Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:07:56 -0800 (PST) From: John Michaels Subject: Filipino Love - Chapter 38 FILIPINO LOVE BY JM Email: mmanlookin@yahoo.com Disclaimers and other info: see chapter one This story is my personal intellectual property. You may not reproduce it in any form without my express permission. This and all subsequent chapters are dedicated to my own Filipino Love!! CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT We arrived at the car rental place in short order that was located, not surprisingly, out near the airport, and thirty minutes later, we were in temporary possession of a current-year Nissan Altima. I figured we'd need at least a mid-size vehicle since I was positive that we would occasionally have more than just Lorenzo, Ronni and me in the car. This car had seating for five adults and would most likely more than fit the bill. I realized that this was just a temporary fix to our transportation needs, and made a mental note that I would have to go car shopping as soon as I got back from the US. As we were pulling away from the rental agency, I decided to look into something that had been in the back of my mind for a day or two. I was thinking that I wanted to enlarge our house and add two bedrooms and additional bathrooms to accommodate any guests I'm sure we'd be having in the future. I asked Lorenzo if he thought Josie would be able to see us for a few minutes sometime today, and he felt that she would definitely find time for us. I pulled out my cel phone and dialed her office. She picked up on the third ring, and, after exchanging the usual pleasantries, I asked her if she would have time today to see us. She told me that she would be busy until after lunch, but that she could see us any time after 1:00, but that she had a 4:00 appointment to show a property. Confirming the time, I thanked her and disconnected. "How come you need to see Josie?" Ronni asked, clearly puzzled by my action since this wasn't anything we had talked about. I explained my thoughts on expanding the house, and he was getting excited about it. "That will be so cool!" he enthused. "There would be room for when Paulo and Mario come over or maybe we can have Christian and Sara stay, or Jareth and Dhomz!" He was definitely liking the idea. Lorenzo started laughing, and I joined him, wrapping my arm around my love's shoulder and feeling so good that not only did he like the idea, it also took his mind off our pending separation, at least for now. I asked Lorenzo which store would be best for getting a satellite phone, trying not to let Ronni know I was doing this for him. Lorenzo said that there was a very good store where we could get both the phone and computer out at the mall, so off we went. Ronni kept chattering away about all the good things that could happen with more room in the house, and I had a hard time not to laugh at his unbridled enthusiasm, although I couldn't help smiling. Our route to the store took us past that first property I had looked at, and the wheels started turning in my head. I was developing another spur-of-the-moment plan and would talk to Josie about that also when we met later. We arrived at the mall, and after finding a place to park, headed inside to see what we could find. Once we got past security and were inside, we noticed live music coming from a large open area that had a stage for events. There was a young singer, gyrating and belting out what, I assume, was one of the current hit songs. His voice was ok, and his dance moves were quite acrobatic and some of them downright obscene! He was obviously putting a lot into this performance, probably hoping it would lead to something bigger and better. Ronni, being the typical teen, was drawn toward the stage, and Lorenzo and I went along, albeit reluctantly. I'm a trained musician, and while this guy was ok, his voice was nothing all that great and the band was much too loud for the space. As we got closer, we could see a placard announcing that this was Miko & Company. Not too original, but what the heck. We were toward the front of the small crowd when the song ended and the singer, Miko, I assume, bowed and thanked the applauding audience using the microphone. Dropping his arms to his side, he scanned the crowd, obviously pleased with his performance and the semi-enthusiastic response. When his eyes got to us, he stopped and stared at Ronni, his eyes now scanning him from head to toe, spending the most time focused on the slight bulge made by Ronni's good-sized package. A slow, lewd smile spread on his face and he subtly licked his lips before raising his gaze to look at Ronni's face. He winked at him and slowly brought the microphone back to his face, making sure it rubbed against his crotch on the way up. Ronni noticed all this and scowled at this creep. I was so fucking mad, I wanted to jump on the stage and punch his lights out!! Ronni turned to me and wrapped his arms around me, and the smile quickly left the asshole's face to be replaced by...anger? Jealousy? I'm not sure, nor did I care. All I knew is that I wanted us to get away from there NOW!! Putting my arm around Ronni's shoulder, we started to turn away when I saw a definite look of anger on the performer's face. He put down the mike, said something to one of the other band members and stormed off. What the fuck!! What an egotistical little prick he was! Did he think he could get away with anything he wanted just because he was a performer? Hell! He wasn't even that good looking either! We worked our way back through the crowd, and Lorenzo directed us toward the computer store. "What the hell was that all about?" Ronni asked me, obviously very upset. I stopped and pulled him closer to me, kissing the top of his head. "He's just someone who thinks he's God's gift to the world and can get away with shit like that," I replied, trying to keep my overwhelming anger at bay. But Ronni knows me so well by now that he immediately picked up on it and hugged me. "He is such a jerk!" he exclaimed vehemently. "And I don't want you to ever think I would find anything like him attractive. There is only one man in my life, and there will always be only one man, and that is my Phil." Shit!! That's not why I was upset. I had to straighten this out right now! Putting my hands on either side of his face, I looked into his eyes. "Love, that's not why I'm so upset," I said gently. "I never doubt your love or commitment to me. The thing that has me most upset is that he thought he could get away with that in public, just because of who he thinks he is. He was looking at you like a prime piece of meat in a butcher shop. I'm angry because you had to go through something like that, and it makes me wonder if this is something he's done before. Unfortunately, there are too many others like him, and you always need to be aware and keep yourself safe. I intend to go to the mall manager while we're here and tell him what happened. I don't want anyone else to be disrespected like that by him. This mall is a family place, and there's no room for the likes of him here. As a matter of fact, I think I'll do that now. I love you so much and will always do everything I can to keep you safe." Poor Lorenzo had no idea what we were talking about, as he hadn't seen what happened. I noticed he had this "deer in the headlights" expression, and I mouthed the word "Later" to him over the top of Ronni's head. He gave a slight nod to let me know he got my message. "Do you know where the mall manager's office is?" I asked him. "Yes," he replied, still not knowing the reason I would ask him that. "It's right above here on the next level." "Let's go there now before we do our shopping," I said. "There's something that needs to be taken care of, and the sooner the better." With Lorenzo as guide, we were soon standing at the receptionist's desk in the manager's office, and after introducing us, I told her that we needed to see the manager on an urgent matter if he was available. As it turned out, he had just returned before we got there and was able to see us in a few minutes as he was on the phone at the moment. Five minutes later we were seated in his office, and, after another round of introductions, I told him exactly what had happened with the performer. His face darkened, and he took a deep breath. "Mr. James," he began, "I'm so very sorry for that incident. I will be honest with you and tell you that yours is not the first complaint of its kind that has been lodged against Miko. This happened before just yesterday with another young boy, but he made a compelling argument that it was not what it seemed and that there were no ill intentions meant at all. The mother believed his excuse and accepted his apology, so it went no further. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to please write out what you've just told me, and I will see that this matter is not only taken care of immediately but will also never happen again. I believed Miko's excuse the first time, as did the mother, but this is exactly what happened before. This is no mere innocent coincidence. I cannot have someone like that working in this place, and I will certainly let his band manager know of these incidents. He appears to be a very disturbed young man, and it's unfortunate that his actions will most likely be the end of a possible career. You have my deepest apologies, and I hope you will accept my offer for a certificate good in any of our stores in the amount of 50,000 pesos for your troubles." This left me speechless! I had been convinced coming in here that there would be at most a slap on the wrist for the offender and an apology. The fact that not only had this happened before but that the manager was willing to take these steps surprised me, to say the very least. Ronni, however, was not as unprepared to speak up as I was. He was clearly pissed and embarrassed by the incident and was definitely going to have his say. "Thank you, Sir, for believing us," he said. "Your actions are very much appreciated, especially your very sincere apology. It makes me feel better to know that something is going to be done so it doesn't happen to someone else. I feel very ashamed and dirty by what that guy did, and I do not want anyone else like me to have those feelings because of that creep. I have never had anyone do something like that to me, and it really upset me. I cannot speak for Phil, but I will accept your apology and thank you for your kind offer of the certificate." The manager was clearly impressed by the maturity of my young man and seemed to relax visibly. He knew that, as manager, he was fully responsible for everything that went on in the mall, and he also knew that we could create an enormous stink about this that could possibly cost him his job. "Thank you...Ronni, is it?" he asked. Ronni nodded. "You show a remarkable maturity for someone your age. I am somewhat used to the emotions of young people having several kids of my own in your age range, yet you speak as someone much older than your years. Listening to you, I realized just how much this affected and hurt you. I will increase your certificate to 100,000 pesos for your troubles and ask that all of you please do not judge our businesses here by the unspeakable behavior of one individual. Again, I am so very sorry for what happened." That said, he picked up his phone and spoke, I assume, to his secretary. He passed a sheet of paper to me so that I could write out our complaint, and as I was doing this, we talked generalities for a few moments before the secretary came in and handed him an envelope. Once she had left, he turned his attention back to us. I had just finished writing the statement and had passed it to Ronni to look over to make sure we had all the needed information before signing it. The manager gave Ronni time to scan the document before handing the envelope to him. "In here is a card which works just like a debit card from a bank except there is no PIN number required, so please guard it well. All of our stores here will honor it without question, so there should be no problems. If there are, have that store's manager call me directly, and I will take care of it personally. You will get a receipt at any store you shop in that will not only show you the amount of what you buy, but also the remaining balance to help you keep track. Do you have any questions?" I was surprised for a moment that he handed the card to Ronni, but then I realized that after he spoke, the manager realized he wasn't dealing with your average whiny teen but rather, a mature young man with a legitimate gripe and who was the victim here. We all stood, and after shaking hands, we exited the office back out into the mall. Poor Lorenzo was totally gobsmacked by what had transpired in the office and was clearly very upset that Ronni had been subjected to all that. He protectively put his hand on Ronni's shoulder as we walked the corridor. "I'm so sorry that happened, Ronni," he said. "It's probably a good thing I didn't see what happened. I have a bad temper when anything bad happens to my friends, and I probably would have jumped up there and decked him." This got an appreciative chuckle from Ronni. We walked in companionable silence for a moment before Lorenzo spoke up again. "My mind was on what just happened, and I wasn't thinking about why we're here in the first place. The electronics store is just down here." A few more steps, and we found ourselves at the store. "I have to use the cr," Ronni said, noticing that there was one right beside the store. "I'll be right back." He went into the cr, and Lorenzo and I looked at the different computer displays in the window discussing the faults and merits of each. Our discussion was suddenly interrupted be my name being hollered from the vicinity of the cr. Both Lorenzo and I dashed into the room but couldn't see anyone. "Get your fucking hands off me, you pervert," I heard Ronni holler from the last stall. This was followed by a scuffle and the banging of bodies against the partitions. "Stop!! Phil!!! Help!!!" Rushing to the source of the noise, I pushed on the door, finding it locked. Stepping back, I body slammed it, sending it flying open, and knocking the person on the other side down. Ronni was frantically trying to pull up his pants, and lying on the floor was none other than that bastard, Miko!! As he started to get up, I put my foot on his back and shoved, none too gently, keeping him on the floor while Ronni finally managed to get his pants up and fastened. "That sonofabitch followed me in here and tried to rape me!" he exclaimed, throwing himself into my arms and sobbing. Lorenzo and I must have been too focused on the store display to notice this asshole following Ronni into the cr. "He's a fucking little liar," spat Miko, from his place still under my foot. "I came in here to use the cr and he asked me to have sex and brought me in here. I knew he was a little faggot when I saw him at the stage and figured I'd at least get a blow job out of him." I greatly increased the weight of my foot on him, which had the desired effect of shutting him up. At that moment, security arrived followed by Lorenzo, who had rushed to get them when he realized what was happening. We all soon found ourselves back in the manager's office, the security guard frog-marching Miko along with his arm twisted up behind his back. When he saw who was there, the manager was positively apoplectic with rage. Then he noticed that it was our little group that had recently left his office. His eyes went wide, and his face lost all color, and he had to lean on his desk for support. "YOU!!!" he all but screamed at Miko. "You have been nothing but trouble since you started here! What have you done now?" Miko started jabbering in Tagalog before the manager cut him off. "For the sake of our customers, you will speak English. Understood? Now, you shut up for a minute! I want to hear from them what happened." Between Ronni and myself, we told what had happened from our own perspectives as the manager got more and more visibly upset and angry, and Lorenzo's face darkened with rage. Miko tried to interrupt several times, but a bit of extra pressure by the guard pushing up his arm behind his back quieted him. It was obvious Lorenzo wanted to pound this little shit into the ground and I'd be happy to join him. His hands were clenched so tightly into fists that his knuckles were white, and he was shaking with pure rage. Even the security guard was affected as he looked at Miko with total disgust, even though I'm sure he's dealt with all manner of incidents in his job. Once we had finished, the manager then turned to Miko and asked him for his version. "He's a fucking, lying little faggot," he hollered. He then told the manager the lame excuse he tried to give me in the cr. The manager, to his credit, let Miko finish before turning to the rest of us. "It sounds like we have two completely different accounts of what happened," he said, struggling to keep his temper under control. "Fortunately, we can get to the truth. All areas of this mall are covered by security cameras that record in real time, even in the cr's, although those only record what goes on in the common area and not the privacy of the stalls." At this, Miko gulped, and his natural brown Asian coloring went completely white. He knew then that his Filipino goose was not only cooked but burned to a crisp! The manager went over to a large cabinet in the corner of the office and opened the doors. There was a large TV monitor and a control panel of sorts. "This control here allows me to see any information stored on the discs in security. Let's see what it has on file for that particular cr." Punching a few buttons, there was soon a menu on the screen giving the different locations of the cameras on this level of the mall. A few more buttons pushed, and the cr came up on the screen. It showed a few guys using the facilities at the moment, and while you could see the urinals, you could only see the backs of those using them. "You say this happened about 15 minutes ago?" he asked. When we told him "yes", he punched a few more buttons and the screen changed to show the empty cr until Ronni walked in a few minutes later and going to the urinals. There were several camera angles showing this area including the door, and with some more adjustment, the manager had a split-screen vision of the door and Ronni's back as he stood at the urinal. The door opened to show Miko entering. He paused as the door closed and was looking at Ronni, obviously recognizing him from his clothing and build. You could see a lascivious grin spread across Miko's face as he started rubbing his crotch. "I almost forgot," said the manager. "We also have sound recording as well." Miko blanched, and if it hadn't been for the security guard holding him, he would have hit the floor. Pushing another button, you could suddenly hear the sounds in the cr, mainly the a/c. As Ronni finished, you could hear the sound of the urinal flushing and could see him adjusting his pants prior to pulling up his zipper. You then saw Miko looking around the room carefully to make sure there were no others in the facility, and then rushing out of one screen into the other as he quickly closed the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around Ronni from behind and was clearly groping him. Ronni was definitely caught off guard by this, not expecting anything like this to happen in a public restroom in a busy mall. "Get your hands off me!!" he said, trying to push Miko away. Miko could be seen tightening his hold on Ronni and had obviously grabbed him by his sensitive balls. "I don't think so, Little Man," snarled Miko. "You and I are going to have a little fun! I saw you looking at me on the stage. I know you want me. Everybody wants me, so why fight it." With that he lifted Ronni off the ground and started toward the stall where I found them. That's when Ronni had first hollered for me. Everything from there played out as we had told the manager except for not being able to see what happened in the stall due to the privacy nature of the cameras, but the sound was spot on. There was absolutely no doubt who the aggressor was. The manager turned off the video when it showed us all exiting to come to the office. He turned to us, glaring at Miko, who had actually pissed his pants in fear. "This will all stop now!" he said to Miko, his voice heavy with disgust. "I had been warned about hiring you, but I have had other groups perform here from your management agency and have never had a problem. I thought it was professional jealousy just against you when I was told of you by other sources. How very wrong I was! You disgust me!! I may have made a huge mistake in hiring you, but there will no more mistakes from now on as far as you are concerned. If these gentlemen won't do it, I, personally, will see that you are arrested and punished for what you have done! You claim to be only 20, but I know for a fact you will be 30 on your next birthday. The young man you assaulted is definitely a minor, and I will see that you are prosecuted for assault, sexual assault, attempted rape of a minor and anything else I can think of to the fullest extent the law allows! And God help you when you are in prison, which, I assure you, you WILL be when the courts are done with you. The other prisoners don't look kindly on those who harm innocent children. Even those who are in there for the most violent crimes look down on vermin like you! You can expect to be treated just as you were about to treat this young man. And you can expect that to continue for your entire prison life, which, if I have anything to say about it, will be for a very long time indeed!" At this, Miko managed to break lose from the guard and lunged at Ronni. I grabbed him just before he could make contact, part of my hold on him being his hair. I suddenly found myself holding a wig in my hand. Miko was bald!! "NO!!!" he screamed. "NO!!!" With this, he dropped to his knees, trying to cover his head with his arms and started keening wildly, his body rocking back and forth. The manager cocked his eyebrow. "Well, this is an interesting development," he said, trying to suppress a chuckle, none too successfully, I might add. Ronni started chuckling, trying not to make things worse for his attacker than they already were. He turned to me, burying his face in my shoulder and let go, his body shaking with laughter. Lorenzo, the guard and I were all doing our best to keep a straight face, and failing miserably. "Mmmhmm, Mr. Saligumba," the manager said, through his suppressed laughter, addressing the guard while trying desperately to regain his composure. "Do you have your hand cuffs with you?" "Yes, sir," he replied. "Please secure this wretch and take him to your office while we wait for the police to arrive and take him away." The guard brought both of Miko's arms behind his back, securing them with the restraints before hauling him up, none too gently, and leading him out of the office, closing the door behind him. I couldn't say for sure, but as he passed us on the way out with the guard, I could swear that Miko had also shit himself, and judging by the wrinkled noses of the others, I probably wasn't wrong. The light-hearted respite of a few minutes ago quickly vanished with Miko's exit. At this point, Mr. Mejos, the manager, dropped his professional façade and slumped into his chair and began weeping, his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry! I'm so very sorry!" he wept. "How something like this could happen is unforgivable! We screen everyone thoroughly before employing them, from the janitors and sales clerks to entertainers and management. How Miko managed to slip through our screening is something I will definitely pursue. I should have listened more carefully to those complaints and investigated them before he was hired. This is all my fault! I cannot even ask for your forgiveness for something like this, since I cannot even forgive myself!" Looking briefly at me, Ronni went over and put his arm around the disconsolate man. "Please, sir," he said, quietly, "this wasn't your fault. I know you do everything you can to make this a safe place for everyone to shop. I have heard of an expression that I think fits this situation. If you will pardon my language, sir, but `Shit happens'! You need to understand that no one here blames you. You need to forgive yourself. I do." Mr. Mejos put his arms around Ronni and hugged him tightly, the tears streaming down his face. "I have a son about your age," he finally managed to say. "If he turns out to half the man someday that you are now, at your age, I will be a very happy man. You have a good and forgiving heart, and I hope you will never lose that, in spite of things like today. And I will try to forgive myself, but it will take time. Thank you! Thank you all!!" Giving the man a final hug, Ronni came back to my side and put his arm around my waist. This was not enough for me, as I pulled him around for a full body hug, the tears streaming down my face. I was so damn proud of him and my love for him ratcheted up enormously. God, what a wonderful, caring and mature young man!! And he was my spouse, my love – my Ronni! I am so deeply and truly blessed. Ronni looked up at me with a sweet smile and kissed me. "Everything is ok, Phil," he said, lovingly. "I have seen those American cop shows sometimes, and they always say `Justice will be served.' Now I know exactly what that means. And I even can feel sorry for that guy, Miko. He is not that old, but he has really screwed up the rest of his life. But I also feel that he will get what he deserves, and even though I really shouldn't, I hope he does go through all that Mr. Mejos said to expect. No one has the right to do what he tried to do. I will pray every day that I may forgive him, but, as Mr. Mejos said, that will take time. I think he is one messed-up dude!" Mr. Mejos was looking at us with awe, gently shaking his head as he listened to Ronni. "Just when I think I cannot be more impressed by this young man, he pushes it farther," he said. He stood, taking out his handkerchief, and after wiping the tears from his face and blowing his nose, he cleared his throat. "I'm afraid I must ask for your further cooperation," he said. "I will need you to sign a form stating that everything we saw on the video is correct. Since both the guard and I were here to witness you seeing it, all that will be required will be your signatures. And because we have the video, you will not be required to make a written statement. Also, because of the video, none of you will be inconvenienced by having to appear in court to testify against him. Will this be acceptable?" Before I could answer, Ronni again was the first to speak up. "Yes, sir," he said. "We will be happy to sign it." "Thank you," said Mr. Mejos. "If you will excuse me for a moment, I will go and have my secretary print that up right away so you can go about the rest of your day." With that, he left the office. "Shit!!" Lorenzo said, softly, letting out a deep breath once Mejos left the room. "That was intense!! Are you really ok, Ronni?" he asked with genuine concern, placing his hand gently in my love's shoulder. "I'm fine," replied Ronni from the comfort of our embrace. "Maybe a little shook up, but ok. I'll be fine." "I still can't believe that low-life would even consider doing something like that, especially in such a public place as this!" he said, with his voice tinged with anger. "It was so hard to not just grab him and choke the life out of him!" Ronni broke our hold and went and put his arm around his upset friend. "It's ok," he said, reassuringly. "I'm ok. We're all going to be fine. Everything came out ok, and no one was hurt." I had another plan brewing, and decided I'd talk to both Josie and Lorenzo at the first opportunity, hopefully, this afternoon. About that time, Mr. Mejos returned carrying some documents with him. "I have the forms for you all to sign," he said, sitting at his desk. "Please read them carefully to make sure everything is accurate and that all the information is there. As we were watching the security video, I also recorded it here in this office. Since we have everything on disc, there will be no need for any of you to have to make any court appearance that will involve the culprit." The three of us sat down and read the papers. "Everything appears to be correct," I said, reaching for a pen to sign. Once I had done that, I passed it along to Ronni, who also signed and in turn, passed it to Lorenzo. Once we had all signed, we pushed the papers to Mr. Mejos, who then handed me another document with a card attached. "I'm going to ask you to please return the previous debit card I gave you," he said. "This new card is for 5 million pesos and has no expiration. I hope you will find this adequate compensation for your distress." All three of us sat there with our mouths hanging open, staring from the card, to Mr. Mejos and back to the card again. Ronni was the first to break the spell by reaching for the card. "That's very generous of you, sir," he said. "But correct me if I'm wrong. You are buying our silence." Mr. Mejos sat bolt upright in shock, then relaxed a bit and started chuckling, an embarrassed blush coloring his face. "You never cease to amaze me, young man," he said. "But, yes. That is exactly what I'm trying to do. I am hoping that with this card, we can keep this whole incident quiet. This is the largest mall on not only the island but also even the mainland and is very successful. If word ever got out of what happened to you here, it would be very bad for our reputation and the businesses would suffer. Frankly, you have a case that could sue us right out of business, but I'm hoping that will not be the case. I hope you will all find this to be adequate compensation. I would be most grateful if you will accept it as such." "Honestly, sir," Ronni replied, "I would have been happy with things as they were. You had already given us that first card, and that creep is now in the hands of the police where he belongs. But I think we will accept this new offer and will be sure to tell no one what happened here. If things had turned out differently, though, we would not have hesitated to bring this to court. As it is, you have been most helpful. You did the right thing in dealing with Miko and have shown genuine concern for me and have made sure that me and my friends are ok. Thank you." While Mr. Mejos visibly relaxed, both Lorenzo and I were sitting there with our mouths open, staring at Ronni. Is he really just 14 years old?!? All right. Almost 15, but still. He had immediately caught on to the reasoning behind this new card with the large amount attached and had called the manager's bluff. I had drawn the same conclusions but had been temporarily blind-sided by the amount. This kid was one damn sharp-minded guy!! He was also able to clearly state our position, letting Mejos know that we were fully aware of our legal options, while at the same time, reassuring him that we wouldn't pursue those since he – Mejos – had handled the situation to our satisfaction. "As his guardian, I totally agree with everything Ronni said," I finally managed to get out. "This is a most generous offer, and we will accept it on your condition of silence, not just because it's part of the deal, but because this was an embarrassing incident for Ronni, and this appears to be the quickest and easiest way to put it all behind us." As this appeared to be the end of our business here, we stood, and, after shaking hands all around and another round of profuse thanks for our cooperation from Mr. Mejos, we left to get on with the reason we came here in the first place. We were walking, with Ronni in the middle, and as we passed the cr where all the shit took place, he pulled himself tighter against me. I looked at him, and he gave me a sheepish grin. "Sorry," he said, "but I'm not as brave as I let Mr. Mejos think. But he needed to know how I felt, so I hid my nerves." This was one of the very few times that I realized that he's just a 14-year old boy and needs the comfort and security that his parents and I can provide him. I knew I had a dual role to play here, and keeping everything in balance wouldn't always be easy, but I also knew that he was extremely intelligent and mature for his age and would make my `job' as easy as he could. "I'm sure glad you're on my side," I said, as I kissed the top of his head. "You're a real tiger when you want to be." He stopped us just as we were about to go into the electronics store and hugged me. "You don't ever have to worry about me and you," he said. "I will always be on your side." Then, looking to see if anyone was watching, he leaned in and whispered, "Except for those times I'm under you!" With that he pinched my butt and scampered into the store, stopping only long enough for security. I just shook my head and chuckled as I made my way through the security check, where Ronni was waiting on the other side, a wide grin splitting his handsome face and a "gotcha" look in his eyes. "He seems like a handful, but a really nice kid," said the grinning guard as I walked in. "You certainly got that right!" I responded, chuckling. Once the three of us were reassembled, we headed off to see what electronic goodies we could get to keep Ronni and me in touch while I was away. I hope you enjoyed this latest drama in the lives of Ronni, Phil and their friends. Life is not all love and hugs, as we just saw. Hopefully, that pervert, Miko, will get all that's coming to him and more! If you're enjoying my tale, please write and let me know. I'm also looking to hear from any female readers, as I `d like to get your input too. And if you enjoy this and other stories on Nifty, please help them out with a donation to keep this a free site. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html Thanks!!