Making friends with the enemy part 2.

The quiet moment didn't last long. A rather violent knock made it vanish. Eli was sitting closer to the door, she was the one, who stood up, and opened the door.

"Damn." She said, when she realized, who their visitor was.

"Good afternoon for you too!" Gus Noble was standing out there, and he was widely smiling.

"Who is that?" K.O. asked.

"Who is he?" Gus asked Elie, shocked by the male voice.

That assistant didn't say a word about Elie's boyfriend! When the "boyfriend" joined to the at the door, the young man felt, that it was the end of the world. His rival was old. This former nun chose an old man! Or not? Maybe...maybe he was her father, or something.

"He is the twins' uncle." Elie informed the old man. "K.O. this is August Noble, Mr. Noble, this is K.O.!"

"Valentine Kerry-Orr." the old man held out his hand. "I am called K.O. by my friends."

"I am Gus." The young man said and accepted the hand. The two man shook hands.

"But let's not linger here, get inside." K.O. told to the youngsters, and went back to the caravan.

"Hey, get your shoes and socks off! Don't bring black residue into the car!" The former nun told him forcefully.

So Gus obeyed, and entered to the caravan. It was also disappointing on the inside. Even before knocking, he found that if his mother and his sister saw what Bernhard's grandchildren were living in, they would chain the twins even from their vicinity. Then they could kick and bite, in vain! Let's just say they would tear up a dose of Evie's hair every day, but they'd still keep them by force. The car was old enough already, and that awfully reddish-orange, floral-patterned textile stuff on top wasn't even more appealing.

The interior of the car was also back and forth, with three chairs, a table and a staircase in the middle. There weren't enough beds for everyone. There was a bed and a camping mattress in the sleeping area. Only two? But not. Gus was wrong. The car seat was folded down and there were bedding on it with two pillows. Probably the bed of the twins. Bed? No, that is not a bed, just a lying place. Gus wondered what kind of bed they could offer the twins. Much, much better. If they already want to travel.

"Why did you come?" The woman asked him. Her voice clearly showed that she doesn't like the young man. Gus wanted to change that, so he didn't take the unpleasant tone to his heart.

"I want to talk about how the twins get home."

K.O. and Elie looked at each other.

"Why?" She asked."

"Their parents are coming home from vacation tomorrow. There is no longer a need for the kids to be here. I think you're just bothered by their presence too, so it's easier for everyone to travel home tomorrow. I travel home with them tomorrow and help them to find a cover story for their trip. Unless you want to escort them home."

K.O. was enraged at the guy's style, and his hand was already clenched into a fist to cut the soulless jerk in the nose, whens Electra's hand gripped his fist.

"To us, Valerie and Conrad are not burden. We enjoy their company." Elie's face turned to red, because it was a vast lie. The twins were not always cute. Especially, when they were fighting. But she didn't have the slightest intention to tell to that blood-relative monkey. The redness of her face was caused by anger. "For your information, they plan to stay here until the end of the vacation."

Gus definitely enjoyed looking at the woman's red face in rage. But the old man's presence prevented him from kissing her. and surely that kiss would have been sweet, just like the slap would have followed! But at least he would have had a reason to visit the girl again.

"And what about the supplementary exam?" He asked.

Eli was surprised, and looked at K.O., puzzled.

"The replacement exam will only take place on the Monday of the first week. Then there won't even be a lesson, so they have time to go home on the last Sunday night."

"And will you prepare them for the exam? " The guy asked contemptuously. Elie already regretted preventing K.O. from transforming the young uncle's nose because she would have liked to punch him already.

"Do you think we are not suitable for it? "She asked in a dangerously gentle voice.

The tone of her voice terrified both the young and old man. They both pulled back with their chairs. Although Gus, for all his experience, he would have pulled closer to the raging woman.

"Y...Yo..You ... You're fully capable of it. But please force them to learn sometimes. Just enough to pass the supplement exam."

K.O. and Electra nodded.

"If you don't want anything else, maybe you can go." Elie said. Her voice was still stern.

"I'd like to see the twins first."

"Bad idea, go away."

"I am their relative, I just have a right to see them!"

"I think you have already lost your right to see them. They wouldn't like to meet you either."

"The meeting last time was a little unfortunate, but maybe they're a little friendlier now."

"Do you want another denture print from your niece?" Elie smirked.

"What?" K.O. inquired. "Did Valerie bite him?"

Elie quickly grabbed the young man's arm, and pulled the shirt off from the mark. Valerie did a nice job. The marks of her teeth were still visible. The brown scab made that more spectacle.

"My father was worse. His ankle was still purple and swollen." Gus said in hoarse voice, as he rolled down the shirt on his arm.

"Why?"

"Conrad kicked his ankle." Elie told him. "But both the uncle and the grandfather reciprocated. The traces of their hands disappeared from the children's faces only two days later. It was a nice, heartwarming family reunion."

"That shouldn't have happened, I know." Gus said, and he had became angry too. "But what should I have done?"

"Could I list you?" Elie cried.

"Hey, youngsters!" K.O. roared into their fight. "Stop it. You are quarreling like the children. Stop it. Sit down, please."

Elie and Gus didn't even notice that they were both leaning on the table, as they were shouting at each other. But they both sat back in their chairs.

"It's too late and the kids are about to head home soon. They better not meet. Elie! Take the uncle near the playground, and let him peek the kids. But make sure they don't notice him." He waved with his hand, and Elie left the caravan with uncle Gus.

"K.O. is a frightening man." Gus tried to talk again to Elie.

"He is a good man."

"Do the twins love him?"

"Yes, they love him very much." She said, and smiled as she remembered the reunion of the twins and K.O.. "He is like a grandfather to them."

Gus didn't know what to say. He could not blame either the twins or K.O.. It was his father, who didn't want to meet his daughter, and her family at all. As they were kicking the black residue was kicked, another question came to his mind.

"Where are the twins now?"

"On the playground."

"What are they doing there?" He asked, stunned. The women of their family didn't even left the caravan, not to soil their clothes. And the twins are on the playground, just like that. In the dirt.

"They are playing." Elie answered dumbfounded. "What else did you mean?"

"But there is this black dirt…"

"They are kids. They should be dirty. There are showers to remove the dirt. Here we are."

They had arrived to the playground.

"So many kids are here!" Gus was stunned. All the kids played selflessly and didn't even care about the black powder that covered them from head to toe. But he saw only merriment on the smeared faces. "Where are they?" He turned to the woman.

"There is Valerie."She pointed to a bunch of girls, who were playing with a jump rope. "She is the only blond among them."

Valerie was even cuter to Gus, than in the morning. This time she was covering by black dust, but she was lively, and happy. She deftly jumped with the rope, and didn't take to her heart, when she made mistakes. She was carelessly chatting with her friends, when they switched places at the rope.

"Come, take a look at the other one." Elie said, in a much less angry voice. She liked it a bit the way Uncle stared at Valerie.

After a short walk, they arrived at the football field. Nor was it like high-rise stadiums. There was no mesh on the gates, the painting of the lines was worn, but the kids enjoyed the game. Kids. Gus had barely recognized Valerie among the many little girls, but he was utterly unable to recognize a boy on the football field. There were so many alike kids!

"The green t-shirt." Elie helped him again.

"Clever little guy." He said, just to say something.

Gus never played football, he was raised among adults. But the way Conrad was running after a ball, and trying to kick that into the net, pardon, gate, was amazing. He was tireless.

"You've seen them before. Nothing wrong. Please go away." Elie asked him.

"Sometimes I want to see them." He said. He really wanted to see that part of his family, just to watch their happiness.

"Well, did you find your sense of responsibility?" Elie scoffed as if she didn't really believe in it.

"I just want to know they're fine." He said sincerely. "I'm content with photos too."

He pulled out his hand device. It was a very expensive and exclusive one. It reminded Elie to Valerie's story about not buying a hand device for herself. They changed numbers, and Elie promised photos from the twins.

"Would you inform their parents about not going home?" She asked.

"Why me?"

"You know their address. We don't want to ask from the kids, not wanting to scare them again."

"All right."Gus was stunned, but he grabbed the opportunity to call the woman again. Notifying parents was a good reason.

He waved good bye to the woman, and walked back to the temple. He took a shower, and the evening train, and returned back to his family. Fortunately that was a peaceful evening, and he could go to bed early. In his thoughts, the four people revolved. Especially the pretty ex-nun.