I Saw You Fell - "Angels Of Bataan"

CHAPTER 1

We in it shall be remembered; We few, we happy few, we band of SISTERS.

I spotted him loitering in the shadows of the convent across Governor Forbes Street. The boy was perhaps twelve and as clever and streetwise as every Filipino urchin. He had a burro with him. It was small animal, perhaps four feet at the shoulders. He called it "Ranúnculo," which translates to Buttercup in English. That must've been the kid's idea of a joke because the creature looked as just larcenous as its owner.

He dawdled in the shadows as we Anglos gathered at the wrought iron fence. I gave him a slight nod and he strolled over to join the gaggle of Filipinos on the other side. The Japs had hung up bamboo mats to prevent interaction between our two groups. That worked for maybe a day. Then convenient holes began to appear.

The heat was getting oppressive, meaning it was a typical June day in Manila. The humidity hovered around one hundred percent, and my ratty shirt was soaked. A little time passed. Then, the kid turned to me and said calmly, "Senor?" The coast was clear.

I looked around. Nobody on my side of the fence was watching. So, I poked a genuine American dollar through a hole. It was wrapped around a rolled-up piece of paper. I said, "Make sure this gets to Mr. Adevoso personally."

He gave me a slight nod, which was far too adult, and strolled back to where Buttercup was grazing on grass growing between the cracks in the pavement. The boy mounted the little beast bareback, legs dangling, and clip-clopped off down the street toward the Pasig Bridge.

I was sure that my message would get to Adevoso. The Japanese occupiers might be vigilant. But the Filipino resistance was everywhere. My only worry was that someday the Japs would figure out who'd been writing those notes.

Grandpa arrived in the Philippines as a private with the First Nebraska Infantry. That was in 1898. He served under Otis and then MacArthur Senior while we "persuaded" the Spanish to vacate the premises and the native Tagalogs to let us stay. I had Tagalog friends who saw that as more of a conquest.

Gramps decided he preferred Manila's heat and humidity to Ogalala's blizzards. So, when he mustered out, he used his Army connections to set up an import/export business. The business grew as the Philippines became the lynchpin of America's Far East strategy. By the time my dad took over in '29, Grayson & Son was the leading importer of materials for the U.S. military.

I got an M.D. from the University of the Philippines in 1938. Hence, I was technically a medical doctor. But I never intended to practice medicine. What did I care? My family was filthy rich. The only reason I'd spent all those years in school was to keep my dad off my back.

He'd wanted me to join the firm right out of prepping at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran school. But if I had, I would have had to show up at work every day and that would have gotten in the way of my fun. So Instead, I dedicated myself to becoming a professional student.

Yes - I'll admit it ... I might have been smart, but I was shallow. On the other hand, the rest of my peers were just as bad. Fact is - we were universally useless, an over-entitled, spoiled-rotten bunch of rich kids with more money than brains or morals. Still, we were having one hell of a fun time.

They called Manila the "Pearl of the Orient." It had been Spanish for over 350 years. So, it was more like Havana than the other Western-owned places in Asia like Hong Kong, Singapore, or Shanghai. The young crowd lived for its Western-style social events at the exclusive clubs, or betting on the Jai Lai and the big bashes they held at the Manila Hotel.