V1C3.15 01-30-22 Exploitation: Everything for me and Nothing for others (4166)
The Origins of Maria ? Maria {Paulina?s GA Salma speaking to Maria in a daydream Day 2 11:48p}
Maria walked into an unoccupied office that she used for her daily call from her mother and daughter.? She closed the door behind her and fumbled around to find the chair in the dark. This was an unused office so the engineers needed to replace the bulbs. As she sat down, she looked at the time. It was 11:48 am. Maria felt like her body was heavy. She was lethargic and drowsy and quickly succumbing to the incapacitation. Maria’s eyes closed and she fell into a deep daydream.
“Maria, we have heard your prayers. I am here to put your mind at ease.”
“Who are you?” I recognized I was in some sort of dream, but it seemed real.”
“I am Guardian Angel, Salma. Now, I tell you! I served your grandmother and your mother.”?
“Are you my Guardian Angel?” I was a bit thrown off by the angel being a negro angel. I don’t ever think of angels and race. I believed in angels. I even believed in Guardian Angels. I just never expected to be talking to soul sister.
“No. I serve Victoria, your step-sister. I am answering both her prayers, your prayers, and your daughter’s prayers. Today, in the park, you prayed for knowledge and wisdom. You have prayed this prayer often and He has always heard you. You also prayed to meet the spirit of your ancestors.”
“So, you are going to show me my ancestors?”
“Yes. But there’s more. You have also prayed to be ready for spiritual battle, so did Victoria. Victoria directed Gabriel, a time ago, to protect and ready a collection of warriors.”
“I really would like to meet my ancestors.”
“Your ancestors are always with you. Their spirits are with you now. More importantly, your most magnificent protector and the one who gives you victory, you already know. His angels are with you. But not all of your ancestors were good people. So you must recognize when those spirits mislead you.”
“I am trying. It is not always easy to know if I am making the right decisions for me and my family.”
“Fear not. You have already won the battle Maria; victory is your choice. You must choose this day and every day whom you serve. As a human, you may direct humans and angels to build or destroy. But all those that you lead, you also serve. Do you believe that what has been given is exactly what you need?”
This was not a dream; it was very real but not so logical.? “What have I been given?” If this guardian angel is giving me something, I want to know specifically what it is.
“You have been given hope.” Salma radiated as she said ‘hope’.
“I am certain I have no clue about what you are talking about.”
“Let me show you what you have been given. Maria. Let us return to Peru.”
“How?”
“Trust me. Take my hand.”
“Maria placed her hand into the hand of the angel. And they started ascending into the sky. Then they stopped and remained suspended in the sky.”
“Look down, dear.”
“I don’t see anything.”
“Open your eyes.” My eyes were open. The angel touched my chest and I saw a man working the land.
“This man is your grandfather on your mother’s side, a farmer named Maximo. He was a hard worker, well-respected, and a good provider of food for the family and the needy in the town. He maintained many plots of land by clearing and farming them. Your grandfather had a home in Apurimac but also maintained a large plot that was passed to your grandmother, the Martinez Farm in Puerto Maldonado. Maximo was blessed. But life in rural Peru is a hard life. So hard that blessings become curses.”
“Did I know my grandfather?” thought Maria. “And how does a blessing become a curse?”
“Yes.” the angel replied. “While your grandfather was generous at times, ironically, most people in the town thought your grandfather was overly thrifty, if not selfish. Maximo provided the most and best quality and quantity of food for the family and town.
“Maximo? I think you have the story wrong. Maximo is my father, not grandfather.”
“Yes, Maria. Your grandfather is also your father.”
“My dream got unreal again.” Did I say this aloud?
“Listen, Maria! Maximo was blessed by the money he received at the market. He kept the money he earned for buying seeds for his farms and his secret stash of drugs and drink. Moneywise, there was nothing left over for the family. His wife, Isabel, was responsible for earning her own money for clothes for her and the children. Your mother, Laka, would often stay in Puerto Maldonado in Madre de Dios with her mother to care for their animals. But Puerto Maldonado was and is a mining town. One night, your father felt lonely and in pain. After he had drunk a bottle of chicha de Jora, he went to a bar in Puerto Maldonado.”
Maria just listened.
“In Puerto Maldonado, local businessmen attract local children, young girls, to work in their bars with promised employment and gifts to these girls or their relatives, the pathway into slavery and prostitution. These girls, often extremely young are sent by their families and are forced to line up outside bars to cater to the workers? sexual appetites to pay for their keep, protection of their family, and basic survival. Your grandmother, Isabel, was a Martinez. She made a living by providing girls to bars in Puerto Maldonado. Your grandfather found his wife in one of those bars and he found his daughter, your mother there also. Your mother worked serving men in that town. Maria, if not for many angels working on your behalf, you would have been one of those girls too. You and your daughter, Lakita have been called to redeem lost sheep. Who knows if you have been called for such a time as this? It is time for you to make decisions.”
The clock showed 11:44 am.? What kind of bizarre dream was this? It was more than a dream. It was a revelation that Lakita and I were purposed for helping young girls who are exploited. But it was also a message that was waiting for our response, prayer, fasting, and meditation. And it was also a message of hope that women don’t have to accept misogyny and fall for a lie that females have no defense against a stronger male; they… we can fight back. Perhaps I am making things more complicated but I remembered that Victoria’s guardian angel came to answer my prayer. That was awesome in simplicity.
*****
My cell phone rang.
“Hello mi hija!” Cristina was singing.
“Hi, Mami. Did you all go out?” I was happy to hear my mother’s voice.
“We went for a short walk but Lala wanted to return to work on a project she has!” Maria and her mother had a good laugh. Lakita always had a project she was working on. “Sometimes she is a little girl and then she is very intellectual and clever.”
“She is 11.? A child but almost an adult.” I remembered fondly the times I spent with my Papi. “Mami, I have had a very interesting day so far! I have met a wonderful family and had a strange dream… all in a very short time!”
“You and Lala are so alike.” My mother was funny and she was right. My daughter and I are outgoing, very creative, and always dreaming.? I treasured these times to escape and just bask in the joy of family.
Lakita came out of her room and was so excited, ?Mami! Mami!?
My mother gave Lakita the phone. She sat down on the couch and propped the phone so that she could talk hands-free.
“How is your day, Mami?” Lakita asked.
“Your Abuelita and I were just talking about it.? I met some very nice people today.”
Lakita smiled and was visibly excited. ?I know Mami. They are part of our family?.
“Mami, Victoria is trying to get a message to you.”
“How do you know Victoria, hija?”
“Victoria has been in my visions and prayers for a long time! Today, I saw the five people in this new family.”
“Hija, I know of only three people.”
“No Mami.? There is one who is hurt with their mother, father, and boyfriend and another in hiding.? I prayed for their protection. I always pray for you too. I especially pray for clarity, so we plainly. know their spirits.”
I understood the people she mentioned except for one in hiding.?Lakita immediately stopped and got extremely serious. “I also had a dream, Mami.”
My daughter was silent for a moment and said, “Tell me about your dream, hija.”
“Lala! Lala!” Cristina cried out.
“Mami, que paso?”
“Hija, Lala is shaking!”
At that moment, Lakita’s eyes roll back and she fell to the ground! I was about to give medical advice when I noticed that Lakita was going into a trance and she was talking some kind of gibberish.? At least it was gibberish to me.
I began to pray. “Great Spirit! Emortis! Heal my daughter.” Cristina got down on her knees and agreed in prayer with her. Cristina could hear her daughter crying.? Maria could hear her mother’s thoughts. “I don’t tell her that I have seen Lala shake before but each time she is ok.”
“Mami, I am coming home now!” Maria stays on the phone and goes out the door. She walks towards the nurse’s station. While walking Lakita comes out of the trance.
?Victoria will communicate with you later today. It is very important to remain with the new family. Tell them about Victoria.”
“What are you saying, mi amor?”
“Mami, I?m scared.? Victoria says that the badman is coming!?
Madre de Dios – Maria {Breakroom JHMC Noon}
“Maria?? Are you ok?? I think you fainted.”
Maria woke immediately and knew something happened but she could not quite remember. The day was relatively young, yet it was like years were unfolding before her eyes.
“Maria, Do you know where you are?” It was Ed.
I heard their voices. “I know you! Cresha, Mike, Ed.” I tried to stand but I felt a little dizzy. Ed extended his hand and helped me to my feet.
We were perfect strangers an hour earlier, now bonding, and finding each other. I knew that this was a special moment but the sickening feelings inside me were also rising. I put those feeling to the side. I remembered that I needed to make a decision and tell them about Victoria. I decided that it was too early to start discussing these family details. That meant bringing up nasty events from a time I did not want to think about. It would be inappropriate. After a few seconds, I asked about the time.
Ed laughed, “It is almost noon. You just asked me just before you fainted. Are you ok? Maybe you should eat.”
I must have fainted. I didn’t feel sick. I said, ?Let me tell you a little more now. I have about 30 minutes before I return to the nurse’s desk. I want to tell you about the history of my family.” I don’t know why I said this after I decided to not talk about it.
“Before I start, I want to say that you guys are becoming very important to me.? I can’t explain everything right now but there is a reason why we are together.”
“Are you ok?” Cresha asked.
“I am fine. Maybe I hit my head.” I rubbed my head but I had no injury.
Mike held up a small box of donuts gesturing an offer. I shook my head and Ed took one. As they all sat at a table, I started thinking about where I should start. So many thoughts came rushing through my mind. I did not want to talk about my grandfather. Soon, I was weeping, uncontrollably. No one knew why I was crying. I didn’t really know why I was crying. ?I hope you don?t mind me if I cry and I curse. I really don’t like telling this story. But I must. Let me start with my father. My real father is Maximo Soto but the father who raised me until I left Peru was Sergio Martinez. I do not remember either man well. But some things are a nightmare. Sergio was not a good man. Lord, forgive me.? Maria started cursing vigorously in Spanish. Maria scrunched her nose to show her repulsion.
?In a dream, Victoria says his spirit is following me and will try to kill me. I have been running from him most of my life. My daughter spoke with Victoria today. He is coming now!?
Cresha and Mike shook their heads with a slight grin. They did not imagine the nurse talking this way. Right then, Ed walked in with a quizzical look on his face. Mike said, ?Hey dude. You won?t believe this. Maria knows Victoria!?
?Really?!? Ed turned his head and attention to me.
“Shhhhhh!!!” Cresha was annoyed by Mike and Ed’s insensitivity.
?Just take a seat; this should be good.? Mike, in turn, looked at me and sat down. Ed followed suit.
?OK, now that you are all here?? I tried to smile and not sniffle too much.
Three Women of Sergio Martinez – Maria
?Let me teach you about my family, the Martinez’s. I will introduce you to Victoria through her lineage of sorts because I have a very special message for Cresha. You will learn why you are so drawn to the full moon. You will understand why you feel so connected to people and how you are able to make them change their minds. You will learn about abilities that perhaps some people noticed that you had and you had no idea how to use them. To understand this message, we will discuss three women. But to begin this introduction, we must start the discussion with the head of the Martinez Family and the one common thread for each of the women in this family lineage, Sergio Martinez. And this will be tragically short. Sergio liked his women. Yes, he did.?
?He liked his women.
……… He liked them real young and sexy.
…………………… He liked them stone-cold dead.?
I walked over to the water dispenser and got myself some water. Maybe I was being a bit dramatic. But it was painfully nice to know some people would listen to my stories about my messed-up family.
Cresha looked like she needed some popcorns and a box of kleenex. Ed and Mike were at the edge of their seats like dogs waiting for their dinner bowl to be set down.
#1 Aiko
?Aiko began as one of Sergio?s girls. I am not sure of her last name or family. I am just passing on what I have learned from Julia, our neighbor in Andahuaylas.?
Cresha got engaged, ?You know Julia too? Maybe we are connected in some way.?
I laughed with a look of astonishment on my face. This was much more than a coincidence, more like providence if there is such a thing. ?I think something is definitely connected here. Yes, I do talk to Julia. But, I want to talk to you about your connection with my family later today, I don?t have much time right now and you have me curious! OK, where was I? ?. Sergio likes young women? When Aiko was 14-years-old, her aunt, my biological mother, sent her to work as a waitress in a bar in Puerto Maldonado.?
I looked at them intensely and asked, ?Do you know any of this story?? They all murmured back shaking their head telling me to continue.
?At first, Aiko was having fun. She was taught to wear make-up and high-heels. Aiko?s boss gave her nice dresses, makeup, and food. She even received some nice jewelry! Aiko had a job selling food and drinks in the bar. She was happy to have work and she wanted to send home some money to her aunt when she was able. Aiko felt lucky working inside the bar. There were many girls who were outside waiting for work. Each night, men came to the bar to eat and drink. The men loved to drink and forget about their problems. The men would often ask for a dance from the pretty Aiko. Huayno music is a favorite cultural dance and these guys love to dance. Later, they would go and choose a companion for the evening. Of course, the men were lonely and horny working for months mining gold. It was hard and dangerous work.?
Ed and Mike smiled and nodded their heads. I ignored them and continued.
?A few weeks after Aiko arrived, she did it with the boss?s son. She wrote in her journal that she was so happy to have a boyfriend. She thought they had a future. Like I told you, most of what I know, Julia saw in Aiko?s journal and told me. But Aiko said that her delight in having a boyfriend did not last a day. The next day, she was in the prostitution line, forced to have sex with the bar customers, ? sometimes up to five in an evening. After months of working every day, she asked for her money and to leave, she was told that she could not leave until she paid her rent and for the gifts she had been given. The money she earned was so little compared to what they demanded. Aiko wrote that she cried out to the mountain spirits every night, … and continued to work.?
?One evening, she was requested by a special customer. Aiko’s handler gave her a new dress and a room in the bar. She was given food and Aiko felt like something special was going to happen. Then she met Sergio. Aiko said that Sergio was larger than life, very impressive, not an unattractive man according to her journal, extremely strong, and well-respected by her boss and everyone he came into contact with. Sergio asked her to come to stay with him in Andahuaylas. Of course, she said yes.”
Cresha was getting agitated. ?So when do you get to the part about Victoria??
#2 Laka
?Well, spoiler alert,… Victoria is Sergio and Aiko?s daughter!?
Cresha had an astonished look on her face and turned towards Mike. But Mike and Ed were talking and laughing. They did not care what else was going on around them at that moment.
Cresha smacked Mike in his back. Mike laughed a little but stopped horsing around. ?Go ahead. We are listening,? said Cresha.
I looked at my watch. My mom would be calling soon.
?Like I was saying, Sergio was happy with Aiko until years later, Aiko learned that Sergio was holding many girls captive in a separate house near where they lived. The entries in her journal were very descriptive. So, around the time Victoria is 5 or 6, Sergio meets Laka. Laka was young, of course, Aiko wrote that she was 16. Laka had jet black hair?. Like me!? I had to smile.
?And.. a beautiful figure, and fairly large breasts.? I looked directly at Mike and Ed. ?Of course, that is a guy thing.?
Mike and Ed were acting like school kids, giggling and pushing each other. ?I am sure that is your thing, too,? Mike said to Ed. They started to smile until Cresha gave them a stern look.
I continued. ?Well, from what Aiko wrote, Sergio and Laka evidently had lots of sex. Aiko was mad with jealousy but she accepted the relationship between Laka and Sergio because Laka loved Sergio. Aiko loved Laka. Soon, Laka is pregnant. I was the prize!?
?Sergio tried to keep Laka and Aiko separate for most of the time and everything was good for a number of years. He got them both in bed one time when they were all very drunk. Aiko wrote that she did not know what happened. She suspected that Sergio drugged them and had sex with them while they were passed out. So everything was good until something happened with Laka. Julia and I did not find out what it was and it probably is not important except, whatever it was, drove a wedge between Sergio and Laka. It might have been another man. Aiko wrote a cryptic entry. During this time when there was a break, Aiko found an opportunity to tell Laka about the slave farm and warn her about what may happen. Laka knew about a bar that Sergio owned and that he had many young girls that he brought there.?
?One of Aiko?s last entries in her journal says that she overheard Sergio?s men saying that Sergio was planning to sell both of them to a slave ring in Madre de Dios. According to some people Julia found later, Sergio tried taking Aiko but she was yelling and screaming and begging. She pleaded for her life and for the life of Victoria. Sergio was drunk and, in a rage, tied her up, doused her with gasoline, and lit her on fire. Victoria saw the whole thing and said that her father danced around her mother as she screamed and burned.?
There was silence.
?Still drunk, Sergio directs two of his thugs to get Laka, and throw her off the mountainside. That is how he killed my blood mother. ?
Tears were rolling down my cheeks. I saw Cresha?s eyes watering up. I tried to collect myself. ?I am going to get ready to call my mom.?
Cresha?s demeanor fell. ?You said you were going to tell us about Victoria.?
?This is a very long story. OK, let me tell you just a bit more. Maybe we can talk later or tomorrow about Victoria.?
#3 Paulina
I cleared my throat and tried to focus. ?Well, soon after Sergio murders my blood mother, Sergio meets Paulina. Paulina is a sixteen-year-old girl. Not much older than Victoria. Sergio entices Paulina to go to his farm. Once at the farm, Sergio rapes Paulina. But after a short time, Sergio was evidently busy messing with some other of his whore-slaves. But Paulina was persistent and invited him, you know, being sexy and flirtatious. Paulina could be very persuasive. But Sergio passed on it, actually making him more and more desirable to her. Until one day, Paulina begged for it and one of Sergio?s guys who were in the room tried flirting with her. Then Sergio beat his man right there and screwed Paulina in front of everyone, including Victoria. Paulina became his new regular every day.
?What time is it??, I asked. Mike flashed me his watch. ?OK, I still have time.?
As Victoria told me, everything calmed down for a short time until Paulina was showing and it was obvious she was pregnant. The sex stopped as quickly as it started. I don?t think that Sergio was being considerate or worried about Paulina, he had other girls in mind. So soon, Paulina has babies, twins: Cristina and Nicolasa.?
?They resumed having regular sex after some time. But after two years, which is a long time for Sergio to be with one woman, something happens. Sergio becomes extremely restless. Sergio habitually walked around in a drunken rage yelling at the sky. The sex sessions become less frequent and usually turn into bang sessions. Sergio bangs Paulina?s head into the ground, or with his fists or anything he can find. Paulina begs Sergio to get married. But Sergio ignores her pleas. Victoria and I cared for Paulina when she got injured. Paulina became close to Victoria and me. We often cared for the babies because Paulina had trouble walking because of her head. I am not sure why I don?t have many recollections of those times. I am glad because it makes me terribly depressed. One day Paulina begins to show that she is pregnant. When Sergio learns that Paulina is pregnant, he begins to rape Victoria for several days. He tied her up and hung her from the beam in the barn. He would beat her while she hung upside down with her vagina and everything exposed?. This is not a nice story.?
I started crying. Victoria was my friend. I cried every time I re-lived this. Cresha too had begun to tear up again.
After a pause and we had all collected ourselves, Cresha said, ?I am glad you are telling us. Do you really need to go??
?Yes. You will see me later. If no one else comes to the ICU, we may have time. First, let me ask you an important question.?
Cresha said, ?Of course!?
?Do you have a twin sister? Nicole??
?Nikki! Yes! How did you know??
?Paulina is your biological mother.?