The Single Life Finding Her Footing
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April 19, 1986, Chicago, Illinois
After the party ended, Jessica, Kara, and I went up to our room to talk.
“Now may I ask the question?” Kara said, looking at me for approval, which I gave with a nod.
“Jess,” she continued, “please don’t get upset, but it seems like you’re trying to goad Steve into doing something just so you can beat him up for doing it.”
“Why would I do that?” Jessica asked.
I found it interesting that she didn’t deny it. That revelation meant that the conversation might be even more perilous than I had originally feared.
“I don’t know,” Kara said. “Steve’s been focused on both of us, and that’s more or less dampened his interest in other girls. Maybe it stays that way, maybe it doesn’t. I don’t think it will stay dampened. I can’t predict the future, though I’m reasonaBLY sure it’ll be few and far between if he does do it, but I don’t know for sure. You seem to be pushing the issue at every opportunity, despite being uncomfortable with the whole idea.”
“I guess I’m afraid of how I’m going to feel and the longer it goes, the more worried I am about how I’m going to react.” Jessica said, with a deep sigh. “How did you feel when Steve confessed to you that he cheated with Becky?”
“Hurt and disappointed,” Kara said. “At least at first. But ultimately, I wasn’t really surprised because I knew his past. He gave me his word, but honestly, I knew he’d have a tough time keeping it. But you know what? After five-and-a-half years, I can trust him. Implicitly. He won’t break his word to us. So he occasionally fucks some cute girl? Who cares? Does it hurt either of us? No! You have what you want. I have what I want. Steve’s made lifetime commitments to us on terms the three of us agreed upon. You know some of his history, and that he was with 75 or so girls. And yet, here you are. What’s one or two or six more? He’s a good husband and he’ll be a great dad. I mean, look how he is with Jesse! He’s sweet and loving and caring. You can’t be concerned with monogamy! If you were, you wouldn’t be here with us! Or did you make a mistake?”
Kara was really pushing hard, but from her interactions with Stephanie, I’d learned that Kara had my best interest at heart, and she was saying things and asking questions that would be difficult for me to ask. It dawned on me that this relationship was going to work only because Kara was going to make it work. She was, in effect, the glue that was going to hold the threesome together, not me. That realization put everything into a whole new perspective, and made me wonder if I’d chosen the third member of the relationship, or if Kara had, for her own purposes, as well as for mine. That was something to talk to her about after Jessica left. All of that ran through my mind while Kara was talking, and in the fifteen or so seconds of silence that followed.
“No, I don’t think I made a mistake,” Jessica said thoughtfully. “I love you both and this is where I belong.”
“Do you want to change our agreement?” I asked gently.
“I don’t know,” Jessica said. “This is way more confusing than I thought it would be. I’m really conflicted.”
“About the entire relationship?” Kara asked. “Or just the idea that Steve might be with another girl besides us?”
“Not about the relationship! No way! I guess I’m just afraid of how I’m going to feel when it happens.”
“You don’t seem to have a problem with Steve and Elyse,” Kara observed.
“That’s true,” Jessica admitted. “I know he’s with her once a week, and that they’re going to have two kids. And it doesn’t bother me.”
“But some random girl would?” Kara asked.
Jessica smiled, “I guess I’m being irrational. I’m sorry. You’re right, Kara. About everything that you’ve said. I trust you, Tiger. I gave you my word and if I go back on it, you won’t be able to trust me.”
“Babe, I don’t want to do anything that will hurt you,” I said.
“I know that, silly!” Jessica said. “I don’t think that you would ever hurt me. I’m sorry for acting this way.”
“This relationship is new to all of us, even though it’s been four months,” I said. “And there isn’t a lot of precedent to learn from.”
“I think Kara has it figured out better than either of us does, Tiger. She’s the real reason you are who you are today. And she’s the real reason we’re together, isn’t she?”
I nodded, “That’s exactly what I was thinking when she was talking before. I can’t think of a single time she’s ever led me astray.”
“Then I need to trust her like you do,” Jessica said.
“Jess, Josie, Jennifer, and Stephanie asked if we’d come for a private birthday celebration for Steve tomorrow at lunch.”
“Sure. His sister and the mother of his eldest son? How could I say ‘no’?”
“Great!” Kara said. “Now, how about the three of us celebrate Steve’s birthday properly?”
“What would you like, Tiger?” Jessica asked.
“Just to make love with my wives. That’s all.”
“Then let’s go to bed!”
April 20, 1986, Chicago, Illinois
“Jesse, it’s Daddy’s birthday!” Jennifer said, rubbing a bit of chocolate icing from the cake on his lips.
“I’d love to know what he’s thinking right about now,” I chuckled.
“He’s thinking he wants tit!” Josie said. “He’s a guy!”
“He’s a baby, Josie!” Jessica protested.
“He’s a guy! And he’s Steve’s son! In fourteen or fifteen years he’s going to be getting laid!”
Jennifer laughed, “I think we can wait on that one!”
Everyone laughed and Josie served cake and ice cream. The bit of chocolate on Jesse’s lips made him demand to be fed and Jennifer laughed and opened her shirt to let him latch on.
“That looks like fun!” I chuckled.
“See!” Josie laughed. “I told you! Men!”
“Ignore her, Tiger,” Jessica said sweetly. “You can have mine any time!”
“Mine, too!” Kara added with a huge grin.
“I’m going to have to share pretty soon!” I chuckled. “But it’ll be worth it.”
“Pretty soon? I guess in the scheme of things two years is soon!” Kara giggled.
“Her boobs will get bigger, too!” Josie teased.
“You say that like it’s a good thing!” my sister teased. “My big brother likes them small like Jessica’s!”
“He has never once complained about mine!” Kara said primly, then smirked, “And he can do something with them he can’t do with Jess’!”
All the girls laughed, and I just shook my head. We finished our cake and coffee and then headed back to the main house since Jessica needed to leave for Indianapolis. She packed her things and Kara and I walked her to her car. The three of us exchanged deep, longing kisses, and Jessica got into her car and drove off with her usual wave.
That evening, while Kara and I were cuddling in bed, I thought about asking Kara about my earlier thoughts, but decided that I wasn’t really ready to discuss it. I didn’t know why, but I just felt the timing wasn’t right for some reason.
April 21, 1986, Chicago, Illinois
“Seriously?” Dave laughed. “A broken moonshine bottle? That’s it?”
“That was a lot of hype for nothing!” Julia said. “Geraldo has been talking about Al Capone’s vault for MONTHS. And all for a freakin’ moonshine bottle!”
“Forget the hype!” Elyse groused. “Can I get the last two hours of my life back?”
“I don’t think so,” I chuckled. “But I’m not going to fall for this kind of scam again, that’s for sure.”
April 22, 1986, Chicago, Illinois
“Happy Birthday, Penny!” I said as I walked into her house.
“Happy Birthday, Steve!” she said excitedly, throwing herself into my arms.
I hugged her tightly then let her go. She frowned, but then her smile quickly returned. Most of her friends were there, and when the last of them arrived two minutes later we went to the dining room for Penny’s traditional home-made pizza dinner. For dessert we had Angel Food cake, and then Penny opened her presents. She and I had agreed on small gifts. She’d given me a dress shirt and I gave her a sweater.
The one major difference between this year’s party and the previous one was that there were a few guys at the party, including Jonathan. It didn’t surprise me that he was athletic and good looking, and seemed overall to be a nice kid. If Penny ever let this kid sample her delights, he’d never know what hit him. I felt a minor pang of jealousy, knowing what those delights were, but also knowing that most likely I would never be able to sample them again.
I spent a bit of time talking to Jonathan in between dancing with the girls. As Penny had told me, he had zero interest in computers. From everything he said, it sounded to me like he was going for a career in law enforcement. He talked about getting a criminal justice degree, but he was more interested in being a police detective than he was in being a federal agent of any kind.
The pattern for the party was followed in one other detail besides food - Penny’s friend Mary flirted up a storm and did her best to try to arouse me by dancing very close and making suggestive comments. I played along, but when the song ended, I simply thanked her for the dance and went back to sit with Penny, earning an evil look from Mary.
“She wants you,” Penny whispered.
“That was abundantly clear two years ago and even more so tonight!” I chuckled. “I think she was offended that she couldn’t get me hard just by dancing.”
“I can!” Penny whispered, as Jonathan came to sit on her other side.
I smiled and nodded. There was no doubt that she could, but given the situation, it didn’t really matter. One thing I was sure of, though, was that she’d be teasing me about stuff like this for the rest of our lives. Penny did prove her point when we danced right before the party broke up. Feeling her firm, sexy body pressed against me was more than enough to achieve Penny’s desired result.
“I want that in me right now,” she whispered sexily.
I simply groaned softly as she ground against me, making me very uncomfortable. And she didn’t let up at all.
“Just think how it would feel to slide it in and out of me,” she whispered. “Hot, tight, and dripping wet!”
“You’re bad, Penny,” I groaned softly.
Mercifully, the song ended and I carefully made my way to a chair and sat down uncomfortably, willing the blood away from where it had gathered. Thankfully, the pressure eased and as far as I could tell, nobody but Penny had noticed just how excited I was by the dance. When I felt it was safe, I got up and told Penny I was going to head back home. She excused herself and walked me to the front door.
“I want a good kiss,” she whispered.
“You’re playing with fire, Penelope Margaret O’Neil!” I responded.
“Just shut up and kiss me, you dope!” she hissed.
I pulled her into my arms and gave her a good kiss, similar to the kind that Melanie gave me. Penny was gasping for breath when we broke the kiss.
“Just for your birthday, Pretty Penny. No other time.”
“Meanie!” she said with a grin.
We hugged again and I headed home and spent the next hour fielding phone calls from people who hadn’t had a chance to come to the party. Karin had called early in the morning, as had Katt and Mikael. Tonight I heard from Mary, Josh, Larry, Colonel Anisimova, Tatyana, Lyudmila, Jennie Sanders, Stephie, and my dad.
“That was a lot of calls, Snuggle Bear!” Kara said as we lay in bed together after making love.
“It was! And Jess called mid-afternoon when she got home from the hospital.”
“Did you have a good birthday?”
“The last four days have been awesome,” I said. “It’s great to have all my friends around, and I was very happy about Bethany’s progress. It’s been eight months since things fell apart, and it seems that being away from the house has helped.”
“You still love her,” Kara said.
It was a declaration, not a question.
“Of course I do! I could never stop loving her. If I could put things back to the way they were, I would.”
“At the expense of Jessica?” she asked.
“Before I answer that, will you answer something for me?”
“Yes, of course,” Kara said.
“I’m just thinking back over everything that’s happened since the Christmas when Bethany had her accident. Did you choose Jessica or did I?”
Kara propped herself on her elbow and looked me in the eyes, “Does it matter?”
“Your answer won’t change anything, but I have this sense that somehow you led me to this situation - away from Bethany and to Jessica.”
“Would it upset you if that was what happened?”
“No. I don’t see why it should. For the past two years, you’ve been focused on me and my needs, and you’ve helped guide me to where I belong. I’d like to know.”
“Come sit with me on the loveseat,” Kara said, getting up and putting on her robe.
I got up, put on my robe, and went to sit with her.
She took a deep breath, “You and Bethany weren’t meant to be together as husband and wife. You both thought that the deep friendship you had meant that you could make it work. It couldn’t. I think that deep down, you both knew it and that’s what kept you from being together. If you were so sure, why see Jessica? If Bethany was so sure, why see Andrew?
“I’ve known you and Bethany for a long time, and there was always tension there. I guess that started when you two thought you were in love with each other and you started calling her ‘Sweetheart’. But that was before you met me, and decided that I wasn’t just going to be a great fuck that you would move on from. Even then, you had your doubts.”
“I had my doubts about everyone at that point, except Jennifer,” I said. “That was all before the Becky incident. And before Jennifer decided to go to Stanford.”
“I suppose that’s true, though if you had doubts about me, and you loved Bethany, why ask me to go steady?”
“I was such a mess back then that I can’t even begin to explain why I did what I did,” I said. “I knew I was a mess, but I didn’t realize how much of a mess I was. The Becky incident pretty much proved that. That led to the Triumvirate and each of you played your roles. Those roles have changed, but all three of you are still important in my life.”
“Well, it became clear to me, even before Christmas, that Bethany wasn’t the girl for you to marry. You were still working through things in your mind.”
“But you suggested that I marry Bethany and have you as a subordinate wife!” I protested.
“I did. You were confused and needed to see the solution that was right before you. You were blind to it. So I showed it to you. Bethany was the logical person to include, though if you recall, I did at one point start talking about a new girl. And that was even before you met Jessica. And there was a reason for that.
“I was sure that Bethany was not the right girl for you to marry. But there wasn’t anything overt I could do about it. All I could do was nudge you and get you to see the possibilities. If I’d pushed harder, it would have backfired because of your stubborn streak. I also had to do my best to keep your sister from interfering. Her fixation on Bethany was similar to her fixation on Jennifer the summer after you graduated. And then I met Jessica and I was absolutely sure she was the woman who should be your wife.”
“Would you tell me about the private talk you had with her?”
Kara smiled, “I told her that she had to take the initiative and put the idea in your mind that she was the girl for you to marry, and that if she didn’t lead you down that path, you’d end up marrying Bethany, which I thought was a mistake.”
“YOU put her up to the proposal?” I asked, astonished.
“Not directly. She was sure she wanted you from the first time she met you in that observation room. But there were impediments, of course, with Bethany being the main one. And your chosen lifestyle.”
“What did you say to her?” I asked.
“That if she wanted you, the only way she could have you is if she was willing to share. If she’d insisted on pure monogamy, you’d have been friends, and nothing more.”
“That’s some pretty huge interference in my life, don’t you think?” I asked.
Kara nodded, “In a sense, you gave me that right when you offered me the engagement ring on my birthday last year. But I didn’t interfere. I never once said anything bad about Bethany, nor did I try to interfere in your relationship. Yes, I encouraged Jessica to be direct and let you know what she wanted, but she knew, as I did, that it was Bethany who would ultimately decide what happened.
“You see, I think you knew everything we’ve talked about since August, and especially since the wedding. You just didn’t want to admit it. That’s why you had no trouble at all proposing to Jess. Once Bethany set you free, you could do what you should have done before. It’s like you and Stephie - you set her free to do what she should have done on her own, but wouldn’t. Do you see the similarities?”
I smiled, “I do. And Machiavellian machinations aside, I think the end result is the right one. Well, assuming Bethany and I can fix things.”
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June 11, 1989, Chicago, Illinois It was just after 3:00am when I kissed Trish goodbye. She’d been an enthusiastic, energetic, and adventurous lover. We’d done just about anything either of us could think of, though her breasts weren’t large enough for a tit-fuck. The last time had been in the shower where we’d ostensibly gone to clean up afterwards, but instead I ended up taking her from behind as she leaned against the wall of the shower. “I think I’ll have you again, Steve Adams,” she...
May 1978 The first couple of weeks in May were busy with school, work, and friends. Except for Becky, I didn’t even have any dates. But I was OK with that. Well, almost OK. I wanted to see Anna, but it likely wasn’t going to happen until school was out. I had tutoring sessions with Melanie, but she still wouldn’t talk to me about anything other than Spanish. Barely a hello. I was grateful for the tutoring, but it was maddening seeing my friend this way. I hoped someday she could understand...
March, 1982, Milford, Ohio As I drove along I-65, I thought about what Stephanie had asked for and what Bethany had said without even knowing about the request. Of course, because Bethany and I were so in tune, she might have actually had an idea that I was struggling with getting involved with my sister again. I kept turning it over and over in my mind and I kept coming to the same conclusion — that I shouldn’t do it. I was torn between doing what Stephanie wanted and doing what Kara and...
March 24, 1997, London and Woking, England On Monday morning, I ran the same circuit I had when I’d been in London the previous time, then did my kata in the park with Pippa and Lawrence looking on. I talked with them for a few minutes, then headed back to the hotel for a shower. After my shower, I dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. I ate and read the International Herald Tribune. When I finished, I went upstairs to get my bag and headed for the Tube for the ride to Woking. I read...
September 7, 1992, Chicago, Illinois “That went reasonably well,” Michelle said when her parents drove off. “There were a few times I thought my expression would give away something I shouldn’t. You were messing with me, weren’t you?” She grabbed both my hands and smiled, “I was telling the truth, in my own way. Thank you!” She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “So, what’s left?” I asked. “To visit UofC tomorrow and formally withdraw from classes. To spend some time with you and your...
October 1981, Chicago, Illinois I arrived back at the apartment just before 10:00pm and saw the address for the party. I decided I wasn’t particularly interested in going so I put on some music, poured myself a glass of wine, and started reading more about Russia. I was alternating between the history and culture book and the Communist Party book, decided on the history and culture book for this time. I didn’t get much reading done because I was thinking about Tatyana, which led me to...
January 23, 1996, Chicago, Illinois “Father, bless!” I said, greeting Father Basil with upturned palms. “Bless you, Stephen,” he said as I kissed his hand. The waiter showed us to a quiet table along the wall of Roditys in Greektown. He took our drink orders and was back quickly. We placed our food orders right away and he left to put them in with the kitchen. “I’m not quite sure how to address this, so I’m just going to ask you bluntly. Are you the father of Michelle’s baby?” I shook my...
June 29, 1995, Chicago, Illinois On Thursday, I finally had lunch with Melissa again, something I hadn’t been looking forward to. Much like with Cèlia, Melissa and I had passed an inflection point and I was left with sub-optimal paths forward. I’d been struggling with the possible solutions, and all of them had pitfalls. When I walked into Takumi, I had something of a plan. Whether it was good or not would only be known once everything played out. “I spoke to my wives,” I said after we’d...
December 5, 2000, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota “I had a good time last night,” I said. “I was surprised you invited a friend!” Mary laughed as we walked into the exam room, “Naomi had a good time as well. You know what a Resident’s life is like.” I nodded, “No social life.” “Exactly. You guys seemed to hit it off pretty well.” “Yes, but I’m not here for that!” “You’re everywhere for that, and you know it!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s just say that you hit the sweet spot -...
August 4, 1992, Chicago, Illinois “Boss, Penny just called!” Terry grinned from my doorway on Tuesday morning. “And you’re standing there, why?” I chuckled. “Call when Amber has a little brother or sister!” “I will!” he grinned. I picked up the phone and dialed Kimmy’s desk to let her know so she could arrange for flowers, and also record Terry out on ‘«pappaledighet»’. I finally heard from him about 8:30pm that Amber had a baby brother, Andrew, who they would call Andy. I called Kimmy...
March 1980, Hovås/Göteborg, Sweden I woke early as usual, but just enjoyed being in bed with Katt. When she woke, she hopped out of bed and pulled a robe out of her closet and handed it to me. “There’s a spare toothbrush in the bathroom. Go have your shower, then we’ll have breakfast after I have my shower.” I quickly showered and brushed my teeth, and went back to Katt’s room. She went to shower and came back a few minutes later. She dressed, and I got a very good look at her sexy body...
April 5, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “You missed cuddles this morning!” Birgit said accusingly when I walked into the house about 9:30am. “I know, Pumpkin, but I had a work emergency and had to go see Aunt Joyce and Grandpa A.” “And now we have to get ready for karate!” “I know. We’ll have some family time this afternoon. I don’t have any plans.” “Good!” I hugged her and the rest of the kids, then went to find Kara. We hugged and kissed, and went straight upstairs to get ready for...
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...
August 2, 1991, New York City, New York “Steve!” I heard as I came out into the arrival hall at LaGuardia Airport at 5:00pm. I saw a well-tanned blonde girl waving and to my shock, realized it was Lyudmila. She looked every bit of what I thought a ‘California Surfer Chick’ would look like. Sun-bleached blonde hair, pulled back in a loose ponytail, with stray strands hanging down over her ears; no makeup; a colorful, loose-fitting ‘crop-top’; what appeared to be a bikini rather than a bra,...
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 3, 1988, Chicago, Illinois “Have fun!” Jessica said. “You’re sure you’re OK with this?” I asked. “Yes. You said yourself that the reality of these things is way tamer than what people imply. I think you might shock a few people with answers to ‘truth’ questions!” “Maybe,” I chuckled. “And remember, they’re likely to be a lot less experienced than you are, so be careful about the dares. And you know the rules.” I nodded, “I added one - nobody who uses drugs. And I don’t just mean at...
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...
January-February 1978 The following Monday, I tried to keep the conversations away from sex and relationships. I was largely successful, though Kellie clearly wanted another date. I was pretty sure Mary was entertained by the situation, though Jennifer was not. I had the feeling that things were worse than I’d thought. I had to talk to someone and I decided I would co-opt the tutoring session again. I was coming to a crossroads. I had no idea if I would turn right or left or go straight....
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...