Soon after the typhoon, an unwholesome alliance developed between Marita and her Itay. He would confide in her about how Inang maltreated him, and how mean she was about money. He persuaded her that it was Inang’s fault that she was not more highly regarded by the St. Celestina snobs. Inang could afford to buy a much better car than the Buick yet she allowed Marita to suffer the indignity of being driven about in that old heap. During her visits home, Itay would massage the soles of her feet and tenderly caress her calves and thighs while she lay in their bed, wearing only her camisole. He would exclaim in broken Spanish, about how pert her breasts were growing and how well formed she would be.
Marita was easily persuaded that Inang was out to humiliate her because she was so much prettie
