Eleven Orphan Daughters

On the way back to the house, she cuddled up close. "Why you give her so much money?" she asked. "Because I like her, she has been very kind." "No need for money," she whispered so the driver could not hear. "I'll look after you."

They moved into the new home over the weekend. It was wonderful to see the happy looks on their faces as they contemplated having more space, their own cupboards and wardrobes and in some cases their own room.

As the only man in the house, Rose said John should have the room on the rooftop. "You will have it all to yourself," Pansy said as she made his bed. "You will have many visitors. You can entertain them in private up here,"

Pansy was like a second skin she hardly left his side. She only scurried away when Ruby called, "we have to go to public security to register that you are living here."

The head of the Provincial Public Security Bureau's face lit up when he spied Ruby. John was quick to notice how his smile turned to a frown when he spied John.

He took John's passport and sat him down. Turning to Ruby, he spoke loudly waving his arms and pointing at John. John could see Ruby becoming angry. He did not understand a word they were saying but could not help admiring the way Ruby stood her ground.

Realizing people were watching the bureau chief ushered them in to another room, where the argument continued. It was nearly an hour later when Ruby indicated they could leave. "What about my passport?" he asked. "They will keep it here," she replied her red face still showing the strains of her argument.

In the bus, she relaxed. "What was that all about? He asked. She took a deep breath. "His English name is Michael. He and I were friends. We went out together for some time. Just after you came here on your first visit, he asked me to marry him. I told him I was not ready for marriage. He blames you. He says you are buying me with your money and gifts."

"That Hanoi contractor complained you were breaking the law." John blew up, that's bull shit." She took his hand and smiled, "I know but Michael thought he could use that complaint against you. I convinced him to let you go until he checks my story with the party officials."

"Have I caused trouble for you?" he asked. She blushed, "not really." "You are wonderful," he whispered. "I am glad we are working together. Have you thought of giving up your job with the ministry and becoming the full time manager of our business?" She looked at him, "why do we need a manager?"

John sighed. "I need someone to take responsibility for our training program. Remember this feedlot is a trail. If it works, the provincial government will build an industry here. It will create many jobs. We cannot afford to fail."

"One or two of the family must be trained in animal husbandry. They will probably have to go to Hanoi to college or university. We will need to work on our workers English."

"We will have to hire trucks and fit them out to carry cattle. They will need partitions and lots of sand or a special floor with non-slip surface so the cows are not injured on the poor roads.
"Our driver training must extend to every member of the family. The driver we hired wants to return to Hanoi. We will have to buy our own second hand mini bus. We need a couple of motor bikes. .They are quicker than push bikes and not as expensive as a bus."

"Stop," she cried, "that's enough. I get the message. You and I should talk to mum, and then we should ask my sisters what jobs they would like." She laughed. "The first thing you and I must do is write all your ideas down on paper so I can remember them."

John was ready to celebrate. The feedlot was finished. The Automatic watering system and the manure washing system were the last to be tested. They had worked perfectly.

He walked slowly up to his room. "These bloody stairs will be the death of me," he complained as he stripped for his shower. "Is that you Mr. John?" Pansy called. "Do you want a massage?"

John didn‘t know what to say. Of course, his tired old bones wanted a massage. He wondered whether Pansy knew what Melissa had done in his room each night.

If she did then he was in trouble. He had not laid a hand on any of the Rose's girls and had no plans to touch them. Even though there were one or two that stirred his interest.

Pansy was a horny little thing who made his prick stir. Ruby was beautiful, a woman of substance. Mai was gorgeous. She was seventeen years old and still at school. Kim was another hottie. She flirted outrageously with him in front of her sisters. Lelani was a quiet one. She rubbed her body against his at every opportunity giving the impression she would like to take things further.

"Not tonight Pansy," he replied, "maybe tomorrow." He was taken by surprise when she wandered into his room catching him in his boxers. "Lelani will help, and my sisters want to come and watch."

Twenty minutes later John lay face down on the bench. Pansy had thrown a towel over his boxers. She was massaging his shoulders and back while the family sat around watching and talking.

John's massage became a regular family gathering. Each evening after work, the family gathered on his roof top patio. They tested each other's English. They played games and discussed the day's activities while Lelani and Pansy massaged him.

He lay under a towel in his boxers talking to the others while their hands under the towel grew more daring, creeping closer and closer to his prick.

To hide his anxiety he decided to use the time to hold family meetings. "Ruby and I need to talk about the feed lot management. It is finished and ready to receive cattle. I will have to travel to Australia to buy suitable cows. I have asked Ruby to give up her job and become our manager. She wants to talk it through with the family."

"What ever Ruby decides we will have to bring some men into our operation," John told them as Lelani rubbed his legs. "Why do we need men?" Kim asked. He looked at her surprised at the question. "We will need workers to drive the new tractor and trailer to collect fodder from the contracting farms."

"We will need workers to chop the fodder in the chaff cutter and feed the cows. We will need workers to do all the cleaning and laboring jobs, look after the calves, milk the cows, and deliver the milk. Is that enough?" he said as he winked at Ruby.

Kim laughed, "You still haven't said why we need men. Women can do all those things. Women work harder than men." John felt Lelani‘s hand reach the inside of his thigh. His prick jumped as he tried to respond to Kim. "I don't care if they are men or women we need more workers."

Rose whose life had changed dramatically since John moved in, joined them as he spoke. "The orphanage where my husband's sister works is crowded with new babies after the typhoon season."
"They have four girls who are over sixteen. They have asked me to take them so they can make room for some younger ones. I said yes. They will be here next week."

She looked at John "I will need our bus to collect them. I would like you to come with me. It would be good for you to see this orphanage."

John thought my god where are we going to put four more girls but the family did not seem to worry. They crowded around happily asking questions.

Rose talked to John as he drove the bus down to the orphanage to pick up the four girls. She made him stop at the markets and buy powdered milk, fruit, cakes and candy. He bought much more than she suggested. "I'm sure they'll eat it all," he laughed when she said he had bought too much.

John's heart skipped a beat when he saw the four girls waiting with their life's possessions in a couple of plastic carry bags. When he went inside he quickly realized that they were the lucky ones.

The orphanage was very poor. The facilities very basic but clean. It was in need of a good coat of paint and modern equipment. He felt sorry for the staff they were doing the best they could with the meager funds available.

The smaller kids gathered around hanging on to his hand hugging his legs. They wanted love; it was something an institution could not give. He sat and hugged them as the staff handed out the gifts they had bought at the market.

He had a couple of hundred US dollars in his wallet and gave it to the cook. Her face lit up as the manager explained that was about three million Dong. "Paint the kitchen and their dining room, spend the rest on food," he said as he promised that he would try to find someone or somebody in Australia to help them.

On the way home, John talked to Rose and the girls. One of the girls spoke perfect English. "You speak good English where did you learn to speak it so well?" John asked. "My mother was a teacher. My parents died in a road accident when I was fourteen. I have been at the orphanage two years." He looked at Rose, "she can be your assistant and help the family and our workers with their English."

John flew home to Australia alone. He had tried to take Ruby with him but the consulate rejected her visa application." We have a lot of overstays," they told him. "Especially beautiful single girls, many end up prostitutes."

John became angry. How could anyone think he might be talking Ruby to Australia to become a prostitute. Instead of blowing up, he bit his tongue. It was no use getting local consular officials offside.

In Australia, he bought and arranged for 100 heifers in calf to be shipped to Haiphong. At the last minute, he added a Braham bull and five steers He only bought top quality cattle. He wanted to prove his doubters wrong.

He contacted local charity and church groups and told them about the orphanage. They referred him to a group of Vietnam veterans who ran a local services club. They had been looking for a project to sponsor in Vietnam.

After they met and he showed them his photographs they promised to raise five thousand Australian dollars per year for a five-year period. They also promised to visit the orphanage and prepare a plan on how to spend the money.

Down at the pub he showed them photographs of the feedlot and the house. "I'm living there with Rose and her eleven daughters," he told an incredulous group of drinkers. Their amazement increased when he showed them photographs of the girls.

"We'll see," Harry said when confronted with the news that John was buying cattle. "He still has to make it work." Stan was less charitable, "Don't deal with the commo bastard." He told anyone who would listen.

The local stock and station agents, feed suppliers and breeders were friendlier. On their advice, he arranged for stock food, additives, seeds, and veterinary supplies to be loaded on the boat bringing the cattle.

John was happy to leave them all behind and head back to Vietnam. He missed Rose and the family. It became obvious that they missed him too. They were all at the airport when he arrived. He was pleased none of his former mates could see the flowers and the hugs and kisses they gave him.

Their mini bus was over crowded. The girls said Ruby should drive, as they wanted John to sit with them in the back. He realized why, when they took it in turns to sit on his lap and snuggle up to him as they reported on their work and studies.

The next two weeks flew by as John prepared the feedlot and the family for the arrival of the cattle. The first of the fodder especially grown by the contractors was processed and stored. The pipeline from the reservoir and the water tanks completed. The feedlot roads sealed.

Because of the regular breakdown of the local power system John decided to install a generator with sufficient capacity to run the lighting system as well as the milking machines and the dairy. He bought an extra large generator from a failed foreign joint venture.

When Rose queried the need for all that power he explained, "We will need it to run our machinery our cold rooms and computers. We will need power if we are to set up our own communications system. We won't need all the power that generator can produce but we may as well ensure sufficient power now before we start."

Finally, they received notification that the boat would arrive on the weekend. With the help of the local committee, they hired a contractor who placed temporary modifications in his trucks to ensure that cows would not slip and fall on the way from the boat to the feedlot.

"We will hire an extra car as well as the bus so you can all come down to meet the boat and see the cattle unloaded," he said as he urged them to go to bed early. "We will leave before the sun gets up and it will probably be dark before we get back."

"What a bloody circus," John exclaimed as they arrived at the wharf. "Come on," he yelled to the girls in the car, "the cows are loose." Ten cows had escaped when the ships crew left the gate to the unloading ramp open.

It seemed no one was in charge or no one knew what to do. His valuable cows had been left to wander aimlessly around amongst the ports tractors and trucks.

It could have been worse than a circus. However, more through good luck than good management no man or beast was injured. The port's facilities for livestock were virtually non-existent. Many truck drivers seemed scared of the cows.

Wharf authorities instead of helping continually put obstacles in their way. In the end, John and the family did most of the work themselves.

Tired and hungry they drove back to unload the cattle at the farm. Because of the difficulties at Haiphong and the need to drive slowly on the poor roads, it was after midnight when the last cow was safely in the feedlot.

Early the next morning John strolled through the feedlot as dawn was breaking. A group of women hired by Kim as farm hands stood waiting for instructions. He set them to work carting feed and checked to see that the watering system was working.

Ruby joined him as he sat on a fence watching the women work. "You are turning in to a typical Vietnamese farmer," she laughed." They sit and watch while the women work."

"They are very pretty it's not hard to sit and watch." He answered. ."I have been thinking. We need shift bosses and a farm manager as well as an over all manager. Kim would make a good farm manager."

"I was watching these women work. We could pick a good worker like that one there and give her responsibility for the work on her shift." Ruby whispered, "Settle down and relax for a moment."

She gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Congratulations you're feedlot is very impressive. Mum and the party secretary placed a lot of faith in you and your ideas. They will be relieved now the buildings are up and the cattle are here. The knockers will be disappointed. They wanted you to fail."

She waved his objections aside. "You did it and you know it," she said as she changed the subject. "We need to send someone down to the market. We will need food and drink to entertain the visitors."

"What visitors?" he asked. "The visitors who will just want to see the foreign cows. The visitors who will come to see their first feedlot. The visitors who will come because they want to find something to criticize."

She smiled, "by the time this day is over, Mum's family and her feedlot will be the main talking point throughout this province." Ruby was right. Their friends and neighbors turned up early to inspect the cows. They complained when they had to clean their boots and shoes and their bikes and vehicles had to drive through a wash. Never the less it would be true to say that the majority were impressed.

It was mid morning before the first of the provincial officials arrived. Most were surprised how quickly the cows had settled down. Ruby was quick to point out that John's insistence on good food, the latest equipment, building design and technology made it easy for the cattle to eat drink and rest.

Strings of local ministry officials followed members of the people's congress and finally the Chairman and the party secretary. John thanked them for their support. "You should be very proud," he told them. "This small feedlot will help us show the other provinces how to run a successful dairy industry."

John's voice was hoarse from answering questions when the final visitor left that night. "I want a beer and a nice gentle massage," he told Rose as they walked back to the house.

The family joined John as Lelani and Pansy commenced his massage. "Everything worked well," John told them as they relaxed. "You were magnificent. It has been harder than I thought." "Transporting the cows from the boat to the farm was a lot tougher than I expected." He raised his bottle of beer. "That's over. Now we have to make it work." He looked around the room, "and we will."

A few cows had traveled badly; but most were over the effects of their long journey from Australia within days. John hired a young veterinarian as a full time vet. She checked each cow in turn entering his or her details on the computer.

Kim told him that night that every cow's history was on tape. In future, their daily feed regime would be recorded along with the quantity of milk produced. This would allow them to monitor the performance of each cow.

It was three o'clock in the morning when Kim called John to the feedlot. "They have a cow in the birthing room and thought you would like to be there for the first calf." By the time, he reached the feedlot she had rung just about everybody in the district. It looked to him as though they had all turned up to see the calf born.

The birth went extremely well, "no drama," the vet said as she showed the cheering crowd the young female calf. "We have another three or four ready to drop their calves, I won't call you again."

News of the first calf brought another string of visitors. The feedlots reputation grew, creating a problem as the number of visitors increased.

As the calves left their mothers, milking and hygiene became a problem. They needed extra staff. John on Kim's insistence interviewed local women. They surprised him with their confidence. They had had experience with water buffalo.

The wages set by Ruby and local party officials were so low that he hired six. "We will need more later let's train the all now," he explained. John was up early every morning working with the six women providing what he called on the job training.

Pansy took control of the dairy and its cold rooms. Within days, Vinamilk sent a representative to inspect milking conditions before contracting to take all the milk they could supply.

"Clean is the word that must always be on your mind." John told Pansy as he inspected her cold rooms. Clean hands, clean uniforms, clean equipment, clean teats, if you keep everything clean the milk factories will want our product above all others.

Pansy stood quite close, "its cold isn't it?" she whispered as she ran her arm around his back and snuggled up close. John placed his arm around her and headed for the door. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his hands off Rose's daughters.

John was discussing the need for more grain in the cows feed mix when Ruby arrived to tell him that the Australian Government's Trade Commissioner in Hanoi wanted to talk to him. "I must do something about the bloody mobile phone system in this province," he moaned as he walked to her office.

After some small talk, the Commissioner asked could he arrange for a delegation from John's home state to visit the feedlot next month. "Who are they?" John asked. "I don't have any names," the commissioner replied. "I think it has been organized by the same mob that brought you up here." John thought for a minute, "what have I got to loose. November will be fine; it will be a lot cooler then."

Rose became agitated when John told her that there was going to be an important visit from people from his home state. She mumbled to herself and picked up her kitten before going outside to sit on her own.