A Well Lived Life 2 Book 8 NIKAChapter 3 Making Plans
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November, 1984, Chicago, Illinois
On Monday morning, just before Kara and I left for IIT, I called the union electrician to make arrangements to get him the new programs. He said he could stop by the house and pick them up that evening, and I could show him anything he needed to know.
We were down to five weeks left in the semester, six if you counted Thanksgiving week when we didn’t have any classes. The only major things I had left to do were a paper on Islam for Mark’s class and to complete the project in Scott’s class. Otherwise, it was just the weekly papers for the literature class and my accounting homework. I wondered if I could swing starting Karate class again, and decided that I’d call Sensei Jim that evening after the union electrician picked up the disks.
He arrived just after dinner and I showed him the programs and handed him the documentation that I’d written. He took the four sets of disks and said he’d call me if there were any problems. Once he left, I called Sensei Jim and asked what I would need to do to restart. He suggested a couple of weeks of private lessons with him and then returning to the group lessons.
At dinner I’d mentioned karate to the girls and both Kara and Sofia expressed interest, mainly because both of them felt like they needed some exercise before they gained the ‘Freshman fifteen’. I let Sensei Jim know about that and he said that he had beginner’s classes starting in three weeks if they were interested. I told him I’d let them know and he and I agreed that I’d come to the dojo before class for the next couple of weeks so that he could get me back up to speed. I told him that I’d see him on Wednesday.
I went to find Kara and Sofia and asked them if they were interested in a beginner’s class that would start on the Monday after Thanksgiving and they both said that they would think about it. I also let them know that I was starting up again and that as soon as they finished the two-week beginner’s class, we could all go to the same practices on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
On Tuesday morning, I ate breakfast and walked to the polling place. I wanted to vote before work, and I had just enough time to do it, so long as I was there right when they opened at 6:00am. I was second in line and fairly quickly punched my ballot for Reagan and the other Republicans listed. I wasn’t thrilled with the incumbent US Senator, Chuck Percy, but Paul Simon was simply too liberal for my tastes. I could have voted Libertarian, Socialist Workers, or Communist, but decided, in the end, to vote for Percy.
When Dave and I arrived at work, I went to see Scott to give him a letter and a short resume from Jennifer, explaining the situation.
“She’s your girlfriend?” he asked.
Explaining our relationship would be difficult, so I decided to stick with a conventional, if somewhat incomplete, explanation.
“She was. We dated off and on during High School. At this point we’re just really close friends. But I can vouch for her being one of the smartest people I know.”
“We’ll have a spot for an electrical engineer, but the competition is pretty tough. The real issue is being able to interview her when she’s at Stanford.”
“She’ll be here visiting in December. If enough people are in the office on December 27th or 28th, I could make sure that she’s here.”
“I think we can arrange that. Stanford is a really good school, and honestly, between you and me, we need a little diversity in this frat house!”
I chuckled, “Did Charlie Johnson talk to you yesterday?”
“She did. She also said that you would vouch for her, which means a lot. Are you recommending her for the internship?”
“Unequivocally. You wouldn’t go wrong with Wen Zhao either. Think two female interns would cause too much of an uproar?”
He grinned, “No. I’ll talk to Doctor Bauer and see what he thinks about both of those young women. I’m looking at my calendar and December 28th would be the best day for the interview. Most of the guys will be here.”
“I’ll let Jennifer know. Thanks a bunch!”
“Don’t thank me yet. She has to pass the interview!”
“If I know Jennifer, and I do, she’s going to knock your socks off!”
“We’ll see. Go see Brad this morning; he has some Z80 stuff he needs you to work on.”
“Thanks, Scott!” I said.
I spent the day writing a series of small subroutines for a video game that Nuvatec was developing for the ColecoVision. This wasn’t a port, but was their first attempt at writing their own game. The routines I was assigned to write would create and display dungeon levels on the screen for an adventure game, in the style of Wizardry. I’d be on this project for the next few months.
That evening at home, after dinner, I called Jennifer at Stanford. True to form, it was Josie that answered the phone.
“I always end up talking to you first!” I chuckled.
“Hey, you had sex with me first in Chicago, too!” she said with a laugh.
“That’s true. Is Jen available?”
“No! She’s taken! But I might allow you to speak to her.”
“Might?” I chuckled. “I’m sure she’ll tickle the phone away from you again!”
“She’s a bitch that way!”
Unsurprisingly, there was a muffled squeal, a bunch of laughter, and then Jennifer had the receiver.
“Hi Steve!” she giggled.
“Hi Jen. You two are nuts! Anyway, I talked to Scott today. He said he’ll set up an interview for you on December 28th. I think you have a good shot at landing the position. Obviously, it’s not a guarantee, but I think you’ll do quite well.”
“Awesome! Josie has her list of cities and towns and she’s researching. Do you have any contacts with the city of Chicago?”
“Not really, but I know some people who know some people. Why?”
“According to what Josie found Chicago is hiring a number of civil engineers in the spring for some major projects that will start next summer. She’s sure the competition will be fierce, so any help she might get would be appreciated.”
“I’ll talk to Gerald Brown. He’s the guy who did the basement, front porch, and other work here. I’m sure that he knows some people to talk to. I’m guessing that Josie isn’t too picky with what assignment she’d have?”
“Nope. It’s hard to be picky right out of school.”
“Is everything set for December?”
“Yep. Josie’s coming home with me and then we’ll fly to Chicago. She’ll get right on a plane for Minneapolis and I’ll come home with you. Her parents weren’t thrilled with her missing Christmas, but we want to spend it together.”
“That makes sense. It’s like Kara and me, I guess.”
“Yes, though I don’t think Josie and I can get away with making love under the family Christmas tree!”
“Your dad would have a cow!” I agreed. “But he’d have a cow if you and I did that, too.”
“True! I’m looking forward to seeing you!”
“And me you. You’ll get to meet Tatyana. She arrives on New Year’s Day.”
“Cool!”
We spoke for a few more minutes before hanging up. I went to the great room to check on the election returns. It was about 9:00pm Chicago time and all three networks had called the election for Reagan nearly an hour earlier. The only question was whether or not he’d win all 50 states. I watched for about fifteen minutes then went back to my office and worked on converting some of my journal files to MacWrite. I knew at some point I’d need to type in the old, handwritten ones, but that was something that was going to take a lot of time and I wasn’t ready to do that yet.
Later, as I was getting into bed, Elyse came to the door and asked if I was OK with some company.
“Of course. Come on in.”
She shed her robe and climbed naked into bed next to me. She snuggled close and I wrapped my arms around her.
“How are you doing?” she asked.
“Good. Why?”
“Oh, just a check-up, so to speak. We haven’t talked a lot in the last few weeks except at dinner or with other people around.”
“That’s why you came?” I asked. “To talk?”
“Actually, yes. I mean, I’ll take the other stuff, but I actually wanted to talk.”
“Is something bothering you?”
“I don’t know. I just have this feeling that something’s not right and I can’t put my finger on it.”
“With you? With me? With the situation here?”
“All of the above, I guess. Maybe I’m just getting melancholy over the fact that in six months or so, everything is going to change. Cindi, Julia, and Katy will be moving out. You know me, I don’t like change.”
“True. But you and I will still be together, just like we started out almost four years ago. And as best I can tell, that’s not going to change any time soon. I expect you’ll live here at least until our kids are born.”
“That was what I hoped would happen. That’s probably three years from now. Do I get to decide the timing?”
I chuckled, “I thought that was how it worked. The woman decides when to have the kids!”
“I suppose. Well, the way I see it, I graduate in May of ‘87. So I want to start trying to get pregnant in January of that year. Is that OK?”
“Of course. Whatever you want. I’ve been thinking more about starting my own business and I’m probably going to do it. My goal is to hire Dave, which I can easily swing with both Larry’s grandfather and my dad having said that they would invest. And I already have a good client base with the unions. Would you be willing to work part time and do the books, payroll, billing, that kind of thing?”
“Sure. A small salary and a piece of the action, and I’m in!”
I chuckled, “I figured. If I can swing it, in the long run I’d want Cindi and Julia, too, but I’m not sure I can swing that until I get more business.”
“Are you still thinking of having your sister run the company for you?”
I chuckled, “It has nothing to do with what I want! She’s TOLD me that’s going to happen. And you know me, I can’t say ‘no’ to her about anything.”
“No kidding. She’s going for her MBA from Chicago?”
“Yes. I suppose your role is Chief Financial Officer, in the long run.”
“You know, if you could swing keeping the gang together, that would be awesome.”
“I’d love to do that!”
“Can I ask you a question?” Elyse asked, propping herself on her elbow.
“Anything.”
“Tell me how things with your sister developed.”
I told her the story, culminating with Spring Break of 1981. She listened without asking any questions.
“You know, I think that explains quite a bit. I don’t condemn you for it, but you have to admit it’s more than a little odd. But if Bethany knew about it and talked to Stephanie and was satisfied, I can’t imagine there was an iota of coercion on your part.”
“Contrary to how it usually happens, if there was any coercion, it was Stephanie who did it. But I honestly don’t see it that way. She knew I needed to be loved, truly loved, and that we needed to be closer than a normal brother and sister out of self-defense. You know how my mom was. I’m not placing blame, if you want to assign it, on anyone but me. I was the older sibling. But I’m not apologizing for what she and I did.”
“I’ve known you a long time now and what happened completely fits with who you are. In fact, the more I thought about it, the less I was surprised. You and your sister are very sexual beings, and you express yourself sexually with complete freedom. I suspect your sister does the same. What I wonder is, what changed?”
“I moved away from home. For me, I no longer needed to worry about my mom. My little sister saw the light at the end of the tunnel and had a means of escape - move to Chicago to be with me. For her, that was sufficient to break the spell, so to speak. When we were together last, I felt like I was with my sister, not a lover, if you know what I mean. The attraction simply isn’t there anymore.”
“Interesting. And Sofia doesn’t know about this?”
“No, she doesn’t. And I have no intention of ever telling her. I suppose she might find out some day, but I don’t plan to reveal that part of my life to her.”
“I find it a bit hard to believe that Kara knew about it and was OK with it.”
“She wasn’t OK with it, but in the end, she decided that she wanted to be with me more than she was upset with me being with Stephanie. And that pattern has continued. You knew her solution to my dilemma.”
“It’s a damned good one, too. I guess the only one who loses out is Sofia.”
“True. But I keep hearing something Katt said to me at her wedding - that I should only marry a Swedish girl. That does have its attraction.”
“Only you can make the decision. Of course, you could just forget all of that and marry me! Remember my deal? It’s the best one that you’ll get! Have a couple of kids with me, keep me warm and safe and sexually satisfied and you can fuck any girl you want. Hell, have a live-in mistress for all I care! It wouldn’t be much different from now.”
“It’s an interesting offer,” I chuckled.
“Well, at least you can work on the sexually-satisfied part right now!”
I could and I did. And she was!
On Wednesday morning I got up a bit earlier than usual and walked to the dojo. Remembering the tradition, I wore my uniform but carried my belt and asked Sensei Jim for permission to put it on. Having left training, I wasn’t automatically entitled to the belt he had conferred on me. He gave me permission and we began to run through the things I had been taught. I was very rusty, and had forgotten quite a bit, but as he corrected me, things began to slowly come back. At the end of the hour, he said that he thought I could rejoin the class on the Monday following Thanksgiving. I thanked him and headed home for a shower and breakfast.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Reagan had won every state except Minnesota, and that Minnesota was close enough that it was possible that Reagan could actually win it. He’d lost the District of Columbia, but there was no chance that any Republican would ever carry those electoral votes, which should never have existed, as DC was never intended by the Founders to be a place anyone lived except during their government service.
That afternoon in The Bog over our beers, we had an interesting discussion about Islam, and the fact that the Sunni and Shi’ite factions were essentially blood enemies over the correct understanding of the positions of Ali bin Abu Talib, Muhammad’s son, and Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s trusted friend and closest advisor. There were a series of assassinations, culminating with Ali’s assassination in Kufa, which caused the split.
“Did he really marry his wife A’ishah when she was six and have sex with her when she was nine?” Staci asked.
“That’s the traditional interpretation,” Mark said. “There’s some critical scholarship that disagrees, saying that the dates were counted from menarche, so she might have been fifteen when they married. Certainly, Saudi Arabia and Iran say she was actually nine when Muhammad had sex with her and insist that’s a valid age for marriage.”
“That’s sick!” Staci said.
“I agree,” I said. “But be very careful in applying modern values to earlier times. It’s super easy to judge people in hindsight for not being as enlightened as we are. And we know that historical accounts are sometimes suspect.”
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September 3, 1989, Chicago, Illinois “Good morning, Sensei,” I said, bowing to Sensei Jim. “Good morning!” he said waving me to a chair in his office. “How was your trip?” I asked. “Enlightening. I spent most of my time acting as a manservant to Sensei Robert and Sensei Hiro.” “He who will lead, must first serve,” I said. “Someday, I’m going to send you to Sensei Hiro, should he live long enough. You understand.” “Does that mean you are now 6th Dan?” I...
October 29, 2000, Chicago, Illinois Birgit followed me as far as the stairs, then scooted upstairs when I went to the front door and opened it. “Hi!” Sophie said. “Hi!” I replied and held the door open so she could come into the house. I closed the door behind her then led her to my study where I waited until she went in, and then walked in, closing the door behind me. I nodded to one of the wingback chairs, she sat down in one, and I sat down in the other. “Is something wrong?” she...
August, 1983, Chicago, Illinois I walked in the near 90°F heat to Carla’s place. I was grateful that the humidity of the morning had dropped significantly; otherwise the heat would have been unbearable. By the time I walked up the steps to the apartment over the photography studio and knocked on her door, I had broken into a light sweat. Carla answered almost immediately and invited me inside her studio apartment. The air was moderately cool, and the window air conditioner was running full...
July 1982, Milford, Ohio On Tuesday morning, I kissed Kara goodbye and headed to my parents’ house for my usual morning routine with my little sister. She was happy that I could spend the morning with her and asked to take a walk, so we weren’t in the house with my mom. “Let me guess — this walk will end in the clearing,” I said with a smile. “Yes,” she said, taking my hand as we walked down Overlook towards Klondyke. As usual, we turned around and walked back, taking the path to the...
March 13, 1994, Chicago, Illinois “Hi, Steve!” Ailea said when she opened the door. “Hi,” I replied, accepting the offered hug. There was no touching of lips, just of cheeks, and I wondered if I’d misread her intentions at her birthday lunch, or if, perhaps, she detected my reluctance to return the offered affection. “Lunch is ready, so go ahead and sit. I’ll bring it in from the kitchen.” I went to the low table, sat down, and a minute later, Ailea brought miso soup and sushi, our usual...
April 3, 1997, Dallas, Texas “Remember what I said about drinking too much,” I said, as I poured bourbon into three cups. We’d stopped at a liquor store, bought a bottle of Blanton’s, and then returned to the small suite I’d reserved at the Westin. Deborah’s room was down the hall, and Krissy’s was two floors below. Krissy’s comment had caught me a bit off guard, but I hadn’t reacted visibly. I didn’t know her quite well enough to know if she’d been teasing with Deborah, so I was being...
March 28, 1991, Chicago, Illinois “This day belongs to you, Kara!” I said when the three of us woke on Thursday morning. “Happy birthday!” Jessica said. “Thanks,” Kara replied happily. “I think I’d like an amazing birthday fuck from our husband, and then a nice loving shower with my wife!” Kara said. “Do we have enough time?” I asked. Jessica giggled, “I set the alarm for thirty minutes earlier!” “Then let’s not waste any of it!” I said pulling Kara to me. Kara’s squeals as I plunged...
September 4, 2000, Chicago, Illinois On Monday morning I went to my study to make a surreptitious call to ensure that the surprise I’d planned for Kara was still going to happen, and after confirming that it was, Jesse, Matthew, Michael, and I began preparing for the Labor Day party by getting beer and soda into coolers, getting the grill ready, setting up tables and chairs in the backyard, and ensuring the liquor cabinets were stocked while my wives and daughters worked on food prep in the...
September 1, 1987, Chicago, Illinois “I heard that you have some kind of plan to help Ed,” I said to Connie. “There’s no plan,” she replied. “A witness who saw the shopkeeper alive after Ed left came forward.” That sounded convenient, and I wondered if the witness was real or someone that Anthony had put forward to solve the problem. Certainly, the videotape was real, because I couldn’t imagine how Anthony could have faked that, but the witness? Who knew? “So is he being released? Or is...
August 17, 1997, Chicago, Illinois We finished lunch and Marissa and the younger kids went to play, but Natalie sat with the adults to talk, with coffee, tea, or soft drinks. The Sarcus were very comfortable, but the Heaths were still struggling. But, vitally, they hadn’t left and hadn’t insisted Natalie leave the group. “Can you explain how you developed this attitude and approach?” Chris asked. I nodded, “It started when I was just a bit younger than Natalie. My mom was a total control...
July 1979 — Falkenberg, Sweden On Friday, when I got back from my run, Pam was in her bra and panties again. I whistled at her, she giggled, then finished dressing. I showered, and we went to breakfast and finished up our last day. Once class was done, we were pretty much free. On Saturday, we’d have several optional activities and then on Sunday we’d head back to our host families. After dinner on Friday, I took Pam’s hand and we walked towards the river. It was quiet and peaceful, and...
July 1980, Over the North Atlantic We reached cruising altitude, and I settled back to read my book. Pam raised the armrest between us, snuggled close to me and read as well. The cabin crew offered drinks, and I had my first Coke in a year! Meal service began about an hour and a half into the flight. After the cabin crew picked up the trays and offered drinks again, they passed once more, offering headsets for the movie. Trevor and Maria took them, but Pam and I didn’t, instead we turned on...
July 8, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “Is it really that surprising?” Leah asked. “I suppose not,” I replied. “I just didn’t read too much into the kiss on the cheek.” “I didn’t think it was a good idea to kiss you on the lips with all those people around, because I had no idea who they were or what they would think. You were VERY careful with our dance, so I kind of followed your lead.” Which showed very mature thinking on her part. Both of these girls were exactly the kind of students I...
November 8, 1993, Chicago, Illinois A dark fog swirled before my eyes as I tried to take stock. My head hurt, badly. I felt something on my face and realized, dimly, it was an oxygen mask. My right hand was uncomfortable and I recognized the feeling of an IV and pulse-oximeter. My left arm ached fiercely. On my chest I felt the pads and wires of an EKG. I didn’t feel anything else wrong as I continued taking inventory. I tried to open my eyes, but the fog didn’t clear. I tried to speak, but...
August, 1983, Chicago, Illinois In the morning Anala and I ran as we had the previous time, then showered together, carefully washing each other’s bodies in an intimate but non-sexual way. After our shower we went to the kitchen and I made breakfast and we sat down to eat. “Steve, may I make a suggestion?” she asked. “Sure.” “Broaden your circle of friends. Other than me, all of you are white, nominally Christian, 20-year-old Americans. And you don’t invite me to your Sunday...
June 23, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “Steve,” Kimmy said over the intercom, “I have a Suzanne Aavik for you.” “Thanks,” I replied. “Put her through, please.” A few seconds later, Suzanne was on the line. “Hi!” she exclaimed when I greeted her. “I’m in Chicago for three weeks. Can I still run away and join the circus?” I chuckled, “You might want to find out what the circus is actually like before you join! If you’re free, you’re welcome to come to the house tomorrow or Sunday and meet the...
March 1979 Monday was back to the normal routine of school. Debbie Courtney, who lived across the street and had turned fourteen the last week in February, started flirting more with me on the bus each day. Debbie Vaughn, who lived just down the street, would turn fourteen on March 16th and invited me to her birthday party. And Donna Woody, who lived just down the street in the other direction, would turn fourteen on March 20th. She had made it clear what she wanted for her birthday, and in...
June 2, 1990, Chicago, Illinois “My office, please,” Sensei Jim said after class on Saturday. I followed him to his office and waited for him to bid me to sit. He did, and I sat in the usual chair across from him. “She has a real problem, you know that, right?” he asked. “I do. That’s why I insisted she start seeing a counselor.” “I run a huge risk having her here with that kind of temper and her violent acts.” I nodded, “I understand. May I ask what you intend to do?” “I really don’t...
February 21, 1991, Chicago, Illinois “Hi, Sweetheart!” I said, greeting Bethany at the door. “Uncle Steve!” Nicholas exclaimed. I took him from his mom and he hugged me tightly. “Is Jesse with his moms?” Bethany asked. “Yes. They won’t bring him back over tonight so you and Nicholas can surprise him in the morning.” “Perfect!” “How was the drive up?” “The same as usual. Just a bit of traffic in Northern Indiana. Otherwise, smooth sailing. It was driving the other direction that was a...
November 4, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “Good morning, Sensei,” Miyu said when Kara, the girls, and I walked into the dojo on Saturday morning. “Good morning, Miyu.” “Do you have a moment, please?” I nodded and we went to the small practice room for privacy, as Sensei Jim had a family in his office. “What can I do for you?” “I need you to meet a young man,” she said. “I think you might be taking this ‘not do anything without permission’ a bit too far!” Miyu shook her head, “No, I’m not....
May 1979 The limo dropped me at home about 9:00pm. I took my stuff to my room, stripped, and hung up the tux. The rest of the things went into the hamper. I took a shower, put on shorts and a t-shirt, and walked down the hall into my dad’s office. I saw no reason to put this off any longer. “Stephen, you need to explain yourself!” my mom demanded. “I was in Mrs. McGrath’s, well, Mrs. Sanders’ now, wedding, as I said.” “You walked her down the aisle! You’re sixteen and not even related to...
March, 1984, Chicago, Illinois “Kara?” I said when I regained my composure. “What are you doing here?” “You said I could come visit!” she said brightly. “Are you angry?” “No, just surprised. Come on in and shut the door. It’s cold out there.” “Hi Bethany,” Stephanie said. “Hi. Hello, Kara,” Bethany said, looking a bit askance. “Hi Bethany. I didn’t realize that you would be here,” Kara said. “I hope it’s OK that I’m here.” “I was leaving for Milford after lunch. I just stayed to say...
November 3, 1990, Chicago, Illinois “I still don’t understand why you told everyone to leave Katy alone last night,” Elyse said on Saturday morning. “Because we weren’t going to talk her out of it. I could tell by the way she told us. I hoped letting her sleep on it would allow her to hear what we had to say. Obviously I was wrong.” “I was surprised that she wouldn’t talk to Jennifer at all,” Kara said. “I thought Jennifer would be the one to get her to listen to reason this morning.” I...
February, 1983, Chicago, Illinois Our first joining since the previous summer was slow and sweet, trying to express our deep love for each other through the motions of our bodies. When we finished, Karin held me tight and refused to let me move off of her. “Sleep there, please,” she whispered. I kissed her once more then adjusted my pillow so that I could rest my head next to hers. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but it was what Karin wanted. The feel of her firm body under mine,...
July 3, 1996, Chicago, Illinois I blinked several times and took a breath before responding. It didn’t help. The best I could do was contain my visceral reaction at her completely out-of-line request and her wrong-headed assumptions when she had NO idea what had happened in my life the previous eight months. “What makes you think you can make that request after refusing to talk to me for nearly eight months? And equally importantly, without explaining Alexi? And without giving me the first...
August 12, 1994, Chicago, Illinois “Fuck ‘em all,” I sighed. “Especially Donald Fehr. Running to Federal Court, the NLRB, and Congress? I’m really tired of the government putting its thumb so heavily on the scale.” “Well, we’re not going to resolve that problem today,” Elyse said. “Jackie and Jeremiah want to come over.” I chuckled, “Why am I not surprised? I bet you anything he had a rough sketch done ten minutes after they hung up the phone.” “They want to discuss options. Kimmy felt...