Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 20:03:35 -0800 (PST) From: John Michaels Subject: Filipino Love - chapter 45 FILIPINO LOVE BY JM Email: mmanlookin@yahoo.com Disclaimers and other info: see chapter one This story is my personal intellectual property. Any reproduction is forbidden without my express written permission. This and all subsequent chapters are dedicated to my own Filipino Love!! CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE We arrived at the house to find that Lorenzo had evidently taken the boys home and returned, as his car was parked on the street as we pulled up. After reassuring them that they didn't need to stick around, Carl and Raymar drove off, with Carl's confirmation that he'd see us in the morning after calling his company to take the time off. Once inside the house, I saw the family sitting around in the salla talking, minus the twins, but I could hear the TV in the bedroom, so I guess they were being entertained. As soon as he saw me, Ronni was up in a flash and flew into my arms, jumping up to wrap his strong young legs around my waist. "Is lola ok?" he asked, after kissing me. "Your lola is fine," I said, rubbing his back. "She's going to stay with your Uncle Ronald for now at the hospital. Let's go join the others, and I'll tell you what I know." I carried him into the salla, and Lorenzo stood up, as he'd been sitting in the spot that he knew Ronni and I usually occupied. Once we were settled and Lorenzo had grabbed a chair from the dining table, I told them what I knew about Ronald's condition and treatment. Venus was shocked when I mentioned all the STD's and I could tell that Ronni had a lot of questions about those but knew he could ask me later. Venus then told us about growing up with her younger brother. From the time he was born, Venus adored Ronald. She would help her mother take care of him, as much as a five-year old could do, and as he grew older, it was clear that Ronald adored his big sister as well. She always had time for him, and he would follow her around everywhere. When she was old enough to be able to do so, Venus would be the one to tuck him in at night and read stories to him as he fell asleep. Throughout telling us her story, her cheeks were wet with tears of love from the memories and, most likely, for lost innocence too. She said that their close relationship lasted right up until their father died around the time Ronald was eleven and she was sixteen. The loss of their father deeply affected all of them, but Ronald seemed to take it the hardest. He became withdrawn and sullen, often spending long hours alone. When he was about thirteen, he started staying out late, often with a group of boys his own age and older, and by the time he was fourteen, would often stay out all night on weekends, often returning the following morning dragging himself in and going straight to his room where he'd sleep most of the day before heading out again once it was night time. Any attempts at getting him to open up and tell them what was going on were always met with either sullen silence or an explosive outburst before he would again shut himself in his room. She said that several times, when he returned from his time with the other boys, she could detect the odor of marijuana on his clothes as he went past, and any attempts by Sanie or her to talk to him about it usually resulted with him denying everything and either locking himself in his room or storming out of the house, leaving behind a string of expletives. Venus said she noticed that when he was about fifteen, he was hanging around the most with several boys in particular, one of whom was very obviously and flamboyantly gay, and his nights away from the house increased. Finally, she said, the day he turned eighteen, he simply walked out the house and never returned. That was the last time he was seen until today. She said that both she and her mother were heart-broken when he just disappeared, but their love never waivered, and they both always hoped he'd return one day. Then she turned directly to Ronni and told him that he was named after his uncle, although with a deliberate difference in spelling, since there would always be only one Ronald in her and her mother's hearts. There was a heavy silence as we all absorbed Venus' narrative, but finally, it was Marcus who broke the silence. "Ronald has a long, hard fight ahead of him," he said. "But by the grace of God, the wonders of modern medicine and our love and prayers, we will get him, and all of us, through this." Venus reached over and took his hand. "Yes, we will, my love," she said, lovingly. "We have a strong family filled with love. We won't let Ronald or Mama down. He will get well! I can feel it in my heart." Everyone showed their agreement with that statement in his own way, and it was right about then that Ronni's stomach grumbled. No matter what the situation, when a teen's stomach growls, it had better be fed, poor timing or not. Ronni blushed when it happened, and I kissed his cheek, noticing that it was after 6:00. "It sounds like our dinner alarm," I said, poking Ronni in his belly and causing him to giggle, "is telling us it's time to eat. I think we all need a change of scenery, so does anyone have any ideas where we can go? And please, don't say McDonald's! We've already had our burgers today. I'd like to go somewhere where we can have a nice, sit-down family meal." Lorenzo spoke up, enthusiastically. "I know a great Thai restaurant at the...mall." He finished, quietly, thinking that maybe after our recent experiences there, that it wouldn't be a welcome option. Ronni put that to rest immediately. "I know that place!" he exclaimed. "I love Thai food! Can we go there, please?" He turned to me with pleading eyes. This brought indulgent laughter from all of us, so it was agreed. Thai food it was. I was a bit concerned about fitting everyone in the car, but realized we could do it, although it was going to be tight. Venus went to get the twins while I tried to figure out if I needed anything before we left. Remembering the wad of cash I'd grabbed earlier, I figured I had everything we'd need for dining out. Then I remembered my cel phone, and, pulling it out, checked to make sure there was sufficient charge. I'd been better at remembering to put it on the charger each night, so was happy to see I still had almost a full charge. I'd left my number with the hospital in case they needed to reach me for any reason, so I was definitely going to be making sure there was no dead battery. With this, we all went out to the car to head out. Lorenzo was driving, of course, and I insisted that Marcus take the front seat while the rest of us piled into the back. Venus sat on one side with Sara on her lap, Ronni sat in the middle with a squirming Christian on his lap, and I took the other side. As soon as I was settled, Christian immediately moved himself until he was sitting on my lap, and was perfectly still. The others all chuckled at this, and Ronni leaned over and kissed my cheek. "He loves you, you know," he said, looking lovingly at his little brother. "We all do, especially me!" With that he sat back and took my hand in his, leaning against me, and off we went. With Lorenzo's driving skills, we arrived at the mall in no time. As we all got out of the car, I got a mental picture of one of those clown cars at the circus where it seemed like the stream of clowns would never stop! Going through security, Lorenzo led the way until we were outside the restaurant. The smells that greeted us immediately set my mouth to watering, and I was glad Lorenzo had suggested this place. There was a host station at the door, and after determining that there would be seven of us, we were led toward a table near the back. Once seated, we were handed menus and asked if anyone would like something to drink. God, yes!! I really wanted a good strong drink right about now, and after glancing at the menu, noticed they offered Scorpion Bowls. The only downside to one of those is that it's really a two-person drink. There's simply too much alcohol for one person to drink and still be able to leave the place under your own power. When I expressed my thoughts, Marcus piped up and said he'd be happy to share one with me. Venus chuckled indulgently, so it looked like I – WE – were good to go! Venus ordered a rum and coke, but with a bit of cajoling, agreed to go with something new for her and more exotic, and she ordered a Planter's Punch. Lorenzo opted for ice tea, since he was driving, I assumed, and when I told him that one drink wouldn't be bad, insisted that he was happy with his choice, not really liking anything alcoholic. He said that he'd had enough experience when he was younger with the `morning after' effects that he pretty much steered clear of anything that could remotely cause a reoccurrence of the unpleasantries. Ronni ordered a coke and we got milk for the kids. As we waited for our drinks to arrive, we talked about the events of the day. Everyone agreed that only time would tell as to how things would turn out with Ronald, but Venus said that no matter what: she was happy to have her brother back under any circumstances. We decided that we'd better look at the menu to see what everyone wanted to eat and had just put our menus down when the waiter returned with our drinks. Ronni's eyes flew open when he saw the size of the drink that was placed in front of Marcus and me, and was even more amazed when the waiter lit the flame in the middle. Even Lorenzo seemed to be impressed. "You drink all that?" he asked in amazement. "No, Love," I said, laughing. "Only half. Your father gets the rest." The twins were totally entranced with the flaming drink and were jabbering excitedly. Although I couldn't understand all they said, it was clear they were talking about the `fire drink'. Once the waiter had taken our order, Marcus and I dug – sipped – in. The drink really hit the spot! We had a wonderful time, drinking, talking, laughing and drinking some more. I noticed I was really beginning to feel the effects of the drink and decided it was time to slow down. Marcus was evidently feeling it too, as he also backed off a bit. At this point, I wasn't sure if we'd even be able to finish it. It's a shame they don't give `doggy bags' for these. Once our food arrived, everybody got down to business. Everyone seemed to really enjoy what they had, and conversation was at a minimum while we all enjoyed the flavors of this exotic cuisine. There were only clean plates when we all finished, and we all sat back with a collective sigh of satisfaction. When it came time to order dessert, everyone declined, including Ronni and the twins. When I raised an eyebrow at him when he turned down the offer of dessert, Ronni leaned close to me and told me that if he got hungry later, his favorite dessert would be at the house. Immediately getting the sexual innuendo, I'm sure I blushed, but, with the dim ambient lighting of the restaurant, hopefully no one noticed. I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat as my hardening cock tried to find room in my shorts. Ronni was the only one to notice, thank God, probably waiting for this reaction, and he gave me a wink and a grin. When the waiter returned with the bill, I was astonished. The total was 3250 pesos, with the Scorpion Bowl being the most expensive item. A quick mental calculation told me that everything came to about $80 US. I was expecting at the very least twice that amount. A meal like this back home would have cost the same for two people, and we had managed to feed seven for the price! I handed the waiter 4000 and told him the rest was his. He was clearly surprised but very appreciative and thanked me profusely. He had provided excellent service and been attentive to our every need without being intrusive. He'd earned it, as far as I was concerned. We all waddled our way out to the car, all of us stuffed by that excellent meal. With the same seating configuration as when we arrived, we headed home. It wasn't long into the trip before I had a sleeping Christian on my lap, and glancing over at Venus, saw that Sara was also asleep. I held the little boy to me as we made our way home, taking in his little boy scent and feeling his unconditional love. Life just doesn't get any better than this. I couldn't resist giving him a gentle squeeze and kissing the top of his head, which Ronni noticed, and smiled lovingly at me. "I love you so much, Phil," he said, quietly, then leaned against me and kissed my cheek. You would naturally assume that the first stop would be the Martinez', since they had the greater number of people, including the two youngest, both now fast asleep. But with the location of the restaurant, our place was the first to be reached, and when we arrived at the house, there was a bit of a struggle as I tried to get out of the car without disturbing a sleeping Christian. As I placed him gently on his fathers' lap, I impulsively leaned in and kissed both of them on the cheek. "Good night, my son," he said, with moist eyes. "Thank you for everything." Ronni also leaned in and kissed his father and brother goodnight, and once they were sure everyone was settled, drove off. Ronni and I stood there, watching the tail lights of the car disappear, our arms around each other. Then turning to me, Ronni leaped into my arms, legs wrapped around my waist and kissed me, his tongue demanding entrance. We dueled tongues for a while, and then he moved his head back and looked at me with smoldering eyes. "Husband," he said, throatily, "I'm hungry for dessert now!" Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. 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