Jake grinned widely, “Simon, you are like a breath of fresh air”, he exclaimed, putting out the butt of his cigarette against the log he was sitting on. “I’m sure I can teach you a few things that you’ll find useful.” Then Jake did something he never does…he jumped up and went into a blur of motion, punches, kicks, spins…all intricate, all precise. He was showing off and Jake absolutely never showed off! It was Simon’s influence; the boy was so interested in the sheer physicality of fighting, that Jake couldn’t help a little demonstration. Returning to his seat on the log, Jake shrugged, “That’s a bit of it.

It pulled at Jake’s heart when Simon said that Emilie Never stopped thinking straight with him. “Hey, Simon, you know…ummm…”, Jake patted the boy’s hand, “…dude, I think she keeps her head on straight with you, because you are more important to her.” He rubbed his neck, “Guys like that fucktard, she doesn’t mind using, but she cares about you, Simon…she doesn’t want to fuck up your friendship.”

Jake laughed, “Well, let me tell you, man, sometime, we will have to grab a few six-packs and I’ll tell you my regrets, if you tell me yours!”