Strange kind of love affair (1)
People who use each other sometimes become people who fall in love with each other.
(Author's note. This article, part 1 of 2, is inspired by a true story based on my coverage of the tourism industry circa the late 1990s.)
I met Hans during my many stints in Puerto Galera in the early 1990s. I was affiliated with a tourism NGO whose goal was to ensure the tourism industry did not trample on local peasants. I had long talks with Hans over beer and Scotch. We had a common attraction for each other because we were both adventurers of sorts. I had hitchhiked through Europe for three long years. He was a mercenary for many years in the wars in South Africa and elsewhere. This is how I can write this story about him.
As a former South African mercenary, Hans was a tough veteran with a chip on his shoulder.
When he arrived in Puerto Galera, he immediately got into altercations with fellow expats and natives. He gained notoriety and was avoided by many.
When he arrived, he instantly fell in love with the lovely beaches and the warm women, away from the wars he used to be employed in. This was the paradise he was looking for, which moved him to tears.
Imagine a vicious warrior weeping unashamedly because he had found a way out of his miserable life.
His first task was how to dig in. He had some savings to start his own modest beach cottage, but he had to go around the law (at the time) that foreigners could not own land. So, he propositioned Elsa, a dark, ugly prostitute he regularly availed of, to get married. It was a common practice among expats to marry ugly prostitutes to legalize land ownership — the more hideous, the better, the more attractive to them.
Of course, Elsa, the daughter of a poor fisherman forced by poverty into prostitution, took the offer without even thinking. For her, it was a big step up. She was no longer a prostitute. She had this "white lover" forever, the dream of many prostitutes, and was now a housewife of sorts.
Elsa told me, "My life soared from rags to riches. I had my own kitchen staff. I learned about foreign cuisine, which local cottages need to attract tourists. It was a perfect arrangement."
Hans told me, "I didn't have to pay for sex. She took care of the restaurant. I was still free as a bird after I taught her a bit about foreign cuisine. It was a perfect arrangement."