Love, Sex, and Pandemics: Redux

By Charles Justus Garard

After teaching for seven years at universities in China, Alex Barteay returned home to the States to retire. However, even though retired in his small riverfront town in Illinois, the interactions continued . . but this time online. The correspondants were this time not Chinese but ladies from the Philippines, ladies who often had more than one agenda.

When he decided not to remain hidden in his small river town, he moved back to Atlanta where he had worked years before. The SMSs came again, however from the Philippines, Again, the requests for money came and, again, he tried to help those few that he could. However, this time some of the stories that were shared with him were astounding and shocking -- even to him. This time he faced mother-daughter blackmail schemes and threats regarding a completely bogus porno doctored to appear as if he had appeared in it.

Be prepared time time, Alex. The challenges.and threats are lining up, and you are going to have to fight for yourself -- alone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles Justus Garard
• Release date: Nov 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201672256

Book preview

Love, Sex,

and

Pandemics:

Redux

International SMS Novel

by

––––––––

Charles Justus Garard

––––––––

ISBN: 978-0-578-72908-4

I wish to dedicate this novel to my brother, Sam V. Garard, for his contributions to this work of epistolary fiction.

License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, please return to the publisher of this e-book and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the time and hard work of this author, Charles Justus Garard

*

Author’s note: Although much of the dialogue is based on actual SMS conversations, I have changed the names of the people involved to protect the innocent and the guilty. Some characters have been combined. Names of companies involved in money transferals have also been changed or deleted. This is a work of fiction, but the readers can decide on how much of the work is based on real events and communications. Alex Barteau is a character in FORBIDDEN VOICES, FOREIGNERS AND EMPERORS, and SMS: THE SCAMMERS.

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE AND CONTENT

Some of the dialogue between countries may be a bit strong and graphic, particularly when comparing this work to my science-fiction and horror novels. I try to capture the English language as written by the foreign persons and some by the world-traveler Alex Barteau. For many of the participants, English is their second language, and they may not know any euphemisms for what they wish to communicate.

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Chapter One

LOVE AND MONEY

~

The ladies I knew back during the plague ...

...were ...

Shit, where I am going... 

Janella Reyes. She was the first one, the one with the large circular breasts with dark nipples to compliment her dark eyes. She was the one who...

...who...

I first received Messenger comments from her.  At first, she did not ask for money. But then it came.  And came.  She even got evicted by her landlord named Edward Santos and needed money to find a new place.

*

Elaina Stegan stares at me without blinking. We are seated in her living room, I on her sofa and she across the low table from me in her Morris chair. So. When did your chats with this Janella Reyes start?

In the middle of March, I tell her. Then I chuckle.

What is it, Alex?

What is what?

Your sudden amusement.

"The middle of March sounds like Middlemarch, the title of a novel that I taught at the college."

We both had taught at Marvin Green College here in Atlanta before it lost its accreditation and closed. She was a PhD in the Psychology Department and I a PhD in the Humanities Department. When I arrived there, some politically correct persons at the HBC had put English literature and American literature under the umbrella term Cultural Heritage I and II. I never bothered to find out why, but I had my suspicions.

So, you wanted to get into all of this again, losing more money to overseas women and declaring bankruptcy again.

Actually, I tell her, leaning slightly forward, I never declared bankruptcy, even though our college did. Gregory, my younger brother, thought I should. But I did go into debt with two of my credit cards.

And you are paying them off?

I nod at her.

She makes a note.

Who was this one?

Her name is...was...Janella. She died of the virus in the Philippines.

Oh. Blank stare.

But with her, it started on Facebook Messenger.

~

Instant Messenger:

Online messages:

~

Inbox:

Hi. How are you?

~

Photo attached.

Send:

"Hi. Do I know you?

~

Inbox:

Yes. See your picture?

~

Send:

Yes. That was taken of me in China. Did I send that to you at a different address? Did you just send me that photo under a different address?

~

Inbox:

Yes. My real name is Princess Perez.

~

Send:

"Sure, it is. What do I call you, Your Highness?"

~

Inbox:

Janella. I tried a video call. Are you busy?

~

YOU MISSED A VIDEO CHAT WITH A MESSENGER USER.

~

Inbox:

I think you are busy. I am sad.

~

Send:

I am here. I do not answer video calls on this computer. Don’t be sad. Too much sadness in the world. I do not recognize the name of that city shown by your name, so maybe I did not know you in China? But how did you get that picture of me?

~

SEVEN PHOTOS OF JANELLA.

~

Send:

"Wow. What a stunning face. And round, perfect breasts in the one photo.

"You are lucky to be so lovely.

Were you with a group of women who were writing to me two years ago? I am in debt for sending money to women in the Philippines. This was also taken in China.

~

A SINGLE PHOTO OF ME.

~

Inbox:

What you said the last time when I asked for money. You said you will help me because I did not need a lot of money and did not ask for a lot.  Yes, you tell me about that, and I understand you.

~

Send:

Are you in the Philippines? Women over there seem to get my name from someone. Maybe I am on a billboard over there.

~

Inbox:

You don’t need to grant their requests because they do not deserve your help. Besides, you need that money for yourself.

~

Send:

Hi. I wanted to write to you before I looked at your photos. I did not want to sound like I was challenging you or angry with you. I had some bad experiences with a business partner and women in the Philippines and lost a lot of money. I am still very much in debt.

~

Inbox:

Actually, we talked a lot before.

~

Send:

Thank you for contacting me again. And thank you for not asking for money.

~

Inbox: Yes, it’s okay. When the time we are sending email to each other, I asked your help, but you said maybe some other time and you did tell me the reason, and I understand you, honey.

*

So, Elaina asks me. She was not one of the money ladies?

Oh yes, I tell her. That came following along soon enough.

*

Inbox:

I don’t have boyfriend and I am looking for someone. I have a boyfriend before, but I break up and end my relationship to him because he is not sincere, and he is not honest.  And he hurt me every day.

~

Send:

Sorry to learn that. I was told that many Pinoy are cruel to their girlfriends.

~

Inbox:

"Yes, you are right.

I am sure you are good in bed, and you know how to take a woman like me.

What is your position? I love doggie style.

~

Send:

Sorry. I have never done that style, even though some women like it. My second wife mentioned it once, but I don’t like riding on women as if they are animals.

~

Inbox:

I am good in riding. I will be screaming with pleasure.

~

Send:

A lady in China and my third wife, now ex-wife, both preferred the Alex Barteau tongue treatment.

~

Inbox:

OMG. You make my pussy wet.

~

Inbox:

Are you busy?

~

Send:

Sorry. I was elsewhere for a moment. Are you angry now?

~

Inbox:

Hahaha. If you happy I am also happy. Your happiness is also my happiness. I want to see you happy and satisfied. I want to take care of you.

~

Send:

Oh. You are being co-dependent. That was one of my ex-wife’s favorite terms. Anyway, take care of yourself too with this virus by wearing a mask if you go outside.

~

Inbox:

I am not going outside because of the virus. I know you do not have a lot of money. I know that. I want to ask you a lil’ favor. Can you send me a little amount, only for foods please because I am not eating until now? Hope you do not mind helping me. 800 pesos will be good and that is not much. Please if you want me to beg you I will for you. Do not get mad to me. Is that okay to send a lil’ amount?  You can send in Coin-Pal.

~

*

And this is when it started.

***

Chapter Two

ALIVE OR DECEASED

~

Inbox:

"Good evening, Alex. Hope you are doing well. I have read through this message. Firstly, it is extremely hard to find a woman online who loves for real. 99.9% are there to lie to men or to deceive men and take money from them. Secondly, ladies from this Asian country are common on Facebook, narrating the same story to different men from different walks of life. Dr. Alex, the woman who sent you this message is a liar.

"Sure, people have lots of tricks to deceive. Social media: at times, the more you look, the less you see.

Emanuel Lopez

~

I thank Emanuel for this comments and warning.

After sexy talk and Janella’s descriptions of what she wanted to do, I finally wrote emails to her because I thought I had lost her.

~

Online messages:

~

ALEX: Hi Janella. I was wondering about you.  I thought maybe you had given up on me.

~

JANELLA: You are wrong. I am thinking of you my feelings for you, Mahal Kita, but why is my heart telling me that you do not love me, and you have other girl in your heart? I hope I was wrong, Baby, because I absolutely love you. Tell me now if you have other girl in your heart or do you have another girlfriend? Tell me the truth so I know. I do not want to feel like this my mind and my heart telling me that you have another girl and you do not love me. Is she better than me? Tell me, Baby. 

~

ALEX: "Why do you think that Baby?  Did someone say something to you? Did I say something to you that makes you believe that?

Since I have not heard from you lately, I assume that I had lost you . . . or that you did not need money.

~

JANELLA: "No Baby, no one tell me that you have relation with other girl. But that is what I feel that you have another girl. If you don’t have, I was wrong, and I am sorry.

To be honest with you, I don’t have any money in my pocket when you cancel the $50 you sent. You sent $30 back to Rowena to get to my house. I will ask you a little favor because I need some amount. I don’t want you to get mad to me. That is why I didn’t ask you for your help, Baby.

Mahal Kita

~ 

ALEX: I looked at the photos that Rowena took of you and was extremely disappointed. Blurry. Badly framed. Even ass shots. I think that the ones you took are much better.

~

Rowena. She was the one with breasts like none I had ever seen before, the one whose name sounds like it came right from Ivanhoe. She was my second love, the one who supposedly took me away from Janella and had her face slapped hard for telling her. When Janella came down with the virus, she was the one who took her to the hospital, using the money I had sent to her because Janella had no money left in her pocket.

~

JANELLA: "Thank you, Baby. I have the money now and I will