“Well, you didn’t do so bad in the Bangkok gash department yourself!”

“How would you know what the fuck I was doing? You were too busy humping like a mutt in heat.”

“Not too busy to notice you taking some slant slit up to your room. I seem to recall three days passing before you let the poor thing surface for air!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Decker saw Rina standing by the back door. Her hand was over her mouth, her eyes just staring at him.

How much had she heard?

He felt himself go feverish with shame, hot with rage. In a blind anger, he jumped Abel, both of them tumbling to the ground.

“You talk with respect around my woman!” Decker yelled, as he tried to pin Abel down. But Abel was stronger than he looked. He took his cane and rammed it into Decker’s solar plexus. Decker doubled over, but managed to shove his own elbow full force into Abel’s gut. The punch winded Abel, but it didn’t dull his reflexes. He saw Decker come at him with his fist, rolled over, and heard Decker scream as his fingers hit dirt. He whacked Decker across the back with his cane at the same time that Decker grabbed his hair.

Decker picked Abel’s head up by the roots of his hair, and was prepared to slam him against the ground when he felt light pummeling on his back—like a gentle rubdown. The fuck? he thought. Then he heard her—Rina screaming at him.

“Stop it!” she shrieked. “Stop it, both of you! Stop it right now!”

Decker let go of Abel’s hair.

“Are you out of your mind, Peter!” Rina was hysterical. Decker felt her gripping his shirt. “Get off of him! Get…off.” She yanked his shirt so hard, it ripped, and she stumbled backward.

Abel burst into laughter, Decker tried to contain himself but was unsuccessful. He rolled onto his back and broke into loud guffaws.

Rina glared at them, a piece of fabric in her hands, huffing from the exertion. Two idiots, holding their stomachs and howling with delight, squirming on the ground like infants. They were infants. No, infants had more sense. They were little naughty boys, like her sons after they’d played a trick on her.

Good old Mom. The butt of all the jokes. One part of her wanted to stalk off, another part of her wanted to join in the fun. Yet she knew from her own kids, it would spoil their little game if she laughed with them. She maintained her stern expression.

“You two should be ashamed of yourselves,” she said as seriously as she could.

Just as Rina thought, they laughed harder. She shook her head. “Absolutely ashamed at such outrageous, infantile behavior.” She turned on her heels and waited until she was inside before her scowl turned into a grin.