27 Years of Marriage, Treasons, Tragedies, Sufferings and Sacrifices

By Loah Nazareno Lindo

This is the story of my unsuccessful marriage life, having an unfaithful husband, throughout the 27 years of our marriage together, betrayed me with my own younger sister and bore two children with her, irresponsible father towards his legitimate children, negligent for the essential needs of his children, and with all my sacrifices and sufferin

• Language: English
• Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
• Release date: Oct 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781643678368

Loah Nazareno Lindo

I am the 3rd child among 16 children, of the same father and mother. I was brought-up as a strict Roman Catholic by my grand- parents who had Spanish blood by origin. My beloved parents, marriage who has a veritable love together; ended-up, "till death do us part", and that was my dreams for my marriage, but unfortunately, it was unsuccessful. I took- up Business Management in Far Eastern University, in Manila, Philippines. I was born on July 7, 1955 in Butuan City, Philippines. Now married to a French citizen and with God's Blessings, we have five beautiful children together and was my only Treasure and great Happiness ever, throughout my life.

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Twenty SevenYears ofMarriage,Treasons, Tragedies, Sufferings & Sacrifices

Copyright © 2019 by Loah Nazareno Lindo. All rights reserved.

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Published in the United States of America

ISBN 978-1-64367-837-5 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64367-836-8 (Digital)

Autobiography/Biography

10.09.19

Contents

Part 1: Twenty-Seven Years of Marriage, Treason, Tragedies Suffering, and Sacrifice

PART 2: The Suffering of the Wife of a French Ex-Detainee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Part 3: The Impostor, Manipulator, and Falsifier

Epilogue

PART 1

Twenty-Seven Years of Marriage, Treason, Tragedies Suffering, and Sacrifice

My name is Lualhati Nazareno Lindo, a Filipino national, married to Mr. André Louis Yves Bocquet, a French citizen, on September 4, 1981, in my country, the Philippines. I met my husband in the Sheraton Hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where I was working. André was, at the time, employed by the Total Petrole Company. He told me that, on the second week of August 1980, he would be leaving for France, the country of his birth. His employment contract with the company was about to expire. I told him that I myself was going home to the Philippines and didn’t want to continue working with the Sheraton Hotel because I didn’t like the weather in that country.

André said, You don’t need to work here anymore. When you return to the Philippines, I’m going there to marry you, or you may come to France to meet my family and get married there.

When I arrived in my country, I sent him a telex and a letter informing him that I had arrived safely home on September 15, 1980. He immediately responded to my letter, stating that he was going to send me clothes for the autumn season as well as prepay a round trip plane ticket to fly to Paris, France. I accepted his proposals without a second thought. I went to the French Embassy with my brother-in-law Rodolfo N. Togle, the husband of my eldest sister Corazon, who was then working with Philippine Airlines Reservations. Rudy took care of everything for my travel to France.

Our plane took off in the afternoon of October 29, 1980, and I arrived in Charles de Gaulle Airport for the very first time in my life on October 30, 1980, at 5:15 in the morning. My future husband and his sister Evelyn were already in the airport waiting for me. André introduced us, and we hugged and embraced each other. She seemed to be a nice woman. He took his car from the parking lot and drove us to Evelyn’s apartment in Epinay sur Seine. André explained to me that, in the meantime, we would stay in the apartment while he looked for our own place since he had just arrived from working abroad for quite awhile. I accepted his explanation, thinking that he was a bachelor. A month and a half later, we found our own apartment in Montigny les Cormeilles, which had two big bedrooms and a matching big living room, and transferred there.

Two weeks later, he told me to prepare myself because we were going to see his parents in their province in Blarŭ. When we reached his parents’ home, his mother kissed and hugged me tightly, as though she had known me for a long time. But, André’s father, after greeting me and shaking my hand, seemed distant. I tried to understand his attitude and thought that it was just normal for a first meeting since, even in my country, many parents introduced to their son’s bride-to-be didn’t show close familiarity on their first encounter.

All through lunch, I could feel André’s father keenly observing me, which made me feel ill at ease while we were dining. Still, I tried to justify his manner as a careful assessment of my manners, actuations, and educational training. After an hour, as we were taking our dessert, he asked casually, in English: Loah, how old are you?

I answered him straight forward. I’m twenty-five years old.

He responded anxiously: No! It’s impossible. You look only seventeen years old.

I told him: You know, I could be accepted to work abroad if I were an adolescent. Look, I’ll show you my passport and my identification card.

He said, No need. I know very well that, in Asian countries, most of the documents, for a small, sufficient amount, can be falsified.

Even though it hurt me. I still tried to explain calmly that it depended on what documents were needed to be processed. But, my explanations didn’t convince him at all, so I didn’t argue so as not to appear stubborn. I just totally ignored the subject matter, which I felt was nonsense. We stayed through dinnertime with no further discussion on the subject of my age.

When we arrived home at our apartment, I asked André why his father was so curious about my age. He told me that his father was a retired colonel in the French Army and was very careful about taking people into his family, especially foreigners. He said that he would have the French Embassy make a background investigation about me to make sure that I was not a spy. I laughed a lot while imagining myself as a KGB spy.

A few days later, while arranging his clothes and personal belongings, I saw a picture of a handsome Eurasian boy who resembled André. I felt a throbbing in my heart that I couldn’t explain. When he arrived home from work, I asked him who the boy in the picture, who looked like him, was. Without hesitation, he directly replied, His name is Nicolas, my son.

I told him: When we were in Abu Dhabi, you told me that you were neither engaged nor married.

He said, I’m sorry. I lied because I was in love with you. If I told you the truth, you might have refused my proposal. The mother of Nicolas is past. We’ve been separated for almost two years now.

Even though you are separated, you are still obligated to take care of your child. One of these days, please try your best to bring him here to our apartment so that we can meet each other and I can take care of him like my own son.

I was planning to tell you about Nicolas and also ask you about your child.

I was surprised and asked him, How did you know that I have a baby?

Oh, come on, I’m not stupid. I know when a woman has or doesn’t have a child. Are you already married? he asked.

No, I was never married, I told him. When I was twenty-two years old, I was raped by my co-employee when I was working at the Manila Garden Hotel as a coffee shop receptionist. The man was married. I refused his proposals because I wasn’t in love with him. In fact, I hated him for what he did to me. He was the man who took my virginity. But, regarding my daughter Cecilia, I loved her very much. When she was born, I felt as if I started to understand a lot of things in life. I became mature and viewed all the risks and the complexities of the world. My baby girl is being brought up by my parents, so instead of continuing my schooling, I decided to work abroad to support the financial needs of my daughter. That’s how we met each other.

My aunt and my uncle, who was a lawyer that won all his cases in Manila, persuaded me to file a case against the man who raped me. I telegram my parents to come to Manila. When they arrived at my aunt’s house, my father was shocked to see me pregnant. My mother was very angry and asked, Who’s the father? Why don’t you marry him now that you’re pregnant?

I told her that I could not marry the man because he was already married and because he raped me. My mother went to the hotel where I worked and confronted the man. He told her that he was in love with me and it was I who refused to live with him. My mother was very furious when she arrived, and she asked me: What exactly do you want now that you’re pregnant? You can’t do anything now but stay with the father of your future child; otherwise, you will be disgraced all your life. I told her that my uncle had already filed a rape case in court. She angrily replied, It’s useless. It cannot solve the situation. The more you expose yourself in court, the more you will be scandalized. After a week of reflecting on the situation, she decided to take me home to our province. All through the period of my pregnancy, I was in a very pitiful state. I kept thinking about what would happen to my child and me in the future.

In December of 1980, I was over a month pregnant with André and my first child. As months passed, he would ask about my country, the Philippines— our culture, traditions, our educational system, and the people’s mentality. He wanted to know if life was easier there compared to life in France. I explained that, as per my observation, if he were to earn in the Philippines what he was earning in France, he could live like a king. He could afford to have a big house, housemaids, a baby-sitter for our children, and a driver.

He excitedly said, Starting tomorrow, I’m going to look for a company to hire me to work in the Philippines. However, you have to teach me to communicate fluently in the English language so that people over there will not laugh at me. I believe you will be happier living there near your own family, and with all the house help, you won’t need to do the house chores. You could just take care of me, your husband.

I happily exclaimed, Even though we don’t have all of that, it will be good enough for me as long as we love each other. I’m not like other women who are difficult to satisfy. I have a very simple dream of having a husband who is completely mine, the father of my children. I hope and pray for God to bless us to be together forever.

And he replied, Don’t worry. All your dreams will be fulfilled because I love you very much, and don’t you forget it.

On May 21, 1981, André found a job in the Philippines with Dumez Construction Company. He happily said, Sweetheart, fifteen days from now, we will be leaving for your country.

I jumped with joy and happiness, kissing and embracing him tightly. I thanked the Almighty God for hearing my prayers. At last, we would be going home together to my native land, and I would give birth to our baby boy near my parents and members of my family. I told him I swear to God to do everything for you and our children and to satisfy all your needs.

During our remaining days in France, we were busy preparing all the necessary documents needed for our departure as well as shopping for clothes that were appropriate for the tropical climate of the Philippines. I also bought maternity dresses that I would need. André brought me to the doctor for a general check-up to ensure that our baby and I would not be in danger on the long trip. We finally left France for the Philippines on June 1, 1981. Thank God that we arrived safely. I felt very excited, filled with joy, and astonishment, as if I were dreaming and refused to be awakened. As we went out of the passport control area, we were met by two French personnel of Dumez Company, who were assigned to greet us, and they brought us to the Manila Hotel, where we were booked in a suite room. It was a very popular and prestigious hotel in the Philippines, where General Douglas McArthur stayed during the Second World War. I called up my elder sister Corazon and informed her that André and I had arrived from France already and invited her and Lilibeth, my younger sister, to join us for dinner at the hotel.

That evening Lilibeth reminded me: Phing, remember your promise that you’re going to let me stay with you and finance my schooling in the university here in Manila.

I smiled, responding that she could already start staying with us. But, my sister Corazon exclaimed, You’re crazy. You haven’t even told your husband André about this. Don’t do that. It will be shameful on our part.

I replied, But of course I will have to ask André first. I was just joking.

We lived happily together in the Manila Hotel for a month and a half while the Dumez Company was looking for a house for us to stay in. Finally, the company found a big house with a swimming pool at Valle Verde, one of the expensive and prestigious villages in Pasig. The house was paid for by the company thirteen months in advance, and they gave André 150,000 PHP to buy our own furniture and appliances that we preferred. André started to work with Dumez Construction Company as the Vice President under Mr. Iconomoff. After office hours, we always went out shopping and for groceries. Most of the time a lot of French and Filipino employees came to visit us.

We had two housemaids and a driver named Romulo Purcia for André, whom I did not feel good about during our first meeting. I had an inkling that I could not trust him. I told André about my feelings about the driver, but he told me that we could not kick him out in the meantime because he was recommended by one of his new Filipino friends from Dumez. We’ll just observe him carefully and be strict with him. I couldn’t do anything, so I just ignored my sentiments about Romulo.

After dinner that evening, I asked André if it was agreeable for me to let Lilibeth stay with us and to also finance her schooling in a university. Without a second thought, he immediately responded, But of course, sweetheart. It would be good to have a member of your family living with us so that she may be with you while I’m in the office, especially now that you are pregnant. It would make me feel assured that you and our baby are secured and safe. Our house is big for us alone. And so the matter was agreeably settled.

The following day, I called my elder sister Corazon and talk to her regarding my conversation with André about Lilibeth. She told me: Well, it’s up to you, but be careful with your husband, because I’ve been angry with Lilibeth many times about her being fond of seducing men, especially married ones who have money. We still don’t know the real character and mentality of your husband.

I answered her: Don’t worry. It depends upon the woman, even if the man proposes. If the woman doesn’t dispose, nothing will happen.

She laughed loudly over the phone. But, she kept telling me to take her advice seriously.

As days, weeks and months passed by in that house, I observed that my husband and Lilibeth became extraordinarily close to each other. Very often, French men who were also married to Filipinas and Filipino employees come to visit us. One medical doctor of the company showed signs of liking Lilibeth, and this made me happy for her.

I told my sister Lilibeth: If he invites you for a date, let me know. I will arrange everything. He seems to be a nice man, and I think he is a serious one.

André intervened in our conversation. Don’t force your sister to have a boyfriend yet. Perhaps she’s not in love, or maybe he is not the right one for her.

I answered him, What are you talking about? She’s almost twenty-four years old; she’s mature enough to decide for herself.

André replied, Don’t be angry. I’m just worried that, if something happens to her while she’s living with us, it would be our responsibility.

Oh, you don’t have to worry about her. She has already done it many times with different men. Corazon told me about her. When Lilibeth was living with my elder sister, she knew her very well.

In the morning of the nineteenth of August 1981, André came home, accompanied by his friend Ramon, the chief accountant of Dumez. I noticed that André’s face was very pale. I asked them what had happened. Ramon explained that there was a big problem in the office. André had an argument with one of the French personnel. After exchanging insulting words, the Frenchman, who was bigger and taller than André, tried to hold André’s neck, but André head-butted the face of the man, causing nose and mouth injuries. The President of Dumez, Mr. Iconomoff, called André, and they had an argument. Mr. Iconomoff said to André: You are my assistant in this company. You have shown a bad example to all the employees by beating a French co-employee. You better go home now. I’ll call you later after I finish sending my official report to our main office, Dumez, Paris, France, about this incident. André got mad and pushed Mr. Iconomoff, the President of Dumez Philippines, causing him to fall to the floor together with his office chairs. He was completely shocked by the violent act and unprofessional attitude displayed by André. I understood by Ramon’s explanation that André would lose his job with Dumez Philippines.

I was very disappointed with the unexpected bad news. Not everyone had a chance to be hired as vice president of a very prestigious company like Dumez with such a lucrative salary and extraordinary benefits. All these opportunities were lost because my husband could not control his impulsive and arrogant destructive behavior. I wasn’t able to sleep that evening, trying to think why he did it, but I didn’t talk to him or blame him because I could see that he was terribly worried about our present situation, as we still had no savings and he was now jobless and I about to give birth to our first child.

It was on August 20, 1981, at eleven in the evening when I felt the severe pain in my hips. I called André to help me prepare my luggage with all my maternity needs. Romulo, our driver, brought my sister Lilibeth and I to Lourdes Hospital in Mandaluyong. Upon arriving, a nurse, together with a midwife, brought me into a room for a check-up and asked the name of my attending physician. I gave the name of Dr. Reyes, whom they contacted at her residence, and she came immediately and attended to my natural delivery. Thank God that I gave birth to a very healthy and handsome baby boy, whom we named after his two grandparents, Andre-Vincent.

When Mr. Iconomoff heard that I was in the hospital, he sent one of their people to bring me a very beautiful and expensive bouquet of flowers with a greeting card that stated, Congratulations to your newly born baby. In vain, André refused to accept it and sent a message back to Mr. Iconomoff that read, I don’t need you to offer anything to my wife. I can take care of everything. Mr. Iconomoff returned another message for André, stating, This beautiful bouquet of flowers is not for you, Mr. Bocquet. It is for your wife and your child. André was furious when some of the Dumez employees came to visit me, and he told them: That crazy guy, Mr. Iconomoff— after all that he did to me, he’s still dictating to me to accept his bullshit bouquet of flowers for my wife. Imagine that. Everybody laughed loudly. He didn’t know our Filipino culture. He didn’t understand that, when someone offers your family something in good faith, you either refuse it politely or accept it to show that you are an educated and cultured person, all the more worthy of respect. Six days later my baby and I went home.

When our son was two weeks old, we organized a baptismal ceremony. The godfather chosen by André was Ramon, the chief accountant of Dumez. The godmother was the owner of the house that we were renting in Sampaguita, Valle Verde. After our baby’s baptism, André consulted with my brother-in-law Rudy Togle, the husband of my eldest sister Corazon, on how to arrange the wedding ceremony. Rudy promised André that, together with some friends, he would take care of everything. They would arrange for the priest to officiate the wedding ceremony and the witness, and the photographer would come to the house where the affair would be held. I didn’t want to get married immediately. André and I argued about it, and I reminded him about what I told him before: I don’t want to be in a hurry with marriage. I’d rather have a live-in first to make sure that we are compatible with each other.

He said, Don’t worry. We love each other, and we already have a baby, so we have to legalize his birth and everything else by getting married now.

I told him that I didn’t have the proper dress for the occasion because I had gained almost four kilos in weight.

Oh come on, sweetheart, any dress will do, as long as we get married.

All my clothes were tight, except for one purple-colored dress that I was able to get into. Everybody was in a hurry. I was obliged to go down and attend our wedding ceremony. I was very sad and disappointed that very moment. I had the feelings that André had something on his mind that cause to be in such a hurry to marry me without asking for my ideas and opinions before dashing into it.

I noticed a lot of changes in André’s character and his lifestyle. When we were still in France together for nine months, even though we didn’t have a big house and expensive furniture, I was very happy with him. I could feel that he was real and sincere in his love for me. But, since we arrived in the Philippines, I saw his indifference, his arrogance, and his pretensions, which I really would disdain in any man.

A few weeks later, after our marriage, we received a letter from Mr. Iconomoff stating that André had to meet with the General Manager of Dumez, Paris, France, who was already at the Intercontinental Hotel, to discuss André’s contract with Dumez Philippines. André and I met with him inside the hotel’s coffee shop. He invited us to dine with him, but André once again refused the invitation, saying, No, thank you. My wife and I won’t take anything. They conversed for more than an hour in French, so I didn’t understand anything. When we left the hotel, I asked André what they had talked about. He explained that Mr. Iconomoff’s big boss wanted us to take two plane tickets and go back home to France. He said that everything had been arranged, along with his last paycheck to be taken from the company’s office, and that we were ordered to vacate the house that Dumez Philippines had rented. So, I approached my son’s godmother, who owned the house we were staying in, and explained to her everything that had happened. She was sympathetic and understood our situation and told us not to worry, that we could still stay in her house until we found another one to transfer to. We continued living there for another two months while I tried my best to find a job for André in order for us to survive.

We were invited by Mrs. Justa Tantoco, the owner of the house, for dinner with her family in their residence in Dasmariñas Village, one of the most expensive villages in Makati. She introduced us to Dr. Ramon Tantoco, her husband, and to her children. We had a long and pleasant conversation over a delicious and sumptuous dinner.

Mrs. Tantoco opened up: Could you come tomorrow afternoon? I would like to introduce you to one of my best friends, whose husband is a prominent businessman.

I happily accepted the invitation with the notion that I might convince them to find a job for André. I returned to Mrs. Tantoco’s house alone the following day and met her friend Mrs. Linda Lacdao. She and Mrs. Tantoco asked me about André’s profession and his position in Dumez Philippines. I told them that my husband was a civil engineer and that he was the Vice President under Mr. Iconomoff.

We know that Dumez Philippines Construction Company has a lot of projects abroad, and they base their company here for the manpower recruitment of the labor for job sites abroad. What would you think if we put up a feed-up capital of 1,000,000 PHP and opened our own recruitment agency and were the ones to provide manpower labor needs for clients abroad? We are going to hire your husband as the general manager of this agency because he has experience in this field and surely has contacts and professional relations abroad. Surely, our business will work progressively well. Your husband will not just be an employee. He will be a member on the Board of Directors. He will be receiving a monthly salary plus a percentage from the net profit of the company. What do you think?

I told them: Well, I think your proposals are fair and honest. I believe that André will agree. Please, prepare all the necessary documents while I will explain your proposals and convince André to agree. I will let you know the outcome at the soonest possible time.

When I arrived at home that evening, I explained everything that I had discussed with Mrs. Tantoco and Mrs. Lacdao about the business venture they proposed to us. He was so happy that he kept kissing and hugging me.

He said, Thank you very much, sweetheart, for being able to find me a job so that we may continue living in the Philippines. Don’t worry. I am always here to support all your needs and our baby. I am hopeful that we will have more babies. And I dream of having a baby girl soon, a beautiful walking doll who will stay beside her father always.

What happens if we cannot have a baby girl? I asked. Oh, never mind. As long as they are all our children, it doesn’t really make a difference. I swear to God, I will love them all.

A week later, Dr. and Mrs. Tantoco showed me the employment contract for André as well as the constitution and by-laws of the Board of Directors of the business. I asked them to provide me a copy of each of the documents and told their lawyer that André and I would have to study them word-for-word together with our legal adviser before signing them. After a few days of analyzing and reflecting on the contents of the documents and finding them agreeable, I called up Mr. and Mrs. Tantoco and told them that we were ready to sign the contract. We all met at the Tantoco residence in Dasmariñas Village, where we signed all the contracts in front of their lawyer, Atty. Padilla, whose wife we later learned was a judge.

While we were having snacks after the contract signing, Mrs. Tantoco made an announcement that upset me a little bit, but I remained calm and polite as she spoke.

We have decided to have our son Johnny work with André to handle responsibilities in the control of company benefits, signing of checks, expenses, salaries, and other pertinent matters.

I reacted to her sudden, unexpected announcement because I didn’t remember it being stated in black and white in the contracts about her son Johnny’s new functions. So, I argued and told them: Perhaps my husband doesn’t speak English fluently and doesn’t know the laws and legalities here in our country, but being his wife, I know and practically understand everything in the contracts, wherein Johnny’s function are not included and covered.

Mrs. Tantoco spoke. Loah, don’t misinterpret what we said. It doesn’t mean that we don’t trust your husband or that we are going to fool you. No, we don’t have such intentions whatsoever. Everything that we have signed in the papers and everything that is stated in the contracts we’ll follow and respect in accordance with the law.

I replied, I just want to make clear and emphasize for everyone here the details in accordance to the contracts. What do you mean by ‘general manager’? André, being such and, at the same time, a member of the Board of Directors, is supposed to have the control of the ins and outs of the company, including the benefits and expenses with the aid of the company’s chief accountant; isn’t he?

Mrs. Tantoco said, You know the functions of your husband have a wide scope of responsibilities, such as the prospecting of principal clients locally and internationally, which would be, by itself, taxing and heavy on him already. So, we have decided to ease his burden by assigning these other small but tiring responsibilities to Johnny, thus taking them off his shoulders.

I countered her, saying, All functions and responsibilities of each member of this company should be written down in black and white and be legally notarized by our lawyers so that everything is clarified and certified to each and everyone’s satisfaction.

The Tantoco’s and their lawyer were agreeable on the matter because they were really interested in gaining André’s qualifications and experience in the business as well as his relations and contacts with principal clients abroad. Mrs. Tantoco asked André: Would you care to make the decision in choosing the company’s name and designing the company’s logo?

André replied, No problem about that. Tonight I’m going to think and decide on the best name for the company and then come up with the logo design also.

That evening, André decided that the business name would be France-Asia Recruitment Agency because, according to him, most of the principal clients were based in France and the manpower labor came from the Philippines. All of the members of the Board of Directors agreed unanimously on André’s choice.

Finally, in November 1981, our business, managed by André, began. It was located on the second floor of the Mabini Bowling Lanes building. After two months of the agencies operation, I saw a lot of changes in André’s mentality and attitude, which was far different from when I first knew him in the United Arab Emirates and during our simple lives together in France.

This time, I saw that he became fond of going out with his happy-go-lucky friends, Eng. Mariano Magbitang, Jr., a former employee of Meralco, located on Ortigas Avenue, whom André first met when he applied to Dumez to work abroad. They became good friends and so André hired him to work in France-Asia. They went out together womanizing. I found out about it when Mr. Magbitang’s girlfriend Rose told me that both of them often went out with Janice, an employee of the newly opened company. I confronted André about this, but he just shrugged it off, saying that it was nothing. He just had her hitch in his car because she lived along the way when he drove home from work in the office.

I told him: Yes, you’re lying. The boss of a company wouldn’t let a woman employee ride in his car if he didn’t have a fishy relationship with her. I want you to terminate her before I kick her out myself. André fired her from the company the following day. A few days later, an unknown person called me up at the house and told me that, even if Janice was no longer working with the agency, my husband was still continuing to meet with her somewhere else. I made a surprise visit to the office and asked the office secretary Marian if there was someone in the office, and she responded with a naughty understandable smile. I entered the room without knocking and surprisingly saw a young woman having a very intimate talk with André, their lips almost touching.

I shouted at them and told the woman to get out of the room because I wanted to talk to my husband. Are you working or simply womanizing? After Janice left, you found someone to replace her immediately.

He then replied, Don’t worry. She is just one of the applicants I’m interviewing to be Marian’s assistant secretary, because there is so much work to be done. Oh, sweetheart, don’t be jealous. They’re nothing to me. I love only you.

I told him: I’m not jealous at all. But, I warn you not to do monkey business behind my back; otherwise, you will really regret it.

A few months later, André began complaining about the son of the Tantoco’s. He said that Johnny wasn’t qualified to be working in the agency at all and that he was very lazy. He would come to the office between ten and eleven o’clock in the morning and just read the newspaper over coffee. Actually he’s just in the agency to sign checks. He doesn’t know anything. You know how I hate idiots and stupid people who pretend that they know the business because they have the money.

In October of 1982, André stopped working with France-Asia and starting scouting around for another agency to be his partner. One day, he told me: Why don’t we put up our own company to make it convenient and easier to negotiate with companies and contacts abroad. If we have our own company, we will have no need for other people mediating with us. We registered France Technology International under my name, and he started working in our house in Pasay with the help of my younger brother named Vicente Lindo, Jr., and his former secretary from Dumez, Lilia Asgar. André kept contacting a lot of people locally and abroad. Finally, he found Norah Ltd., a company in Saudi Arabia who wanted to hire a lot of Filipino workers, both skilled and unskilled, for a construction project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The problem was that our company didn’t have a recruitment license, so we were not authorized to recruit and send manpower laborers and skilled applicants abroad. We we’re required to have a joint venture with a licensed recruitment agency. André found one, owned by a certain Atty. Betita, whose wife was working with the Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration (POEA). André signed a contract stipulating a fifty-fifty sharing on the net profit for every person deployed. Our company received only a few thousand pesos from the first deployment because only a few worker left for the Middle East due to lack of manpower pooling. A month later, Atty. Betita breached the contract between our two companies, and he negotiated directly with the principal client, Norah Ltd. He kept all the profits for himself. We couldn’t do anything against Atty. Betita because we were only a construction company and not a license recruitment agency. It was André’s great disappointment. We lost so much time and money because of the unfortunate tie up with gangster businessmen like Atty. and Mrs. Betita.

Norah Ltd. offered André the position of project manager in Riyadh, which he decided to accept. I’m going there to punish Atty. Betita by stopping the job orders for their recruitment agency, he said.

André left for Riyadh in May of 1983. Two months later, I gave birth to our third son, Alexandre-Olivier, on July 24, 1983. André was not around to bring me to the same hospital where I delivered our first son, André-Vincent.

He was fond of calling twice or thrice a week from Riyadh. Most of the time, during our conversations, he used to ask me about my sister Lilibeth. How is she? What is she doing? Is she fine?

I told him: I don’t understand why you didn’t seem to react and be astonished when I told you last month that Lilibeth was pregnant. You didn’t even ask me who the father of the baby was.

He quickly interrupted. Why should I? That’s not my business. You talk as if you didn’t know that she and my friend Christian Buscara have been sleeping together often and having sexual relationships. My friend told me before he left for France all about this incidence, but I didn’t say anything to you because I felt that it’s none of our business.

I told him: Why don’t you call or write your friend to let him know that he is going to have a child with my sister very soon?

André replied, I think you’re forgetting about the letter he gave you before he left for Paris that he didn’t want to continue with his relationship with your sister because he doesn’t love her and he preferred to marry his French girlfriend. That’s the reason why he went back home.

But, the situation is different now because she’s going to have his baby soon. He should at least have the decency to recognize his child with her. By the way, where’s that letter that he gave you?

I tore it up and threw it away, he replied.

Why did you destroy it? You were supposed to keep it as evidence of their intimate relationship together. I couldn’t understand how your friend could do that to her. We took him into our home to spend his vacation and served him and saw to it that he had a pleasant and happy vacation here in our country. He showed cowardice in not even being man enough to tell her that he was sorry and did not wish to continue his relationship with her.

You know very well that Christian couldn’t speak English fluently and express himself, and Lilibeth also doesn’t speak French. They just understand each other by making love without exchanging words. But of course, it’s not necessary because it’s understood.

A month later, in September of 1983, André came home from Riyadh. He gave me a necklace and a bracelet of eighteen carat gold as a belated birthday present. He also gave Lilibeth a ring with a ruby as a present. I didn’t mind it because I trusted them— a trust that they took advantage of and abused, a trust that caused the destruction of our marriage, my children’s future, and my younger brother Jessie’s life.

On October 13, 1983, my sister gave birth in the same hospital that I did under the care of my doctor, who delivered her baby. She was accompanied by my husband, who seemed more worried and excited than I was. Every time that I recall all the lies that they told to cover up their illicit affair under our very own roof, it makes me feel like dying with unbearable hurtfulness. How could they afford to betray me and mock me when I couldn’t remember having done anything wrong against them? My own sister whom I trusted and gave everything she asked for, even my own personal jewelry that I bought when I was still single and working abroad! I clothed her and took her to live in our home like a princess, for we had our own housemaid, baby-sitter, driver, and gardener, and I sent her to school. The greatest regret I have is that I did all of these things out of love for them and trusted them. I felt so stupid for truly giving my trust openly and believing all of their lies.

Months passed, and André made another joint venture with another recruitment agency owned by a certain Johnny Imperio. André instructed them to maximize a Filipino manpower pooling of various qualifications needed by his principal clients abroad. Mr. Imperio followed all of my husband’s instructions.

Three months later, I saw, on the office table in our house, some typewritten papers containing the names of the workers with their corresponding qualifications and in the indication of the amount of 1,000 PHP from each signed by André. Fearing what I read and saw, I Immediately confronted him. "Why did you ask 1,000 PHP from each of the applicants? You are putting yourself, our children, and me in danger. What you and Mr. Imperio are doing to these poor people, many of whom have borrowed money with high interest rates and others of whom have sold properties just to invest their money so that they might work abroad, is illegal.

André exclaimed, You think I will fool them. Is that what you mean?

I said, "What I mean is that you are not supposed to collect a single centavo from the applicants until they are completely hired by your principal clients abroad.

After a few months passed, André decided that we should go back home to France. He told me that he was fed up with his involvement in the recruitment business because there was no improvement in our life together, and with the three boys we had, plus another one coming, we would need to have a stable life.

I hope that the fourth child will be a girl, my little baby doll, who will sit and walk beside her papa always. That’s my dream, my husband would say.

And so, after three and a half years in the Philippines, in March of 1984, we packed up and shipped all our furniture and appliances to France. When my family knew of our departure, they were all very sad, especially my beloved father, who loved his grandchildren.

He said, I hope you can come home with the children often. I will miss all of you very much.

I cried and embraced my beloved father tightly and promised him that I would come for vacation very often with the children.

Lilibeth seemed to be angry with us, and one time, I caught André and her in our garden as if they were having a very serious conversation together. I went out so as to be with them and asked them about their discussion.

André responded to me: Oh! It’s nothing, Cherie. I just simply explained to her that, if she wants to come to France in the future, it would be good for her and her baby boy. And surely, she would have to live with us, since she’s alone. What do you think? It’s a good idea?

"I don’t know exactly. Perhaps it is not good in the eyes of your family?

I don’t mind them. It’s none of their business to dictate what I have to do of our life!

Well, it is up to her, if she thinks, it is better for her and her child.

On the tenth of April 1984, we departed. I was very busy dressing up my children when I heard André and Lilibeth in her bedroom, sounding as if they were having an argument. So, I entered, and I asked them what was going on. I saw that André’s face was very pale, as if he were panicking.

But, he told me: No, nothing, Cherie. Lilibeth is afraid; now that we’re leaving for France, she will be alone here with her son and without any means financially. So, I promised her that, a few months from now, I would send them pre-paid plane tickets and their visas so that they could stay with us in France while she’s still alone.

I didn’t say a word, but I could see that they were acting very strangely together.

When we left for Manila International Airport, Lilibeth, my three brothers— Perseverando, Vicente, Jesse— and my cousin Nolan were with us, together with Mr. Johnny Imperio, his niece Josephine, and other employees, who all came to wish us a happy trip.

After twenty-four hours of travel, we arrived in France safely. My husband called up my parents-in-law to ask them fetch us at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

In the meantime, we had to live in André’s parents’ house while we looked for an apartment for us. Thank God that we were able to find one in Raguenet St. Gratien.

A month later, we transferred immediately to our new apartment, which was completely empty because all our furniture and appliances hadn’t arrived yet. The cargo international shipping lines would reach France in forty-five days. There were still two months more to wait.

Meanwhile, I was going to have another baby in the month of July. André cried with happiness when he found out that we were going to have a healthy baby girl.