Hey there, folks. I hope you are all feeling well out there. We reached the middle of November. So much happened this year. I can’t count the hours I have spent with writing these little entries, which was always a fun thing to do. During the past months, I told you many things about Nikki and me. Happy stuff, but also sad things. This time, I have something essential to talk about.
It was at a few ago, during the Darwin’s Hope Comic Con, as the amendment to the children's protection laws was ratified. These were satisfying news for Nikki and me, and since then, mom tried to get an appointment with a qualified psychologist. Only through Mr. Kofi’s numerous contacts, we found one who was willing to welcome us in his office. As it was to be expected, not everyone was happy about this new change designed specifically for Anthros. Many psychologists have said from the beginning that they will not support it and will not even talk to those who may now come to them to have their relationship legalized. Mom had to call at least a dozen of the, until she found one willing to give us an appointment. To get a visit from the Child Protective Services was a bit easier to manage, as they have to send someone in case of any problems. Well, at least here in Darwin’s Hope, they do it that way.
I don’t want to waste much time with flowery words, let us go directly into the matter. I would like to begin with our visit to the psychologist, who’s exact job was to find out, if I am mature enough to have a relationship with Nikki. That's the first condition written in the amendment, which should prevent perverts from getting their sick hands on cubs, which don’t really want to be with them.
The second thing was the mentioned visit from the Child Protective Services, or CPS for short. Here we had to prove that the relationship had, has, or will have no negative influences on me. But first things first, as the ok from this psychologist was the requirement for even calling the CPS in this regard.
I hope will enjoy reading this entry. Should you have any questions, please use the comments down below.
Part 1: The Psychotherapist
The events of the Comic-Con were about two weeks ago. Since the news anchor had announced the happy news, my mother and Nikki's parents tried since everything to get an appointment with a psychotherapist. The few who accepted cases like Nikki’s and mine seemed to have a lot to do since this amendment came into charge. With luck, and possibly only because of Nikki’s family name, we got an appointment in the afternoon of the 18th of November. Mom and I drove there right after school ended that day. I have to admit that I can’t remember anything of this school day, since my thoughts were constantly with this important appointment.
It was about 4 p.m., as we arrived at the big building, in which this doctor had his office in. After she parked the car, mom noticed me nervously biting on my claws, while I was sitting in the back seat of our car. She tried to calm me down by saying in a gentle voice: “Balto, stop that. There is no need for you to be nervous. The doctor will not bite you.” I looked into the blue, gentle eyes of my mother. “But mom, if I blow this, Nikki and I can’t become a legal couple. We would have to continue hiding our relationship. And I want to tell others, that she is my girlfriend.” She looked at me with a look of understanding. “Balto, don’t worry. Just be honest to the doctor, and everything will be fine. But we have to go now, our appointment starts in ten minutes.” We left the car and walked hastily into the building. The elevator brought us to the 13th floor, where mom and I left the cabin and moved down the hallway to the doctor's office. Mom knocked, and a brief moment later, we were asked to come in by the secretary. We were told to take a seat in the waiting room, as the doctor was still busy. My gaze was fixed on the floor while Mom gently caressed my back. I startled, as my phone buzzed. It was a text from Nikki. “Hey doggy. Good luck with this psycho-doc. Don’t forget to call me as soon as you are done. The news just said that there is an incredible number of teens trying to get this allowance, but so far, most of them didn’t get it. I keep my fingers crossed for us. Don’t forget, I love you, no matter what.”
I just wanted to type an answer, but mom took my phone away from me, as the doctor came to us. He shook hands with my mother and me in greeting before asking us to follow him into his office. He took a seat behind his large, wooden desk, while mom and I sat down on two chairs in front of it. The psycho-doc now looked at Mom and began to speak, after he activated a voice recorder. “Ms. Star, during our call, you told me that you needed an appointment because of your son's unusual relationship. Is that correct?” Mom looked at him while holding my hand tightly. “Yes, that's correct. Since May this year, my son has a relationship with our neighbor's daughter. The so-called problem is that his girlfriend, Nicole Kofi, is eighteen and Balto is thirteen. After the government ratified this amendment to the Child Protection laws, we wanted to take the chance to make their relationship legal, so they don't have to hide their love anymore.” The doctor nodded, and answered to her: “Good, Ms. Star.” He took a deep breath. “Before we begin, I would like to say a few words in advance. I already had several teenagers here in the last few weeks, all of whom had the same reason as you for coming here. I have refused to give my consent to each and every one of them. Some were accompanied by their much older partners, who tried to tell me that they were just relatives. This new amendment encouraged some cubophiles to try their luck, which is why I am very suspicious.”
Mom’s tone became more serious. “Listen, I understand your doubts and your caution. I am Balto’s mother, I have passports and papers to prove that, just in case you think I am trying to fool you. Nicole and my son proved it more than once to me, and also to her parents, that their love for each other is true. I only ask you to be fair and give my son a real chance to convince you, that he is mature enough for this relationship. Besides all this, if you don’t believe in this, why do you even welcome those who need help in this matter?” The doctor seemed to be a bit arrogant at first, but after my mother’s statement, he became a bit kinder to us. He even apologized for his previous words. “I apologize, Mrs. Star. As it seems, I have offended you. That was not my intention. Well, I would say we should get started.” His gaze wandered over to me, before he pointed at a door on the right side of the room. “Balto, would you please wait in that room over there? I have to talk to your mother first, and then I will speak with you. There is a TV and some comics in there. It won’t take long.”
I wasn’t sure and didn’t want to leave, but mom told me to follow the doctor’s order. I left them alone. The surprisingly heavy door made it impossible for me to hear what they were talking about. Since I had nothing else to do, I looked through these comics. Mostly old and cheap stuff, with torn pages. But then I found the newest Iron Man, which I hadn't read before. I was in this room for about 30 minutes, before mom and the doctor joined me. Mom gave me a hug, while the doctor asked me to come back in. Mom whispered a few words into my ear, before I followed the doctor, and she remained in this room. “Heads up, Balto. Just remember to answer his questions honestly, and I am sure that everything is going to be fine. I believe in you.”
She kissed my cheek and smiled at me. This, together with her words, gave me new confidence. Back in the doctor’s office, the man told me to lay down on one of those typical psychologist couches. He himself first took his voice recorder off the desk and then sat down in a chair next to me. The conversation that followed now was actually a bit longer than I am going to write down here, but I think this was the most important part of it. The psychologist began: “Ok, Balto. First, I want to say that you don’t have to be afraid of me. I am here to help, not to judge you. Now, let us talk a bit about your relationship. When did you first discover that you have a more profound interest in, what was her name, Nicole Kofi?” I looked at the ceiling, while I tried to find the right words. I wasn’t very successful with that at first. “Well … I … First … Meeps.” The doctor tried patiently to calm me: “Balto, relax. Take a deep breath, and then tell me when you first discovered your feelings for your girlfriend.” I gulped, then tried to answer him. “Well, I think it was during Nikki's last relationship. Sometimes, I could watch them from the window in our Living room. From there I could see how badly he treated her. He never helped her to carry her books, and when it rained, he kept the umbrella for himself, instead of keeping Nikki dry. The fact that this idiot was allowed to kiss and touch her made me both jealous and angry. I always thought that I would never treat her like that if she was my girlfriend. I often became sad and almost lost my appetite, when Nikki wasn't sitting next to me at the table. Nikki was my babysitter for a few years, she used to sing lullabies to me at bedtime. After a while, I couldn't fall asleep unless I heard her sing.” He nodded and spoke a few words into his recorder. “Ok Balto, that is a good start. And when did you tell her about your feelings for her?” I looked at him. Should I really tell him about that? Well, mom said I should be honest, so I did. “That was in May. Nikki staid at our home, since mine and her mom went out for the lady's night. As usual, she showered and, well…” I gulped again, before I continued to tell him this somewhat awkward story. I secretly watched her. It actually wasn’t the first time, but this time, she saw me. I ran into my room, tried to hide under my blanket. Nikki followed me, pulled the blanket off me, and asked me what I was thinking, watching her in the shower. I told her that I often dreamed about her, that I loved to hear her voice, that I always got jealous, if she came home with someone else. I told her that my heart always beats faster when she is near me. Then I started to cry, and Nikki sang me a lullaby. Afterward, she told me that she also has feelings for me that she can't explain other than that she loves me.” The doctor seemed to think for a moment. “Hm, that sounds much like a typical teenage romance from a movie.” He looked at me with a serious expression in his face. “Are you really telling me the truth, Balto?” I nodded and raised my voice, since I felt that he didn’t want to believe me. “Yes, it is the truth! I love Nikki, and she loves me. And I also do know what a relationship means.” He gave me a sign to calm down. “Ok, ok. Well, tell me. What do you think does it means to be in a serious relationship?” I looked down and remembered Nikki’s words from this night in May. “It means that you really have feelings for someone, beside the ones that make you horny. That you want to be with someone, regardless of what it would cost you. That you would risk everything, just to be with this special person and help her, without asking for anything in return. And most importantly, it means that each of you could put his heart in the other's hands with the certainty that your partner will do everything to keep it safe.” The doctor nodded once more, while I was at a point where I nearly began to cry. “Young man, what did you think after hearing about this amendment?” I sniffled, while wiping a tear away. “I thought that we would finally have the chance to make our relationship legal, so we don’t have to hide anymore.” He stood up and walked over to this heavy door. After he opened it, he asked mom to rejoin us. She sat next to me on the couch and took me into her arms, as I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Mom caressed my head. “Shhh, don’t cry, my big boy.” I whimpered: “I blew it, mom.” The doctor watched us for a moment, before he spoke up. “Well Ms. Star, your son seems to have true feeling for this girl, I have to admit that. This is actually the first case I have, in which I am certain of this. And I can see that he has your support. I want to be honest with you here. I am still a big skeptic of this new amendment.”
It turned silent, as the doctor stood up and walked back to his desk. I could hear him signing something and then the sound of a stamp, before he came back to us. He gave my mother a piece of paper. I was crying my heart out, while I pressed my head against my mother's chest. I really thought I had screwed everything up. But mom patted me on the back and told me to look at the paper. “Balto, see.” She wiped my tears away, so I could read the most important part of what was standing written there.
I, Dr. William Lamark, approve that Balto Star, 13, is capable and mature enough to be in a relationship with Nicole Kofi, 18. Darwin’s Hope, November 18th, 2020 I couldn’t believe it. “Mom, is this good? Did I make it?” Is Nikki’s and my relationship legal now?” Mom answered with a happy tone in her voice. “Partly, yes. Good work, my son. I am sure that Nicole will be happy, too.” She looked at the doctor, who was watching us in silence. “Doctor Lamark, I can’t thank you enough. You cannot imagine what this means for my boy.” I was reading the rest of the paper, while I listened to the doc. “Ms. Star, as I have mentioned it earlier, so far, I rejected every other so-called couple that has come here seeking my approval. And I know it from several colleagues in town that their decisions match mine. Your boy was the first one to convince me. The first one, where I couldn't hear any alarm bells ringing.” He looked at me, while he stood up and reached me his hand. “Balto, I wish you, and your girlfriend, all the best.”
I shook his hand, and after mom did the same, we left the office and walked back to our car. My gaze was fixed on this paper all the way. Mom once even had to keep me from running into a sign, which was standing on the sidewalk. She unlocked our car and I took my seat in the back. After mom was in, she turned her head and looked at me. “Are you happy now? I told you everything will be fine.” I couldn’t say anything, I just moved forward and kissed my mother. “Thank you, mommy. Thank you for always being there.” She smiled and reached me a tissue. “No need to thank me, sweetie. And I will always be there for you. Have you already told Nicole about the good news?” I shook my head. “How, mom? You still have my phone. Besides, I want to surprise her. Can we go over to the Kofi’s house, if we come home?” Mom chuckled, while she gave me back my phone. “Sure, good idea. I bet Idrissa and Asha are also curious about how this turned out.”
We drove home, mom turned on the radio. As if they would have known it, they played the song “Sweet Victory”. I couldn’t think of a better song now, and asked mom to increase the volume. We arrived back home at about 5 o’clock and walked right over to the Kofi’s house. Nikki’s mom opened the door and asked us in. We moved to the living room, after mom told her about the cause of our visit. Mrs. Kofi called down her daughter, who was just learning in her room upstairs, and also called for her husband, who was busy in his workshop. A few moments later, we were all sitting together in the living room. Nikki was the first who said something: “Balto, Christa, don’t keep us waiting. What happened at the psycho-doc's office? Doggy, I told you to call me.” Mom tried to hide a smile behind her hand, as she said in the saddest tone she could pretend: “Balto, it may be the best if you tell it to them.”
While mom said this, I could watch how Nikki grabbed her long tail with a sad expression on her face. Was mom really so convincing? I stood up and read the psychiatrist's note aloud. At the end, Nikki jumped up from the couch and hugged me tightly. I held my cheetah close, while her parents clapped their hands. Nikki looked at me, after she gave me a gentle kiss. Her eyes shone like stars.
“I can’t believe it, Balto. You made it. Now we only have to convince this CPS agent. And after that, we will be legal. We will not have to hide anymore. Where is my phone? I have to write Trish.” She shouted, while looking for her phone: “This calls for a Party!” Her father tried to rein his daughter in a bit, after Nikki came back into the living room. “Nicole, calm down a bit, ok? Even if your relationship becomes legal, you shouldn't let everyone in on it. Please keep in mind that you could still lose your place at college because of it if only one of your professors doesn't agree with the new law. I beg you, tell it only those you trust.” Nikki looked down. Her father was right. “Ok, dad. I promise.” Mr. Kofi took his daughter into his big arms. “Thank you, Nicole.”
Nikki sat back down on the couch with me and held me close to her. We spent the next few hours talking and laughing, before Mom and I went home. As soon as we entered our house, my mother asked me for the paper. I handed it to her and could see her putting it in a folder with ‘Important Papers’ written on the back. Mom and I talked about the day for another hour, and mostly, of course, about the visit of the CPS Agent, which she wanted to arrange as soon as possible. The whole time, we were sitting on the couch in our living room, on which I cuddled up close to her. Mom kissed my forehead, as she said: “I am more than proud of you, my son. I will call the CPS tomorrow and schedule an appointment. Furthermore, I will call your teacher to get a record of your current grades. I think this is a good way to show the CPS how they have improved since Nicole is learning with you. I mean, you were never stupid, but since all this began, you learned to concentrate.” Mom looked at me while I yawned. This day has exhausted me quite a bit. Mom looked at me. “Are you tired, Balto? Maybe you should go to bed earlier. You had a long day.”
She caressed my back, while she turned on the TV. Mom always watches these police-series like CSI, NCIS and so on. I stayed with her for another hour, until I went to bed. This night, I dreamed weird stuff. Parts of a wedding, crying people, mom, who bared her teeth to a human, me in a green outfit bowing to an audience, Nikki wearing a crimson dress. It wasn’t like my usual dreams because I only saw all these short segments. But dreams are just little movies that our subconscious plays in our sleep anyway, aren't they?
Let us move on. Part 2: The CPS
The following day at school was nothing special. Aside from not being able to concentrate on what was going on, my thoughts were constantly revolving around this CPS thing. At the day’s end, Mr. Wertenson, who you might remember from my 4th entry to this journal, came to me. He told me that my mom had called him earlier to get a report on my grades since the beginning of this school year. He reached me an envelope and told me this would be what mom had asked him for. Well, since this was about me, I took a look at it myself. What I could read there made me smile. I managed to bring my grades from a C average last year to an A average this year. All thanks to Nikki. Mom was absolutely right as she said that Nikki’s presence helps me to concentrate. Only gym class still isn’t my thing. But a B is good enough for me here. Due to the conversation with Mr. Wertenson, I came home later that day. A good thing, that I have my trusted bike. Riding to school with it every day significantly improved my stamina. I only have to find something else to exercise during the winter. In our area, we usually have a lot of snow, which makes riding a bike often almost impossible.
As I came home, Mom was standing in the kitchen and prepared dinner. I quickly brought my backpack into my room, grabbed Mr. Wertenson’s report, which I, after I went back to the kitchen, proudly handed over to my mother. She tousled my hair, smiled at me, as she took a look at this piece of paper. Her tail began to wag, and mine followed soon after. I love to make mom proud. She did so much for me, that is a way I can at least pay it back a part of that. Mom said, after she put the report back in the envelope and placed it on our kitchen table: “This will impress the CPS Agent for sure. I called them today. Their visit will be next week. I already told Nicole about it, she immediately said she will be here to support us.” I nodded, but the smell of this tasty meal mom prepared for us drove my thoughts away from this topic. “That is nice, mom. When is dinner ready?” Mom seemed a bit confused at first, but soon began to chuckle. “You are always thinking with your tummy, hm? Just like your father. It will take another hour. Do you have homework to do?” I nodded. There was indeed something I had to do. “Yes mom. For my English class, I have to write an assay about a person I admire. I wanted to write about Mr. Kofi. Do you think that would be ok?” Mom became thoughtful. A brief pause later, she brought up alternatives: “If you ask me, perhaps you should write about a different person. How about Nicole’s grandfather, Michael Kofi?” Mom was probably right about this. Sure, Mr. Kofi is an interesting person, but much of his story is still unknown to me. And since he fought as a soldier, I suppose that some parts of his history aren’t suitable for school anyway. While I looked at the simmering, delicious-smelling food on the stove, I decided to follow my mom’s recommendation: “You are right, mom. And Michael Kofi is definitely someone not many others will write about, could bring me extra points. Didn’t we have a book about him?”
Mom had to think for a moment, before she answered. “Yes, it should be on the bookshelf next to the TV, a book with a white cover, and a protea on the cover. There should also be a folder with newspaper articles about him somewhere. Your father once collected everything about Michael Kofi, I still don’t know why. It should be somewhere close to the book. Say, should I help you with writing the essay?” My tail wagged rapidly, as she offered me her help. Writing essays is always a bit complicated for me. I simply never know what to write, which often results in that they become far too short.
With a broad smile on my face, I accepted her generous offer: “That would be cool, mom. Can we start after dinner? I want to be done with it before the weekend.” Mom nodded, while she stirred our food in this big pan. “Sure, Balto. Since dinner still needs time, you can search for the book and everything you can find. Perhaps we can even ask Idrissa for help tomorrow.”
The meal she was preparing was a mix of pork, beef, onions, and mushrooms. A recipe mom has from her mother, who originally came from Germany. I don’t know much about my mother’s parents, as she barely talks about them. Every time I ask mom about them, she changes the topic as fast as possible. I wonder if they even know about me. With a happy smile on my face, I began to gather everything I could find about Michael Kofi together. I even found this folder mom talked about. The whole thing looked a bit strange, like if dad had investigated against him. Hm, I possibly shouldn’t watch so many crime series.
After our mother/son dinner, we cleaned the kitchen, then it was time to start with the essay. During the next two hours, mom and I went through this book, marked important information, did research online. My mother showed me how to make a nice-looking layout, and we even began to write the first part. This man truly is a philanthropist. He did so much for the citizens of Darwin’s Hope, and he is still doing good things. His company built several Apartment complexes, in which people found a home. The low rents in his buildings are famous all around our district, and he finances the Darwin State Park Christmas Wonder World every year. At this time of the year, the whole park looks like Santa has built an outpost in our town. This is especially nice for children of not so gifted parents, as every child gets presents there. Mom used to go there with me too, until I became too old for it. But I don’t want to bother you with this any longer, let us move on.
The rest of this week was almost exclusively filled with working on this essay, which mom and I finally finished Friday after midnight. Basically, it was Saturday morning then. Doesn’t matter.
On Saturday, after breakfast, Nikki called me. She told me that, after their minor success with their first bigger performance “McBeth”, her Theater Group is now preparing for something much bigger, with more professional help from our town’s theater. A play called “Dance of the Vampires”. Guess she forgot that she had already told us about this, but I let her talk, mostly because this play sounds pretty interesting to me. Other than McBeth, this is a musical, which was written by two men named Michael Kunze and Jim Steinman, based on the work of Roman Polański. Nikki thinks that musicals, or more happy plays, will fit better to their group than tragedies like McBeth. Personally, I loved Nikki in this play. Just hated seeing her dying on stage. Regarding this vampire musical. Nikki meant that they wanted to make a few changes to the setting, making it a bit more modern. Nikki also sent me a picture of a pretty sexy red dress, which she will wear on stage. She bought it especially for this play. A bit odd, since it will take at least 5 or 6 more months until they can do it. My cheetah’s role will be the one of Sarah, the daughter of an innkeeper. This girl becomes the love interest of the protagonist’s assistant, a young man named Alfred. The main protagonist is a professor with the name Abronsius. Their Antagonist is the old vampire Count of Krolock. I don’t want to spoiler you, but the story really sounds both interesting and funny. Most importantly is that there will be some really nice songs in this play for Nikki to sing. During the weekend, she sang a bit for mom and me, what already sounded pretty impressive. My personal favorite was a song called “Total Darkness”, which I sadly didn’t hear from Nikki, since it is a duet, and therefore needs a second singer.
Damn, now I really drifted off. Where did we stop? Oh yes, the CPS. For those who don’t remember, this is the abbreviation for Child Protective Service.
Thursday, the 26th of November. For Nikki and me, it was Judgement Day. I came home from school at about 3 p.m. Much to my surprise, mom wasn’t home yet. The CPS visit was announced for 4 o'clock, so I desperately tried to call her. She took the call after my third attempt, but she sounded like I disturbed her during a meeting or some other important thing. “Yes Balto, what is it?” I was just standing in the kitchen, getting something to drink, and looked at the clock on our microwave. “Mom, this CPS guy will be here soon, where are you?” I could hear paper rustle in the background, and someone was yelling something I couldn’t understand. Mom’s voice sounded a bit friendlier now, but still like she was in a big hurry, as she answered my question: “Sorry, honey. I am still in the office. I try everything to come home soon, but I doubt that I can make it in time. Nicole should be with you in about half an hour, so you won’t have to face them alone. Be sure to have the document from the psychotherapist, and what your teacher gave to you, ready. Don’t be nervous, sweetie. This agent only checks out how we live and if the relationship had any bad influences on you. I have to get on with my work now. See you later, my son. I love you.”
She hung up before I could say anything else. That was odd. Mom made this appointment about a week ago, and now she had to work longer. I prepared everything like mom told me to do it. Nikki came to me about 20 minutes later, wearing a long T-Shirt and pants. A highly unusual outfit for her. But ok, for her, it was far too cold outside by now, and it wouldn’t look good to the CPS anyway, if Nikki would wear her more common, belly-baring outfits. Well, at least not if this CPS agent isn't an old man with a thing for college girls.
After she came into our house and closed the door behind her, I welcomed Nikki with a hug. “Nikki! Thank you for being here with me. Mom is still at work, and the CPS will be here soon.” Nikki seemed to be surprised. “Your mother is not here? Bad timing for overtime.” She thought for a second. “Hm, should I ask my mom to come over? Could be better for us, if at least one parent is present. And mom knows better how to deal with authorities.” That actually was a good idea, so I agreed to my girl’s proposal. She sent her mom a quick note, who was standing at our door only five minutes later. Mrs. Kofi was also confused about my mother’s absence. While putting her coat on a hook next to the door, she asked: “Christa is still not here? Bad day for working overtime. When was the CPS supposed to be here, Balto?” Nervously, I checked the time on my phone. “In about 10 minutes, Mrs. Kofi. I have prepared everything. Thank you for coming over.” While giving me a warm smile, Nikki’s mom gently touched my cheek. “My pleasure, Balto. It certainly was a good idea to call me over.”
Mrs. Kofi was interrupted by the sound of a car’s brakes. We looked outside where we spotted a black car coming up our driveway. After the car stopped, a slightly older female bear stepped out and walked towards us, armed with the worst weapons a bureaucrat can have. Pen and clipboard.
Together, led by Mrs. Kofi, we went outside to welcome this woman. Before we could say anything, she introduced herself: “Good day, my name is Elisabeth Winter. I am here in order of the CPS to check out the home and live circumstances of a Balto Star.” She looked at Nikki’s mom. “Who are you?”
This lady clearly knew how to make a bad first impression. Mrs. Kofi answered, after she reached her hand to this woman: “Hello, I am Asha Kofi. This here is my daughter Nicole, and…” Ms. Winter interrupted her by waving her hand. “Oh, I see.” She checked something on her clipboard, mumbled: “The love interest”, then she pointed at me. “That means you are Balto Star, yes? Where is your mother?”
I tried to remain friendly, even If the little devil on my shoulder kept telling me otherwise. This lady seemed to be doing everything she could to annoy us. I gulped down my anger and answered: “Sadly, my mom is still at work. That is why Mrs. Kofi came over.” Ms. Winter wrote something on her board, while she reacted to my statement: “This appointment was made a week ago. Not good. She should have made sure to be here.”
Mrs. Kofi took the word and defended my mother: “I am sure she didn’t plan to do overwork today. The matter for which you are here is just as important to her as it is to any of us.”
Do you know the phrase “If looks could kill”? Mrs. Kofi's facial expression at that moment was the best example of this. Ms. Winter seemed to sense that she had gone too far. “Well, ok. Before we begin, I need to see the psychologist's agreement. I suppose you have it here?” I nodded at her. “Yes, it is in the living room. Do you want to come in? Would you like something to drink?” The lady bear’s face showed a slight sign of a smile. “A glass of water would indeed be nice, yes. Thank you, young man.”
We all moved inside. While Nikki, her mom, and Ms. Winter sat down on our sofa, I went to the kitchen to get Ms. Winter a glass of water. As I rejoined them, I could see how she looked at the picture of dad, which was standing on the side table next to the couch. “That is my dad. He died before I was born.”, I said in a silent voice. At this point, I could feel something like empathy in Ms. Winter. “I am sorry to hear that. Thanks for the water.”
She took the glass out of my hand and looked at it. That was strange for me. It was clean, I just took it out of the cupboard. “Is something wrong, Ms. Winter?”, I asked her in a worried tone. Her answer was a brief: “No, all fine.”
She took a sip of the water, then put the drinking glass on the coffee table. We have one with a glass top, which is why Mom doesn't like it when someone doesn't use a coaster. I quickly got one and put it under Ms. Winter's glass. Strange for me was, that she once more wrote down something on her clipboard, as she watched me doing this. Next, I handed her the folder with the needed paper from Dr. Lamark inside. Silence took place, while she studied the psychologist’s notes. After she was done, her gaze went back to me. She sounded less threatening now. “Well, everything seems to be in order from this side. Now I need to see the rest of the house. We will start in your room, Balto.”
After she gave it back to me, everyone stood up. Nikki asked Ms. Winter to follow her to my room. For moments, my legs didn’t want to follow my will. This lady was strange. I placed Dr. Lamark's papers on the edge of our sofa’s armrest, then I followed the others. I entered my wolf cave, where I could see how Ms. Winter checked on almost everything she saw in there. Even my photo with Mr. Downey Jr. from Comic Con, and especially my Iron Wolf armor, was of interest to her. Mr. Kofi has built me a nice standee for it, so I didn’t have to store it in a box all the time. Once more, she made notes, before we took a brief look into my mother’s bedroom and our bathroom. Ms. Winter even wanted to check our garage, and the laundry room next to it. At the end, we were all sitting back in our living room. Nikki was next to me and her mom on the couch, while Ms. Winter was sitting in one of our armchairs. While checking the notes on the clipboard, she said: “Ok, the house appears to be fine. Still, it is sad that Ms. Star isn’t here. I would have had a few questions for her about the whole situation.” Like before, it was Mrs. Kofi, who spoke up. “Christa, I mean, Ms. Star, is my best friend. I am certain that I can answer your questions for her.” Ms. Winter looked at her with a stern expression on her face. “I appreciate your offer, but that is not allowed. But since you are the mother of the boy’s love interest, I also have a few questions for you.” Ms. Kofi seemed to be annoyed by the way Ms. Winter referred to Nikki. “Please, call my daughter Nicole, or Balto’s girlfriend, but not ‘Love Interest’. That sounds degrading.” Instead of apologizing, Ms. Winter defended herself: “I am sorry, Mrs. Kofi, but I am very skeptical about calling her his girlfriend. Personally, I doubt that a boy at his age really knows what a relationship is, regardless of what he is saying. But good for you, it isn’t my job to decide about this. Ok, the house looks fine, the boy seems to have good manners, and his grades are also not bad, regard to the report I found in this folder before, they improved significantly. Tell me, Mrs. Kofi, are you from around here? Your family name sounds more African to me.” Mrs. Kofi tried her best to stay calm, but this woman didn’t make it easy for her. “My husband’s family came here from Africa, yes. But my husband and I were born in this country. He even served in the Army for years and is a well-respected member of this town’s society. Say, what has that to do with Balto and his mother?” Ahead of giving Mrs. Kofi an answer, Ms. Winter took another sip from her glass of water. “Mrs. Kofi, my job is to see if anything around Balto could be harmful to him, and if his development could be jeopardized by this so-called relationship. Your reaction to my question, even though you just had to control yourself very much, was a positive thing to see. What were your first thoughts, after you heard about that your daughter, well, loves a minor?” Yeah, Ms. Winter didn’t even try to improve her sympathy level. Good thing that Mr. Kofi wasn’t here. But Mrs. Kofi also had a hard time staying calm. “Well, I wasn’t really surprised about the fact that Balto and Nicole discovered their feeling for each other. The only surprising thing about it was perhaps how early it happened. But I must say, I am more than happy for them. Balto and Nicole are made for each other. If you would know them, you would see it. Honestly, my daughter made some bad choices with guys in her life, which is one reason why I am pleased to see her with someone who truly loves and respects her. I am not afraid to say, that my husband and I give both of them all the support we possibly can. The same goes for Mrs. Star.” Ms. Winter took notes, while she listened closely to Mrs. Kofi. And finally, heard mom's car outside. Not long later, she opened the front door. I jumped off the sofa to welcome my obviously exhausted mother. After a brief hello, she asked me to drag some bags of grocery store stuff from the car into the kitchen. Nikki quickly offered her help, I guess she wanted to use this chance to get away from Ms. Winter. My girl and decided to do this slowly, so we could stay away from this unpleasant scene in our living room as long as possible. But we were still able to follow most of the ongoing conversation between my mom, Mrs. Kofi, and Ms. Winter, who greeted my mom formal, after she sat down: “Mrs. Star, it's good to see you are finally here. My name is Elisabeth Winter. Your boy, his … girlfriend and her mother have been showing me around and answered most of my questions. There are just a few more things I need to hear from you personally. Since this is already taking longer than expected, I would like to speed things up a bit. Tell me, did you or do you have any thoughts or feelings that this relationship might be a bad influence on your son?” Mom sounded like she was annoyed by this question, as she replied: “No. And I will gladly explain to you why not. Since Balto and Nicole formed this relationship, his grades improved, he became more self-confident, he even visited a party, a concert, and last month, he visited the Comic-Con with Nicole. I couldn’t be happier about all this.” Ms. Winter nodded. “All good points, yes. What about Sex? Does Balto know what consequences sex with a girl can have?” Mom remained friendly, but just as for Nicole’s mom before, it wasn’t easy for her. This Ms. Winter was either a close-minded woman, or she played some kind of sick game to provoke mom and Mrs. Kofi. “Ms. Winter, I had the sex-talk with my son right after the first time I discovered sperm on his bedsheets. And again, after he and Nicole told me about their love for each other.”
Ms. Winter's voice suddenly became softer and was no longer as stern as before. “Good, Mrs. Star. You would wonder how many teenagers don’t know the slightest thing about reproduction, as their parents don’t want to enlighten them about this topic. I had enough cases in which they found it out the hard way. Well, I have to admit that you did a good job with raising a healthy and friendly boy. He acted well-behaved and showed good manners. You and Mrs. Kofi are both very patient mothers, with a high degree of self-control. What I mean by this is that it is apparently difficult to provoke you. See, there is nothing I hate more than parents who can’t control themselves in front of their kids. Now you also know why I asked my questions in the form I did. It was a test for you. A test you both passed perfectly. Your kids can call themselves lucky to have you.” At that point, she must have noticed how Nikki and I were watching the scene while standing behind the kitchen counter. To clarify that, we have an open kitchen, which is connected with the living room. So, there is now wall and no door between these two rooms. Mrs. Winter continued: “You wouldn’t believe how many parents these days only need one wrong word to turn into the proverbial Hulk. Even if this word comes from their own children.”
Hearing this caused me to giggle, which is why made Nikki gave me a little push. Now I noticed a slight smile forming on the bear’s face, as she said: “Yes, young man, I also read comic books, when I was young. My favorites were always Wonder Woman and Catwoman. Yours seems to be Iron-Man. This armor in your room is impressive.” I could believe my ears. This woman has fooled us with her behavior? This twist came so unexpectedly for me that I could hardly form a sentence: “I … I never thought you would like comics. Nor that you are secretly friendly.” Ms. Winter laughed, what surprised all of us even more. “Don’t tell anyone, Balto. This is my secret identity. See, I have to play this role at visits like this one. If you act too friendly, people immediately think you give them everything they want. I have also found that this is the best way for me to unveil a person's true personality. You know, if someone is friendly and kind-hearted, it usually takes him very long until he raises his voice in anger. But if someone is a choleric, and not suitable to have children, it won’t take long until this person shows that. The CPS exists to protect children from parents like that. You Balto, you are lucky to have a good, supportive, and loving mother. The same goes for you, Nicole.” Ms. Winter turned her head towards Nikki’s mother. “Mrs. Kofi, I would like to apologize for the way I asked you my questions earlier. I wish more parents would stand behind their daughters the way you and your husband do.” I gathered my courage and asked the CPS-Lady: “Ms. Winter? I gulped. “Does that mean, all is fine, and you will give me and Nikki your approval?”
She looked at me with such a serious look that I clamped my tail between my legs. Ms. Winter said the following after clearing her throat briefly: “Well, let me see, young man. Your grades are good, they even improved since the beginning of your relationship. Your home is clean, and you have a good, healthy relationship with your mother. You are friendly, well-mannered, and accommodating. You were just a little quiet while I was here, but that's okay. As surprising as it is for me, I don’t see any reason to deny you the signature you need.”
She flipped over a few pages on her clipboard, until she found what she was looking for. Ms. Winter filled in a few blank spaces on the form and signed it when she was done. She then took a stamp out of her purse and pressed it on the paper. Thereafter, she took it off the clipboard and asked me to come over, so she can give it to me. My hands were shaking and tears were forming in my eyes, as I looked at this piece of paper, on which I could read the following lines:
The Child Protective Service (CPS), Department of Anthropomorphic Affairs in Darwin's Hope, Erie County, New York, acknowledges the relationship of Balto Star, 13, with Nicole Kofi, 18. Alongside the approval of Dr. William Lamark, this relationship is hereby declared lawful.
Signed in the name of the CPS,
Ms. Elisabeth Winter November 26th, 2020
The tears clouded my vision, after I read those lines. I sniffled. My hands were shaking wildly. Nikki came over to take me into her arms. She lifted my head, wiped the tears away. My tail began to wag rapidly, as Nikki kissed me. My girl even let her tail swing, like she wanted to imitate me. With her long tail, this must have looked very funny, as mom, Mrs. Kofi, and Ms. Winter all began to laugh. After her kiss, Nikki pressed me tightly against her. For a brief moment, it became hard for me to breathe. Only with an effort did I get the words out: “Nikki, not so tight, I can’t breathe.”
She released me from her tight grip. Now our mothers came over to congratulate us. My mom also gave me a hug, while saying: “You made it. I am proud of you.” She then looked at Nikki, who was in the arms of her mother. “Nicole, I couldn’t be happier. Now, it is time to celebrate.”
As I heard that, I requested a certain form of party: “With a Barbecue! And we will invite all our friends. Like Duke, Trish, Watumba and his mate.” I looked over to Ms. Winter, who was watching the scene from the armchair. “And you are invited too, if you like.” She smiled at me. “Thank you, Balto, but that would look like a bribe. I am happy for you two. Sadly, I have to go now. I have another appointment in an hour.”
She stood up and walked over to us, where she shook my mother’s and Mrs. Kofi’s hand, also Nikki’s and mine. Before she left, she turned around one last time. “Mrs. Star, it was a pleasure to meet you and your son. Mrs. Kofi, you have a wonderful daughter. I wish you all the best for the future.”
We all accompanied Ms. Winter out of the house, waved at her, as he stepped into her car. I still had this by now a little wrinkled piece of paper in my hand, which mom now took from me with the words: “I will better put this into our ‘Important Papers’ folder.” Mrs. Kofi spoke up: “Christa, can we make a copy of both forms? Just in case, you know.” Mom nodded with a happy smile. “Sure, Asha.” My mother looked at me. “Balto, where is the one from doctor Lamark?” I quickly replied: “It must be still on the couch. I will go get it.”
I ran back into the living room, looking for this folder. Strangely, it wasn't on the couch anymore. I almost flipped over one of the armchairs, while I searched for this stupid thing. I already feared that Ms. Winter would have taken it with her accidentally, but then I found it underneath the couch. I don't know how it ended down there. After I sighed in relief, I brought it outside to mom and Mrs. Kofi. My mother asked: “What took you so long? Didn’t you say the folder is on the couch?” I grumbled. “It somehow dropped and disappeared underneath the sofa.” Mom smiled at me, while I handed it over. “Well, doesn’t matter. They are here, that is all that matters.” My mother then handed everything over to Mrs. Kofi. “Here, Asha, bring them back if you made the copies.”
Nikki and her mother sadly left us now. Mom and I moved back to our living room, where we watched a few episodes of mom’s favorite shows. I was pretty tired after this long day, which is why I fell asleep during one of these episodes. Undoubtedly, it was the best sleep I had had in weeks.
Well, this chapter is over. Nikki and I are now a legal couple. We received this status as one of the very first teen and young adult couples in our town. Sure, we will not run around and tell everyone, but at least we don’t have to hide anymore. In our next entries, we will tell you about December, especially about Christmas, and our first New Year’s Eve as a couple.
Stay safe, everyone. May the love be with you, always. Nikki and Balto
Balto: I will tell a bit about the party if I rewrite our December Journals.It was really awesome, Mr.Kofi made so much food, I baked 3 cakes, ut was a blast!
Nikki: I gained two kilograms of weight that day... but we, how to call it, exercised a lot during the days that followed. So was quickly back to normal
Balto: I will tell a bit about the party if I rewrite our December Journals.It was really awesome,
Honestly, I wish more writers tried this method of approach with coloring narrative sections. It's visually stimulating and helps to tell characters apart from each other in some cases. I can see this becoming a powerful reading tool in many schools, helping students struggling with reading disabilities. Adults, too! Colorful wordplay just makes it fun to read, even for some who may never read anything.;) Thank you for sharing!!
Honestly, I wish more writers tried this method of approach with coloring narrative sections. It's v
I am really happy that you enjoyed the story. I began to color the text since I work a lot with dialog, and I have sometimes many different characters in these stories. It is way easier that way to see which character is currently talking, even if the coloring process, especially on IB, is a pain in the ass *giggles*
I am really happy that you enjoyed the story. I began to color the text since I work a lot with dial
I can't wait for the new version to catch up with the old, but the wait is worth it. I just wonder what shenanigans will occur if Mikey was invited to visit.
I can't wait for the new version to catch up with the old, but the wait is worth it. I just wonder w
Mikey, ah, the fox boy Balto met in the mall. He won't appear till "joy and fear". I am impressed that you remember him, since he only appeared in that story
Mikey, ah, the fox boy Balto met in the mall. He won't appear till "joy and fear". I am impressed th
Oh, yes. Well, maybe I can bring some light into that. Balto was always an outsider, even in Cubgarden. He was mocked by the other kids because of his name, which is why he hated it till his mother explained to him why he got it. But to this day, he has massive problems to bond with kids of his age. He thinks they are, well, childish, they annoy him. One reason for that is that he himself is simply more mature than other kids of his age, since he was always the man of the house and had to learn early to support his mother.
Balto is based on me (no surprise, I guess), and this "no interest in friendships with kids" is something out of my own life.
Mikey, well, he is also a bit annoying for him, but he is ok. I honestly never put much thought into him till now. He was just a boy who appeared in the store, to fill a gap. I don't know if I will work much more with him. But hey, Nikki began the same way, after I was tired to find girls for pictures *giggles*
My cheetah girl watched Balto once during a sleepover with two boys, which was interesting for her, they also had a threesome with another boy, who even was allowed to touch her. But in the future, she will be more a watcher in this kind of things. Balto has to explore his sexuality, like every boy in his age. Maybe one day a boy is even allowed to pop his cherry, I don't know. So far, he was only fingered and had a plug in his butt.
What I could imagine is a game night, Mikey is a little nerdy boy, they could play a board game or something like that. Or try to steal Nikki's underwear, so typical young boy stuff, I don't know.
I still don't know how I will handle it that Balto's and Nikki's relationship is legal now. Since this theme is highly controversial, they still can't tell it to everyone. Especially Nikki has to be careful, since her College has very strict rules if it comes to the social behavior of their students. But I have plans for her theater group, which I will write down as soon as I get the commissioned picture for it.
In the near future, there will be a few pics with Trish, to make her more popular. Mostly because I want to make her, let me call it, available for others who look for a girl to have fun. But she isn't that much into young boys, more into girls. Which doesn't mean that she says no to a nice cock.
Now I wrote far too much, sorry for the long text....
Oh, yes. Well, maybe I can bring some light into that. Balto was always an outsider, even in Cubgard
Honestly, I also look forward to what will happen in the future. The rewrites will still take some time, and I don't want to begin with new stories before these old ones aren't done. But far as I remember them, I don't have to change much in these last three stories. Just connect them with the rest.
And then I will take my readers to the world of theater and Musicals, that is something which is 100% sure. I have a loose script for the story, which will also bring Balto closer to his future career.
Like one man once said: "Most things aren't done yet. What a wonderful future"
Honestly, I also look forward to what will happen in the future. The rewrites will still take some t
To be honest I think it would be interesting if Ana (Nikki's friend) is the older sister of Mikey. You could make this into a chapter of it's own where Ana breaks down because of her abusive religious parents and because she was the only one home with her brother she has to babysit him.
Plus if you redo Anatomical Studies do you think you could expand the story of it?
To be honest I think it would be interesting if Ana (Nikki's friend) is the older sister of Mikey. Y
Anatomical Studies was one of the Stories I originally canceled because of the sexual content. I will look at it again, if I can work somehow with some parts.
To Ana. I am really surprissed that you remember her. She was only mentioned in Party Night, as the host of the party. But yeah, I could make a connection to her again, I will keep that in mind, thanks for the idea.
Anatomical Studies was one of the Stories I originally canceled because of the sexual content. I wil
She also appeared in "New Year's Eve". She was working at the sex-shop Nikki and Christa visited. She was having a slight breakdown due to her over controlling religious parents who even forced her to let them go to her gynecologist with her to make sure she was still a virgin. You also made it clear she had a crush on Nikki btw.
She also appeared in "New Year's Eve". She was working at the sex-shop Nikki and Christa visited. Sh
Yes yes, I remember. But what I don't remember right now is if thaeas supposed to be the same Ana. I will beginn the rewrite of these stories soon, I just didn't have enough time till now. You seem to remember these details better than I do... I am impressed
Yes yes, I remember. But what I don't remember right now is if thaeas supposed to be the same Ana. I
One last thing, I'd like to see you expand on the fact that humans created the anthros and that they live in separate society with little overlap. You could make it a sub-background plot to have these societies merge then you could eventually make it a plot point that humans are against cross species relations but most are not open about it so it was never illegalized but in this mixed culture they are seen as odd. This could be your next under plot as you now have it so Nikki's and Balto's relationship is now legal. Plus just because it's legal doesn't mean the college wouldn't kick her out for dating him.
One last thing, I'd like to see you expand on the fact that humans created the anthros and that they
The thing with Nikki' college will be mentioned in an interview with Loli Cub Magazine very soon, and Balto and his mom plan a Trip to New York City, to visit the statue of Balto's namegiver. Here they will have a few situations with humans. But it is a sensitive theme, since it is very simular to the situation of African-American's. And I don't want to offend anyone, which is why I have to be careful here. Thanks again for your input and your time, I am really thankful for it!
The thing with Nikki' college will be mentioned in an interview with Loli Cub Magazine very soon, an
