A Well Lived Life 2 Book 10 BridgetChapter 97 Transitions
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June 7, 1988, Chicago, Illinois
“So what did I miss while I was away?” I asked Penny when she came into the office just before 8:00am.
“Not much, really. The newbies started last week, but otherwise, nothing important. I’m glad school’s out! Of course, you’ve missed most of the time I’ve been here full time!”
“And I’m going to miss some more. One of my messages from yesterday was from Chris Gibson at Belarus in Milwaukee. I’ll be going up tomorrow.”
“To work on HER or on programs?” Penny teased.
“She received both barrels of crazy last time. I think my life might be just a bit too crazy for her. And that’s fine. I have my hands full as it is.”
“Your new daughter is adorable! Kara is SO lucky!”
“You’ll have one of your own someday, I’m sure.”
“Maybe ten years from now! I need to graduate from college first, and that’s three years. Then I need to find the right guy, get married, and be a couple for a bit before we have kids.”
“I’d say that’s a good plan. Are you and Terry dating regularly?”
“Yeah, but it’s nothing serious right now. He’s a nice enough guy, and we’ve gone out a bunch of times. We’ll see.”
“I suppose I should go and greet all the new employees,” I said.
“Good luck getting two words out of Jeri!” she said.
“I know. But so long as she does what Alonzo needs her to do, she can be as quiet as she needs to be.”
“I did get her to talk to me when we were alone, but she doesn’t say much. She’s scared of her own shadow! I can’t believe she still lives at home and has never been out of Illinois!”
“YOU still live at home, Pretty Penny!” I teased.
“Not by choice. Mom wouldn’t let me move into the dorms and you don’t have any spare rooms because you keep having kids!”
“Cut Jeri some slack,” I said. “She’ll loosen up eventually.”
Penny lowered her voice, “What that girl needs is a good fucking to loosen her up!”
“Penelope Margaret O’Neil!” I growled. “That’s totally inappropriate!”
Penny stuck her tongue out at me then muttered, “What a grouch!”
I chuckled and went out to greet Jeri, Joey, and Jefferson. That thought made me chuckle - all of their names began with ‘J’. If we’d hired Jody, then all four of our new hires would have had names starting with ‘J’. It was just one of the strange coincidences that meant nothing, but was interesting nonetheless. I shook each of their hands and welcomed them to NIKA, and made sure they knew that I was available for any questions they might have or help they might need. I was still a bit concerned about our expenses, but revenue from custom programming and general computer and network support was picking up. I knew Elyse was keeping a close eye on things, and that made me feel a bit better, but didn’t completely relieve my unease.
June 8, 1988, Chicago, Illinois
“You could be kicked out of the club, you know,” Chris said when I walked into her office at Belarus in Milwaukee.
“For what?”
“You failed to give the club greeting! And you didn’t do the club walk!”
“Uhm, Mr. Bykov walked me over to your office after we had tea,” I protested. “I’m not sure that would have been the best idea!”
“So you’re embarrassed to be in the club?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.
“No, look, can we just get to work?” I asked.
“As club president, I think your punishment is that you have to take me to dinner again.”
“I only have a half-day scheduled here today, and I don’t think it’s fair to bill Mr. Bykov for my time if I’m not really doing anything.”
“OK. Lunch, then. We can go to Waukesha for Ponza Rottas. You can leave from there, and I can come back to work.”
I chuckled, “All that to get me to buy you lunch? All you had to do was ask!”
“Good to know! Now, let’s put you to work.”
She handed me a list of changes that were needed to their inventory and billing system, and I went to the office next door to get to work. I finished all of the changes in just over three hours, then spent another hour with Chris testing and verifying that everything was complete. At 12:15, she signed off on the statement of work, and I put it into my bag to give to Elyse so that she could generate an invoice for my time and travel.
“If you’re leaving straight from the restaurant, we’ll take both cars,” Chris said. “I’ll see you there!”
I got into my Daytona and followed her dark blue Ford Escort along Bluemound Road until we came to West Moreland Boulevard in Waukesha. A few minutes later we pulled into the lot of Jimmy’s Grotto and parked. I followed Chris inside and we were quickly seated and placed our orders - two pepperoni Ponza Rottas and two Cokes.
“So you would have taken me to lunch no matter what?” she asked.
She was smiling and her eyes twinkled, which I thought gave me a chance to tease her without getting into any real trouble.
“Like I said, all you had to do was ask.”
“Then it’s not really a punishment for failing to follow club rules. I’ll have to think of something else!”
“Hang on. I didn’t say it wasn’t punishment, just that I’d have done it if you asked!” I chuckled.
“You brat!” she laughed. “So being with me is punishment?”
“If you say so!” I said.
“That’s not what I said! I was asking a question!”
“I distinctly heard you say that being with you was punishment! I’m not responsible for your inability to communicate clearly!”
“You’re going to twist every single word I say, aren’t you?”
“Who? Me?” I asked innocently.
“Yes, you! You know exactly what I meant!”
I just smiled and took a sip of my Coke. She was fun to tease, and under different circumstances, I might actually have pursued some kind of relationship with her. But our talk the last time had been pretty clear, and though she hadn’t come right out and said it, my complicated life was a bit much for a girl from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She also didn’t strike me as the type to be interested in a married man, but then again, she had asked me to lunch on a pretext and was obviously flirting. It seemed to me like that was just her personality, not anything serious.
We talked a bit more about the Brewers, how she’d come to work for Belarus, and her family back in Sheboygan. She had a favorite nephew, Jared, who was six, and who had an older brother, Joey, who was nine. She also had two nieces who were one and three. I told her about my kids, and the addition of Birgit to the family. She gave a rueful smile and shook her head.
“So your life goal is to get as many girls pregnant as possible?”
“It might seem like that, but no, not at all. I’m very careful except when there’s an express intent to make a baby. I enjoy sex as much as the next guy, but I sure don’t want anyone getting pregnant unintentionally!”
Our food arrived before Chris could respond, and we started eating.
“How is it?” she asked.
“Just as good as last time! I really like the consistency of the cheese, nice and gooey, and the pepperoni is perfectly spiced. Add in the crispy crust, and it’s probably the best pizza I’ve had. You obviously like it, too.”
“Well of course!” she laughed. “Why would I bring you here if I didn’t?”
“Who knows? I guess it could be the atmosphere, or maybe you just like hot meat in your mouth and gooey liquid sliding down your throat?” I smirked.
“You did NOT just say that!” she laughed.
“Say what? I was talking about your meal. What were YOU thinking about?”
“Give me a break! You know darn well what you meant! Talk about a dirty mind!”
“Says the girl who immediately took what I said the wrong way and thought it was about sex! Now, just which of us REALLY has the dirty mind? Hmm?”
“You JERK!” she laughed.
“You walked right into that one! What did you ask before? If I was going to twist everything you said? I guess you have your answer!”
She cocked her head and looked at me, and I got a funny feeling that things were about move in a direction that I hadn’t been expecting.
“What am I going to do with you?” she smirked.
“Hey, you invited me to join your club and invited me to lunch!”
She took a bite of her Ponza Rotta, and then a drink of her Coke.
“What time do you have to be back in Chicago?”
“I was planning to be there by 3:30pm, which means leaving here no later than 2:00pm. Why?”
She lowered her voice so that I could just hear it over the music.
“I thought maybe I’d like to try some hot meat and gooey liquid.”
I took another bite of my lunch so that I had another few seconds to think before I responded. I wasn’t sure what she was angling for. Well, beyond the obvious. I quickly thought back to the conversation we’d had the last time I’d been here. She’d asked me if my mixed signals were about problems at home. My conundrum was that I couldn’t quite figure out if what she’d asked was meant to be an invitation, or just a question about why I seemed to be available when I was married.
She knew the whole story, or at least enough to matter. She knew about Jessica and Kara, as well as about Jesse and Matthew and their moms. She knew I was unconventional, and I’d implied strongly that I had some room to play around, and that it wouldn’t be cheating. I hadn’t come out and said it, and she hadn’t asked, but I thought the parameters were clear enough, that she might actually be serious, not just teasing.
That left me with a dilemma which I had to solve in another couple of seconds when I finished chewing the food in my mouth. I could delay another couple of seconds by taking a drink of my Coke, but then I’d have to speak. It seemed like an eternity, but I knew that from the time she’d spoken the last word of the sentence until I set my Coke down, only about five or six seconds had passed. I decided I’d respond in kind.
“Well, I like my meat tender, juicy, and dripping, where the sauce gets all over your face when you eat it!” I replied, keeping my voice low as well.
“We do have good barbecue in Wisconsin!” she smirked. “And of course, Johnsonville has brats with cheese in them!”
I laughed, and it seemed like I’d found the right response. Playing her little game, which now seemed to me to be just verbal sparring, though again, I wasn’t really sure. We each had a few bites of our lunch left, which we quickly finished. We each downed the rest of our Coke, and after I paid the check, we walked outside to our cars.
“This was a lot of fun,” I said. “Can I take you to lunch next time I’m here?”
“That depends,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
“On what?”
“First, you have to follow the club rules.”
I laughed, “I’ll try to remember that one.”
“Second, we eat at my apartment.”
“I suppose. And what exactly are we going to eat?” I smirked.
“Hot meat with gooey liquid sliding down my throat and hot, tender meat, juicy, and dripping, where the sauce gets all over your face when you eat it, of course!” she giggled.
Before I could respond, she hopped into her car, started it, and waved as she drove off, leaving me standing there, open-mouthed. It took me a couple of seconds to recover, and then I walked the few steps to my Daytona. I got in and turned the ignition, then backed out of the spot, and pulled out into the street to head for home. I made good time, so I went to the office to work for an hour before I needed to walk to the hospital to meet Jessica.
“How was your third day?” I asked after we embraced and exchanged a kiss.
“Long and boring. I didn’t get to scrub in even once this week! I spent all my time chasing labs, doing paperwork, doing pre- and post-op rounds, taking patient histories, and generally doing scut work!”
I took her hand and we started walking home.
“I guess that’s kind of to be expected, isn’t it? You’re effectively a first-year resident again because of the way they handle Emergency Medicine and trauma surgery training. Not to mention that you have the next two days off to take your oral exams.”
“I’d MUCH prefer an oral exam from YOU, Tiger!” Jessica giggled.
“I didn’t think it was THAT kind of exam!” I teased. “Who knew?”
She laughed, “Given that it’s all doctors, and mostly men, I’m surprised that ISN’T a requirement for females who want medical licenses and certifications!”
“Is it really that bad?” I asked.
“Pretty much. You met those medical students down in Indianapolis, and heard my stories about the doctors going through nurses, Residents, and medical students like a tornado. There’s blatant sexism, blatant trading of sexual favors for grades and advancement, and outright discrimination against women. Generally speaking, I have to be twice as good as a man to be considered half as good. Not everyone is like that, of course. Doctor Barton isn’t, though you know he was quite the playboy when he was a medical student and Resident.”
“And I’m not?” I chuckled.
“Oh, you are, Tiger, but I’ve never, ever seen you treat a woman badly, feel that she owed you sex, traded sex for job advancement, or harassed anyone. The girls mostly come to YOU. You aren’t the predator; you’re the prey!”
I laughed, “You aren’t the first one to say that. So why call me ‘Tiger’ if YOU are the predator!”
“Because you’re a Tiger in bed!”
“But you called me that BEFORE we’d done much more than kiss, Babe!” I chuckled.
“Kara might have mentioned a thing or two about your prowess before we got engaged,” Jessica giggled.
“Uh-huh. So THAT’S why you married me!”
“No, but it’s a fantastic side benefit! Anyway, how was your day?”
“Good. I spent the morning in Milwaukee at the Russian tractor company, and then about an hour in the office before I came to meet you.”
“How’s your friend with the penguin club?”
“Fine. She’s a real Smart Aleck and likes to spar verbally.”
“Two of your key criteria for friends, especially female friends! You and Melanie are the WORST when you’re together.”
I chuckled, “True. Though you’ve heard my sister and me as well. Jorge asked us if we were five years old the other day. We both responded ‘Yes!’ to that question.”
“And your eldest is following right in your footsteps on that one! He’s a real stinker at times.”
“I suspect all the kids will be. In fact, can you imagine any of my kids NOT being like that?”
“No, probably not! Do I detect a possible dalliance in the offing?”
“She flirted, and made a bunch of suggestive comments, and implied she was interested, but last time I was up there she was kind of taken aback at my complicated life. I don’t have any plans to go to Milwaukee to see her, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I was just curious. Speaking of girls, what ever happened with Melody?”
“She’s coming to her first karate class on Saturday morning. I helped her work something out with Sensei. She’s working during the summer to earn money to help pay for school.”
“Where does she live?”
“In the dorms. She’s taking a summer class which lets her stay there, and between her student loans, a small scholarship, and what she earns from working in the bursar’s office, she’s doing OK. She’ll have a huge set of loans to pay back, though. And I’m not quite sure how well being an archeologist pays. I suspect eventually she’ll end up as a professor somewhere, though she talked about going on ‘digs’ between her BS and Master’s degrees.”
“If we weren’t married, I’d be having a heck of a time trying to live on what would be left of my salary after paying my student loans. Some people even borrow money to complete their Residency, especially in places where hospitals don’t pay well. Not that UofC pays me like a queen or anything, but some residents get as little as $15,000 a year!”
“Damn,” I said.
“And it’s worse for programs that still have intern years separate from residency. They don’t get paid. They get room and board and a very small stipend.”
“Whoever designed this system had their head up their ass, that’s for sure!”
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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 -...
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 8, 1996, New York, New York On Thursday morning, Mike Ziffer and Abel Duranona met me at the Admirals Club at LaGuardia Airport. “Thanks for coming to meet me,” I said as we got our coffee. “You’re the boss,” Abel laughed. “You say ‘Jump!’, we ask ‘How high?’!” “It’s not like that, and you both know that! We’re a team. I can’t imagine Cèlia has said anything to the contrary.” “No,” Mike replied with a grin. “But Abel does have a point.” “Well, let’s just be colleagues today. I...
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...
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,...