Hi Everyone! So in this chapter, I want to continue to focus on revealing more about Rodrigo's personality and his interaction with everyone in the group. And what better ways to do that then to have him interact with Eugene Horowitz?

The week during Rodrigo's grandmother visit was an emotional train wreck, to say the least. On the day of her arrival, she greeted everyone with a smile, including Paula, Rodrigo's younger sister. She also greeted Rodrigo, but she viewed him with some contempt, which was not lost him.

During that week, he tried his best to continue with his life; went to school, did his homework and helped around the house. In order to avoid any questions from his friends, he attempted to act as normally as possible. Only Helga knew of his situation and she would sometimes privately ask him about it.

This was only positive thing that came from his grandmother's visit: it had pushed Helga and him to spend a bit more time together. At one point, taking a little advantage of her concern for him, he asked her if they could walk home together on that day, stating that he was in no hurry to go home and he would like some company. To his surprise and excitement, she accepted it and they walked together that day.

"Have you ever attempted to explain to your grandmother about how you see things?" she asked him as they were walking home.

"I tried, but she can be just as stubborn as I am. Plus, she is not an educated person and took any explanation that was I was attempting to give as an attack and show of disrespect for her. Back home, you did not question your elder's authority. Studying philosophy unfortunately encouraged me to do that, especially when some of the my family member's reasoning did not make sense to me." he explained.

"Thanks for the company Helga. I really appreciate it." he added.

"Ya well don't get too comfy Latino Boy. I may not be so nice next time." she said with a smirk.

"Sure, whatever you say Helga." he responded back with a smile.

During their walk, they continued talking his predicament. However, it soon dawned on Rodrigo that Helga only seemed willing to discuss things that concerned him or his interests. Whenever he inquired or asked about any of her interests or concerns, unless they were non-significant, she would always dodge the questions or somehow managed to bring it back to him. However, he did not ponder about that for long. He was just glad that she was more relax around him and was at least talking to him. Baby steps.

The tension around the house between Rodrigo and his grandmother remained high throughout her visit. Just as Helga had done to him previously, his grandmother would sometimes make certain remarks against him, constantly reminding him on why he failed as a person, while giving him a contempt look.

At first, Rodrigo tried to ignore it or simply walked away. However, three days into her visit, at dinner, he eventually exploded when his grandmother wanted to offer prayer, but Rodrigo refused to participate.

"Eres un niño malcreado y averguenzas esta familia." (You are a bad child and you shame this family.) his grandmother said to him.

"¿Como? ¿Porque no quiero orar a un Dios que no existé? Porque yo rehusó a involucrarme en una mentalidad que ya no sirvé?" (How? Because I don't want to pray to a God that does not exist? Because I refuse to participate in a mentality that no longer serves any purpose?) Rodrigo responded back.

"Porque eres arrogante! Tu eres un adolecente, no mas, y tu piensas que eres mas sabio que nosotros? Mas de Jesus, nuestro Cristo? (Because you are arrogant! You are only an adolescent and you think that you more wiser than us? More than Jesus, our Christ?) his grandmother responded back.

"Si, exacto! Porque mientras tu simplemente sigues lo que ten dice, yo estudie, ambos la Biblia y libros secular! Yo no voy a siguir simplement porque usted me dice que sabes mas que yo. Usted no eres mas sabio que yo! Tu eres nada mas que una campesina!" (Yes, exactly! Because while you simply follow what they tell you, I studied both the Bible and secular books! I'm not going to simple follow just because you tell me that you know more than me. You are not wiser than me! You are nothing more than a peasant!) Rodrigo yelled back, after which he got up and went to his room.

Realizing how much the visit was upsetting his son, Rodrigo's father eventually confronted his mother and stated that it was probably best if she left early. She reluctantly agreed. The next day, the father drove her to the airport. Rodrigo never bothered to wish her a happy trip.

The week after, Rodrigo bounced back to his old self and was determined to continue his life to the fullest, much to Helga's surprise. Just days ago, he was in serious despair and overwhelmingly stressed out. Now, he was acting normally, as if the whole visit never happened. Helga pondered on this and wondered how he was able to easily shift his mood from one extreme to another so quickly.

What is his secret? She thought.

One day, Rodrigo heard that Eugene needed help setting up the stage for his play that he was directing. Rodrigo gladly offered his help in building the set. Rodrigo was passionate about theatre. As a kid, his parents or school would sometimes take him to the theatre. He always loved the performance, the ability of the actors to act out on some of the deepest of human emotions. He had actually tried out for one of the roles at his new school, but unfortunately did not make the cut. He was not upset about it, as he knew there would be another opportunity next semester.

One day, after finishing in setting up the last of the pieces for the display, he saw Eugene sitting at the front of the stage and went up to him,

"Hey Eugene, I finished the display here. I hope it's to your liking for your play." he said to Eugene.

"Oh gosh, its marvelous Rodrigo! Thank you! It's perfect for my play." Eugene exclaimed

"Not a problem, happy to have helped out."

As they continued talking, Rodrigo noticed that Eugene kept eyeing two pretty girls that were sitting almost at the front of the theatre, to which Rodrigo remarked,

"Those two are pretty aren't they?"

"Hmm? Oh them ya they are" Eugene said with a nervous laugh.

Just then, the two girls got up and walked way. However, Rodrigo noticed that neither Eugene's head, nor his eyes followed the two girls. He continued looking straight at the theatre, where a cute guy was also sitting. It then dawned on Rodrigo...

Oh! He's gay! Whoa, I did not see that coming, hahahaha. Rodrigo thought to himself.

Noticing that Eugene was eying the guy hard, with almost a love struck look to his smile, Rodrigo then asked him,

"He's a cute, isn't he?"

"*sigh* Ya, he is...wait what?" Eugene said, now looking rather afraid.

"It's ok Eugene, no worries. I know you were looking at that guy and I'm cool with it." Rodrigo tried to explain.

"Huh? oh no no, you got it all wrong Rodrigo, I'm not gay. I like girls and only girls hehehehe." Eugene said, attempting to sound as authentic as possible, but Rodrigo saw right through it.

"Listen, I'll tell you a little secret. I am actually a little ashamed to admit it, but I think it is important. I used to be homophobic." Rodrigo confessed.

"Huh? You were?" Eugene asked, completely surprised.

"Yes. You see, growing up in a traditional household that emphasized strict male and female gender/sex roles, it's not surprising that when I first encountered a gay person, I was hostile towards him. However, as time went on, I began to suspect that the reason why I was so hostile towards gays and transgendered people was not because there was something 'wrong' with them. Rather, I suspected that there was something 'wrong' with my way of thinking; it was very narrow minded. After educating myself vigorously on the nature of homosexuality, I realized that the only way to accept them was to associate myself with them, by talking to them and seeing them as any other person. Admittedly, I initially had to force himself to do this, but after a while, it became natural and eventually I completely accepted them. Haha, as a running gag, I like to often compare myself with Saint Paul from the Bible. Just as Paul was once a persecutor of Christians, I was once a persecutor of gays. And now, just like Paul, I am now one of the gay community's biggest supporters." Rodrigo explained. "But I am not gay. I just support you guys to live happily without fear."

"Wow. I'm shocked that you spoke so truthfully about you were once homophobic. Not everyone is willing to admit that." Eugene said.

"Accepting people who are different than you when you first encounter them is not easy. Quite the contrary, it is quite difficult. We are biologically programmed to find anything that counters our traditional way of thinking with suspicion, if not with contempt." Rodrigo explained.

"I see. Well, don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Eugene assured him.

"What? Oh I'm not worried about that. Actually, I would prefer if you tell people about this, including our friends. They have to know; they should know. It is a little shameful, but I'm not adamant in keeping it a secret. On the contrary, I consider this change in attitude as one of my biggest success." Rodrigo said to him while smiling.

"How long have you known that you were gay?" Rodrigo asked.

"Almost all my life really." Eugene responded back.

"Does anyone else know?" Rodrigo asked.

"Ya, all of our friends know. Sheena was the first person that I told. Initially she seemed a little upset because I think she liked me, but she had no problem accepting it, and we reconciled. I never really went up to our friends and said, 'Hey I'm gay!'. It was a gradual process, which they eventually figured it out."

"How come?"

"I guess it's because it is still not very safe for gays to come out. I know people are more open about it now, but I did not know if my friends would accept it. Plus I did not want to make it a big deal. I should be able to live my life as normally as anyone else and I think having this 'coming out party' is just patronizing the whole thing." Eugene explained.

Well that's good that our friends are accepting. I would have hated it if one of our friends had a problem with this. I would have to have had a 'talk' with them. Rodrigo thought.

"Now, are you going to talk to that guy or do I need to bring him over to you?" Rodrigo asked.

"No no. I'll talk to him. It is just that... it is still hard to come out as gay. People still discriminate against us." Eugene said.

"I know. But you are not doing yourself any favours by hiding away. On the contrary you are doing harm to yourself and to the very people you are hiding from. They need to see you. They need to recognize that you exist as well and that you are here to stay." Rodrigo said.

"Besides, if anyone is bothering you because of it, tell me ok? I would like to help." Rodrigo offered as he extended his hand.

Eugene shook his hand and said, "Thanks a lot Rodrigo. Really, it is nice to find someone who is accepting of people." Eugene said with a smile.

The next day...

When lunch time came, Rodrigo came to lunch room and saw everyone in their usual spot. As Rodrigo approached them, he saw Eugene there, who looked hurt. Rodrigo was already told that Eugene is a clumsy person, which is why he decided to help Eugene in setting up the display for the play in the first place. As he continued walking towards the table, he started to prepare to tell a few jokes at Eugene's expense. However, as he moved closer, he realized that Eugene looked hurt...very hurt. He had a black eye and some bruises on his arms and legs.

"Hey guys. Eugene, are you ok?" Rodrigo asked.

"Um I'm ok, I guess. I got into a fight with some of the older graders. They saw me earlier with that guy I was eyeing at the theatre yesterday and beat me up." Eugene explained.

"Apparently, you encouraged him to be open about his sexuality." Helga said with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Rodrigo remained silent and looked Eugene, completely horrified at how hurt he was.

"I was only trying to help him out. I did not realize that they would hurt him like this." Rodrigo attempted to explain.

"Well clearly that did not work, doofus. Look at him! What were you thinking in telling him to come out?" Hegla asked him.

Rodrigo said nothing, looking visibly distressed and upset about the damage that he just caused.

"Helga, it's ok. Rodrigo was only trying to help and besides, it is not his fault. It was those 12 graders that did this to him. Eugene should not have to hide for who he is from anyone." Lila said.

Still Rodrigo said nothing. If anything, he was trying to restrain himself from exploding in anger.

The next day...

Rodrigo spend the rest of the day trying to find a way to make it up to Eugene and to find the people that did this to him.

I do not care who those guys are, I'm going to make them pay. They made their choice to do this, so now I'm going to make mine. He thought to himself angrily.

Throughout the morning, Rodrigo attempted to speak with several students about the fight, to see if they knew anything. Unfortunately, none had any information on who these 12 graders were. That, or they intentionally refused to give such information to him.

when lunch time came, Rodrigo went to their usual spot but realized that Eugene was not with them.

"Hey guys...umm where is Eugene?" Rodrigo asked.

"We're not sure. He was suppose to meet up with us today. I guess he got stuck making final preparations for his play." Gerald responded back.

Rodrigo then started getting a bad feeling about this, and asked Gerald,

"Gerald, call Eugene right now and find out where he is and if he is ok."

"Why?" Gerald asked.

"Just do it please, ok?!" Rodrigo asked with a raised voice.

"*sigh*fine"

Gerald attempted to call Eugene several times on his cell phone but he never answered.

Rodrigo then went completely white and feared the worst.

"Eugene's in trouble. We have to find him, now!" Rodrigo cried out.

Without warning, he ran right outside from the lunchroom so fast that his fedora hat fell from his head without even realizing it. The school was big and he did not know where Eugene was. He tried to find him at the theatre, but he was not there. One of the light technicians said that he saw him earlier and was going to his locker. With that piece of information, Rodrigo quickly ran out again, while the rest of his friends were trying to keep up with him.

Please be ok, please be ok. Please don't let him be hurt. He did not do anything wrong! Rodrigo cried out in his thoughts.

Just then, he saw Eugene in his locker. However, he also saw four other older guys surrounding him, with one of them trying to take a swing at him, but Eugene kept dodging him. Losing no time, Rodrigo simply ran faster, hoping to get there in time before that guy grabbed Eugene.

After a few missed swings, the guy finally grabbed Eugene, shoved him straight towards the locker and was about to take a good swing to his face, before Rodrigo pushed him away so hard that he fell completely to the floor, hitting his head hard on the floor.

"Stay away from him! Don't you ever touch him again!" Rodrigo cried out in anger.

"This isn't any of your business! It's between us and this queer!" One of the 12 graders said, who then looked at Eugene and asked him with a smirk, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"He is my friend." Rodrigo said to him with a deadly voice. "I'm going to give you this one chance to apologize to him for what you did to him. If not, I swear to you, you will never walk again." And he put himself between Eugene and them.

Just then the rest of his friends reached him. The girls went up to Eugene to take out of the area and attend to him. The guys however, did not initially attempt to support Rodrigo and remained in the sidelines. Rodrigo was on his own.

Rodrigo was a short person, barely reaching the girls in height. Gerald, Sid, Harold and Stinky were all relatively taller than him. The 12 graders were even more taller, but he didn't care. He was itching for a fight.

Realizing that his male friends were not supporting him, one of the guys said, "We'll make you apologize for what you did to our friend; and for supporting this queer."

"Bring it on you filthy, low piece of human trash! You don't deserve to live!" Rodrigo cried out with a fury.

Just as the 12 graders were about to make their move, to their surprise they saw Helga getting up beside Rodrigo and yelled at them,

"Listen you three stooges, apologize to Eugene right now, or you are going to face old Betsy here!" as she cracked her knuckles. She then looked at one of them and said with a grin, "That goes for you too Roger! Unless you want another punch to the stomach...again."

Before her intervention, Helga looked on in shock as Rodrigo was standing alone, ready to face three guys taller than him. Admittedly, she was also a little scared of him at the moment, as she never seen him or anyone become that aggressive so quickly. She could see just how furious he was at them. She knew that he was ready to spill blood. She then thought that is how some people must have felt towards her whenever she acted aggressively or threatened them. It was...not a nice feeling. Whether it was by his passion to defend his friends, or just how hurt Eugene was, Helga got up to support him, as she was not the type of person to back down from a fight.

Rodrigo was glad that Helga, or anyone was supporting him.

Sheesh, good thing she is on my side. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her fists. He thought

Yet, despite the reinforcement, the 12 graders were not deterred and proceeded with their attack.

Just then, Gerald and all the guys came up beside Rodrigo and Helga, much to Rodrigo's delight. However, he was quickly dismayed when Gerald then spoke to Roger and said,

"Roger, enough man! Back away and leave; We'll do the same. Your friend is hurt and he needs to see the nurse."

the 12 graders initially did not move, but after seeing that they were now outnumbered, they relented and slowly started to give ground to attend to their friend, who was still lying on the floor.

Rodrigo was in complete shock that Gerald had allowed them to leave unscathed. He was now furious at him!

Once the 12 graders left, the rest of the gang helped Eugene up and started to leave as well, leaving Rodrigo standing alone, still in shock. Helga had to grab him by the arm and pull him to get him to move.

"Rodrigo, come on, let's go." Helga said. Rodrigo reluctantly agreed and left with them.

During their history class neither Rodrigo, nor Helga spoke to each other. Rodrigo was still reeling that those 12 graders were allowed to leave without so much as a scratch on them. Helga could see that Rodrigo had still not calmed down and wisely decided to leave him alone.

Maybe I should talk to him later after school. She thought.

Why did he do that? Why did he allow them to leave like that after what they did to Eugene?! I have to talk to Gerald and get him to explain. Rodrigo thought bitterly.

After class ended, Rodrigo went outside and saw everyone huddling together, waiting for the bus to arrive and take them home. Rodrigo walked up to them and without even saying hi to anyone, he quickly went to up to Gerald and bluntly asked him,

"Why did you let them go? Why didn't you make them pay?"

"Because violence does not solve anything, Rodrigo. Look at what it did to Eugene." Gerald responded back.

"On the contrary. Violence, if used correctly, can actually solve things. Those 12 graders made their choice to not only be homophobic, but also to beat Eugene up. It was their choice and any decision comes with its consequences." Rodrigo retorted back.

"Those idiots were using violence only to continue living in an outdated fantasy because they do not want to face the new reality; that gay people exist and it is not a choice to be one." Rodrigo continued, while trying to remain calm.

"As you said, because they are 'idiots', they were not worth the trouble. We are not going to use violence every time to solve our problems. Violence begets violence." Gerald responded back. "I mean, if we did that, then we would have beaten Helga a long time ago." Gerald continued while smiling, trying to make a point but also trying to lighten the mood. Helga just scowled at him for that remark, but Rodrigo was having none of it.

"Yes, they are not worth it. But because they live with in this society with us, they are a continuous threat unless they are either eliminated or reformed. They are not simply going to go away without a fight."

"Look, we need to solve our differences without violence; it ends up hurting people. We have leaders like Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. to look up to for guidance." Gerald said.

Rodrigo then started smiling at Gerald after he made that remark.

I got him. He won't be past my argument. He thought happily. "Those leaders that you just mentioned were just as violent. Do you actually think they would have done what they did, if they had not thought of that fact that their leadership and influence were going to get people killed? Do you think they were that naive? No, they knew very well that in order to change society, people had to die as a consequence. It authenticates the struggle. They are just as guilty for the deaths that occurred both in India and in the Southern U.S. as much as those that pulled the trigger in order to oppose them. If they really did not want to get people killed, they would have stayed home."

"The only thing that differentiates them from dictators such as Adolf Hitler or Saddam Hussein, is why they killed people. Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to completely change their societies, to change how people interacted with each other and establish a new social order. Whereas, Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein merely killed people just to so they can maintain things the way they are. " Rodrigo explained, to the shock of everyone else.

"You are right about one thing: if violence begets violence, then it is useless. The whole point of violence is not to kill people; it is to change society, to change the entire social structure and if violence can achieve that, then it is divine violence, a justified violence." he continued.

For a second, Gerald was stunned, unable to speak. Never had he heard anyone speak of both non-violent leaders in this new way. It was actually scary. However, he quickly regained his posture and countered,

"That may be so, but then look at what happened in France during the French Revolution, or in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. Look, I'm not a major in history, but if I remember correctly, the terrors that both revolutions unleashed against the populace was terrible. Not only were the opponents killed, but many good, innocent people that actually supported the revolutions were also killed. That is the problem with violence; once you release it, it becomes difficult, if not impossible to control. It consumes everything and everyone. And in the end, what happened to the Soviet Union? It collapsed. So what was it all for?"

Now it was Rodrigo's turn remain speechless.

Hmm, first time someone countered that argument. He thought.

In the years after their San Lorenzo adventure, by virtue of his close friendship with Arnold and in later dating Phoebe, Gerald had matured considerably. He slowly developed some of Arnold's observant trait, as well as some of Phoebe's analytical skills. This proved crucial for him and the group, especially after Arnold left Hillwood. Without Arnold, Gerald now felt compelled to be the new person that their friends came to for assistance or if they got themselves in a particular situation that they needed some advice.

While a radical himself, Rodrigo was no friend to the so-called communist systems that sprang out in the 20th Century. If anything, he was one the few that openly criticizes the horrors that such governments inflicted upon the populace and despite it all, it collapsed anyways. He does not necessarily blame the theory of communism, just in the way it was carried out. As far as he was concerned, it was a catastrophic failure and he was not willing to defend it.

No longer wishing to further argue with this, Gerald walked up closer to him, put his hand on Rodrigo's shoulder and said, "Look man, I understand what you are trying to say. If anything, I commend you for it. Don't think that I am not also upset about what they did to Eugene. Remember, he is my friend too. All I am saying is that I do not wish for us to lower ourselves like them. We are better than them, so let us show them just how better we are."

If he had wanted to, Rodrigo could have continued on with this debate. However, he took the hint and decided against it. Besides, he had already revealed too much about some of his thoughts and he did not want to scare them away. The last thing he needed was to be ostracized again.

"Alright Gerald. I'm sorry if I came across too strong. I did not mean to question your friendship with Eugene." Rodrigo said.

Gerald simply smiled and said, "You know, you kind of remind me of my main man, Arnold: helpful and caring. Only you are more passionate and assertive than he was when it came to these things."

Helga nearly choked on the water that she was drinking when Gerald said her beloved's name.

Who? I don't who this guy is, but I do not like to be compared to anyone. I am my own person. Rodrigo thought.

"Thanks but umm, who's Arnold?" he asked.

Everyone became surprised when Rodrigo asked that, but then it quickly dawned on them that they never actually spoke about Arnold to him.

"Oh man, we never told you about him? He is our closest friend, the wisest of the bunch really. He moved away from Hillwood a little more than two years ago. We need to have a talk, but umm the bus is here now so let's get on." Gerald said.

"You guys go. I'm going to walk home today and just clear my head. Eugene, I'm sorry I did not ask before, but how are you feeling?" Rodrigo asked.

"I'm ok, thanks to you Rodrigo. These bruises will heal, and don't feel bad about what happened. It's not your fault and you were right, I shouldn't be afraid to be who I am in public." Eugene said with a smile.

With that Rodrigo said his goodbyes and started walking home.

As everyone else was getting on the bus, Helga hesitated and at the last moment, decided to walk home with Rodrigo.

"Pheebs, I'm going to walk home with Rodrigo. You ok if you take the bus without me?" Helga asked.

"Um, sure Helga that's alright. See you tomorrow." Phoebe confirmed back.

"See ya."

Helga then jogged to catch up to Rodrigo and when she did, she tapped him on his shoulder while they both continued walking,

"What's your problem?" Helga bluntly asked him.

"Huh?"

"You heard me. You freaked out on us by getting all aggressive like that, and wanting to get into a fight with three guys that were taller than you. You freaked me out. So, what's your problem?" Helga asked again.

I freaked her out? Did I scare her or was she concerned about me? Rodrigo thought.

"Nothing, I just didn't want them hurting anyone else. I'm sorry, but I lost it when I saw what they did to Eugene only because he was gay. I didn't mean to freak out like that. I just don't like it when people hurt others simply because they are different. Honestly I just wanted to help, but I guess I took it too far." Rodrigo explained.

Gerald was right. He does sound a lot like Arnold. He has that desire to help people, only he has more of that passion, like I do. Helga thought.

"Well doi doofus, next time don't just run out on us like that. We were barely able to catch up to you. You run fast for a short guy." Helga said while smiling.

"I'll keep that in mind, and thanks for supporting me back there." Rodrigo said.

Helga continued to smile at him, but then she quickly remembered something,

"Oh I almost forgot. You dropped your hat back at the lunchroom."

Rodrigo was so involved with Eugene's safety that he had completely forgotten about his fedora hat.

"Oh my god thank you! I would have been very upset if I lost it." Rodrigo said. He was so happy about it that he, without thinking, went up to Helga and gave her a big hug.

Helga was stunned for a moment but before she could react, Rodrigo then let her go. Despite her not being a touchy person, she felt her heart skipped a beat and felt that she kind of liked the hug he gave her. The only other person that would have caused her to react more like that was Arnold. However with football head, she would have either fainted or completely fallen into a romantic trance, which is why she often had to aggressively push him away before any of that happened.

"Umm..sure no problem, Latino boy." She said rather nervously. She then asked him,

"Why would you have been upset if you lost it?"

"Well, like your blue hat, my fedora hat holds a special significance to me." Rodrigo explained. "My grandfather used to own a hat like this one. I used to always take it away from him, because I wanted to be just like him. He was a very wise person, and my dad always spoke highly of him. Sometime after he died, I went to a hat shop and I came across this hat that looked exactly like his, so I bought it as a reminder of him. Plus it's a pretty slick hat and I love the style."

"Well, good thing I held it for you then." Helga said.

Rodrigo just smiled.

After a short silence, he then asked her,

"So, who is this Arnold guy that Gerald spoke about?"

Helga gulped and grew nervous at the question. Should she tell him? How much information should she give him? Then she thought, what better person to tell him about Arnold than her? She knows more about him, what they went through, than anyone else, including Gerald.

"It's kind of a long story." she said.

"We have time." Rodrigo said back, while smiling.

"Ok"

...Well Arnoldo, you are now officially known to Rodrigo Castile. While we were walking home today, I told him everything about you and how we came to be together. I told him how we met at pre-school, without telling them the sad story of how I even got there, how I used to be mean to you and would always pick on you, some of our adventures as kids, including our trip to San Lorenzo to find your parents. Obviously, I omitted certain things, such as our relationship status, my unfathomed, if not obsessive, dying love for you, and other things that you already know about me. I couldn't tell him everything about me. He took it quite well actually, although he went a little quiet when I spoke to him about me bullying you in order to hide my feelings from you. I guess he did not approve of it, tough luck.

Rodrigo is more mysterious than I originally thought. He thinks very differently from others, which is the main reason why he stands out. Some of the things he said are just so radical that it is...scary really. Like what he said about Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. being more violent than Adolf Hitler or Saddam Hussein...I honestly can't wrap my head around that. I'll have to big a little deeper into his guy's head in order to figure him out. The problem is, he is kind of like me. He is not willing to reveal much about himself, only enough to get people's attention, but not enough for people to completely figure him out. It is very irritating, actually. I wonder if that's what people feel about me, irritating?

Eugene is doing well, the nurse said that his bruises will disappear and he can continue being that clumsy little gay kid that as he always was. I kind of have to hand it to Rodrigo, when he wants to protect his friends, he does with full commitment, regardless for his safety. Although I had to put myself in danger in order to protect him, ugh. Because of that, Gerald said to him that he reminds us of you, which it is true. That's probably the reason why I like him, not like 'like' him though.

Enough about my day, tell me more about this new city that are you now living in. What's there to do? Is it a fancy area?

Yours truly,

Helga G. Pataki