Hey there, folks! Last time, I told you about the morning following my first time with my sweet girlfriend Nikki. How I love the sound of that. My girlfriend Nikki. Well, after my mom said she was fine with our relationship and assured us her support, we had two more people to convince of our relationship. Those were Idrissa and Asha Kofi, Nikki’s parents. As I have mentioned it in my last entry, mom wanted to speak with Mrs. Kofi alone first. Nikki’s mother was a long-time friend of hers, and by far the more understanding part of Nikki’s parents. I was always a bit afraid of Mr. Kofi. He is such a big and strong feline, very muscular, not that common for cheetahs. He is well-known in the entire city, as his father helped to build parts of Darwin’s Hope, especially in the Lamark district, in which we live. I also know that he served in Afghanistan during his time in the Army, he was even decorated for his braver, he was even awarded for his bravery. The Kofi’s are also wealthy, their house is so much bigger than ours. It has two floors, of which Nikki has the entire upper floor for herself, including her own bathroom with whirlpool. And her computer, damn, I wish I had such a fast PC. They also have three cars, a big Pick-Up truck, a limousine, and Nikki’s car. But let us move on. Mom called Mrs. Kofi a few hours after Nikki and I confessed everything to her. She invited Nikki’s mother over for coffee and cake in the evening. Since I love to bake, I made the cake myself. It was an oblong cake with almonds on it and a chocolate icing on top. It is called a chocolate saddle of venison cake, my absolute favorite cake. We prepared everything for the evening, cleaned the living room, Mom cooked fresh coffee. For me, this stuff actually smells better than it tastes. I don't understand why adults always want to drink this bitter stuff in the morning. Hot cocoa tastes so much better. At about six o’clock, we heard the bell ringing. Mom and Nikki stayed in the kitchen, while I opened the door to welcome Mrs. Kofi.
“Hello, Mrs. Kofi. Mom and Nikki are in the kitchen. We made cake and coffee for you.” Nikki’s mom smiled while gently caressed my cheek. Friendly as always, she said: “Hey Balto, so nice to see you again. How are you? It smells fantastic, I can’t wait to get some. Say, did you grow again? I swear you are bigger than last time.” Her words made me chuckle. “I am fine, Mrs. Kofi. How about you? Oh, and I made the cake together with Nikki. Well, I baked it, she just licked out the bowl.” Now the feline had to giggle. "That sounds more like my daughter than her actually baking something. And I am fine, sweetie. Now let me in, the smell of this cake is truly mouthwatering.” Mom walked over to us, closely followed by Nikki. The adults shared a close hug, while Nikki and I sat down on the sofa. My mother said after she and Mrs. Kofi also sat down: “I am so glad you could come, Asha. The kids made this cake just for us.” Mrs. Kofi looked at Nikki and me, then her head turned back to my mother: “My pleasure, Christa. Your son already told me about the cake, it smells fantastic. Is that this old recipe you got from your mother? It is quite rare that a boy at Balto’s age is interested in baking, you can be happy about this.” Nikki interfered: “Hey, I helped.” Her mom’s reply followed quickly: “Yes, Nicole. Balto told me. You licked out the bowl while he did all the work.”
While I barely could hide a giggle, Nikki said: “That is called work-sharing!” This statement made us all laugh, including Nikki. We talked, ate cake, and after about an hour, Nikki and I left them alone, under the excuse that we wanted to watch some videos on Pawtube. We quickly walked into my room. We left the door a crack open, so we could better listen to what our mothers were talking about, and made ourselves comfortable on the floor right behind the door. It was Mrs. Kofi, who started their conversation: “That was really a good cake, Christa. Balto truly has a talent for this. Did you teach him to bake?” I could hear mom chuckling. “Only partly. He attends a cooking workshop at school. I thought this would be a better fit for him than crafting. He always loved to help me in the kitchen.” Mrs. Kofi agreed. “Absolutely. I must say, your Balto really seems to be a bit special. Not many boys like to cook and bake. And he has such good manners. You can be proud of yourself, Christa. You really did a good job. I bet the girls will stand in line for him one day.” My mother sound thoughtful, as she answered: “Thanks for your kind words, Asha. It is just, well, sometimes I fear he misses parts of his childhood. He often seems to be a bit too mature for his age.” Mrs. Kofi laughed. “Don't be worried about this, Christa. Be happy. You have raised a wonderful boy. Sebastian surely would be more than happy to see his son today.” Mom’s voice became a little sad, after she was reminded of my dad. “I really hope so. I miss him so much, even after all these years. Balto could really use a father figure from time to time. Especially if it comes to, well, guy stuff. He is now at an age girls become interesting. He even had his first time not long ago.” Mrs. Kofi laughed again, then tried to cheer Mom up again. “Christa, I didn't mean to upset you. I am sorry. Furthermore, I am certain Idrissa will gladly help you in this matter. And Balto had his first time? With whom?” Mom’s voice became a little brighter again. “A girl he met online. A bunny, but that is all I know. And thanks, it could be good for him, to talk with a man about sexual things. But now I would like to give you a compliment for your wonderful daughter. Nicole became such a smart and beautiful young woman. You must be proud of her.” Mrs. Kofi’s voice changed a bit, maybe she felt in which this conversation was going. “Well, thank you, Christa. Idrissa and I are indeed more than proud of Nicole. We pray that she will be accepted at Stark College next year. You know, she wants to be a theatrical or movie actress later, but we want her to get a proper education first.” Mom’s voice became curious. “Stark? That place is very elite, from what I have heard about it. And expensive, too.” Mrs. Kofi avoided talking about the price this college had. Instead, she pointed out a, at least for her, more important thing: “It is the best College around here. Especially for our kind. And what is even better, Nicole wouldn’t have to leave home, if they accept her there.” Mom’s voice changed back to a more thoughtful tone. “Yeah, I guess it would be good for everyone if she could stay in town. Balto would miss her for sure. He still loves to hear Nicole singing lullabies for him.” Mrs. Kofi’s voice turned more serious. “Christa, as much as I enjoy all this, I doubt that you have invited me over just so we can tell each other how proud we are of our kids. We know each other since middle-school, and I know when you are trying to tell me something. What is it?”
Mom sighed. She clearly struggled with finding the right words. “I really don’t know how to start this, Asha.” Nikki’s mom encouraged mine: “Just tell me what it is, straightforward.” I heard my mother taking a deep breath. “Asha, I am afraid it’s not that easy in this special case. Let me try it this way. As you know, we have seen each other’s pups grow up from their first day on. I was there as you gave birth to Nicole, and you were there for me a few years later, as Balto was born.” I could hear it in her voice, that mom was fighting with tears. Mrs. Kofi seemed to get a bit worried. “Christa, is everything ok? What do you want to tell me? I know that Nicole often played with Balto, she watched his first steps, even helped you to bathe him. And she has been his babysitter for about two or three years now. They developed such a close friendship that my daughter even prefers to be here with him than going out with other boys. And you know what, I am happy about that. So, Christa, stop beating around the bush. Tell me what they did.” At this moment, I knew exactly from which side Nikki got her intelligence. “Asha, they didn’t do anything bad. As I looked into Balto’s bedroom last night, I caught them both lying in his bed, naked and close together. I was so furious at first that I wanted to throw Nicole out of the house. But then, I saw your daughter holding Balto in her arms. And, I don’t know, it somehow looked just right. You know what I mean? In the morning, I asked them for an explanation. They confessed that they had sex together. And they both think that they are in love.” Mrs. Kofi chuckled. “Well, to be honest, this happened earlier than I have expected it.” My mother’s voice sounded very surprised after this statement. “Asha, doesn’t this bother, or at least surprise you a bit?” Nikki’s mom’s laughter could be heard in the entire house. “Christa, why should this bother me? As I just said, I expected this to happen between those two one day. There were more than enough signs that they have deeper feelings for each other. It’s true, most people would say that your boy is too young to evolve such feelings. But this is not as unusual as you might think. I had my first love, if you can call it that, at fourteen, and you too, if I recall that correctly.” Mom seemed embarrassed. “Yes Asha, but our love interests had about the same age as us.” We could hear how one of them, by the lightness of the steps I knew it was Mrs. Kofi, stood up to change seats. Then we heard her saying: “Sure, Christa. But many girls fall in love with older males. Many even have their first time with one of them. Now, in our case, Nicole is the older one. Personally, I only see one problem here. And that is not that my daughter is five years older. It is that Balto is only twelve. In my eyes, your son is mature enough to make this decision himself. If he wants to be with Nicole, and if she wishes to be with him, who are we to stand between them? Let the kids have their experiences. If it works out, perfect. If not, I am certain that they will learn a valuable lesson from it.” Silence took place for a minute. By now, Nikki had cuddled herself close to me. My mother’s voice then broke the silence: “Honestly, Asha, I wasn’t as calm as you are now, after they told me what happened. To be honest, I thought you would be angry about it, shout around and call Idrissa right away.” Mrs. Kofi once more laughed loudly. “You silly wolf. For how long are we knowing each other now? Twenty-six years? You really should know me better.” Her voice changed back to a more serious tone. “But I have to say, convincing Idrissa of all this will not be easy. It will surely be a shock for him. I can tell you already that he will likely freak out a little. See, for him, Nicole is still his little girl. No one is allowed to touch her if he can prevent it. I think the best might be to get him into a good mood first. I will spend a nice day with him, and in the evening, we will tell him the news together. That will probably make things a bit easier.” Again, it became silent. “Asha, I am afraid of how he will react. You know how sensitive Balto is. If Idrissa shouts around here, or even worse, if he forbids them to stay together, it could break Balto completely.” Mrs. Kofi’s voice now sounded like that of an empress, as she answered to this. “Trust me Christa, if he does that, he will have to deal with me. And Idrissa knows that he could only loose in such a fight. Please, Christa, you can believe me. Everything will be fine. And now, I want to see our two lovebirds. Can go to them, or do you think we would interrupt something in your son’s room?” Mom had to laugh about this somehow dirty joke. “Asha, I don't think they did anything but listen to every single word we just spoke here.” She then called for us: “Balto, Nicole, would you please come back here?” Nikki and I looked at each other, before we slowly stood up from the floor to walk back into the living room. I was a few steps behind my girl, as we entered. Mrs. Kofi stood up and took Nikki into her arms, before she looked deep into her daughter’s big, moist, purple eyes. We thought of many reactions, but not the one we just got from Mrs. Kofi. Nikki sniffed and wiped away a tear. “Thank you, mom. You are the best.” I could see a smile on Mrs. Kofi’s face. “Any time, Nicole. I am happy that you finally found a boy who really loves you. And not only wants your body, like the others you have presented to me and your father before.” I was standing nervously behind my girl while her mother talked with her. After they were finished, it was my turn. My whole body shivered. Nikki took a step aside, and I could see how Mrs. Kofi smiled at me. “Now to you, Balto. Come closer.” I moved a little closer to her, still shivering, while Nikki joined my mother on the couch. Mrs. Kofi kneeled to look me in my eyes. “Young man, you don’t have to be afraid of me. I am glad to see you as Nicole’s boyfriend. I am sure you two will be happy together. But Balto, you also have to promise me a few things.” I was a bit confused, which is why I asked: “What do I have to promise you, Mrs. Kofi?” She put both her hands on my shoulder. “You have to promise me, that you will do whatever you can, to make Nicole happy. I also want you to promise that you will always give her the love and respect she deserves. That you will always be there for her, listen to her if she is sad and that you will laugh with her, if she is happy. And, because of your age, you also have to promise me that no one, besides those you can really trust, gets any knowledge of your relationship. Believe me, it could be awful if the wrong person finds out about it. Can you promise me all that?” I didn’t even have to think about these words for a single second, before I gave my answer: “Yes Mrs. Kofi, I promise. I will do my best to be a good boyfriend to Nikki, and I will do my best to make her happy. And I promise that I won’t tell this to anybody. I don’t have many friends anyway.” She tousled my hair. “Better less, but trustworthy, than many, but false friends, Balto. You are a good boy. And a good baker. This chocolate saddle of venison was delicious. I thank you for it.” Her words flattered me. “No problem, Mrs. Kofi. Glad you liked it. Will you come over with Mr. Kofi tomorrow? I hope he won’t be mad at us.”
While giving me a warm smile, Nikki’s mother gently caressed my cheek again. She has such soft hands. In a calm voice, she said: “Yes, but in the evening. Please Balto, don’t be afraid of him, ok? He will shout around a little, I am sure of that, but he would never dare to hurt you. I am convinced that, at the end, he will stand on your side. To this day, he could never say no to his daughter’s wishes.” I was afraid as hell of Mr. Kofi’s reaction at this point, I can tell you that much. There was just one more thing I wanted to know from her: “Ok, Mrs. Kofi. Can I ask something else?” The feline gave me a questioning look. “Sure, what is it?” My tail wagged fast, as I asked slightly stuttering: “Can Nikki maybe stay here tonight?" All three women had to laugh, making me wonder what was so funny about me asking if my girlfriend can stay overnight. Mrs. Kofi answered: “If your girl wants to, I don’t have anything against it, Balto.” She looked over to her daughter. “Nicole, will you stay here tonight?” My sweet cheetah turned her beautiful head over to my mother. “Sure, if Christa allows it, sure. But Balto, if we want to sleep together from now on, we will soon need a bigger beg.” Mom happily allowed Nikki to stay. “Sure, Nicole. You can stay as long as you want. And for the new bed, I will see if I can afford that. But I am sure we can solve this problem somehow.”
Ok, this was the easy part. The more challenging one was Mr. Kofi. Nikki and I talked late into the night about what we could say to her dad. It was about 3 am, as Nikki fell asleep. I tried to find some rest, but the sandman ignored me. Every single scenario I could imagine ended badly for us. Her father seemed to me like the final boss in a video game, but I had to face him in the first minute of the game, with a Level 0 character. If you have ever played video games, you can possibly imagine what I mean.
Since I couldn’t sleep, I turned on my PC, plugged in my earphones, and listened to some of my favorite songs. The first one was “Hallelujah”, performed by Peter Hollens. This man simply has an astonishing voice. One of this old song’s lines reads: “Love is not a victory march”. I rewound part again and again. I think that love is something you have to fight for, and what you have to defend every day. But what if I had already lost the battle before it had even begun? Two of the other songs I heard more than once that night were “Everything I do, I do it for you” by Bryan Adams and “Thank you for loving me” by Bon Jovi. I don’t remember how late it was, but at some time during the night I fell asleep on my desk, the earphones still in my ears. Nikki woke me up by softly shaking me at about nine or ten o’clock. “Wake up, little wolfy. Are you ok? Did you sit here all night?” She said in her lovely voice. My answer came very slowly, my eyes were still halfway closed: “Yes, I am fine. I just couldn’t sleep. I was thinking of your dad all night. He scares me.” She took me into her arms. At the same moment, the door of my room opened. My mother came in, to tell us breakfast was ready. She saw Nikki holding me, while I barely could sit straight in my chair. My appearance must have worried mom. “Balto, are you ok? What is wrong?” She asked. Nikki answered for me: “Poor wolfy couldn’t sleep, Christa. He is so afraid of my father that he sat here the whole night.” Mom came closer, took away my earphones, then she turned off the computer. “Balto, I will give you something, so you can sleep for a few hours.” I didn’t say anything. I only wanted my brain to shut up and get some sleep. Mom left the room. After she came back, she gave me a syrup for cubs, which pretty much knocked me out. Nikki later told me that they left me alone, after they laid me down in my bed. Several hours passed until I woke up again. Slowly, I left my bed and moved, still drowsy, into our living room. My mother and Nikki watched one of those police series on TV. It was my girl, who noticed me first. She asked, while looking at me: “Hey, see who is awake. Feeling better now, doggy? I just yawned loudly in response, while mom added: “You want to eat something, Balto? We have spared you some pancakes. But first, go brush your teeth. Nikki, can you help him with his hair? He always looks like an exploded broom after he wakes up. We really need to go to the hairdresser with him. Manicure and pedicure wouldn’t hurt either. You need to take better care of your claws, Balto.” Nikki chuckled, as she heard me mumbling a not understandable answer. I don’t like our hairdresser. She always treats me like a cub. Nikki then said to mom, after she jumped off the sofa: “Sure, Christa. Come with me Fluffy, I will make you pretty again. Where are the curlers, Christa?” My protest in the form of a loud growl was only laughed at. Nikki took my hand to drag me into the bathroom. Luckily, Nikki didn’t use the curlers on me. She only wanted to paint my claws, but I could prevent her from doing that. It took about 30 minutes until I was, in Nikki’s words, pretty again. Now it was time for a very breakfast. Pancakes taste definitely better when they are fresh. Time passed rapidly. At five o'clock in the afternoon, mom’s phone rang. It was Mrs. Kofi, saying that she and her husband would come over in about 30 minutes. Nikki made coffee, I got dressed in my best black jeans, a shirt, and my beloved red bandana. The doorbell rang punctually at half past five. My mother asked: “Balto, would you please open the door and welcome our guests? Tell them to wait in the living room, I have to find the cookies I bought for today.” I hurried to the door, while disappeared into the garage. Mrs. Kofi came in first, after I opened the front door, followed by Mr. Kofi. His impressive figure made me look up at him with my mouth open. The big king cheetah seemed to be in a good mood, at least from my perspective. I welcomed them into our home and asked them to take a seat in the living room, just like mom said. Mr. Kofi quickly put our two armchairs together, so he and his wife could sit next to each other. Mom and Nikki joined us shortly after, together with cookies and fresh coffee. The adults hugged other, then we all sat down. As said, Nikki’s parents sat down on our armchairs, I placed my touchy in the middle of our sofa, Nikki was on my left, mom on my right side. Our parents began to talk about how their day was, what they did and so on. The first impression I had as he entered appeared to be right, Mr. Kofi really was in a good mood. At least for now. We sat there, ate cookies, our parents talked, it could have been such a peaceful evening. But doom was already lurking in the shadows. With every passing minute, Nikki and I became more nervous.
We reached for each other’s hands. At one point, Nikki pressed mine so hard, that I whimpered. More time passed, and finally, after an endless hour of talking, Mr. Kofi asked about the reason for this unexpected invitation into our home, while he was drinking his third cup of coffee: “I must say, this was a perfect ending to a beautiful day. Cookies, coffee, and a nice conversation with the most important people in my life.” His gaze went over to his wife. “Asha, we didn’t have such a day together for a long time. Somehow, I cannot get rid of the feeling that you want to tell me something terrible, and that this whole day was only to prepare me for it.” Then he looked at my mother. “And Christa, if I am allowed to say this, it appears that your son is afraid or scared of something or someone. He is holding Nicole’s hand for the entire time. Did anything happen at school? Did someone beat him up?” My whole body shivered. Mom could feel my fear. She gently caressed my back to calm me down, while she replied to Mr. Kofi in a soft voice: “Well, Idrissa, there is indeed something we have to talk about with you. It isn’t something bad, really. Well, at least Asha and I don’t think it is a bad thing. But maybe it is better if the kids tell you themselves.” I could see question marks appearing over his head. Metaphorical, of course. He asked in our direction: “What could you two possibly have to tell me? Balto, did you kiss Nicole and want to confess it to me?” Mr. Kofi giggled after his little joke.
Meanwhile, Nikki released my hand, stood up and took a few steps, so she was standing in front of her father. My girl now tried her best to explain the situation to him. “Dad, you know I had my fair share of stupid boyfriends, and you disliked them all for good reasons. They were rude, without manners, selfish and so on.” Mr. Kofi looked at her, chuckled. He didn’t expect the bomb which was about to explode. “Yes, Nicole, and it has been some time now since I threw the last guy out of our house. So, you want to tell me you have a new boyfriend?” Nikki sighed silently. “Yes, dad. That is a part of what I, no, what we want to tell you.” Her dad wanted to interrupt her, but Nikki stopped him. “No, dad. Please let me finish this first. You have always asked me to be honest with you. That I shouldn’t lie to you. So, I want to tell you the truth. The first thing is that my new boyfriend is a bit younger than me.” Mr. Kofi crossed his arms, as he asked: “Younger than you? How old is he? Fifteen, sixteen?” Nikki paused a moment, before she could answer him in a somehow ashamed voice: “No. He is twelve. But dad, before you say something, please listen. He is a lot more mature than my former boyfriends. Most important, he really loves me. Mom already met him, and well, you know him as well.” Mr. Kofi stood up. The expression on his face darkened, his voice didn’t sound happy and friendly anymore. The fur on his tail puffed out, he himself seemed to grow as he shouted: “Twelve years? Did you just say that you want to form a relationship with a twelve-year-old? Nicole, that means he is still a cub. Not only that, in fact, it is illegal for you to be with him, and you know that! And how should I know this boy? If I would know him, I would have a serious talk with his parents. Besides, the only twelve-year-old boy I know is sitting right there on the couch!” While saying this, he pointed at me. His reaction caused me to hide behind my mother. Mr. Kofi’s voice became even louder, as he further yelled at Nikki: “Say, are you a cubophile, Nicole? What are you thinking? Twelve years. What comes next? That it is indeed Balto, who you want to present me as your boyfriend?” Now, Nikki also raised her voice. “You are damn right, it is him! Yes, I love Balto, and he loves me. We both decided that we want to be a couple from now on. Mom is ok with it, same for Christa. You are the only one who reacts and screams around like a maniac!” Those words angered Mr. Kofi even more. “Young Lady, you dare to call me a maniac? I am the only one here who still has a sense of reason! He is a minor! How can he even know what love is? I should call the police, to end all this! Christa, I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in you. Sebastian would have never allowed this. Perhaps it would be the best the CPS would take your son far away from you!” I pressed myself against my mother, cried bitter tears. I hate if someone shouts around. Mom was simply speechless because of these harsh words. She expected much, but not this. The situation seemed hopeless. Mrs. Kofi, silent until this point, now had enough. She stood up, moved in front of Nikki to protect her from her father. I could hear her taking something out of her purse before she began to yell at her furious husband. “Idrissa Kofi, are you out of your mind? Did you just say that you want to call the police? You want to frame your daughter, and you accuse her of being a cubophile? Do you really want them to take Balto away from his mother? You know what? Take my phone, call the cops! But I promise you, if you do that, I will leave you, and I will take Nicole with me! You want to know why? Because then you wouldn't be the man anymore, who I married all those years ago. This man would have never said or done the things you just said. Do you remember what you promised your daughter on the day she was born? At the moment you held her in your arms for the first time? In case you forgot it, I can tell you what it was! You promised that you would always protect and support her, in every way possible. Today, she needs your help and support, maybe more than ever before. And you dare yell at her?” She shook her head. “I can't believe this. As I said before, call the cops. Report your daughter and destroy the family of your best friend. But I will make sure that you also will be alone afterward.”
Heavy breathing followed, and something had dropped on the table. Those clear words of his wife showed effect, Mr. Kofi seemed to calm down a bit. I finally found the courage to come out of my hiding, but I still cuddled myself close to my mother, who took me into her arms. The big cheetah looked at his wife. His voice was still pretty loud, but at least he stopped shouting. “You are right, Asha. I promised to protect and support Nicole. And I want to protect her from this. Because in my eyes, it would be a big mistake.” He pointed at me again. “As I said, Asha, he is a minor.” Mrs. Kofi replied: “Yes, Idrissa. He is a minor. A fact no one can deny. But you know he is responsible and trustworthy. You know how he cares for Nicole, and that he is a smart kid. What else could we wish for? He is already better than every single idiot Nicole dragged into our house before him!” I know that was meant as a compliment in my direction, but it didn’t put Nikki’s taste for boys into a good light. Why did she even like those guys? Mrs. Kofi turned around to look at me, then her gaze wandered to her angered daughter, before she continued in her usual, kind, and calm voice. “And even if this is a mistake, let the two find it out themselves. I just beg you to help them, Idrissa. They both need you. Balto maybe even more than Nicole. He never had a father who he could look up to. Please do it for your friend, do it for Sebastian. Help Balto to become the partner you always wanted for your little girl.” His look wandered between every one of us. First to his wife, Nikki, my mom, and lastly to me. I shivered like a tree during an earthquake. His next words were directed towards me. “Balto, come here. I want to hear from you, that you want to be my daughter’s boyfriend.” I gulped and didn’t want to go closer to him. I feared he would beat or do even worse things to me. Minutes ago, he threatened us to call the police, and that he wanted them to take me away from my mother. How could I ever trust him again? How could it possibly be, that he had changed his mind so quickly? (Mom later told me that it could be because of Mrs. Kofi’s words, that she and Nikki would leave him, if he really does what he said he should do.) Since I didn’t move from alone, mom whispered a few words to me: “Go. Tell him what you feel for Nicole. This is your big chance, but you have to do it yourself. Don’t worry, I will always stand behind you. Look at your girl over there. If you want to be her boyfriend, you have to stand up for her.” With shaking legs, I stood up. Slowly, with my tail pinched between my legs and my ears submissively lowered, I walked over to Mr. Kofi. My gaze was fixed on the floor, as I reached him. I didn’t dare to look him in the eye. In a commanding voice, he said: “Young man, I am up here. Look me in the eye and tell me, what you want.” I had to gather all my courage to lift my head and look Nikki's father in the eye. In a trembling voice, I said: “Mr. Kofi, I love Nikki and want to be her boyfriend. Please, would that be ok for you?” The way I asked him for his allowance wasn’t really satisfying for him. With his strong arms crossed, he replied: “Try it again. But this time, speak loud and clear.” Frightened, I swallowed. Nikki now came closer to me, I felt how she took my hand. I don't know how, but with her at my side I was able to tell Mr. Kofi loud and clear what I, no, what we wanted: “Mr. Kofi, I love Nikki, and want to be with her. I want to make her happy, and I want to take care of her. Please give me a chance to prove myself. I swear to you that I will never do anything to hurt Nikki.” Mr. Kofi didn’t respond. He only looked deeper into my eyes, like he was looking for something hidden in them. Nikki was still holding my hand. Like me, she was shivering. Moments passed. The expressions on her father’s face changed several times, more than once I could see his bared teeth. I flinched when I suddenly felt Mr. Kofi's heavy hand on my shoulder. His stern gaze wandered back and forth between me and Nikki as he said the following: “Fine. But listen. I am still not sure, what to think about all this. You indeed have to prove yourself worthy of my daughter. Know that I will have my eyes on both of you. Did you understand?” Nikki wanted to answer this, but I was faster than her: “Yes, Mr. Kofi, we understand. Thank you. I will not disappoint you, I promise”. A sudden smile appeared on his face. His voice had a surprisingly friendly tone, as he replied: “I know, Balto. I saw it in your eyes. You have much of your father in you. What is a good thing. Should one of you ever have question or problems, come to me.” Nikki couldn’t resist anymore. She gave her father a stormy hug while shouting happily: “Thank you, dad! I love you.” Mr. Kofi patted her back gently, after taking her into his strong arms. “I love you too, Nicole. More than you can imagine. I hope you made the right choice.” After her father released the hug, Nikki came back to me, took me into her arms and pressed me against her. It was at this moment, that I couldn’t hold it anymore. I began to cry in my girl’s arms. Wasn’t only me, Nikki cried as well. Our mothers watched us standing there crying arm in arm for quite a while until they joined us in a big group hug. This was the happiest moment of my life so far. We made it. Yes, we made it. Our parents were all standing behind us. Nikki’s father stood aside us. He watched the scene with his arms crossed again. We could all hear him mumbling: “I could use a drink now.”
Our mothers both laughed, then my mom replied: “That actually is a good idea, Idrissa. I still have this bottle of champagne Sebastian bought almost 13 years ago. He wanted to celebrate the birth of his son with it. I couldn’t think of a better reason to finally open it.” Mr. and. Mrs. Kofi agreed. Mr. Kofi then spoke a few more, essential words: “Everyone, I want to apologize for yelling around before. Christa, I am sorry for what I said about the CPS should take Balto away from you. It was more than wrong to say that. I hope you can forgive me.” Mom smiled at the big king cheetah. “Sure, Idrissa. Forgiven and forgotten. Now let me get the champagne, it is in my bedroom.” So, while mom went towards her bedroom to get this bottle, Mrs. Kofi had a few more words to say to her husband: “I am happy to see you admit your mistake, Idrissa.” She then shouted: “I will get the glasses.”
Alcohol isn’t really my thing, but I also wanted something to drink. I asked mom, as she came back with the bottle of champagne in her hand: “Mom, can I have cocoa?” Nikki joined my request for a cup of this chocolaty delicacy: “Oh, for me too, please.” Mom turned her head towards, smiled and answered: “Sure thing. Nicole, you know where the cocoa is, could you take care of it?”
Nikki quickly prepared two big cups of cocoa for us in the kitchen, including three marshmallows in each cup. My girl and I then took our cups and rejoined the adults in the living room. Meanwhile, mom gave the champagne to Nikki’s dad, who took the bottle out in our front yard. At first, I wondered why. But then I watched how he uncorked the bottle. Accompanied by a loud bang, the cork flew over the street right into our neighbor’s garden. Nikki’s dad raised the open bottle to the sky. His following words caused mom to sniff: “Here’s to you, my friend.”
Mr. Kofi stood there for a few moments, looking up in the sky. A gentle wind blew through his short fur. I don't know where the wind came from. Up to that point, there wasn't even a breeze that day. An answer by my father? No, that can’t be. My mother finally asked him to come back in, so she could close the door. Mr. Kofi came back, the door was closed, everyone sat back down. Nikki’s parents on our armchairs, mom next to them on the sofa, then me, and Nikki to my left. The adults filled their glasses with the sparkling champagne. The bottle looked rather expensive. Well, I later checked the price online, it indeed was not a cheap one. Especially not for a policeman like my father. Just before they could drink something, Mrs. Kofi stood back up to bring out a toast. My mother and Mr. Kofi raised their glasses high, Nikki and I did the same with our cups. What Nikki’s mom had to say was short, but memorable:
“Here’s to Balto and Nicole. May their love guide them all their life.”
Its so great! Balto you are the best, i enjoy reading your stories, give nikki a hug from my part also a lot of cuddles to you, and congrats for your new steps writing
Its so great! Balto you are the best, i enjoy reading your stories, give nikki a hug from my part al
I am glad you enjoyed it. I just often still don't know why I am still doing this. But then I look at Nikki and Balto, and their world, and I don't want it to disappear. Sorry, I am in a pretty thoughtful mood today
I am glad you enjoyed it. I just often still don't know why I am still doing this. But then I lo
I am really happy that you liked it! Which parts do you mean? I use a program to check on grammar and punktuation, that is why I thought all should be fine
I am really happy that you liked it! Which parts do you mean? I use a program to check on grammar a
It is strange that my program didn't show that to me. I will keep my eyes open for these errors. Thanks for telling me! Again, I am glad you could enjoy it at least a little
It is strange that my program didn't show that to me. I will keep my eyes open for these errors. Tha
stories with parents? Well, I had Idrissa's parents in one of my last stories, Christa's parents will be mentioned in the Austria story I am currently working on, so, yes, I will try to show the origins of my crew in the future. If it comes to plan stories, well, I am usually not planing them. Besides the Austria story, that one was planned for a long time. What I also plan is a little comic showing Balto's proposal to Nikki, and their wedding. Apart from that, I will write whenever I have an interesting idea, whenever I have a picture worth telling the story behind it. That is actually how this whole story thing started in the first place, I wanted a background story for the first pic with Nikki. Back then, she was only a one-time sex character But then, this sneaky cheetah stole my heart…. (well, in some way, you know what I mean)
stories with parents? Well, I had Idrissa's parents in one of my last stories, Christa's parents wil
