Early in the afternoon, Gerald rode his Sports car over to Pia’s place, his cousin.

“Yo! Is anybody home? Cuz you here?”

“In here!”  Pia called from the kitchen, and then Gerald could have sworn he heard her curse.

Gerald shuffled his shoes back and forth on the rug before stepping onto the gleaming hardwood floor. As he hung a right through the kitchen archway, he burst out laughing.

The entire floor of the room was crawling with black, waddling fur balls.

“Hey, cuz, how’s married life treatin’ you?” he couldn’t resist asking.

“Oh, shut up,” she retorted, grabbing for a puppy and missing her mark.

Growing up, Pia had never been much of a dog person. That had all changed when she met her husband, Justin, and his sidekick, Pochie, a male rottweiler that had stolen her heart. Now, a year and a half into the marriage, she’d also become the proud owner of Roxie, a female rottweiler Justin had rescued from euthanasia when the dog’s owners had been moving to the city. Roxie had proudly presented her new owners with eight bundles of joy. At first, it hadn’t been that big a deal, but now the bundles had developed functional legs and were escaping from the plastic kiddie pool that had served as their holding area since birth.

“Damn, Pia.” Gerald  rested a shoulder against the frame of the archway. “This is so entertainin’, I could sell tickets.”

“I do not need to hear any smart- comments right at the moment!” Pia continued collecting puppies and returning them to the pool, but the moment she turned her back, they tumbled out again.

“If you were any kind of cousin, you’d help me.”

“To what end?  Aalpas aalpas din lang sila hahaha.”

 “And your point is?”

“That it’s an effort in futility. You need higher walls to keep them in. You need a bigger pool, too. As the puppies grow, it’s gonna get crowded in there.”

Pochie stirred awake and emitted a sleepy woof at Parker. A good watchdog had a duty to perform, and the male rottweiler apparently didn’t want to be caught sleeping on the job.

“Don’t bark at me, you good-for-nothin’ mongrel,” Gerald said as he waded into the fray to help his cousin. “You know very well who I am.” To Pia, he said, “Nasaan ba kasi ang magaling mong asawa?.”

“I told you he had early calls. He’s a vet, remember.”

“You’d defend him no matter what.” In truth, Gerald liked Justin and was tickled pink to see

his cousin so happy. He just couldn’t resist teasing Pia about loving the guy so much.

“Of course I’d defend him. He’s my husband, gaya ng gagawin mo sa bago mong kinababaliwan, so sino nanamang babae ang nauto mo?”

“So na tsismis na pala sayo ni Manang.”

“Hell yeah, you know me and Manang”

“Sorry to disappoint you, pero hindi mo na kailangan maghanap ng babae na ibubugaw mo sakin. My one and only love is back.” Gerald grins.

“Si Dyan?”

Before, Gerald will saw red when he thought about her ex, pero ngayon na realize niya kahit kelan hindi naman talaga siya nainlove sa ex niya,not until he met Kim.

“No. Hindi ko pa pala nababanggit sayo si Kim.”

“Who’s Kim?”

“One of these days, I will bring her with me or if you want dalaw ka nalang sa bahay, para makilala mo siya. Cuz she’s my true love.”

“Oh really????? I’m happy for you, exited na akong ma meet siya.”

“Naku siguradong matutuwa yun, teka, ano ba kasi nangyari dito, bakit iniwan ka ni Justin ng ganito?”

She straightened with three squirming puppies in her arms. “this wasn’t happening before he left. It only started about thirty minutes ago. One puppy accidentally rolled over the edge, and then, in a blink,

they were all going for it.” She glanced at her spotless floor. “What’ll I do? They’ll poop and pee

everywhere.”

“That’s the name of the game with a litter of puppies. Why don’t you move them to an outbuildin’?”

“I can’t do that. Roxie is part of our family now. It’d hurt her feelings.”

“She’s only a dog, Pia. They don’t internalize stuff the same way we do.How about buildin’ a barricade to corral them?”

“With what?”

He surveyed the room. “I could find two wide boards to block both archways. We can cover the floor with newspapers. One nice thing about tile is that it’s washable. Won’t be the end of the world if puppy piss leaks through.”

Pia nodded. Then she smiled. “Offer accepted. Anyway ano nga pala ginagawa mo dito”

“I’m leaving for Cebu, nxt week, mga 1 week siguro kami dun”

“With Kim?”

“Yep, and some of my friends are coming also,I just want to inform you personally, alam mo naman na sayo ako pinagkatiwala nila Mommy.”

“Yeah right, nagmumuka akong matanda tuloy para maging guardian mo, eh ang tanda mo na, may sariling bahay ka na, ikaw namamahala sa company niyo, pagkatapos nagpapaalam ka pa sakin”

“Hindi naman ako nagpapaalam cuz, sinasabi ko lang, baka kasi mabaliw ka pag bigla ako nawala hahahaha.”

Gerald was about to leave to find some boards when he heard a fierce little growl and felt a tug on his jeans. He glanced down to see a stout little bugger attacking his pant leg. He reached down to pick up the transgressor. “Damn,” he muttered. “The little won’t turn loose.”

“He’s only a baby, Ge. Just work his teeth free.”

Gerald tried, but the puppy’s needle like incisors were embedded in the denim. He was afraid to jerk for fear he’d hurt the little guy.

“He’s got more moxie than he’s got good sense.”“Hey, blockhead,” he said to the puppy. “You got any brains between those floppy little ears of yours? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m bigger than you are.”

“He’s got plenty of brains between his ears.” Pia gently deposited the three puppies in the pool.

They immediately started trying to jump back out. “Rotts are extremely intelligent dogs. Point in fact, that one is only six weeks old, and he knows you’re an interloper. He’s protecting his home.”

“I’m not an interloper.”

“You haven’t been here for three weeks. Do you expect a tiny baby to remember you? To him, you’re a stranger, and strangers pose a threat.”

“You think?” Gerald moved his foot to see if the puppy would hang on. Sure enough, he did. “He’s just Playing, Pia.”

“Practicing,” she corrected. “Someday, he’ll protect his loved ones to the death. They’re smart dogs, I’m telling you. If you had any sense, you’d take one home with you. Pulutin mo yung mga poopoo. I’ll let it go for free.”

“What a deal. No thanks, and remember may aso ako, tsaka baka hikain pa baby ko jan”

“Hindi naman yan pusa, pati wala yan masyado balahibo.”

Gerald was still trying to extricate his pant leg from the pup’s mouth. Definitely a boy, he decided. A girl wouldn’t be so ferocious. The little fart had braced all four legs on the floor to snarl and shake. Gerald was impressed. If there was anything he admired, it was courage, and this puppy seemed to have it in spades. It reminded him of David going up against Goliath.

By pressing on the puppy’s jaw joints, Gerald was finally able to free his pant leg. He grabbed his attacker by the scruff of his neck and picked him up.

 “Ah, he’s a tough little nut. Doesn’t yelp.”

“Of course he doesn’t. That’s how his mother picks him up.”

Gerald angled his wrist to get a frontal view and found himself looking at the cutest canine countenance he could recall ever having seen. “He’s got wrinkles on his nose.”

Pia stepped closer to look and smiled. “Isn’t he darling? All of them are precious, of course, but

those nose wrinkles are definitely adorable. He’s got a perpetual frown, too.”

 “You serious about lettin’ him go for free? He’s got papers, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, but I would never charge family.” Pia gave him a bewildered look. “You’re not seriously

thinking about adopting him? Puppies are a lot of work, Ge.”

“Do I look lazy to you?”

“No, of course not, but raising a rottweiler takes more dedication than it does with most puppies. What’ll you do if he eats your sofa?”

“Bibili ng bago.” Gerald couldn’t stop grinning. There was something about the puppy’s face that just got to him. “What do you know about his papa?”

“Not much except that he’s a purebred and hip certified. You do understand that Justin will have a fit if you get him neutered. He’s convinced it’s bad for dogs, especially rottweilers, because they have sensitive immune systems.”

Gerald shuddered at the thought of having his best buddy’s balls cut off. What was life all about if a guy couldn’t have ?

“That’s fine.” He tucked the puppy into the crook of his arm. “I’m not keen on neutering.”

“Intact males can pose more problems. He’ll be more inclined to fight with other dogs.”

 “No worries.”

Pia nibbled her bottom lip. “When Roxie comes in heat, you’ll have to make sure he stays home. We can’t have Roxie breeding with her own offspring.”

Gerald figured he could handle that, too. “What’s the deal, here, Piaia? You offered me a dog. Now you’re puttin’ on the brakes.”

She ran to catch two fleeing puppies. After returning them to their pen, she said, “I’m just afraid you may be biting off more than you can chew. You can’t take him, let him develop an attachment to you, and then suddenly decide you don’t want him.”

 “When have you ever known me to be inconstant?”

“Never, but that’s largely because you never commit to anyone or anything.”

“That’s not true. I’m now committed to my baby Kimmy.” He proudly said.

Pia folded her arms, a dimple showing in her cheek as she smiled. “Until death do you part. Say it, or you can’t have him.”

“Cuz naman, sa aso pa ako susumpa, hindi pa nga kami kinakasal ni Kimmy!”

Gerald almost put the puppy back down. He didn’t like ultimatums. But the little bugger attacked his shirt pocket just then, and the tug-of-war began again. “I think he likes me.”

“Birds of a feather flock together.”

“What’s that mean?”

“You’re stubborn, irascible, snarly, and recalcitrant. As I recall, I’ve called you a blockhead more than once. The two of you suit each other.”

“That’s not very nice.”

“You’re also loyal and lovable,” she added.

“You forgot handsome, very very handsome.”

“With that big ears?”

“You looked in the mirror lately?” he countered.

“The Anderson schnozzle looks better on me than it does on you.”

“Ha! Sinong nagsabi?”

 “Justin loves my ears.”

“Yeah, well, he’s addled.” The puppy let loose with a deep growl that sounded amazingly ferocious coming from such a tiny attacker. Gerald chuckled. “He’s awesome, Pia, Kimmy will surely like him.”  He glanced back at her. “I’ll keep him. You have my word.”

After erecting the promised puppy barriers, Gerald collected his dog and started to leave.

Pia searched his gaze. “Who would have thunk it? My cousin, smitten with a puppy.”

“He’s no ordinary puppy. He’s got mojo.”

Before he wave goodbye to Pia, his cellphone rung, Kimmy’s picture showing her dimple appears on the screen.

“Hey Baby, I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Babe, nasaan ka?”

“Nandito ako kina Pia, papunta na ako diyan, I have surprise for you.”

“Ang sweet naman ng antokyo ko”

“Antokyo?”

“Hahahaha kasi naman nung nalasing ka, kakatawa itsura mo, may picture nga si Fred eh” giggling.

“Loko talaga yun, paalis na ako, sunduin kita”

“No babe, nandito na ako sa bahay, kakaunti ang pasyente ni Doc, may kukuwento din ako sayo paguwi mo dito ok.”

“Ok, see you baby, I love you”

“Drive safely baby, I love you too.”