Frank Mendez's life from adolescent to old age shaped his idiosyncrasies. A clinical psychologist evaluating it probably would have described him as:
-- A male with a common place personality, average IQ and a mediocre life history.
In simple words any person who knew Frank intimately during his adolescent years would have described him as a dumb kid with a sly smile hanging on his face all the time. However, in reality Frank did not fit in that mold completely. Perhaps he chose to appear as one, during the normal human intercourses of life. If that psychologist had succeed in studying the activities of his hidden brain, which remained a secret to everyone, except Frank himself, he would have come up with a category to describe him as, 'NOS' (Not Otherwise Specified) in the catalogs of psychological profiles. In a strange way, Frank either was naturally endowed with one or later developed it while stepping into his youth. No doubt he had a highly developed sense of a perception; nothing escaped his cognitive brain's calculating autonomous system. He analyzed the events of his life to understand the causes by their effects; especial those that affected him profoundly.

One if the several reasons for him not displaying this ability to others, had to do with his building a bullet proof cocoon to hide his true self. Its construction began with the death of his mother when he was just ten as a self-protecting capsule because getting labelled as an indolent, borderline retarded, secretive and an introvert lad started after the sympathy for a motherless child eroded with time. His own father; a farmer cum businessman began the tirade against his son when he discovered that son had no interest in acquiring the education needed for the talking over the family business and management from him in due time. When the father himself joined the child bashing team made up of math teachers and the church officials, rest joined. Most of the educated and upper-class friends and acquaintances promptly branded him as such and did not miss any opportunity to belittle him.

Frank's father being a Wadi owner with substantial holdings in the Palm and other cash crops producing lands was busy doing the farming and marketing the products. He had a limited education but wanted his son to be a professional, sophisticated person like the Portuguese men living in the Goa at that time. His efforts to get son involved in the business failed and he began to get frustrated when he discovered that Frank had other ideas of building his own future. Frank hated the labor involved in the farming work as well as supervising the tenants and servants. He escaped from his classroom, church and father whenever he got a chance and spent his time on the wharf and beaches, dreaming about the exotic places he had heard from the visiting deck hands and admired the Portuguese seamen in navel uniform. His heart was set on floating away on a Merchantman heading out to ocean beyond the Arabian Sea to see every corner of the world.

Out of fear of getting ridiculed or just by his innate nature, Frank hid his thoughts from anyone. He avoided both the local events and people as much as he could just to escape from that perennial inquiry about his progress in the education field. By the time he turned nineteen his father gave up on him and began planning for bringing in a smart and educated daughter in law, if not a second wife for himself and when Miriam came in his view the first time, he went to see her father, an old school friend-- Dr. De Costa. The Doctor and his family had just returned from Spain. In the very first close encounter with her and after discussing few worldly affairs he recognized the opportunity that stood there for grabbing. His desired daughter-in-law, Mariam with the qualities he wished his foolish son had, sat in front of him, and rest is history. Frank with his perpetual indifference to the events happening in his life went along with the scheme as soon as he saw Miriam flirting with the old man and showing interest in his Wadi business. The very first series of thoughts his calculating secretive mind produced were:

"She will do what dad wants and it will keep him off my back. It is most likely to happen, that she will plunge into that sordid business of selling coconuts, tobacco, keeping books and managing money; that ought to give me the chance to be free of that ogre."

With these calculations, he went along with his father's plan to marry with as much enthusiasm as a child approaches a health worker waiting with a syringe to give a vaccination shot. Loaner as he was, with neither mother nor a sister around him to access his inner feelings, he went through the ceremony of 'I do' in a mechanical manner of a robot. The father-in-law received more congratulations than the groom and no one noticed the lack of excitement on Frank's face as they were busy hovering around the bride and her father in law.

Frank was glad when that was over and promptly went to bed on their first night and Mariam had to wait until morning to force him to consummate the marriage which she considered as an important duty of a married man. She was in extreme hurry for that occasion for the reasons she in her heart knew along with the young priest who married them. However, she did not know that her husband was not as stupid as he looked and his reputation in the community. Frank on the other hand had already figured that morning why his new virgin bride so anxiously wanting to complete the affair of d' amore. The secret behind Mariam's acceptance of him; a semi-educated, Dumbo in the matrimony had come to him by shear accident.

When their marriage was fixed, Frank was forced to go to church to learn the procedures and etiquettes of the Holy Church. The Catholic Church required that would be groom and the bride must have fully understood those canons of faith and the responsibilities and duties of a married couple. It included another matter of utmost important, 'how in a catholic way procreation and avoidance of it' is accomplished. In short, 'the Rhythm method of contraception. All newlyweds had to get educated on this procedure. The short course had to do with the how to be a man and woman and plan the procreation without incurring any sin. The groom got his lecture from a senior padre who told him that he would need instructions in the subject of solemn duties of a man as the head of the household and the conception business before a man takes the vows of marriage. Frank believed he had the complete understanding about how sexual activities are performed bisexually. His knowledge of this business was based on the talks with the folks working on the ships at the anchorage he used to hang out with when they were on shore furloughs plus there were enough stray animals performing the procreation duties on the open to educate everyone watching them how male and female organs had duel purposes. What he had learned however, was limited to what men do to women to make them hot and how it is physically done. He had no clue about the conception of life in the womb, except often heard the 'Immaculate Conception' which happened to a divinity chosen woman like the mother of the Lord.

"What in the world this old man, who never saw an adult woman without cloths, was going to teach me?"

This thought had crossed his mind as he was on his way to the Rectory for what he thought would be a lesson in sex education. Well it was indeed one "a La Carte' sex education from the Roman Catholic aspects which no one else had imparted on him before. Of course its importance had escaped him at that time.

The rhythm system involves proper timings for the intimacy. It is designed to avoid a baby producing intercourses, If the time to have child was not appropriate or desired.There are safe days in each month in a woman's ovulation cycle when the couple can perform the copulations as many times as both could handle and avoid the fertilization and conception. Alternatively, to improve the probabilities of fertilization and conception happening, the couple must perform the act on the three or more days when a woman is in the highly ovulated state.

The clergy taught course also had warnings associated with the processes of performing the sex act. The only joy permitted to couple during the intimate sex, according to the Biblical dictate, was that the joy the couple derive from it must be a byproduct of the procreation exercise, and not the primary reason for having sex. Any prevention of a pregnancy done by using any artificial objects, chemicals etc., was a sin that would bring the consequential wrath of the Father in heaven. In short, a man could enjoy sex anytime to relieve his tension but she cannot have the joy of it any time, except when it was performed to achieve the motherhood.

From the early adolescent period of his life, Frank's mind displayed one trait of high intelligence more than the other needed to succeed in the academic world. He had a keen sense of grasping the essence of issues arising around him. He rarely missed noticing anything unusual happening in the environs he was in. His life had gone just being around and watching the events without consciously participating in it. He would have become a successful spy or a detective if only anyone would have noticed that. Instead of that, he was ignored by everyone and father had instilled in him, an inferiority complex by calling him by nasty and derogatory names.

This time also, most of that boring sex lecture had escaped his mental storage and he had left the place of that ordeal, no more educated than he had entered. However that Rhythm business in entirety had made its way to his long-term memory. He needed more help than that clumsy speech to really understand that mystery called, 'Wife' and how to get or not get her pregnant. His buddies were useless source when it came to this business.

However, after that evening session with the priest, he learned about the women's reproductive cycles and the 'Rhythm' System of contraception from another trusted source. He decided to turn to his trusted old auntie Cecilia. As his mom's sister, she had become his caregiver after his mother's death. She was the only person who had high expectations of him and was the only source of kindness and admiration for his handsome face. That evening, the old aunt walked him through the whole manual on making babies:

"Remember how your mother used to sit away from everyone for three or four days locked up in the other room when even you couldn't go near her? That was the time she had that thing, called 'Period.' All matured women have to be like that every month and after that period is over, then a woman can go to her man but, mind it, next ten or so days, man cannot make baby, even though he puts that (she pointing at his penis), in her pussy and let go of the oil that makes the baby. For making her to carry a baby, he has to wait beyond that safe period and then put that oil in her every day for at least five days. If the woman does not get the period, then they are successful and she is pregnant and stays without the period until she gives the birth. It all begins again."

With this knowledge of baby making, it became crystal clear to him that the reason behind Mariam's consenting to marry him was not his looks but something else. With his habit of eavesdropping on his father's conversations, Frank had heard the young priest, Father De Melo telling his father that Mariam was not ready for a wedding in the first week of June because of the period dates. When he learned that the would be wife's Period days coming in the first week of June, he began to search ways to find out when her period dates would fall in July, the moth they were scheduled to get married. Then he accidently learned that a woman would not enter the Church for the days of the month when she would be considered unclean. Suspicious about her motives, he kept track of her coming and going to church during the first week of July; the 3 days of 'period'. He called on her everyday during that week and checked with the Church employees if she had visited the parsonage. Her regular visits to meet the young priest in seclusion gave his suspicion of her having an affair with him a possibility; a real answer to the riddle of his marriage had emerged-she was with his child and that's why she had no unclean days at all. That was good enough for him to plan his escape to the sea, right after they got married. As it is the fine woman he was to marry, spoke fluent French, Spanish, Portuguese and English and her sophisticated, and vivacious personality, intimidated him to a point that his natural sexual instinct were all but dead. The local young women from his Wadi played with him and gave the sexual excitements, whenever they were together alone since he had turned sixteen. In fact, one voluptuous young woman from the servant's village had succeeded in getting in his pants when he was just a teenager. He wanted her more than the woman he was to marry soon. He was comfortable in the company of his equal as she definitely did not make him feel inferior to her. This young woman, Malti was her name, was the daughter of the former owner of that farm. Frank's grandfather had loaned him a large sum for her dowry and wedding. Malti and Frank were childhood sweethearts but their religion and her lower cast had made the union impossible and they were aware of this ground reality. However, on the second day prior to her wedding date, they managed to meet in their secret place for the 'one last kiss' and in that lover's parting moment, both lost their virginity. Few months later, Malti returned to her father's home, pregnant and a widow. By the time Frank got married she had a three month old son and was working on the farm which was now owned by Frank's dad as Srikant Khot, Malti's father had failed to pay back the loan and had to lose the farm.

Well, that knowledge he acquired from his aunt, came to his use when the newlywed went on the honeymoon to Marma Goa, the port city near Punji. He didn't have much to say to his wife and she spoke to him only about his future plans. To his relief, she went to sleep pretending that the journey made her tired. Sitting in that hotel room staring at her, he in his head had calculated that she was in that safe period according to that Rhythm period thing. He simply got out, went to a Merchant Marine Club and found few acquaintances. They got drunk together, sang the Konkani and Portuguese Songs, danced with the women and fell asleep until dawn.

When he returned to his room, it was midday and found out from the hotel clerk that Mariam had gone shopping. He ate a hearty lunch and went to bed. When she returned it was past six in the evening. They smiled at each other and without much ado about the day, moved onto the next phase. She was pleasant to him and did not inquire about his absence of previous night as if it was her fault he had to go out. When they returned home next day, their marriage was still not consummated. That week passed and that was the last day of July and in few days she would have to have her period which she knew had not come in the June and wasn't going to come in July. As a pregnant bride, she became desperate to ensure that the conception is a legitimate one, Somehow she had to catch him before he could escape into the night.

Like a predator feline, waiting in the grass, she waited patiently behind the bathroom door without a stich and as he came out with a towel around his waist and a song on his lips, she literally ambushed him. Without much of foreplay she forced her way; sort of raping him. He did not enjoy it and she made sure his semi-erected shaft head had entered her. Having made him to discharge in her vagina, she had accomplished the task of consummation. Helplessly he let it happen and when it was over, he cleaned himself and walked out of the house to disappear in the world he was comfortable in. She pricked her finger and put few drops of blood on the bedsheet for the old maid to see and gossip that would protect her progeny and herself from the stain of illegitimacy. The weeks rolled and she did not get her period in July. Her jubilant father-in-law announced it to the world by giving a huge party. Frank had a great laugh at that foolish father's jubilant boasting. He slipped out of the Mendez Mansion and spent time playing with Malti's son; no one missed him.

Here sitting on that bench near the school bus stop in Sau Paolo, Frank was reliving that day. That day he instinctively and by his own calculations had known that his wife was pregnant when he married her and that forced act of consummation of marriage he was put through, as he understood later, was a planned thing to make that pregnancy a legitimate conception. When Pascue came in the world, Frank had already left home on the Africa bound vessel as a Khalasi (seaman). After that, he arrived home on shore leave during her safe period and yet she carried three more children in the similar manner. Each time he played possum and let the things go on as they were set by the destiny. To him their marriage and aftermath of it was a fraud no different than the card shark's tricks played on him in a three card poker. It was that alien world where he lived and despised and ran away from. When he left them during her last pregnancy, he took an oath never to return to his native land nor care for his ancestral estate from which his father had alienated him. In Brazil he met a Mulatto woman with two small boys. She reminded him of that woman who in his adolescent years had introduced him to sex. He married her and together, they raised her two boys and eventually opened that restaurant in Pinheiros in the Pra Benedito Calixto Squaro.

That morning, sitting in Sau Paulo suburb, he was wondering how he was going to break this newly acquired bond with a son and his children who were carrying his name but not his genes. The legal intricacies of real estate and ownership claims were not even in his thinking. He lived a very happy and content life of his own choosing and was not willing to give it up now. Grandpa he thought was just a temporary novelty to the children and their attraction to him was a passing phase. Once he runs out of adventure stories, they would move on and their mother would make sure that they stay on the course; one that may not allow them to stop at the station called grandpa's domain.

On the way home from the children's bus stop, he was searching for a way to let Pascue, Rosie and children know that he couldn't leave the restaurant for his two sons to manage all by themselves and he must return home as soon as they could let go of him. Frank had no way to know the other issues Doctor and his wife were battling with.
" I'm going to be straight out and up front about it; I just don't belong to their world," he thought, just like the day he left his father's villa, on the Africa bound vessel thirty plus years ago.

When he arrived at Doctor and Rosita Mendez's Villa, the housemaid was waiting for him. Both Rosie and Dr. Pascue had called to check on him and told her to wait at the door to admit him in the house.