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Bonds of Trust -- Part V Bo and Nora leave for Atlantic City the next afternoon. Matthew goes to Stevie’s house after school to save himself another embarrassing incident with Asa’s limo showing up at his school.   Bo walks into the suite ahead of Nora, holding the door as she walks through. There is champagne chilling near the bar and a large bouquet of roses on the table. She walks over and smells the flowers, looking around the suite. “This is nice.”   He walks over and opens the champagne. “It’s not the Serenity Inn but it’ll do.”   Nora laughs. “The penthouse is hardly slumming.”   He hands her a glass. “Only the best for you. I had to make up for last year.”   “Well, this certainly is a major step up.”   Bo lifts his glass. “To my beautiful wife.”   She touches her glass to his. “To Little Richard. I can’t wait!”   He looks at his watch. “We have some time to kill. Wanna try your luck in the casino?”   “Sure. But how about a stroll on the boardwalk first?”     Matt and Stevie are holed up in Stevie’s room trying out a new video game. Stevie’s dad arrives home and sticks his head into the room. “How’s it going, boys?”   Stevie continues playing his game. “Hi, Dad.”   Matt turns. “Hi, Mr. Taylor.”   “Hey, Matt. You ready for baseball practice to start?”   He nods. “Got my cleats last week.”   “You boys should be working out instead of wasting your time with video games.”   Stevie rolls his eyes. “Sure, Dad.”   Nathan frowns at him. “Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes. Are you joining us, Matt?”   He shakes his head. “My grandpa is picking me up.”   “Okay, I’ll let you know when he gets here.”   Stevie and Matt return to their video game. Soon, they hear the sounds of an argument from the living room. Matt glances at Stevie as the voices get louder. Stevie continues playing the game, seemingly oblivious to the yelling. Matt looks at him curiously. “Doesn’t that bother you?”   Stevie glances away from his game. “It happens all the time. She’s just bugging him. He’ll shut her up soon.”   Matt is shocked by Stevie’s statement. He is about to say something when he hears what sounds like a slap coming from the living room and then silence. Matt is very uncomfortable, not knowing how to respond. Stevie continues to play the game. "Come on, Buchanan. Are you playing or not?"   "How come your parents are fighting like that?"   Stevie shrugs. "It's no big deal."   "Are you..." Matthew is relieved to hear the doorbell. He jumps up, grabs his backpack and heads for the door. “That’s Nigel. I gotta go. See ya, Stevie.”   Stevie follows him out of the room. Nathan opens the door to Nigel. Stevie’s mom is nowhere in sight. Matthew practically knocks Nigel over as he hurries out the door. “Thanks, Mr. Taylor,” he yells over his shoulder as he bolts for the car.   Nigel is mortified. “Good day, Sir,” he says sheepishly as he turns to follow Matthew to the car.   Nigel climbs behind the wheel and pulls away from the curb, looking in the rear-view mirror at Matthew slumped in the back seat, head down. “Is everything all right, Master Matthew?”   “I’m fine, Nigel. Where are we going?”   “Back to the mansion. Your grandfather has a conference call so he will be dining in this evening.”   “Fine by me.”   Matthew is silent the rest of the trip. He jumps out of the car, not waiting for Nigel as he heads into the mansion and straight up to his room, dumping his backpack on the bed before heading to the game room. Nigel goes to the study to see Asa.   He looks up from his paper. “Where’s Matthew?”   “It appears he has gone to his room, Sir.”   “Is something wrong?”   “It would appear so.”   “Is he sick?”   “Not that I’m aware. He was eager to leave his friend’s home. Perhaps they had a falling out.”   Asa waves him out. “I’ll talk to him in a little while.”   “Yes, Sir.” Nigel closes the doors to the study and makes his way to the kitchen to oversee the progress on dinner.     Bo and Nora are seated at a table just in front of the stage where Little Richard will be performing. They are enjoying dinner before the show starts.   Nora looks up at the rows of general seating. “How did you manage to get us down in the front row, Bo?”   He smiles. “I have connections.”   “I’ll bet you do.”   He laughs. “It’s a package deal, honey. Dinner and the show included.”   She takes his hand. “It’s wonderful. I can’t wait to hear Little Richard again. It’s been a long time.”   “I know. It’s just not the same, listening to CDs after having him perform just for us.”   “Nothing could compare to that.”   The waiter arrives and clears their plates. “Is there anything else I can get you before the show starts?” Bo shakes his head. “Dessert will be served at intermission.”   “Thanks.” Bo scoots his chair over near Nora, turning toward the stage. He puts his arm around her as the lights dim for the show to start.     Matthew is in the game room, flipping through the channels on the TV, not really watching anything in particular. Asa walks in and takes a seat opposite him. He barely looks up. “Hi, Grandpa.”   “What’s wrong with you, boy? I don’t rate a hello when you come to the house?”   Matthew switches off the TV. “Sorry, Grandpa.”   “Is something wrong?”   “No.”   “Did you have a fight with your friend?”   “No.”   “So I can chalk up your surly behavior to Buchanan moodiness?”   Matt grins. “Maybe.”   Asa watches as his grandson avoids looking him in the eye. He decides to let it go. “Okay, if that's the way you want it, that’s what we’ll do.” He gets up to leave. “I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. Nigel said dinner is in 15 minutes.”   “Thanks.” Matt watches him walk toward the door. “Hey, Grandpa, can I ask you something?”   Asa stops near the door and turns. “Anything, son.”   Matt looks down, collecting his thoughts. Asa watches him, waiting for him to speak. When Matt hesitates, Asa goes back and sits in the chair opposite him. “What is it, Matthew?”   He finally looks up. “Do you think it’s okay to hit a woman?”   Asa shrugs. “Depends on the woman.”   “What do you mean by that?”   Asa gives him a sly grin. “Well, that Lindsay Rappascum deserved to be slapped around.”   Matt chuckles. “Grandpa! I’m asking a serious question.”   Asa sees that something is genuinely troubling his grandson. “Okay. The answer to your question is no. Never. Period. Why are you asking about that?”   “What if you’re having an argument and you just want to stop arguing?”   Asa shakes his head. “It’s still not right. Your folks argue all the time and I guarantee you, your pa would never lay a hand on Nora. That’s not how things are done - especially by Buchanan men.”   Matthew sits quietly, trying to digest Asa's answer. He finally looks up. “Would the guy go to jail?”   Asa nods. “Probably. Unless the woman didn’t want to press charges. Domestic violence is a sticky area of the law. But if the woman is smart, she gets away fast and sends his worthless ass to jail.” Matthew is quiet again as Asa watches him. “Can I ask why you’re curious about this type of thing, son?”   Matt shakes his head. “No reason, Grandpa.” He gets up from the couch. “What are we having for dinner? I’m starved.”   Asa knows there is more to the story, but he decides not to press the issue. He puts his arm around Matthew. “Let’s go downstairs and see.”     Bo and Nora are on their feet, clapping and cheering, hoping for an encore. Little Richard had them dancing all night and they wanted it to continue. They and the rest of the crowd are rewarded for their cheers when the lights come back up and the man himself reappears on stage, waving to the frantic crowd. He sits at the piano, shaking his head as the cheering erupts anew. He takes a drink of water, waving with his other hand for the crowd to take a seat. They cheer louder, stomping their feet and chanting his name.   Little Richard sets down his water glass, picks up the microphone and walks to the edge of the stage, signaling for the crowd to take a seat. When the noise settles down, he looks out over the auditorium. “Now that’s an ovation!” The crowd erupts again as he smiles. “I was informed backstage that there is a very special couple in the audience tonight.” He puts his hand up to shield his eyes, trying to see beyond the lights shining at him. The spotlights are dimmed a bit and he peers into the row of tables where Bo and Nora are seated. He smiles when he spots them.   “There they are. Bo and Nora, stand up.” Nora looks at Bo. “Come on, now. Don’t be shy.” Bo shrugs and pulls Nora to her feet with him. “These two haven’t changed a bit since the last time I saw them. I had to cajole them then too.” The crowd laughs, wondering why Bo and Nora are being singled out for special treatment. He motions them up to the stage. "Come on up here."   Bo takes Nora’s hand and leads her up the steps. Little Richard shakes Bo’s hand and gives Nora a quick peck on the cheek as the crowd hoots. “I know you’re all wondering why I’ve brought them up here.” The crowd cheers. “I married this couple more than 15 years ago.” Bo and Nora wave to the crowd. “And they said it wouldn’t last.”   Nora looks at Bo, wondering if they should confess about their divorce. He shakes his head slightly. Little Richard puts his arms around both of them. “Can I get a hand for love?” he yells to the crowd. The crowd erupts as Nora blushes. “This is just for you,” he says as he makes his way to the piano and begins the opening notes to ‘Send Me Some Lovin’.’ Bo grins as he holds out his hand. She slips into his arms as the crowd goes wild. They dance on the stage as the crowd sings along. When he finishes, Little Richard hugs them both, wishing Nora a Happy Birthday as they leave the stage. He finishes his encore and disappears with a final wave to the crowd.   The house lights come up and the crowd begins to file out. Bo sits staring at Nora, who is dazed, grinning from ear to ear. She finally focuses on Bo. “Did that just happen?”   He nods. “Yup. I’ll be your witness.”   "How did he know we were here?"   Bo grins. "I sent a note to his manager through the concierge. I didn't want to say anything in case Little Richard didn't get the message."   She leans into him. “That was the best birthday present ever. You get a free pass for a lifetime, Buchanan.”   He pulls her close, kissing her cheek. “No way. After seeing the look on your face, I want to do this every year.”   She turns, kissing him hard. “I love you.”   He returns her kiss. “Why don’t we go up to the suite and you can prove it.”   She takes his hand, getting up from the table. “With pleasure.”   TBC