confidence and uniqueness, with her cinnamon and rose-scented perfume and vibrant hair color. The women are intrigued by Baby's presence and attempt to engage with her, but they find that she prefers to speak in English and has seemingly forgotten how to speak Tagalog.
The women wonder why Baby refuses their food and speculate that she may be ashamed of her Filipino roots. They try to connect with her by complimenting her physical features and offering her assistance or camaraderie. However, Baby remains distant and elusive, not revealing much about herself or participating in their activities. Her flatmates, the other janitresses at the Gulf Bank, describe her as vain and eccentric, indulging in beauty regimens and using kitchen supplies for her cosmetic treatments. Baby's father is revealed to be an American seaman who left her and her mother behind in the Philippines after the Korean War.
Despite their attempts to include Baby, the women find it difficult to establish a deeper connection with her. She maintains her privacy and does not engage in the same activities or religious practices as the Filipino community in Bahrain. While the women regularly attend Mass at the island's only Catholic church, Baby remains absent, sleeping in until noon on Fridays and using that time to get her hair done. The women continue to speculate about Baby's background and struggle to understand her aloofness.
The story highlights the cultural and social dynamics within the Filipino community in Bahrain. It explores themes of identity, assimilation, and the longing for familiarity in a foreign land. The women's attempts to connect with Baby reflect their own desires for a sense of belonging and the preservation of their Filipino heritage. Meanwhile, Baby's enigmatic personality and actions raise questions about her own journey and motivations.
A group of women in a community have a routine where their husbands drive the domestic helpers home after a weekly gathering. However, one of the helpers, Baby, starts making accusations of inappropriate behavior against the husbands who give her a ride. She claims that they stare at her and make advances. The women find Baby's behavior strange and unsettling, as she seems to take pleasure in making these accusations. They decide to test her claims by assigning different husbands to drive her home, and each time, Baby accuses them of misconduct. The women become frustrated and torn between supporting their husbands' gentlemanly behavior and questioning the validity of Baby's allegations. The delves into the women's relationships with their husbands. They reflect on their husbands' qualities as providers and companions, appreciating their stability and the improved standard of living they offer. The women discuss the sexual dynamics in their marriages, noting that while passion may have diminished, their husbands are still considerate lovers who work hard to provide for their families. However, Baby's accusations put their husbands in a difficult position, as they risk facing false allegations and the suspicion of their wives.
The story explores themes of trust, loyalty, and the challenges that arise when individuals manipulate situations for personal gain. It raises questions about the dynamics between employers and domestic helpers, as well as the impact of false accusations on relationships and the trust between spouses.
In November, the women noticed Baby's erratic behavior but decided to tolerate her presence, referring to her as the village fool. Baby continued to attend their gatherings, often arriving late and exhibiting extravagant behavior. The women made plans to return to the Philippines for Christmas and New Year's, leaving their husbands behind while the helpers stayed to take care of them. They offered to deliver gifts and money for Baby, but she declined, sparking speculation about her lack of concern for her family back home.
During their trip, the women encountered language barriers and felt disconnected from their homeland. Upon their return in January, some of them brought their mothers, but the mothers eventually wanted to go back home due to feeling uncomfortable in Bahrain. The Thursday parties resumed, and life went back to normal. However, the helpers informed the women that Baby had found her own place and was now driving herself to work instead of taking the bus.
No one knew the source of Baby's newfound wealth, as she continued to live extravagantly, buying expensive items and indulging in luxuries. She avoided the women's gatherings and remained elusive when confronted about her sudden financial success. The women speculated that she might be engaging in other activities to supplement her income. Eventually, they reached the conclusion that Baby had returned to the seedy industry she was familiar with back in the Philippines.
The women felt disgraced by Baby's choices and considered her a disgrace to their community. They had hoped that Bahrain would offer a different and better life for them, but their husbands reminded them of the realities and vices present in the country. Despite the discrimination they faced, the women had tried to distance themselves from negative stereotypes. Baby's actions made them question their own position in Bahrain and how far removed they truly were from menial work.
As time passed, Baby stopped going to work, and her time card disappeared. A Bangladeshi girl replaced her, and Baby became increasingly elusive. The women, particularly Flor Bautista, felt a sense of responsibility for Baby's downfall, as they had relied on and benefited from the labor of their own country cousins in the past. Baby's descent raised questions about their own social status and the stability of their positions in Bahrain.
The excerpt continues with the aftermath of Baby's revelation at Dolly's wedding. The women in the community are shocked and confused by Baby's claims. Some dismiss her statements as delusional, while others begin to speculate and question the fidelity of their own husbands. Doubts and suspicions creep into their minds as they analyze their marriages and past actions. Some confront their husbands, demanding answers and reassurance, while others quarrel among themselves, blaming each other for their current predicament. The community is thrown into disarray as trust erodes and accusations fly.
In the final part of the story, the women of the group move on with their lives after Baby's departure from the island. They reunite in the fall but become a bit more cautious and wary of the katulong (household helpers) who come to their homes. However, none of the helpers betray them like Baby did.
The years pass, and the women's children grow up, graduate from high school, and pursue their own lives and careers. The women themselves scatter across the globe, settling in different countries and forming new families. Some marriages end in divorce, and some women choose to live alone.
As they move on with their lives, the women reflect on their experiences with Baby and the changes they have undergone. They now have a better understanding of what it feels like to be an outcast or to deviate from societal expectations. They wonder about Baby's whereabouts and how she might have changed over the years. Vilma Bustamante even contemplates the possibility of Baby returning after her husband's death.
The women imagine different scenarios for Baby's life, but they acknowledge that these images are more reflections of their own obsessions rather than an accurate portrayal of Baby's reality. Despite the slim chance of a reunion, they occasionally picture the opportunity to see her again and, in doing so, perhaps recognize themselves in her.
The story ends with a sense of contemplation and a glimpse into the enduring impact of the past on the women's lives.