The First Love Of Alipang Havens

The aforementioned Callie was another early arrival at Lakeshore Park. With her was another international student: a girl named Suri Rivera, from Honduras. Suri, for the duration of her time in the United States, had joined Nueva Vida, Smoky Lake's Hispanic Baptist church. An avid photographer, she was getting shots of how the park looked with setup in progress.

"I'm not criticizing or anything," said Callie to the smaller girl, "but won't the booths and things be more interesting as pictures when they're open for business?"

"Of course--which is why I'll shoot _another_ series covering the same places once they are open. Before and after. Here, Callie, be in this next shot for me, okay?"

Sometime during the next half-hour, the two girls encountered Gilberto Costamesa, the police chief's son and Alipang's Escrima buddy. He was inoffensive enough that both girls accepted his easing into conversation with them, despite his wearing a _West_ High Panthers T-shirt. It soon emerged that Gilberto also attended Nueva Vida, and had glimpsed Suri there yesterday. Callie was picking up signs that Gilberto was chiefly interested in Suri, and she was weighing whether she should slip away and leave her friend unencumbered...when they were joined by Master Pitik.

"Gilberto! I'm glad you're here early. Are you well warmed up?"

"Yes, Teacher. I think I can deliver at least three-quarters of the performance Al would have given you. By the way, this is Suri from Honduras...and this is Callie from Everett Lane. Ladies, this is my Escrima master, Pitik Imada."

"Pleased to meet you," said both girls together. Suri reflexively said it in Spanish, though Master Pitik, strictly speaking, was not Hispanic. Pitik shook hands with each.

"Say, Teacher, did your son get off to that church retreat okay?" asked the tall boy.

"Yes, he did. There's another matter, though. Between preparing for the youth retreat, and our worries about Al's injury, I clean forgot to confirm a photographer for our exhibition this afternoon. You wouldn't know any available photographers, would you?"

Gilberto looked at Suri. "I've just met one, Teacher."

Callie reacted quickly, to prevent Suri from killing an opportunity through shyness. "Yes, Mr. Imada, Suri's great with a camera! She can do what you need."

Pitik wasted no time allowing the Honduran girl to display her humility. "Suri, have you ever photographed scenes of activity, like sporting events?"

"Yes, sir, I have."

"Good. My Escrima class will give a demonstration at the main entertainment stage--your friend Callie will know where that is if you don't--at about two-thirty this afternoon. For seventy-five dollars, are you willing to shoot at least ten photos of the event?"

Suri's mouth fell open. "Seventy-five dollars, just for doing what I like to do anyway? You have a deal!"

Pitik brought out his wallet. "Here you go, miss: twenty-five dollars now, the rest after I see the final pictures. You are using a digital camera, right?"

"Yes, sir. I have an emulsion camera too, but I'm using the digital today."

"Good. Miss, you're a Godsend." Master Pitik, and Callie, could both see that Gilberto was already forming the same opinion of the Honduran beauty.
 
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To a girl raised in Georgia, Virginia could not be excessively hot. So Kim Tisdale was not about to dress as revealingly for the lakeside festival as most girls her age would be doing. She selected khaki pants that were baggy enough to make her combat boots inconspicuous beneath them; but in one concession to her mother, she did at least wear an aquamarine blouse that came within ICBM range of being feminine.

Looking over her 18-year-old baby, Elizabeth Tisdale remarked, "I guess you _already_ heard that the talent scouts for the modelling agencies weren't going to make it to Lakeshore Park today."

"On the contrary, Mom, they _are_ going to be there. So I'm sparing their stomachs; what would sicken them and chase them off would be if they saw me _trying_ to be attractive."

Sadness invading her own still-beautiful face, Kim's mother gathered her into a heartfelt hug. "Oh Kimmy, I wish I could help you get _past_ this big self-image hurdle you've got squatting in your way! I guess I shouldn't have let people compliment your sisters in your hearing so much, all those years while you were still getting started blossoming."

Kim hugged her mother back, very tightly. "It isn't your fault, Mom. And Susan, Sharon and Betsy didn't get so beautiful by stealing it from me. I'm just _not_ as good-looking as they are." Sudden silence reigned for some ten heartbeats: mother and daughter each wondering if the other was going to mention one Asian-American boy who outspokenly regarded Kim as _more_ attractive than her elder sisters. Neither one did mention him. At last, Kim continued:

"It isn't all bad being the ugly duckling; it means I don't have many doofuses pestering me for dates. I can wait and see if God has a boy in reserve who's _right_ for me."

Elizabeth exercised superhuman will, _not_ saying out loud that Kim would never find any boy who was more right for her than the one--from a prosperous family, no less--who was already hers for the taking. Instead, she casually asked, "What about Kevin Purdue?" That was a fellow East High senior who she knew felt at least a passing interest in Kim; he had offered to drive Kim to the picnic today, but she had politely declined.

"I told Kevin I _might_ hang out with him awhile by the lake; but he's kind of boring."

Not yet releasing her beloved child from her arms, Elizabeth asked, "Kimmy, can any boy who _isn't_ into animals, Tori Amos, or sexy-vampire novels, manage to _escape_ your label of 'boring'?"

Again, mother and daughter both refrained from mentioning the dentist's son. But if cornered, Kim would have admitted that Alipang was not necessarily boring.
 
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Alipang and Chilena's next conversation was with another brother-sister team: two African-American kids who had joined the Escrima school this year, and who were thrilled to be included in today's coming demonstration.

Tyrone, age 14, issued greetings: "Hi...Al...Hi...Chil," and then retreated into the reticence born of his speech impediment, letting his 11-year-old sister Lacey do the rest of the talking for them both.

"Morning, Chil." With politeness accounted for, Lacey turned her attention to her classmate and idol. Visibly destined to be a head-turning beauty, Lacey would have seen to it that Alipang never lacked for female company, if only she had been a few years older. "Alipang, can I hear a little bit of your speech now? You talk so good, I'm almost glad you got hurt, so you'd get the emcee assignment."

Chilena fumed at anyone saying, even kiddingly, that it was a _good_ thing for her loved one to have suffered harm; but she held her peace. Lacey _was_ only a child, after all.

"Sure, Lacey," said Alipang agreeably. "Now, I'm going to be carrying long and short sticks when I say this... During the Spanish colonial era, my ancestors were prevented from openly practicing combat techniques with bladed weapons; therefore, they practiced what amounted to the same techniques with sticks. What I have here is the espada y daga combination, imitating the rapier and poniard that a Spanish conquistador typically carried..."
 
After seeing Rafael and Carmen setting up the Pansit Paradise concession stand, Kaitlyn Katon and two other girls preparing to paint children's faces, and Jason Katon setting up his anime-drawing table, Chilena left her brother behind long enough to try some more vigorous skateboarding. After a few minutes, though, she returned.

"I'm getting tired, Al. Can we go put my things back in the car for awhile, and find a quiet spot to rest a bit? I guess I'm still not _quite_ a hundred percent."

"Sure, sweets. On the way, I'll phone Master Pitik, just to assure him I'm in the park;" and he did so.

After Chilena's gear was again stowed in her car, they shared one of the bottles of water, after which they headed for one of the more out-of-the-way benches in the park. Sitting there hip-to-hip with Alipang, Chilena phoned Dan's mother, to be told that Dan was still sleeping. The very mention of sleeping brought yawns to her. Patting her brother's thigh, she said, "Al, would you please let me rest my head a minute?"

So Alipang obligingly scooted to one end of the bench. This opened just enough room for Chilena to maneuver into a more or less lying-down position on her back, with her head pillowed on her brother's right leg. She reached for his right hand with hers in a sort of handshaking clasp, brought his hand to rest on her stomach, then moved her left hand to close around his right hand also. Alipang's left hand stroked her hair, and in a moment her eyes were closed. "How did I _ever_ get to be this blessed?" she mumbled, her drowsiness taking over swiftly.

She ended up sleeping for almost an hour, while her brother sat very still for her.
 
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Pastor Stetzer visited Jason Katon's table as the massive city picnic was just beginning, and received his promised "Cowboy Bebop" drawing, for which the recently straightened-out boy refused to accept any payment. But after twenty minutes with no customers, Jason began wishing that he had let Tom Stetzer pay him.

Just then a powerful, benevolent hand descended on his shoulder. "Whatcha got here, Jason?" said Wilson Kramer, alias Deputy Dawg. "Anime art? I can hardly get Quinn ever to _stop_ watching 'Howl's Moving Castle,' and now it's _moved_ here, too!" Kramer's tone, though, was not seriously scolding. Turning to his son, the war veteran said, "Quinn, pick any two of Jason's pictures that you like, and we'll buy them." Jason's incipient discouragement evaporated, as he scrambled to remember what price he had decided to charge.

Kramer stayed there conversing with Jason for five minutes or more--his presence attracting the attention of numerous teens who knew and respected him, as he intended. Before long, there were several prospective customers looking over the drawings; and when Sammy Ashford bought a Thundercats picture, Kramer knew his little mission was accomplished. Before walking off, he said to Jason:

"Son, you've met folks who told you that you should be able to get anything you want _without_ waiting for it or working for it. What they _didn't_ tell you is that following their path means declaring war on the rest of the human race. I'm glad to see you're smart enough not to join that war. Sometimes, as a businessman, you may have to wait _longer_ than half an hour, and hit a lot of pavement meanwhile, before you can get people to buy your product; but patience plus honest work still makes the best equation. See you around;" and he left behind him a smiling, more confident young artist.

=====================

On the semi-secluded bench, Alipang's right leg had fallen almost as soundly asleep as Alipang's sister had. So he carefully worked his hands under her head and upper back, and lifted her up just enough to take the weight off and let blood resume circulating in his thigh. The prickling started, and he still held her as she was while sensation returned to normal.

He was still in this awkward posture when he heard a male voice from somewhere behind, not close enough to be talking to him, saying, "I can't wait for basketball season to start; I've been practicing long shots all summer."

"Going to get revenge on the Panthers for last winter?" said a female voice in response. THAT voice, Alipang recognized--both from real life, and from his dreams: the voice of Kim Tisdale. Straining his head around without letting Chilena drop, he peripherally sighted a well-formed helmet-shag of rich brown hair on top of a well-filled light-blue blouse on top of baggy cargo pants on top of combat boots walking by, accompanied by the tall boy who apparently belonged to the East High Falcons varsity basketball team. Well, at least I can say that no _football_ player took her away from me! But in fairness, of course, I never _had_ her, for her to be _taken_ from me...

When Chilena woke up minutes later, in a mood for lap-sitting, he willingly accommodated her, complete with a good-morning-all-over-again kiss. Not only was this pleasant for both of them in itself; it also postponed the moment when Chilena would find out Kim was seeing another boy rather than her brother. Even though it might mean more of Al's attention going to herself, Chilena was bound to think of Kim as treacherous. And just when Chilena had been getting over disliking "the ancient senior girl."
 
As a matter of fact, Kim-the-actual-person, when the roleplay still existed, made up the character of Kevin herself, telling me that (1) Alipang deserved to get Kim in the end, but (2) he ought to face competition first. :)
 
The general manager for the Christian radio station WVVV, getting the cue from his engineer, began the live broadcast from the festival, timed to start after some of their most important sponsored programs had finished.

"Hello, Smoky Lake, Shilohsville and points beyond! This is the Labor Day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad as we broadcast live from Lakeshore Park! I'm Otto Grundzig, and you're listening to WVVV-AM, Christian radio that comes and reasons together with you!

"God has given us fine weather, and a fine diversity of people attending Smoky Lake's twenty-fourth annual city picnic. Standing here with me is one of our brave men in uniform, Gunnery Sergeant Spiro Trivizas of the United States Marine Corps. Gunny, do you have a word for our listeners? You don't have to stick to fluffy chat; we have an intelligent audience that believes in an intelligent God."

"Thanks, Mr. Grundzig," said the heavily decorated Marine--one of whose medals was a Purple Heart, for the loss of a hand and forearm. He now had a prosthetic replacement. "Ladies and gentlemen, as an active-duty servicemember, when speaking in my capacity as a military recruiter, I cannot make political endorsements. But I _can_ say this: as the Presidential election approaches, I urge you to be thinking about which candidate can be relied on to protect our nation against enemies who will not co-exist, who will not compromise, and who will not negotiate in good faith. Your vote will have an effect on whether our great nation continues to enjoy the freedom in which a radio station like WVVV can exist. To young people I say: my fellow recruiters and I are here, able to answer your questions about every branch of service. I hope to meet some of you today."

Brendan Hyland, who had a brother in the Marines already, was within sight and earshot of the radio booth when Trivizas was interviewed. He decided to talk to this recruiter very soon.
 
When Chilena had gotten her love-and-reassurance batteries recharged by enough snuggling with Alipang, the two of them set out hand in hand to stroll around the park and look for the rest of their family. They found Mom with Melody and Harmony at the spiralling slide in the permanent playground. Sammy Ashford, filling in for an absent big brother, was helping the smaller Harmony up onto the starting platform for each trip.

Chilena went to her mother. "How are you doing, Mom? Isn't Dad here to help you with the--with Melody and Harmony? You need to be careful with yourself now."

"Your father was here; but he got another dental emergency case--right out of this festival! A boy on the skateboard ramp got careless, fell, and cracked six teeth. Oh, you _will_ be careful if you go skateboarding, won't you?"

Alipang, meanwhile, said to Sammy, "Yo, Sammy, you DA MAN! Are you planning to make a career out of stepping in for me when I'm not there to do my job?"

Sammy released Harmony for her latest whoosh down the slide, then came to slap hands with his friend. "Only when it means a chance to come to the aid of pretty girls--like your little sisters here, or Summer Heron."

Alipang turned solemn. "I can't thank you enough for helping Summer when she was in danger. You know she's very special to me."

Filling his tone with meaning, Sammy echoed back, "Ohh, a _very_ special girl to you, is she? More special than a certain _senior_ girl I've heard about?"

"Apples and oranges," replied Alipang. "I first met Summer when I was far too young to think of wanting a girlfriend, and for me she still is the good _friend_ she was from the start. That's enough to make her special to me. As for that senior girl..." (he lowered his voice) "...years of homeschooling made me smart enough to know when I don't have a chance with a girl. If you see Kim around the park, she'll probably be with her basketball-player _boyfriend;_ so if you do see her, don't say a word to her about me."
 
Kevin Purdue might have laughed humorlessly had he learned that Alipang Havens assumed him to be Kim Tisdale's boyfriend. Not that Kevin wasn't trying to become exactly that; but if the truth were known, he was making less progress BY trying, than Alipang was making WITHOUT trying. For although he was not so obnoxious as quarterback Jack Torinburg, this basketball player had never mastered the skill of being patient with a girl and giving her time to feel comfortable.

Thus Kim was less _with_ Kevin, than being pursued by him and consenting to speak to him some as the chase continued. He was not pleased by her choice of a line when they came to the double row of food concessions.

"What're you _doing,_ Kim, getting in line for the Filipino place? Don't you get enough of that stuff working there? C'mon, let's get some fish and chips."

Kim was not about to reveal to Kevin that her family ate free food from the Pansit Paradise every week, by the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Imada, her only repayment to them being to forego her wage on one worknight each week while still getting to keep her tips. To say this would both cause Kevin to think his argument for the fish and chips was clinched, and cause him to think that his family's money should dazzle a girl whose family had to accept charity. What she said aloud was, "No one's stopping _you_ from buying fish and chips if you want to. I happen to have eaten fish and chips just this last Friday. And besides getting some lumpia to eat, I plan to ask my employers there if they need me to man the booth for them anytime today."

Kevin stubbornly stuck with her, and even bought the first pansit he had ever eaten in his life. He found that he liked it, but he didn't feel inclined to admit this to Kim. Rafael Imada, meanwhile, thanked Kim but said she wasn't needed today; she should go on and enjoy herself.

"You heard the man; let's go _enjoy_ ourselves!" demanded Kevin--who clearly knew nothing about herding cats. If he hadn't started pushing things, Kim would have left the food stand at once of her own accord; now, she stayed put a moment longer.

And asked Maria Ramos about Alipang.

"I haven't seen Al yet, but someone mentioned seeing him here with his sister," Maria replied. "With my son here helping, we didn't expect Al to work the stand, though he will give the introductory talk for the Escrima presentation in the afternoon. I guess you know he can't spar in the demonstration because he got hurt." Her eyes drilled Kim as she concluded, "I can't stand to see dear young Al get hurt."

Kim couldn't let herself be annoyed by Maria's implication. Firstly, Maria had done Kim a favor on her first day at work, by providing her a spare pair of jeans to put on when Kim had spilled something on her own. Secondly--the fact that Al was so eccentric as to call Kim beautiful didn't mean he was in love with her. Hadn't she heard some of the younger students say that Al was in tight with that girl Summer Heron?

When at last they did walk away, both eating their purchases, Kevin said in dismissive tones, "Alpadang Havens. Isn't that the karate boy who keeps losing fights?"

"No. _Alipang_ is an _Escrima_ student, and there's plenty of testimony that he almost never loses a fight. He took a beating _voluntarily_ last Wednesday, because he wanted--he had a personal point to prove to someone..." Kim let her voice trail off, and her line of thought veered a bit. How likely was it that Kevin Purdue would ever expose himself to bodily injury--not spitefully injure another, but bear injury himself--simply to vindicate his honor after an insult to his character?
 
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The day continued to build its collection of many small incidents.

The informal soccer game predicted by Mandy and Alina did take place. Brendan and Jennifer, Gilberto and Suri were among those who played. Summer and her Mom brought Mr. Heron to the park, which Alipang was delighted to see.

Amy Gordon, taking over for Otto Grundzig at the Christian radio booth, revealed to the listening audience that she had been homeschooled, and called for any homeschooling parents or homeschooled kids present in the park let her interview them on the air. Cecilia Havens, with Melody and Harmony in tow, was given a good deal of air time to talk about her experiences teaching adopted children of differing national origins. The girl Callie, coming on after Cecilia, said more briefly that she had at first thought it a great liberation to escape to a public school, but now she missed the high intellectual level of her former home-taught courses.

Brendan Hyland had a good talk with Spiro Trivizas the Marine recruiter. Trivizas answered the boy's questions, including about the firefight in which he had lost a hand. When Brendan asked about officer programs, the Gunny provided brochures, but made known his view that the best officers were those who came up from the ranks.

Alipang was in the right place at the right time to do a favor for his new friend Erin Conrad. Erin was on the schedule to display and speak about her pet rosy boa constrictor; but some children to whom she gave an advance peek, failed afterwards to latch the lid on the snake-carrier when Erin allowed them to put the boa back into it. The snake escaped, and caused a few screams and frightened jumps; but Alipang, who had been introduced to the placid serpent already, soon picked it up and returned it to Erin.

Twice more in the time before he had to report for the Escrima demonstration, Alipang caught sight of Kim--both times with Kevin. Each time, recognizing Kim before Chilena could, Alipang steered his sister in a direction away from Kim. Eventually, and still before Alipang was needed at the stage, Chilena decided she now felt good enough to take her skateboard onto the ramps. So they cut across to the parking lot, where Chilena hugged Alipang, opened her trunk, brought out her things and closed the trunk, hugged Alipang, put on her knee and elbow pads, hugged Alipang, put on her helmet, hugged Alipang, and mounted her skateboard.
 
Arriving with her brother at the edge of the skateboarding area, Chilena saw coasting toward her a fairly tall boy whom she recognized--without pleasure--as one from school. She only knew him as Mac; he was in her science class, where he was the worst performer in the room, be it in written work or lab work. He was better on a skateboard than with a microscope slide--but still not Chilena's match on the ramps. Last year, while Chilena was coming to East for drama club, Mac had come upon her in the auditorium and maliciously tripped her while her arms were full carrying costumes, causing her to bump her head on a seat. This, because she had recently shown him up on skateboards.

She had never told anyone about that cowardly assault--not because she was too afraid of Mac, but because she didn't want Alipang getting himself arrested for actually literally killing the clod.

"Hiya, blonde baby," sneered the punk. "Ready to be embarrassed on the ramps? Or are you busy nursing your little brother who can't keep from getting himself hurt?"

Alipang had picked up a rather long and thick stick on the way over, and had been inspecting it as they came; he always kept an eye open for pieces of wood sturdy enough to shape into various sizes of cudgels and staves. Now he held it out toward Mac, saying, "Yes, I'm a real cripple these days. I wanted to use this as a walking stick, but it's too long for my itty-bitty self. Would you please break it for me?"

Mac accepted the stick and the challenge. He tried to break the length of wood...then tried again to break it...then tried harder to break it...then tried desperately to break it...then tried super-frantically, as he saw that friends of his were watching his efforts. But it wouldn't break. Suddenly, the stick seemed to fly out from between his foot and the curb where he had stomped vainly on it.

Holding the reclaimed stick up in front of him, in clear view of Mac's following, Alipang swatted it hard against one palm, to prove that it had not been cracked by the hooligan's efforts. Then he closed both hands on it--and snapped it like an icicle. This cost him some pain in his cracked rib, but he concealed it.

"If I'm Chilena," he told the seething Mac, "then that stick is the best performance you'll ever give on the ramp. Chilena, show these dweebs some _real_ skateboarding."

Inspired, Chilena forgot her recent lethargy and went rocketing into the traffic pattern.
 
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Despite being unfailingly courteous to other boarders, never hotdogging where it would endanger anyone, Chilena needed scarcely a minute to prove she was the best thing on wheels of anyone then present. Her speed was perfectly controlled, her turns were sharp and efficient, and she flew the highest at the tops of the inclines. Mac tried to outdo her by plain recklessness, jostling smaller kids out of his way more than once; but no impartial observer could have any doubt of who was the better athlete.

One observer, at the far side of the court from Alipang, was one who never tired of seeing any boy outdone by any girl at any pastime for any reason: Kim Tisdale. While knowledgeable about skateboarding, she didn't recognize Chilena, having never seen Alipang's sister in sporting gear with a helmet; nor did she notice Al, who was not making his presence known with cheering because his torso still was hurting. Al, on his side, did not notice Kim either, because his eyes were fixed on Mac, looking for treachery.

Treachery was not long in coming. Shooting down a ramp as Chilena was coming up, Mac swung an arm to clothesline the petite girl just like a TV wrestler. It was no accident; the windup and follow-through were too obvious. Her board zipping out from under her, Chilena went tumbling down to ground level. Her safety gear, and her expertise in taking falls, saved her from a broken neck or severe abrasions; but she was stunned.

Alipang was at her side almost before she landed. Taking hold of her in a fashion that held her neck unmoving--in case there _was_ a fracture--he dragged her out of the way of still-moving skateboarders. Wilson Kramer happened to be nearby, saw everything, and summoned the fire department paramedics by walkie-talkie.

But even watching, and even knowing Alipang, Kramer was startled by what happened next. Seemingly satisfied that his sister was not about to die, the Filipino boy ran back onto the skating court on a curving path whose direction and timing brought him up the ramp that Mac was then ascending. Overtaking the bully on foot, on the incline, his momentum kept him from falling off. A sinewy hand grasped Mac by the neck and plucked him bodily off his board, and without losing speed, Alipang ran on to complete his arc and return to earth, dragging his captive with him.

Kim Tisdale had by chance been looking at other action at the moment Chilena was struck. Kevin Purdue saw the assault, and the charging Alipang, before Kim had a clue. Suspecting that the furious brown-skinned figure might be his despised rival, he instantly did all he could to _prevent_ Kim from noticing (and possibly being impressed by) whatever crazy stunt the Asian boy was up to.
 
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Struggling vainly and crying out in extremely un-macho terror, Mac was hauled away from the skating area, swept into the air, and ignominiously dumped on his back in the grass not far from where Chilena lay. A stone-hard knee descended on his chest, forcing the wind out of him. Abject fear in the cowardly bully's eyes beheld the killing that blazed in Alipang's eyes. Mac's mouth moved, trying to beg for mercy, but there was no air to form the words. Alipang's right hand was reaching into his pocket...

...when a pair of hands even stronger than Alipang's lifted the vengeful boy off of his prey and held him immobilized. "I don't want to see what you have in your pocket, son," whispered Wilson Kramer; "keep me in ignorance." When he was satisfied of Alipang's obedience, the deputy turned his attention to the supine Mac. "YOU don't know just how lucky you are that you're _only_ being arrested for assault. You have the right to remain silent..."

A female paramedic examined Chilena, determining that she had no fracture or concussion (though bruises she did have). The businesslike woman disinfected and bandaged several scrapes the girl had suffered, made a note of the time when aid was given, and asked, "Darling, do you feel well enough to make a statement to one of the deputies?"

"Thank you, ma'am, yes, I'll make a statement. Keeping quiet about that bozo sure didn't help matters."

Alipang, just returning to his sister's side, heard those last words and frowned. "Sweets, do you mean that Mac did something to you _before,_ and you didn't tell me or anyone?"

"Please, Al, we can talk about that later. I just want you to--" Chilena looked toward a second county-mountie who had come to the arrest scene. "Sir, is it okay to have someone holding me while I tell you what happened?" The deputy and the paramedic had no objections; Chilena thus enjoyed the moral support of her brother's embrace as she recounted what had happened--including Mac's previous assault on her at school.

The only thing Kim noticed of all this from her vantage point, was that two of the deputies patrolling the festival had converged on some incident. Her natural reaction was to distance herself, never forgetting her own pointless brawls as a younger girl. Ironically, the move away from the skateboard ramps, at first pleasing to Kevin, turned against his wishes when she remembered her intention of being at the stage to watch Al's Escrima school giving its exhibition.
 
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Some of Alipang's ancestors had been among the Moro rebels who, not without some justification, had fought fiercely against first Spanish and then American colonial occupation of the Philippines. The Moro fighters were famed for their ability to keep on attacking even when severely wounded; and their stamina had been with their usually-gentler Christian descendant when he had pounced upon Mac. Not until his mind had come all the way down from the lightning-scorched heights of wrath was his body able to remind him of its unhealed injury.

Deputies and paramedic had already left Chilena to her brother's care--dismissing Mac's complaints against Alipang since Alipang had not seriously hurt him while making a citizen's arrest--when the pain returned. "Aaaarrrgghhh! Chil...do you...have...some water? I'm...overdue... for my next...hydrocodone...tablet." Spurred to action for the sake of her beloved, Chilena soon found some water for him, and he took his pain medication.

The next order of business for the two was to find a place where (with her helmet no longer in the way) a few swift kisses and a soft but protracted embrace could be exchanged without sniggering remarks by any dirty-minded bystanders. Between one kiss and the next, Chilena admonished her hero: "Al, I love you so much--but you have to trust me that I already _know_ how much you love me back. You don't have to prove it by killing a bully and getting yourself arrested."

After their next kiss, he conceded, "You're right. I know that my control is usually good; but Chil, I can't _stand_ it for YOU ever to be hurt!" Some fervent snuggling helped him to calm down further.

This done, they headed for the stage, where Master Pitik informed Alipang that he had less than ten minutes to get ready. Gilberto, Tyrone and Lacey all expressed concern, having caught some intimation of the sheriff's police reacting to an incident across the park; but Alipang assured them that all was well now. He donned his red Escrima shirt and attached his wireless microphone to it, as his fellow students made ready. Then he and Chilena kissed once more, and she headed for the front row of the audience.
 
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Erin Conrad, whose snake presentation was to follow the Escrima show, sat near the back with Sky, her boa, safely enclosed in her carrier. This was Erin's first time seeing one of Pitik Imada's presentations; she was about to learn that martial arts could be promoted with humor.

With Master Pitik nowhere in sight, Gilberto, Tyrone and Lacey came into view, wearing ordinary T-shirts. Each had a red Escrima shirt draped over one arm, with the same hand carrying one of the harmless light-plastic batons they used for contact practice. Each of them was tiptoeing exaggeratedly, and shushing the audience as if to preserve a secret. They crouched at various points right among the spectators, as if trying to be hidden from anyone on the stage. Young Lacey stationed herself close to Chilena and whispered to her, "This is gonna be funny!" Then Lacey pulled her Escrima shirt on over her T-shirt, as her fellow students were also doing.

Presently, Master Pitik walked onto the stage, calling out his students' names, including Alipang's. Getting no response, he stepped down to audience level and plaintively asked the spectators, "Has anyone seen my Escrima class?"

Several small children, with many giggles, rose and pointed at the "hidden" students. Pitik pretended not to notice their "help." An instant later, with great war-whoops, Gilberto, Tyrone and Lacey (Chilena giving Lacey a hand to vault over the center seats) burst forth from cover, to charge at their instructor from three directions, toy weapons lashing out. Master Pitik warded off the blows bare-handed, gradually retreating up onto the stage. The "battle" ended with each student performing the most clownish fall-down-dead routine he or she could manage (Tyrone doing the best hamming up of the three); then all stood again, and bowed to the applauding audience with Pitik. As they bowed, Alipang was entering, long and short sticks in hand as planned, to stand front and center for his introductory talk.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! I am a student with Master Pitik Imada's Practical Escrima School. We are here to introduce you to the fighting system developed in the land of Master Pitik's ancestors and my own, the Philippine Republic. We call it Escrima; other names used for it are Arnis and Kali.

"The distinctive characteristics of Escrima are bound up with my people's history, in particular the history of being conquered and colonized by Spain. I am not taking the cheap shot of pretending, as many these days do pretend, that white Europeans are the _only_ oppressors in all history. Apart from Eskimos and Native Australians, I don't think _any_ race can be found on Earth which has _never_ bullied and enslaved other people. Still, Filipino history, and therefore the history of us Escrimadors, was shaped by the Spanish occupation...."

The curious Kim, and the studiously bored Kevin, were just then finding their way to the farthest-forward seats still vacant. Kim was genuinely listening to Alipang's talk, while Kevin's brain had room only for a dull resentment. In fairness to Kevin, his animosity toward Alipang was not racially motivated; he would have disliked anyone, of any origin, whom Kim appeared to find more interesting than she found a basketball player. When he noticed Kim smiling as Alipang quoted the Shakespeare line about "warriors for the working day," Kevin found himself hating Shakespeare more than he ever had before.
 
Kim spotted Al's blonde sister in the front row--to be expected when her brother was part of the program. When Master Pitik and his pupils were finished, Kim purposely went against Kevin's self-serving wishes by moving forward to greet the younger girl. When she came close enough, she could see that both of Chilena's arms were bandaged, as might be done for scrapes.

"Goodness! What happened to you, Chilena?"

"A jerk knocked me down on the ramps; but I'm all right. Wasn't Al's speech awesome?"

Kim smiled--wondering, not for the first time, how it would have been to have had _either_ a brother or a father whom she could sincerely admire and look up to. "Yes, it was great. And I'm looking forward to our--"

But before Kim could say more, Kevin came up behind her and pointedly rested a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Kim, show's over. Let's find something _interesting_ to do. Did you bring a swimsuit?" By the time Kim shook his hand off, the damage was done.

Suddenly, Chilena was glaring at her as if at an enemy--indeed, a traitor.

"Kim! What kind of game are you playing?" she demanded.

"Game? What do you mean? Honest, Chilena, I'm sorry I didn't see that it was you who got--"

"Don't change the subject!" Chilena snapped, in a voice very different from her usual sweetness. "I mean your game with my brother! Do you like him or don't you?"

"I, I, what??" This was moving too fast, coming at Kim from left field.

Chilena pushed chairs aside to move closer to the object of her anger--causing Kevin to hope in vain for a hairpulling fight. But Chilena's verbal fury was bad enough. "You _know_ how Al feels about you; you _know_ how much he would do for you; and here you bring a boyfriend to flaunt in his face!"

Al himself was just then approaching from behind his sister, and the first words he could make out filled him with dismay.

"Wait a minute," Kim pleaded rather than commanded. "Chilena, I _don't_ know how your brother feels about me; he's a good guy, but one week isn't enough time for either of--"

Kevin was tugging at Kim's arm. "Come on, Kim, don't waste breath on _sophomores!_ You didn't tell me if you brought a swimsuit; the water's sure to be perfect..."

"Don't you _dare_ hurt my brother's feelings!" Chilena shouted, all the more angrier for Kevin's contemptuous interruption. "Al deserves better than to have you play games with his heart! In fact, he deserves better than YOU! So why don't you just--" Her tirade was halted by Alipang grabbing her from behind and hauling her a few paces away from Kim--as if he feared the same thing Kevin wished for.

"What are you _doing,_ Chil?" Alipang exclaimed in an agony of mortification.

Chilena pointed at Kim. "SHE'S doing something: showing off her boyfriend just to try to make you feel stupid for having a crush on her! She's no good, Al! I _told_ you Summer would have made a better--"

"SHUT UP!" Alipang roared--literally the first time he had _ever_ said that phrase to her with serious intent. Then he swung back toward Kim, whose exquisite features proclaimed the dawning of a dreadful realization. "Kim, I wasn't going to tell you--I didn't want to make you uncomfortable working with me. But Chil was right about this much, that I'm crazy about you." He could hear his sister behind him, bursting into tears and running away. "Your mother already knows; and your mother saying that you liked me as a friend made Chil think that you felt more than that. I don't expect anything from you, Kim, and you have the right to be with any boy you want. I'll try not to remind you of this; right now, I have to go give my huge-mouthed sister a chewing-out, and then forgive her."

And Alipang was gone, pursuing Chilena into the woods, before Kim could say another word.

Kevin concealed his triumphant smirk barely in time; but his words revealed the same attribute of his character. "These _little_ kids aren't completely past their childhood attachments, are they, Kim?"
 
Chilena ran like an endangered heroine in a monster movie. Half of her wanted to get miles away from Alipang, so she wouldn't have to face him when her outburst had obviously only made things worse for him; the other half wanted him to pursue her, so he would be out of the sphere of influence of that _horrid_ senior girl.

The second half got its wish. Here in the privacy of the woods, not too far from where the city park ended and the county forest preserve began, her brother was overtaking her, calling her name. Of course he would never harm her, he would sooner die than harm her; but even as she craved his love and forgiveness, she still also dreaded facing his reproach, a reproach which would only sting _more_ because of her knowledge that he loved her as much as she loved him. For Chilena also would rather have died than intentionally do Alipang any harm.

Grunting with the effort of the chase--for his injury hampered his taking deep breaths, and therefore hampered his running--Alipang made three unsuccessful attempts to catch hold of her. The fourth attempt sent both of them off balance, to tumble together into the undergrowth--which, fortunately for them, had been kept clear of poison ivy and poison oak.

As Alipang sought to prevent her escape without hurting her, Chilena's own emotions became too chaotic for conscious guidance. With the same frenzy as when fleeing from him, she awkwardly lunged _into_ his arms instead, even as he was trying to get a non-injurious grip on her. A moment of terribly confused grappling ensued, sending them rolling in each other's arms for several turnovers. They came to a halt with Chilena beneath, sobbing her heart out, wailing, "Let me go, let me go"--at the same time as she was winding her arms and legs around him like a baby tree sloth clinging to its mother.

Alipang was quick to heave both of them up off the ground into a more dignified sitting-up embrace. She no longer struggled, but wept piteously in his arms. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
 
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