Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2013 10:14:34 -0800 (PST) From: John Michaels Subject: Filipino Love - chapter 50 FILIPINO LOVE BY JM Email: mmanlookin@yahoo.com Disclaimers and other info: see chapter one This story is my personal intellectual property. Any reproduction of any kind is prohibited without my express written permission. This and all subsequent chapters are dedicated to my own Filipino Love!! CHAPTER FIFTY Once we returned to our own place and everyone was firmly ensconced in their own seat in the salla, I asked if anyone would like anything to drink. Since all the drink orders were non-alcoholic, I asked Ronni if he'd get those for everyone while I got dinner going. I doubt if he'd had any drink-mixing experience, and we didn't have time now for me to give him a crash course in `Mixology 101', so I'm glad it was all soft drinks and water. While he was doing that, I turned on the burner for the potatoes and set the oven to preheat for the salmon. I then dashed outside, probably startling Ronni by my sudden departure, to grab a lawn chair for myself since we only had the four dining chairs. A new dining set with enough chairs was definitely on my shopping list for when the remodeling was done! When I came in the door, Ronni was just heading to the salla with a tray of drinks, and he looked at me quizzically. When I indicated the chair in my hand, he smiled, nodded, blew me an air kiss and went to hand out drinks. I had just set the chair down when the pre-heat signal beeped, so I grabbed the prepped tray of fish and popped in the oven, checking the potatoes to see how they were doing. They were just beginning to come to a boil, so it looked like everything would be done at the same time. Setting the oven timer for 15 minutes, I took the bowl of marinating veggies out of the ref just as Ronni walked by, and with a look of innocence, goosed me as he went past. His demeanor never changed, although I though I detected his shoulders shaking in suppressed laughter. I chuckled quietly at his antics and went over to the counter where he was getting down the plates for dinner. Setting the bowl I was carrying on the counter, I made as to reach past for the serving plates and with my other hand, out of sight of the others, groped his generous teen package. He gasped and moaned quietly, then looked at me with longing. "That wasn't fair," he whispered. "I'm already horny for you and now you've made me hard! I can't go out there with this!" He indicated his crotch. Looking down, I could see he was right! His hard shaft of teen meat was clearly outlined on the front of his shorts, which were snug to begin with, so that I could clearly see the full outline of his shaft with the head and flare of the crown prominently displayed, and my own cock twitched at the sight. I briefly felt a moment of regret for causing it. Nah! Must have been something else! I grinned at him and winked. He gave me an exasperated look then shut his eyes, and I could see his lips moving. I could finally make out what he was saying as he seemed to get more desperate, and I started laughing. "Fat, naked, wrinkled old grannies! Fat, naked, wrinkled old grannies!" "You forgot "in spandex" ", I whispered in his ear, chuckling. But his mantra seemed to be working, since the front of his shorts weren't quite as tight or revealing. "I am SO going to get you for this!" he said, kissing my cheek and finally heading off with the place settings. "I certainly hope so! I'll be looking forward to it!" I said, and he stopped so quickly, he almost toppled over frontward. I saw a shudder and thought I could detect a soft moan, before he took a few deep breaths and continued to the table. The others appeared to be involved with discussing the house and remodeling, and Ronni and I had kept our voices low enough that they shouldn't have carried for the others to hear. Carl was the one more in our line of vision, and he had a big grin and was slowly shaking his head. I just shrugged my shoulders and grinned back. I turned back to the counter and got back to fixing the individual salad plates. With a garnish of parsley for each, I took all five to the table where Ronni was finishing up the place settings and placed them around. He was very impressed with my balancing act, and I told him that I was a waiter during one of my summer vacations and learned how to do it. I told him it actually saved time from making multiple trips from the kitchen to the customers, plus it impressed the diners and sometimes increased my tip. He hugged me and put his head on my shoulder opposite the side our guests were on. From their perspective, it looked like a sweet loving embrace, but it was much more, as they couldn't see Ronni lick my neck! "I will give you a tip," he whispered sexily in my ear. "And just for you, you can have not just the tip but all the rest of it too! I'll even let you have the cream filling!" With a final sensuous lick on me ear, he walked to the kitchen laughing quietly. He knew he'd succeeded in his mission! Fat, wrinkled old grannies in spandex! Fat, wrinkled old grannies in spandex! And that's when the oven timer went off. As surreptitiously as I could, I rearranged my too-slowly deflating cock and turned toward the stove in the direction the others in the salla couldn't see the front of my still-distended shorts. Turning off the timer, the burner for the potatoes and the oven, I removed the tray of salmon and placed it on the counter and grabbed the potatoes and drained them in the sink. I took a serving bowl and platter from the cupboard and dumped the potatoes into the bowl, adding several generous chunks of butter. While the butter melted, I carefully removed the foil from the salmon, avoiding getting steamed, arranged the fish on the platter, and added a few more small sprinkles of dill. Ronni had just put the finishing touches to the place settings, and with only a smile between us, took the platter to the table while I got the potatoes. I put in a generous amount of parsley, gave it a light toss, and dinner was ready. Ronni had already called the others to the table, and seeing he'd already placed filled water glasses at each place, I asked if anyone would like wine with their dinner. Carl declined, not surprisingly, but Josie and Raymar both agreed to have some. Ronni asked if he could have a little too, and I asked him if he'd rather have some of the white zinfandel that he'd had before and seemed to like, or would he rather try what the rest of us were having. I told him that this wine wasn't as sweet as the zinfandel, so he may not like it as much. He said he'd try some of what we were having, and if he didn't like it, would get the other himself. While I was getting the wine glasses and wine, the others had started serving themselves, and by the time I had everything to the table, everyone's plate was full but mine, although just having finished serving himself, Ronni had started to put food on my plate. Raymar offered to pour the wine, and I gratefully accepted while I got the rest of my food, thanking Ronni for his thoughtfulness. I reminded Raymar to give Ronni just a sip to see if he liked it. Finally, we were all ready to dig in. After a sweet grace from Ronni that included thanks for family and friends, new and old, and for the return of Ronald and that he make a full recovery, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house as everyone gave a solemn and deeply heartfelt `Amen'! I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Love," I said, softly. "That was beautiful and perfect." Carl had a smile on his face similar to the one Ronni's dad got during times like these. "You know, if there were more people like you in the world, there would be no need for people like me," he said, clearly meaning his role as bodyguard. "Phooey!" said Ronni, immediately and forcefully. "You're our family now, and you always will be, and whether you like it or not, you are always needed! We love you!" This struck Carl like a thunderbolt, and once the initial shock wore off, tears started a slow track down his face. Raymar was a lot quicker and a lot more vocal in his response. As soon as Ronni made his declaration, he let out a huge sob and raised his napkin to his mouth, his eyes watering abundantly, just staring at Ronni. He was obviously one of those who wore his heart on his sleeve, and even though his gesture had definite feminine undertones, it in no way detracted from the man he was. I know that there are gays that have a softer feminine side, and some really let it all hang out and are very flamboyant, while others kept it in check, maintaining a totally masculine persona and only letting their guard down in moments like this one. It wasn't a role they played, it was simply who they are. Raymar is a man's man but with a gentle nature, and Carl is the same but with a definitely more male orientation. If you were to put these two on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being totally effeminate and 10 being totally masculine, Raymar would rate a 6 and Carl would rate and 8.5. Carl had gotten up and had his arms around his husband as Raymar got his emotions under control. He finally looked at Carl with deep love and reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. In the meantime, Ronni was leaning into me and smiling sweetly at our two friends. He'd initially been shocked by Raymar's outburst, but quickly realizing it for what it was, relaxed against me. Josie also had her napkin to her lips and had silent tears on her cheeks as she became witness to yet another of our loving family moments. Carl returned to his seat, and as soon as he sat down, Ronni decided to bring closure in his own unique way. "So," he said, " did you get the message, or am I gonna have to rough you up?" Everybody burst out laughing, and this time, the tears were from laughing so hard, Carl especially. "That won't be necessary," he said, when he stopped laughing. "Message received loud and clear!" Raymar looked at Ronni with awe and wonder.. "You are something else, my young friend," he said, reaching over to give Ronni's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Something – someone very special indeed." "Lorenzo tried to warn us what to expect," Carl said to his husband. "Guess we'd better listen more closely next time." We finally got around to eating, and even though it had cooled off slightly, it was still delicious. We managed to get through the meal without any further emotional outbursts other than some laughs, and Raymar spent some time talking with Ronni, getting to know my remarkable young man. Carl and I filled Josie in on what she'd missed after she'd left the gathering Sunday, and it reminded me that with everything else that had gone on today, I hadn't called Dr. Marcos for an update. And even though he'd told me he'd call if I was needed for anything, I still would like a daily update on how Ronald, and especially Sanie, were doing. Everyone opted out of dessert, citing full stomachs, but I think it was more the after-effects of the highly-charged emotions at the start of the meal that had affected everyone's appetite. Even Ronni passed, so as everyone got up from the table, I told them that they needed once again to go on without me for the next walkthrough due to the call I wanted to make. They all told me that I needed to take care of family business first, and none of them had a problem going on without me. I firmly told Carl and Raymar to be sure and tell this contractor everything we'd discussed with Mark, and they assured me they would. I looked directly at Carl. "Please make sure that you do," I said. "I want you two to have a comfortable home for you and Eddie without any compromises. Now that you're working for me, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Lorenzo when I hired him." Carl and Raymar exchanged worried glances, since I had managed to keep a firm and serious tone to my voice – with great effort, I might add. I was suppressing a chuckle. "First rule: Since I'm the boss, you will always listen to me and do as you're told. Second rule: The boss is always right! The third rule I forgot to tell Lorenzo but will take care of that the next time I see him. That rule is: Don't piss off the boss!" Everyone laughed, and I could see definite relief from Carl and Raymar, since they weren't really sure what to expect. Ronni managed to bring it all home. Going to Carl, he hugged him. "Welcome to our family," he said sincerely and kissed his cheek. Then, turning to Raymar, he hugged him as well, clearly catching him off guard. "We will always be here for you." Then he kissed his cheek as well. I fully expected another outburst, but Raymar simply looked at Ronni with wet, loving eyes and a gentle smile. "Thank you," he said. "I'm honored to become part of a your family. I cannot tell you how much it means to me. Someday soon I will, though." Everyone left the table, and, after a brief argument, Ronni and I cleared the table while the others went back to the salla. It took a reminder of Rule #1 before I got the others to relent and let Ronni and me take care of the cleanup. We had the table cleared, and I was putting things away and Ronni was starting the dishes when Martin Flores arrived. After making the introductions and excusing myself from joining them right away, they headed over to the other house, and Ronni and I got back to cleaning up. Once I had all the food put away, I joined him and dried as he washed. We were done in a surprisingly short amount of time and went to the salla to sit in our usual spots: me sitting on the end seat of the sofa with my love-leach wrapped comfortably around me. After a very nice kiss, I pulled out my phone and dialed Marcos' number, hoping he was still there but not getting my hopes up. It's one of the reasons I went ahead with the cleanup after dinner. I figured 15 or 20 minutes wouldn't make that much of difference, especially if he wasn't there, which I kind of figured wouldn't. Even if he wasn't there, though, I'd be able to talk to someone who could give me an update on Ronald and Sanie. I was pleased when Marcos answered. "Mr. James!" he said. "I recognized your number on my caller ID. I was going to try to reach you later." "I'm surprised you're still there, Doctor," I said. "I was hoping but not really expecting you were. If you weren't, I was prepared to talk to one of the staff about any updates. You must keep some brutal hours!" "Well, there is that," he said with a chuckle. "But, no. My usual hours would have had me out of here and home to my family several hours ago. Regrettably, some number crunchers have convinced the administration that there would be cost-saving measures by having the ER staff work on a rotating schedule through all three shifts. We've been ordered to try it for a month then make an evaluation. Frankly, I feel it is a very bad idea. The human body requires a set rest schedule, and interrupting it like this can only lead to problems caused by lack of a decent rest by the individual. But for now, here we all are in the middle of this budgetary madness, at least for the next month. But, enough of my woes. That is not the reason you called." "I'm sorry you and your staff have to go through that craziness," I said. "But you're correct. My first question for you is, how is Mrs. Nunez doing?" "She is one remarkable woman," he said, chuckling. "She already has the staff taking orders from her, and there was an incident when her daughter, I believe, a Mrs. Martinez, brought in some clothing and toiletries for Mrs. Nunez. Mrs. Martinez was trying to get her mother to go home and get some rest and that she'd take over in the meantime. Mrs. Nunez said that she would have none of that. This is her son, and she will be the one to take care of him and no one else. I felt badly for the daughter. She obviously cares deeply for her mother and brother, but was mostly concerned for her mother's health. And frankly, Mr. James, I am also concerned. She has had very little rest since she's been here, and if she doesn't let someone else help, she may very well become a patient here, too. Is there anyone at all who might have enough influence over her to get her to accept at least some help? I have overheard Mrs. Nunez and her son talking when he has lucid moments, and your name seems to come up a lot. Do you think you could be the one to talk to her?" "I'd like to think I could help," I said, "but believe it or not, I only just met her for the first time this past week." "But...but," Marcos stuttered. "The way she was talking about you to Mr. Nunez, it sounded like she'd known you for years! You and someone named Ronni, I think." "Ronni is her grandson," I said cautiously. Ronni was listening intently to my side of the conversation, and with the mention of his name, looked at me questioningly, and I mouthed "Later" at him, getting a nod of understanding. This was not the time to get into any discussions about our relationship and the dream thing. Maybe another time. Maybe! Right now, my main concerns were for Sanie and Ronald. But maybe Ronni would be the one who could convince Sanie that she needed help. She loved him dearly and just might listen to a plea from him. "Dr. Marcos, could you hang on for just a minute?" I asked. "I might have a solution." "Certainly," he answered. "Anything you could come up with would be appreciated. Oh, and before I forget. Mr. Nunez has been asking to see you. He seems most insistent. I believe you had said that no one had seen him for some years, and I must admit that his insistence is most puzzling." "I can't imagine why he'd want to talk to me," I replied, just as puzzled as the doctor. "Let me take care of this interruption first, then we'll get back to it." "Very well," he said. "I'll grab a coffee while I wait. I certainly need it with this shift change!" "Ok," I said. "I'll be right back with you in a moment." Punching the mute button on my phone, I looked at my clearly puzzled love. "Sweetheart, I have a request for you," I said, as I stroked his face." "I'll do anything for you, Phil," he said, kissing my cheek. "Well, it seems your lola refuses to let anybody take care of your uncle or even help," I explained. "Your Uncle Ronald is a very sick man, and it's going to take a long time for him to recover, which means the person who takes care of him will be busy for a long time too, and your lola insists that she's the only one who will do it. Right now in your uncle's recovery, he gets very little sleep, and your lola will only sleep when he does. He goes in and out of sleep all through the day and night, and that's not good for your lola's health. Your mother was there today to try to convince her to let others help, but your lola refused. Even the doctor is concerned about her health. You and your lola have a very close relationship, and I'm hoping that she might possibly listen to you when she won't listen to others. Are you willing to talk to her to try and convince her to let others help?" He threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly. "Of course I'll talk to her!" he said, with great conviction. "She helped me with my dreams and took care of me when Mama was having the babies, and she's always been there when I needed her. This will let me pay her back a little if I can help." Have I mentioned what a wonderful, caring and loving person my Ronni is and how very much I love him? Never enough times!! I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him. "My Ronni," I said, caressing his cheek, "you never cease to amaze me with that caring and loving heart you carry inside. How I got so lucky to have you in my life awes me. I love you so much, my Love! So very much!!" "Tell the doctor I will talk to Lola," he said. Then he grinned. "I can be just as stubborn as she can!" I laughed, hugged and kissed him, then hit the mute button. "Still there, doctor?" I asked. "Still here, Mr. James, enjoying a surprisingly decent cup of coffee for a hospital," he said. "I've got someone to agree to try and talk some sense into Sanie," I said. "She and her grandson, Ronni, have a very close bond and relationship. He's agreed to give it a try, and frankly, it's going to be a battle of two very strong wills, but my money will be on Ronni. She loves him without measure and will most likely relent just for him." "I hope you're right," Marcos said with a sigh. "I can foresee some potentially very serious health issues for her in the not-too-distant future if she keeps on as she is now. I hope her grandson will help her to see reason" "If anyone can, it will be Ronni," I said confidently. "Is there a good time for us to come in tomorrow? As long as there are no language problems, I plan to see what it is Ronald wants to talk to me about and figured to do that while Ronni talks to his grandmother. Otherwise, I'll wait until Ronni can be my interpreter." "Actually, Mr. Nunez speaks English quite well," said Marcos. "I'm sorry to say that he told me that he had studied it in school and polished his speaking skills with English-speaking clients while hustling. What an awful way to learn a language! But you should have no language problems. But I have noticed that due to his weakened condition, he will sometimes slip back into Tagalog, and if you do not have a good understanding of our language, it might be best to have someone on hand for moments like that. As to the best time? It is really hit or miss, I'm afraid. He has no set sleep pattern, which has been the problem for his mother, since she will only sleep when he does." "Since it doesn't seem to matter what time we arrive, we'll plan for about 10:00. No! Wait!! I just remembered I have a meeting in the late morning, so why don't we arrive, say, around 1:00, after lunch. That will give us most of the afternoon to convince Mrs. Nunez and allow for extra time in case Ronald falls asleep." "That sounds reasonable," he replied. "Should I tell Mrs. Nunez to expect you?" "No," I said quickly. "We may be able to use the element of surprise to our advantage." "Good thinking," he agreed. "Then we'll look for you about 1:00. If I should happen to not be here when you arrive, my associate, Dr.Shorr, can give you any information you need. He's been with me from the beginning on this case and is well aware of everything." "That's good to know," I said. "Well, I had better let you get back to work. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me. Oh! Is there anything new you can tell me about Ronald?" "I'm glad you reminded me," he said, with a sigh. "I guess these shift changes are getting to me already. I'm pleased to say that we've been able to upgrade his condition from critical to serious. The odds I gave you before are now better than 50%. It may seem like a small thing, but believe me. Given his condition when he arrived, that's a vast improvement. The other good news is that there is a definite improvement in his blood count, so the antibiotics for the STD's are definitely having a positive effect. They are, as you Americans say, `kicking ass'!" We both laughed. "Because of that and the fact that there seem to be no adverse reactions or interactions, we are now able to administer full doses of the methadone, which has greatly reduced the number and severity of the seizures. Another day or two, and I believe we'll have them completely under control. Finally, on a non-medical note, Mrs. Nunez insisted he be shaved and have his hair cut. The change was most dramatic. And even in his emaciated state, you can clearly see that he is a very handsome man. It also seemed to improve his outlook as well, as he has been less surly to the staff. I know his mother was quite pleased with the results. And that's about it for now. I feel good being able to give hopeful news. I can now say with more cautious certainty that I'm sure Mr. Nunez will make a full recovery, although there is still quite a ways to go." "Thank you, Dr. Marcos," I said, sincerely "I know you and your staff are doing the best you can, and it's very much appreciated by all of us. Now, if we can just get his mother to agree to some help, then everything would be good." "You are most welcome, Mr. James," he replied. "We will continue to do our very best, I assure you. And the best of luck with Mrs. Nunez. She is a wonderful but formidable woman." "I think we have our secret weapon right here," I said, caressing Ronni's face. "If anyone can do it, he will." "I certainly hope so," he said. "I have to go now. I'm being paged. Good luck, and please call anytime you have the need. Goodbye." "Goodbye, and thanks again," I said, as we hung up. "Well, Love, you heard my end of it but in case you missed something, the basics are: Your uncle is improving, slowly but steadily, he's had a shave and haircut and looks and feels better and wants to talk to me, for some reason, and your lola is going to burn herself out if she doesn't get help soon." "You mean that it took a half an hour of talk with the doctor to say what you just did in less than a minute?" he asked, incredulously. "I'm afraid you're right, Love, " said, with a chuckle. "There was a lot more detail in what the doctor told me, but if you pull out just the main information, that's it." I hadn't planned on talking so long and had fully intended to join the others with the contractor. I was just about to say something about that to Ronni, when the door opened and the four of them came in. Ronni and I got up and walked over to them. I asked if they got everything covered, giving a particularly inquisitive eye to Carl and Raymar, and was assured they did. They almost fell all over themselves with reassurances, and I just couldn't keep the laugh inside that built as they told me. They both blushed at my amusement and joined me when they realized how they'd been acting. After getting everyone settle in the salla, Ronni and I took the drink orders, and once everyone was served, we got down to business. Thanks for reading, and I hope you're enjoying it so far. It would be great if you'd send me a note telling me what you think, and I reply to all. If you like being able to read stories like this and others on Nifty free of charge, please send a donation in any amount you're comfortable with to them to help keep it free. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html Thanks!!