Sometimes Love...

2:30 P.M., Thursday, February 25, 2016

Honolulu, HI

When Paula Akron left the hospital, she got into Ted’s car and was driven directly to PLUR-MAkKikM, located in the foothills of the Ko’olau Mountains. She spoke to Ted quite a bit in the nearly twenty minutes the trip took. However, once there she headed immediately to the treehouse, where Macon would meet her after his visit with Judge Lanchew.

What to wear? The little girl considered a sundress, or even the frilly lolita dress she was able to talk the record company into letting her take home. Her boyfriend would be here any minute.

When her phone rang she thought it was him, though the ringtone wasn’t his. Then again, she hadn’t heard his ringtone in months. Instead, it was Michiko Takahashi. She was on tour and thus her schooling hours were much more flexible than for most fourteen-year-olds.

“OK first of all,” the teenager said, “congratulations. I just heard. Second, is Paul there yet?”

“Not yet,” the nine year old girl replied. “But he should be here any minute.”

“OK then, I won’t take more than a minute. I’ve got a great idea about how to let the fans know.”

Paul Macon walked into the room occupied by the judge. He didn’t bother to smile.

“Hello, Mr. Macon,” Terry Lanchew greeted as strongly as he was able.

“Does that decision count?” the boy asked. “Even though you made it in a hospital instead of a courtroom?”

So much for friendliness.

“Yes,” Lanchew answered, “yes it does.”

“Good,” the boy nodded. “What did you want to see me about?”

“I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

Macon thought that one over for a moment, and then nodded again. The judge gave it another go.

“I really am sorry. When I had that heart attack and almost died, I took a look at myself and didn’t like what I saw. I decided to become a better man, and the first part of that is doing right by you and Miss Akron.”

“OK,” Macon deadpanned. “I’m glad you had the heart attack, but I’m glad you didn’t die too.”

Judge Lanchew couldn’t believe that the cold, sullen child in front of him was the warm, affectionate boyfriend that Paula Akron gushed about, that he was one of, as an angry e-mail from a fan had claimed, “the two most romantic people in the world.”

“Paul,” the older man pointed out, “you can’t solve your problems by being grumpy all the time.”

“I can’t solve problems at all,” the child replied, his expression still hard as flint. “I’m a kid. Grownups do whatever they want and I have to just take it. Being grumpy is all I got.”

Terry Lanchew felt some of his own grumpiness returning. A boy with this kind of bad attitude could grow up to be a social pariah, a career criminal, or...

And it would be partly Judge Lanchew’s fault if he did. Really, what had Paul Macon ever seen in his life to make him feel respect for judges, for courts, for police, for “the system,” for law or government in general? The appointing of Ted Michaels as legal guardian and not one other thing ever.