Chapter 17
The cop's asked Joe if there was such a lady named Filipina living at his house. Joe stuttered and replied hesitantly to the police saying, "Uhm yeah! What do you want from her?" As soon as the police got a confirmation that I was living in Joe's house, he didn't waste time, he was then calling out my name twice to come out. I heard the police were calling out my name but I was scared to come out because I know that Joe would point finger on me for contacting the police (Though I have not contacted anyone other than my cousin). Joe told the cop that he was going to get me. Before Joe could come inside, I ran back to my room pretending that I didn't know what's happening out there.
Joe knocks at my door rapidly 3 times. I opened the door slowly and like I said, Joe point fingers on me soon as the door open. He was so upset why I called Police. "Did you call 911?" Joe asked in a very upsetting voice. "I told you and warned you not to contact the police ever! When did you call 911?" He ended the question with anticipation. Joe assumed that I called 911 when the truth was, I never did!
I told Joe that I never made a call. I even suggested to him to contact the local telephone company if there was a record. Joe said that I was a liar. He then directed me to go out to the back porch to speak to the police who was looking for me but warned me not to say much. I cried but it was tears in joy that Joe had let me go out to speak to the police. I know that I was going to break free soon. A FREE WOMAN!
Soon as I open the door at the back porch, the cop questioned me if I was the girl that they have been searching for in the last 3 days (I didn't know that my name has been stamped as "MISSING" for days since I left Jack my ex husband). I replied in tears, "Yes Sir! That’s me, you have the right girl". The cop then asked me if I was okay, I told him I was ok, still surviving and alive but not okay mentally at the very right moment. I begged him to take me to a safe place away from my abuser (Jack my Ex)
The cop asked me more questions why would I want to get away from Jack (I remember Joe warned me earlier not to say much). I glanced at Joe and by the look of his eyes; I just can tell that he does not want me to say anything much further. So then I mumbled, I tried to speak up but was so scared. My lips were shaking followed with a sudden rise of anger towards Jack and I started crying. The cop then asked me to calm down. At this time, I was bursting in tears. I got a flashback of everything that had happened in the past of what Jack did to me (Even this has been way almost a decade ago, I kept stopping writing to breathe deeply and I get angry as it all came back).
The cop then explained everything to me how I was stamped as a “MISSING PERSON”. He said that they have received a report last Saturday (the day that I was supposed to leave Jack) from a person at the other state who was expecting me to arrive at the Airport (obviously my cousin!) but I was no show. Since the report was at another state they had to forward it to the local police where I was residing. The police at the local area then went to Jack’s house and were searching for me but the police were told by Jack that I had left him or that I run away from him. The cop also told me that they traced the last call that I made to my cousin who reported me as “MISSING” and that’s how they found me. (In Chapter 16: Remember the ringing of bells in my ears and the voice in my head asking me to do something drastic? I believe it was GOD. You see how God’s Miracle works in ways that we don’t expect!)
I thanked the cop a lot for rescuing me and begged him to take me away. The cop then asked me to go ahead and grab my stuff. When Joe heard that the cop is going to take me away from his care, Joe then said to the cop that he can’t take me because I was due to leave the country the next morning. (Ah huh! LEAVE THE COUNTRY? This was the reason Jack, Joe and his family kept the secret from me because they had planned to ship me back home).
“What? I’m leaving the country tomorrow?” I said to Joe in a high pitch voice. I was so surprise to learn the fact. Remember earlier in Chapter 16. Jack filed a divorce in Feb 12, 2002 and in the said divorce decree it says, “Husband Shall Wire $400 to WIFE in Cebu City, Philippines on or before Feb 17, 2002.” BINGO! Jack is busted. That’s why he filed the divorce sooner because his intention was to send me back home. (He realized, that once I will be in the Philippines, he can’t divorce me since there no such divorce in the Philippines).
"Wait a minute?" The cop raised his eye brow while questioning Joe. “You said [the cop talking to Joe while pointing at me] Ms Filipina is leaving the country tomorrow?” Joe nodded “Yes!” The cop turns his body in 45 degree and questions me if this was correct or if I was aware of the fact. “No Sir! I am not aware of it and I just learn it today.” The cop continue on asking me, “Ms. Filipina, you are here in US legally, is it correct?” I replied yes. “Would you like to stay?” I nodded. “Then no one has the rights ever to send you back home. You can stay in America as long as you want to.” He added, “Ms Filipina are you a US Citizen yet?” I replied, “No Sir not yet.” He goes, “In that case, Ms Filipina not only you can stay in America we can even help you out on how to obtain citizenship”. Now grab your stuff and we should go.
“Wait! You can’t take Filipina with you Sir! Jack would be pissed off. Before you leave, let me call Jack. I need to inform him of the situation”. Joe grabbed his cordless phone and dialed a number. “Yeah Bro it’s me Joe. We have a situation here. There’s a cop here and they are taking Filipina away. What do you want to do?” Joe pressed the speaker button so that we all could hear Jack’s voice over the phone. ”No way man! Filipina has to leave. I got her a ticket and she will leave tomorrow early morning.”
“Mr. Jack Ash! Sir, sir [Jack continue on talking] sir! This is Sergeant John, can you hear me?” The cop pleading Jack to listen to him, “Yes Sir I hear you, go on!” Jack answered finally. “I have your wife here and according to your wife Ms Filipina that she wanted to stay, since she has legal papers, she can actually stay and no one can force her to go back to her country. We can even help her out on how to obtain to get her citizenship. Do you hear that Sir Ash?” Jack responded angrily, “I hear you Sir but she is my wife and I have the right to send her where she came from because she is under my care and that’s my responsibility.”
The cops argued with Jack, “No Sir Jack Ash! You don’t own Filipina. She can stay! And if you pursue to send her to the Philippines against her will, it will be the law against you and not her. Did you get that Sir?” Jack paused for a little bit and mumbled. “What’s that Sir?” the cop asked Jack to speak clearly.
“You can’t do that Sir. I do not want Filipina to get rich. She has to go.” Jack raised his voice at the cop. A prominent lady, who has been sitting in the cop’s car and has been listening all this time, came out when Jack insisted that they can’t take me away…..
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