14. A face in the crowd

 Cho never thought his life was exciting until he met Vanessa. True, he'd grown up in Hawaii and had lots of opportunities over the years making waves at the beach, but it wasn't quite like living the streets of Chicago.

Damn if he didn't get reprimanded all the time from the friends he made. "You should be at the beach man, not here?"

But winter weather was a whole new world to him. He'd never seen anything like it. Possibly, he thought he'd come from this type of place centuries ago, but his ancestors just kept moving.

"But I love it," he'd reply with a smile. Yes, he could walk the streets in shorts and not much else if need be. Because, what could he say? Things were hot with Vanessa.

She was a musician, a teacher, and always had a weekend to help girls defend themselves. After all, they'd met at the gym. No, not one of those places where you did an average workout. A place where you learned to use your fist and the rhythm of your feet. 

Naturally, it took over a year or so to catch Vanessa's attention. Actually, Cho didn't see anything happening, and then one day she asked him if he like music.

That's when he started going to her hard rock shows. She knew the classic. In fact, she knew all the Ronettes' classics. Of course, he would be Vanessa's little baby.