I had to add this video. If I were to picture Little Wolf's home videos, the last dancer in the green shirt would be him.
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I woke Dad up with my vacuuming in the living room.
"Does this mean the date went badly?"
"Mahina's coming over for dinner tonight."
A long pause. The vacuum stopped. Dad had unplugged it.
"Son, it's not even six in the morning. Have you slept?"
I shook my head no.
Dad came over, putting his forehead against mine. "There's time. You need to sleep, Son. If you are anxious in your own home, how do you think Mahina will feel? You need to relax."
Derrick chose that moment to drag himself out of his room, looking at me bleary-eyed. Apparently, I woke him up as well.
"Why don't you go for a run with Derrick? Pound some of that anxiety out with your two feet."
Dad threw a look at Derrick. "If you don't mind? I'll put some coffee on for you."
Derrick gave a yawn but nodded yes and headed back to his room to change.
"Son, it is the man experiencing tension. The wolf is fine; trust me. Keep yourself all man."
I only nodded as Dad pulled the vacuum from my hands and wound up the cord.
I thought about what Dad said as Derrick and I ran side by side, our breath frosting in the early morning air.
The wolf knew it had to wait until the she-wolf was ready. Until then, the wolf worked on being familiar and liked, proving skills and support, so that when the time came, his advances would be accepted.
It was the man who was a nervous wreck!
I slowed down when Derrick hollered out. I had to wait for him to catch up.
"So what the hell happened? You get dumped?"
"She's coming over tonight to meet my dad."
"Parent meeting already? She must be something!"
I grinned at him. I really did need to run off some of my excess energy. "Yeah, she is! Hey, if you can't keep up with me, just head back to the house."
The look in Derrick's eyes said it all- challenge accepted. Ten minutes later, I was sitting on the curbing just to annoy him as I waited for him to catch up again.
We ran for another half-hour before heading back. The whole way back, Derrick was pushing himself to keep up with me.
Even though Derrick was struggling for breath by the time we walked in the living room, he managed to make one comment before heading in to shower.
"All the energy you got, you must not have gotten any."
I know I blushed when I saw the grin on my dad's face.
"Come on." Dad grabbed my arm and pulled me back outside, heading to his truck.
"Where we going? Let me get cleaned up first."
"Don't worry about it. You're just going to be getting dirty in a little while."
I got in the truck, wondering what he had in mind. He drove to a home improvement store. He led me in, refusing to answer my questions. We made our way to where they kept their garden stuff. Dad stopped in front of the manufactured little fire pits they had available.
"No good, " I told Dad, "a fire needs a connection to the earth."
Dad didn't argue, just grabbed one of their roll carts and headed for the blocks they stocked. We did some quick math to figure out how many blocks we would need. Dad threw in a few bags of sand, some patio tiles, and a simple bench.
"Dad, it's too much. The place is only a rental. I don't even know if I can get permission from the landlord to build a real fire pit out there."
"Consider it your birthday present. If the owner doesn't like it, you can always offer to restore the yard later. And I don't want to hear 'it's just.' It's where you lay your head. Grab that shovel. You'll need one to clean the pit out now and again, not to mention digging it out in the first place."
There was no arguing with Dad when he got stubborn. He even grabbed a few flowers to plant. We still had a good thing going between us, and I wasn't about to ruin it when I really did like the sound of having my own fire pit.
We spent most of the day working in the back yard. While I dug out the pit, Dad put the bench together. I knew he didn't buy the bench for me; I would have been content on a blanket.
We finally had the stones set, the sand poured, and the small patio area set with the bench. I looked at Dad, feeling the lost sleep at this point.
"Only thing missing is firewood," I said wryly.
"I got that covered," Dad assured me. "Go get cleaned up and take a nap. I got dinner. Go."
He gave me a shove, and I went. After cleaning up, I fell across my bed, feeling much better than I had this morning.
When I woke up, I felt disoriented for a moment. I could hear voices, too many voices. I couldn't see Dad letting me sleep if Mahina had arrived.
I got dressed in black jeans and one of the shirts Dad had bought me instead of my regular tees. I debated shoes and decided against them for now. The food smelled great, and I realized I hadn't eaten all day. Feeling slightly nervous, I gave the bed cover a quick twitch before I left my bedroom to find out what exactly was happening at my house.
I paused at the end of the hall, trying to make sense of the scene in front of me. Mac was on the couch with my dad playing some combat video game. Running Elk and Derrick were standing behind the couch, making comments about what was happening on the screen.
My cousin Anna poked her head around the corner from the kitchen. "About time you woke your lazy birthday ass up! Go out and make sure that brother of mine isn't making a bonfire in your fire pit."
I couldn't help the wide smile that graced my lips as I tried to squeeze through the dozen of my female friends and cousins that were chatting in the crowded kitchen.
"Hey, Little Wolf! Happy birthday!"
I got smiles, hugs, and greeting from the lot, as well as a few hand slaps as I tried to sneak a nibble of this and that as I worked my way through them.
When I got to the back door, I just had to stand there for a second. I know I should have expected it from the group in the kitchen, but still.
There was a row of tents set up in the empty lots behind us, as well as a half-dozen vehicles parked along the far curb. Somehow I don't think my friends and cousins were worried about the neighbors or local authorities.
And Anna was right. Her little step-brother was pulling another choice piece of firewood over toward the already-large fire in the pit.
I stalked over and grabbed it from him. "Are you trying to burn the neighborhood down? This is a back yard, not an open field," I scolded him good-naturedly.
"Sorry, I just figured since we were christening a new fire-pit for your birthday that you would need a good bed of ash. We brought the makings for s'mores later!"
I just laughed and made my rounds greeting the guys. After a bit, I went back in and came up behind Running Elk. He was still leaning against the back of the couch. I leaned up next to him. That was the beginning of our silent conversation.
A snort from me. No advanced warning Cuz?
Running Elk gave me a sheepish look and a shrug while using his thumb to point back over his shoulder. It's your birthday. What did you expect?
I glanced at the busy kitchen. Quite a crowd!
He rolled his eyes toward my dad, then a more questioning look toward Mac. Your dad suggested we come up. What do you have going on with the big guy?
I made a fist. Fighter.
Dad growled without even turning around.
"You two keep it up I'm gonna have you conjugating verbs."
"What?"
"What?"
Running Elk and I said it at the same time, with the same wounded innocent inflection.
Dad just shook his head. "Watch out for those two together, Mac," he warned the big man next to him.
Dad looked up the same time I moved toward the front door. I had it open as Mahina was reaching for the bell.
"Hey," I said, smiling at her, "seems our gathering got kinda bigger than I planned. I hope you don't mind. A few of my cousins and some friends came up unexpectedly. It looks like I'm having a surprise birthday party tonight."
I made the rounds again with Mahina. By the time we made our way back to the living room, Anna was calling out for everyone to get the food.
"So you got dinner and firewood, huh?" I couldn't resist teasing my dad.
Dad just gave me a look like he didn't know what I was talking about. I leaned against him briefly before going out to check the fire.
When I came back in, Mac was getting some food, taking small samples of this and that. I shook my head at his nearly empty plate.
"Mac, dig in before these ravenous wolves finish it off."
Oh, the look he threw me, suddenly slightly nervous, before taking in my teasing grin. He gave a little half-laugh before grabbing a bit more of the roast. I understood now why Dad had brought a whole elk and how he got it in the truck.
I paid attention to Mahina then, making sure she had everything set. I grabbed my food before leading her outside.
I sat Mahina on the bench. There were blankets all around the fire. Someone was spiking drinks, keeping an eye out for my dad. Mahina and I both accepted a splash in our cokes. Even though I was officially legal as of today, it was still fun trying to sneak in some alcohol behind Dad's back.
Along with the food came the stories from my childhood. I swear they were trying to outdo each other in their efforts to embarrass me in front of Mahina. It was all in good fun. I laughed along with them as they recounted stories that showcased my personality.
They spoke of my honor, like when a few of us had pulled a prank on one of our girl cousins, and she got upset and cried. I was the only one to turn myself in so I could apologize to her. It didn't matter that I was nine at the time.
They spoke of my courage, running over and tackling Running Elk to get him out of the way of a few elk that had gotten spooked and almost ran him over. It was how he got his name.
The stories went on for a while. It was Dad who changed the tide.
"Don't forget his penchant for fighting. Let's see. How old were you, Little Wolf, when I had to pull you off another boy? You were what? Eight? Who was it I pulled you off of? Thomas, I think, wasn't it Thomas? And the first year you went to public school? Coming home with a black eye? Thomas, weren't you the one who gave it to him? Skinned knees from wrestling in the parking lot, ah, Thomas again. Right?"
Dad was grinning at Thomas's discomfort. All of the girls snickered. Most of the guys were starting to smirk as well.
Dad spoke more directly to Mahina then. "If I remember right, it didn't matter what I said; those two would end up fighting monthly, if not weekly, during middle school."
"Until high school," snickered Anna, "when Thomas and Little Wolf had to play lacrosse on the same team instead of against each other. We had the best lacrosse team the whole time they were in high school with those two finally working together."
Everyone agreed with that rather loudly.
Running Elk and I shared a look. I nodded, giving Running Elk permission to speak up.
"Wonder who would win a wrestling match these days?" my cousin asked the group at large.
There were lots of catcalls and hoots and hollers. I looked challengingly over at Thomas.
"A victor match?"
The girls began shouting, encouraging the bout. The guys all looked at Dad.
"To the count of three or third consecutive hold, " Dad declared.
I grinned at Mahina as I took off my shirt. "Don't worry. I'll win."
One of my female cousins leaned over to whisper in Mahina's ear, explaining what was about to happen. Mahina gave me a dissatisfied look.
I wasn't worried, though. Mahina was either going to trust me more or never forgive me. Either way, our relationship was going to take another step, either forward or backward. I knew how this worked. I was betting Mahina would trust me more.
Thomas and I paired up in the grass. The other guys circled us. Dad positioned himself to referee the match. I caught a glimpse of Mac and Derrick standing by the back door, watching with interest. It looked like there might be some wagering going on there. Derrick was going to regret not being in the circle.
"Little Wolf," Dad said with a look. I understood—no minor shifting, which would be tantamount to cheating in a match like this. I nodded.
Thomas and I went to it. The girls had gathered in a circle outside the guys. Everyone was spaced out enough that everyone had a good view. There were no comments from the guys, but the girls hollered out their preference to win. A lot of them were shouting out Little Wolf, a few shouted for Thomas. There was no better incentive to win a victor match than the girls shouting out your name.
I won the bout with three consecutive holds. The girls were all ky-yay-yaying and whooping it up. The guys were all grinning.
The girl next to Mahina shouted it out first. She was an old friend, and not one of my cousins. "To the victor goes the spoils!"
All of the girls repeated the call. There was a lot of whooping and cheering then. I walked over to Chani, not looking at Mahina next to her.
Chani put her hands up to pull me in for a kiss. At the last second, she turned my head slightly away from Mahina, so her kiss landed on my cheek.
I made my way around the circle, getting a kiss on the cheek from each of them. They respected the fact Mahina was my girlfriend. I could feel Mahina's eyes on me.
A kiss on the cheek I could expect from my cousins. Each girl who wasn't a cousin teased me the way Chani had.
This was a test of sorts among the girls. How many times had the girls tested their boyfriends this way? If I showed interest in any of them, it wouldn't be a chaise kiss I would get.
In the past, the kisses I received from my victories had been much more intimate.
I kept myself aloof until I got to Mahina.
She had watched the whole affair with a few more whispered explanations from the girls. How much of a kiss she thought the victor should get, however much or little of a kiss she was interested in giving, was all her choice.
The guy was only allowed to accept the kiss, not kiss back. If he wanted more, he would have to ask later, outside of the game.
Mahina reached up, hands behind my head. She paused before pulling me in for a kiss. I was glad she was playing along and was not mad. I let my desire for her fill me, giving her an intense look and a teasing smile. She smiled back as she pulled me in.
The guys started whooping it up as the kiss went on and on. It was so difficult not to put my hands on her, so very hard to just be kissed and not kiss back. This was part of how we guys learned self-control.
If the girls weren't happy with how you behaved during a kiss, if she had to pull away from you because you got aggressive, if any of them saw you reach out for a girl, you were screwed. It was like writing your dating death sentence. The rest of the kisses you got would be on the forehead.
It was the most embarrassing thing to happen to a guy because all of the other girls would know you couldn't be trusted to contain yourself. There were a few guys that couldn't get a date to prom because they had screwed up too many times during the four years of high school.
When Mahina finally came up for air, I turned back to Thomas and the circle of waiting guys.
As the victor, I got to call out the next challenger to match up with Thomas.
I did Derrick a solid and called his name out.
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The idea for this variation of spin the bottle is entirely original and fictitious. I have never heard of anyone having "victor matches," but it does sound fun, doesn't it?