Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty-one of "Ride the Wind II: Justice Unbound." I'm glad it took just six days to get out. It is possible that J-Pod will make another appearance very soon. I really want to feature them again as I enjoyed showing them swim through the ocean. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-two.

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Chapter 21: Still Waiting/Bathroom Stop

The man sitting across from Jesse, Randolph, and Dwight drank the last of his coffee twenty minutes later. He put the mug down and rose to his feet. The trio observed him leaving the café. An employee came over to the table and picked it up. He took it to behind the counter. He placed it in the sink and turned on the water to wash it. Jesse looked at his watch and sighed impatiently. Their mugs and his plate were taken to the kitchen ten minutes ago.

"I wish Brenda would show up," Jesse grumbled annoyingly. "I really want to talk to her."

"Have patience, son," Dwight whispered in a gentle voice. "She just might show up."

"Let's wait a few more minutes, okay?" Randolph asked.

"Okay," Jesse relented and stroked his face. "I have to admit Brenda looked rather pretty in person."

"She sure did," Randolph agreed. "Something tells me she works out a lot. Trainers need to be in tip-top physical condition in order to perform waterworks with whales and dolphins."

"Rae told us she worked out four to five days a week in order to stay in shape. She hoped to swim with Willy once she had him trained. Of course, he wouldn't cooperate with her," Jesse explained.

"It was because he was pining for his family," Dwight commented, propping his head up with his elbow. "When he met you, he finally found someone he could relate to."

"Just because Willy was pining for his freedom doesn't mean other captive cetaceans are. They have relied on human care for most of, if not all, their lives," Jesse murmured and frowned. "Some extreme anti-caps would love to do what I did."

"The problem is that the animals rarely approach strangers. They wouldn't trust extreme anti-caps at all," Randolph said seriously.

"Not to mention security is rather tight at marine parks nowadays. It would be impossible to steal any animal from there," Jesse added.

"I read that some researchers kept a close eye on dolphins they were preparing to release into the wild after a few years in captivity. They feared extreme anti-caps would cut the netting in the seapens and let the dolphins loose before they were ready," Dwight pointed out.

"That is animal cruelty right there," Jesse answered in much bluntness. "Of course, the extreme anti-caps would be seen as heroes by the media. Few people would've cared if the dolphins died. At least they died free." He shook his head in disbelief.

"If Dial had been busted for illegally obtaining Willy before you broke him out of the tank, Willy would have gone to a seapen once his pod was identified," Randolph said, tapping his fingers on the table. "The best way would've been to record his calls and compare them to those of each Southern Resident pod. J-Pod would've been the one identified."

Jesse bit his lip before putting his hand on the table. He tapped his fingers while clicking his tongue. He patted it three times and let out a long yawn.

"I can't help but wonder when Willy will pass away. He is over thirty years old now," Jesse whispered in uncertainty. "That is the average age of male orcas in this region."

"Ruffles made it to his late fifties. Willy might be just as lucky," Randolph said hopefully.

Jesse smiled. "It would be cool if he became a great-grandfather. There is no doubt that Ruffles has several great-grandchildren."

"All of us know that Granny has multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren," Dwight said, gesturing toward himself and his friends.

"None of her immediate offspring are known to be living," Randolph said, waving his hand in the air. "I have a feeling Ruffles was part of either L-Pod or K-Pod. His mother may have died when he was young. He went looking for a mother figure. He found it in Granny. He fathered several offspring within J-Pod."

"We've had some concerns about inbreeding amongst the Southern Residents. It is due to their small population. Of course, it was never big to begin with. If Ruffles was part of either pod, then the inbreeding may not be as big a concern as we thought," Jesse said.

Randolph sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, DNA analysis on orca blubber isn't developed enough to find out where Ruffles really came from."

"It is unlikely we will know for several years," Jesse added.

"Until then, people will assume Ruffles has always been directly related to J-Pod," Randolph said, laying his hand on the table.

Dwight shrugged. "It sucks, but it is what it is."

Jesse stretched his arms above his head as he suppressed a yawn. He moved his neck from side to side in which he stretched it. He placed his hands in his lap. He proceeded to pat it very lightly.

"I find it funny that so-called sanctuaries have the gall to accuse owners of abusing their animals, yet they have no problem doing the same to theirs," Jesse hissed disgustingly. "They often do it on purpose."

"After they deliberately abuse the animals, they create sob stories about how they rescued them from cruel and heartless owners," Randolph growled angrily. "People see the stories and become sad. They donate to 'help' the animals. What they don't know is they are being scammed out of their money."

"Many sanctuaries start out having their hearts in the right place. Then they become obsessed with obtaining animals and turn money-hungry," Dwight said with a heavy sigh. "Those that aren't money-hungry have hearts bigger than their wallets."

"The owners refuse to get help. They insist they can care for the animals with the employees they have, though the number of them is inadequate," Randolph said, biting his lip. "The animals suffer from neglect."

"The owners are very stubborn," Jesse commented and cupped his chin in his hand. "They don't want to be told how they should and shouldn't care for their animals."

"The owners of money-hungry sanctuaries will use donations for personal use. This includes taking trips to foreign countries, building pools, buying cars, buying clothes, etc. That is not right at all," Dwight said, gritting his teeth.

"They want to live the good life without having to work for it," Jesse responded in a blunt voice. "It is pure greed."

"They have the gall to accuse zoos, aquariums, and circuses of exploiting their animals, yet they are doing just that," Dwight said. "Talk about hypocritical."

Jesse gazed at his watch once more. He let out a disappointed sigh before looking up. He tried not to yawn, but he couldn't help himself.

"Let's face it. Brenda isn't coming," Jesse muttered with a shake of his head. "I am ready to head back to Mom and Dad's house."

"I am too," Randolph agreed.

Dwight stood up along with the others. "I am ready to head home, but I need to use the bathroom first."

Randolph clasped his hands together. "How about we wait for you outside. We just might encounter Brenda when we leave."

"Okay," Dwight said, nodding at the duo. "I will try not to take too long."

Jesse smirked. "Good. We will spank you if you do."

Dwight waved Jesse off with a laugh. They and Randolph headed for the restrooms, which happened to be located next to the entrance. Dwight went into the first door. It led to the men's restroom. Jesse and Randolph stopped near the second door that went into the women's restroom.

00000

Jesse and Randolph were still waiting outside the restrooms six minutes later. Two young women laughed as they entered the women's restroom. Another passed them with the door closing behind her. A father and his son went into the men's restroom while snapping their fingers. Jesse glanced at his watch with an impatient sigh. He turned to Randolph.

"I hope Dwight doesn't take too much longer. We don't want to miss the possibility of meeting Brenda," Jesse said.

"He will be out soon enough," Randolph assured. "That is unless he decides to shave himself bald." He let out a small snicker. "He'd look great without any hair."

"Or shave his mustache," Jesse added and smirked. "I think he would look good without it."

"Many people like to look good when they go out in public," Randolph pointed out as he waved his hand in the air. "They want to make a good impression, especially if they are meeting someone important."

"Like a social worker," Jesse said and scratched his ear.

"Exactly," Randolph replied while nodding.

"At least Nadine doesn't wear makeup at home. Neither do Ashley and Karone according to Andros and Zhane," Jesse said and crossed his arms.

"Now, that is crazy," Randolph commented. "Oh, yes."

The men started laughed loudly. They became quiet when two young men stared at them as they came out of the men's restroom. Randolph put his hands behind his back and proceeded to whistle. Jesse cupped his chin in his hand.

"I was just thinking about the sea lions," Jesse said and clicked his tongue. "I find it interesting they got their names from the whiskers on their faces."

"They do look like lion whiskers," Randolph said.

"Too bad the bulls don't grow manes," Jesse said and placed his hands on his hips. "They'd look very magnificent with them."

"Oh, yeah," Randolph agreed with a laugh. "The bulls may be bigger than the cows, but they're just as athletic in the water as they are."

"It is pretty cool to see sea lions lounging on boat decks whenever we visit California," Jesse said.

"And on the beach," Randolph added and chuckled lightly. "They just sun themselves without a care in the world."

Jesse frowned. "Unfortunately, the beach isn't always safe for sea lions. In Argentina, orcas grab them right off it. Then they throw them around out in the open ocean."

"I know. In some instances, the orcas don't kill the sea lions they've grabbed. They actually return them to the beach," Randolph said, furrowing his brow.

"I wonder why they do that," Jesse whispered in curiosity.

Randolph gave a shrug. "Beats me."

Jesse and Randolph watched a mother take her daughter into the women's restroom. They looked at each other.

"I may not support animal captivity, but I am glad captive sea lions are safe from the dangers of the wild here," Jesse admitted.

"Yes. The reason why wild sea lions die by the time they are in their twenties is because they develop cataracts. They are unable to see their food and starve to death," Randolph explained gently.

"Older sea lions don't have to worry about starving here because the employees feed them. Even if they can't see, they know they're being fed fish," Jesse said and licked his lips.

"The fish tastes good to them," Dwight murmured.

"It annoys me when extreme anti-caps say that the sea lions are being neglected due to the cataracts in their eyes. Can't they understand it's because of their age and can't be cured?" Randolph muttered in annoyance.

"No, they can't. They think anything that's remotely wrong with an animal means that it's being deliberately neglected," Jesse answered and scoffed.

"What's worse is they believe they know what's best for animals when they have never worked with them. Even if they're shown how animals are really treated in a facility, they still believe abuse is going on," Randolph grumbled and groaned loudly.

Jesse blew very hard. "You know what they say, 'You can't fix stupid.'"

Randolph nodded in agreement. "You got that right."

Jesse inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Just then, Dwight came out of the men's restroom. He approached the duo before smacking his lips twice.

"You feel better, Dwight?" Jesse asked.

"Definitely," Dwight replied with pride.

"Great," Randolph said with much happiness.

"Two boys were having fun watching the toilets flush by themselves," Dwight said, a smile crossing his lips.

"Oh, really?" Jesse wondered.

"Yeah. They loved how the water went round and round," Dwight said, moving his head in circles.

"Careful, Dwight. You don't want to get dizzy," Jesse warned.

"You wouldn't want to be dizzy if we encounter Brenda, would you?" Randolph asked.

"No," Dwight answered as he became still.

"Good for you," Jesse said happily.

Dwight ruffled the young man's hair and had his hand pushed aside by him. Randolph laughed while shaking his head. He clapped three times before putting his hands behind his back.

"We shouldn't play around, guys. We need to keep an eye out for Brenda. She could arrive any second," Randolph explained.

"Sure, Daddy," Dwight and Jesse taunted and laughed heartily.

"Don't mock me," Randolph retorted playfully.

"Don't mock me," Dwight and Jesse replied.

The trio were about to head out the door when Bryan Adams's Cuts Like a Knife began playing. Jesse realized it was his IPhone and reached into his pocket. He saw Nadine's name and her number of 360-221-8889. Randolph ran his finger along his ear.

"I wonder what Nadine wants," Jesse said curiously.

"I hope she isn't demanding we come back to Glen and Annie's house right now," Randolph mumbled in some fear.

"I know she isn't doing that to me. I was just here when you two walked in," Dwight pointed out truthfully.

"That you were," Randolph agreed.

Jesse touched his IPhone in the middle of the ringtone's second play. He put it to his ear while licking his lips. He proceeded to talk to Nadine and put his hand on his hip.