A Well Lived Life Book 6 Kara IChapter 10 A Trip to Milford Part II
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October 2, 1988, Chicago, Illinois
“I have to say, I’m not surprised,” I said.
“I want to help her!” Stephanie said. “Do you think we could bail her out?”
“Could we? Yes. Should we? I don’t think so. Maybe this will get her to seek help.”
“I can’t just leave my friend in jail, big brother! I can’t!”
“Melanie is here. Why don’t we talk to her and see what she says? But I think bailing her out is a bad idea.”
“Maybe. Let’s talk to Melanie.”
“Wait here,” I said. “I’ll go get her.”
I went to the sunroom and whispered into Melanie’s ear that I urgently needed to talk to her, and asked her to come to the ‘Indian’ room.
“Are you or Stephanie in trouble?” she asked once we got there.
“No. It’s Stephanie’s friend Chrissy,” I said, nodding to my sister.
“She was arrested this morning for cocaine possession in her dorm at UofC. My friend Lisa found out and just called me. I told Steve I want to bail her out!”
“You might or might not be able to, at least today. It’s unlikely she’d get in front of a judge today to set bond, and a lot will depend on circumstances. A first offense, with personal use amounts, she might even get a recognizance bond, if she lives in Chicago.”
“She’s from New York,” my sister said.
“With no ties to the area, then, she’ll most likely need to post a cash bond. It’s a felony, even in small amounts, but the amount matters. If it’s enough, and she were to have shared it with someone, they could try for a trafficking charge. Not likely, but they could. Do you have any idea how much cocaine she allegedly had with her?”
“I have no idea. I don’t think Lisa knows, either.”
“She may have bigger problems,” Melanie said. “It could be turned into a federal case, because she would have violated the Controlled Substance Act. Of more immediate concern is that UofC expels students for drug possession, so even if she avoids jail time and gets off with just a fine, she’ll be expelled. They’re pretty much ‘zero tolerance’ there.”
“Good,” I said.
“Steve!” Stephanie wailed. “This is my friend we’re talking about.”
“Squirt, she needs help. She had the chance when they didn’t arrest her after she OD’d here.”
“What?” Melanie said, clearly shocked.
Stephanie nodded, “At my end of the semester party in May. We didn’t know about it, and I found her passed out in the bathroom with blood coming from her nose. Steve called 9-1-1 and the paramedics came, along with a bunch of cops.”
“I know you well enough that you didn’t let them search your house,” Melanie said to me.
“I made them get a warrant. But because there was nothing here for them to find, I wasn’t worried. If there had been a problem, I’d have called you. Trust me on that one.”
“Does she have a lawyer?”
“I doubt it,” Stephanie said. “Could you help her?”
“Maybe, assuming she wants my help and can pay the retainer we require. If you give me her name, I can find out if she’s been entered into the system yet, and if she has an attorney assigned to her, or named one of her own. Most likely, because it’s Sunday, she’ll sit in the lockup until an arraignment and bond hearing at some point tomorrow.”
“That sucks!” Stephanie complained.
“Squirt, do any of you know how to get in touch with her family back in New York?” I asked.
“I don’t. Maybe Lisa or Peggy or Melody does. I’ll call them. Melanie, you’ll tell me what you find out?”
“As much as I’m permitted to, yes.”
“Her name is Chrissy, well Christine, Teague. She’s from Brooklyn, New York.”
“And she was arrested at University of Chicago?”
“Yes, in her dorm.”
“OK to use the phone?” Melanie asked me.
“Yes. Use my study, please. You’ll have complete privacy.”
Melanie thanked me and left the ‘Indian’ room and walked the few paces to my study. She shut the door behind her just as Jessica came into the ‘Indian’ room.
“What’s going on?”
“Stephanie’s friend, the OD, was arrested. Stephanie asked Melanie to help her.”
“The OD?” Stephanie spat, her voice seething with outrage. “SHE HAS A NAME!”
“Relax, Stephanie,” Jessica said gently. “That’s how we refer to patients. Steve was just using the shorthand because he knows that’s how I would remember her. I couldn’t tell you the names of 99% of the patients I see.”
“It just sounds degrading,” Stephanie protested.
“Maybe, but in a busy ER we just don’t have the luxury of learning and remembering names. If we remember, it’s usually because something very bad happened. On rare occasions, it’s like Bethany’s situation, where Doctor Barton took a special interest in her case because it was such an amazing save.”
“Sorry,” Stephanie said. “I’m just worried about her and Steve doesn’t seem to care!”
“I bet he does,” Jessica said. “But he cares like I care - more for her health and kicking the habit, than being worried about her spending a night in jail.”
We waited for about ten minutes before Melanie returned.
“She’s in the Grand Crossing police lockup. They’ll take her downtown tomorrow. She doesn’t have an attorney so she’ll either get a bar lawyer or a PD.”
“Bar lawyer?” I asked.
“The Bar Association sends attorneys to all arraignment hearings. You can hire them for a fixed fee to represent you, at least for the arraignment. After that it depends. I can probably be at the arraignment and ask if she wants my help.”
“Would you?” Stephanie said. “I’ll pay your fee!”
“Careful, Squirt. Shysters are NOT cheap!”
“Steve Adams, I’ll have Pete come in here and shoot you in the kneecap if you aren’t careful!”
“Wow!” I chuckled. “I’d expect that from Joyce or Jake who are both Italian, not a German-Irish girl like you!”
“The temper of an Irish lass and the feistiness of a German! Don’t cross me!”
“I haven’t ‘crossed’ you since you and Pete got back together!” I teased.
“That’s it Bub! No more kisses for you!”
“I’ve had better,” I said smugly as I quickly took two steps backward.
“He can still wind you up like nobody’s business,” Pete laughed, standing in the door.
“How long have YOU been there?” Melanie barked.
“Long enough to hear him call you a ‘shyster’,” Pete said.
“Argh!” Melanie groaned. “Be careful, Petey!”
“Why don’t you come hang with the guys, Steve? For all our sakes!”
“OK, Pete. My work is done here anyway!”
Melanie glared at me, and I stuck my tongue out at her, then left with Pete.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“One of my sister’s friends was arrested. Stephanie asked Melanie for advice.”
“Drugs?”
“Yep. We knew she had a problem so she was banned from the house.”
“Any chance any of her other friends are involved?”
“I don’t think so, but you never know.”
October 3, 1988, Chicago, Illinois
“Chrissy’s parents wired money for her to post bond,” Stephanie said as we walked to karate.
“And?” I asked.
“She’s not allowed to leave Illinois, which is a problem because UofC won’t let her back into her dorm.”
“She hasn’t been convicted!” I protested.
“The drugs were in the room. That’s sufficient for them. Her roommate is under investigation. They share a room, and in Illinois, the roommate could apparently be charged with possession as well.”
“Say what?” I asked.
“Melanie said the law is like that. But in a university dorm, if the stuff is in one person’s dresser or clothes or whatever, they usually don’t do anything to the other person.”
“Wait a minute! You mean the drugs being in our house, on the floor of the bathroom could have gotten everyone in the house arrested?”
“It sure sounds like it,” she said.
“Fuck me,” I sighed.
“OK!” Jessica giggled.
“Me, too!” Kara agreed.
“Later!” I chuckled. “I do need to call Melanie and ask her about this.”
“That’s a scary thought,” Jessica said.
“Tell me about it,” I sighed.
We walked into the dojo and I was pleased to see Jolene was there. Well, at least until I saw her withering glare. She was obviously pissed, but I couldn’t do anything about it now. I took my place to her left and waited for Sensei Jim to come to the front of the dojo. He did so a minute later and looked at Jolene, then looked at me, and shook his head. I was going to be called to his office after class.
We did our exercises and when it was time to train, I knew I was in trouble.
“Kells, take the junior belts into the small training room and work with them.”
Yep, real trouble.
“Adams. Baxter. Sparring.”
Jolene glared at me as we walked over to get our sparring gear. Jolene put her gear on quickly; I was more deliberate. We faced each other, and then turned to bow to Sensei, then to each other.
“Begin!” Sensei Jim said.
Jolene attacked with fury. I focused on blocking, not even trying to strike back. Every bit of anger Jolene had was poured out in her blows. Anger at me. Anger at Sensei Jim. Anger at fate or god or the universe.
“Stop!” Sensei Jim barked.
Jolene struck three more times, all of which landed because I’d lowered my guard as commanded. I simply turned to face Sensei after the last blow fell. Jolene’s nostrils flared, and she was breathing hard. She turned to face Sensei.
“I’m getting really tired of this. Whatever the problem is between you two is over. Tonight. I mean that. Adams, Baxter, go in the small training room. Send Therese out to me. And you two do NOT come out until the problem is solved. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, Sensei!” I said.
“Sure,” Jolene said.
I cringed, waiting for the reprimand that didn’t come. I bowed and went to the small training room and asked Therese and her students to go back to the main room. Jolene followed me and once the other students left, I shut the door. Before I could even turn around, Jolene struck, hard.
“What the fuck?” I spat. “I wasn’t ready!”
“Tough,” she said, attacking again.
I blocked but didn’t strike back. I was more than willing to let her work out her aggression.
“Fight back, you prick!”
“What the hell is going on?” I asked as she threw a multiple-punch combination.
“Fight back, damn you!”
If that’s what she wanted, that’s what she was going to get. I was better than she was, and she was out of control. For the next ten minutes, I basically pummeled her with punches and kicks and she kept coming back for more. I started throwing her, and when that didn’t slow her down, I threw her harder. She fought back like a maniac, but she was so out of control that her strikes were easy to block.
“Jolene!” I barked. “Stop it!”
That only seemed to upset her even more. She was in a blind rage at this point, and she actually tried to strike my knee with a side kick, that if it had connected, would have injured me. I turned it aside, grabbed her leg, and dumped her roughly on her back. I was afraid one of us was going to get hurt, so as she started to get up, I carefully swept her legs and then pounced, pinning her to the mat.
Jolene struggled to get up, but between my weight and strength, she couldn’t do so. She began bucking hard, and flailing with her arms. I shifted so I was astride of her and pinned her arms over her head. Her attempts to dislodge me became even more violent but I simply maintained my balance and kept control of her arms. Eventually she stopped.
“Are you done?” I asked.
“Screw you!” she hissed.
“Not a chance,” I said, snidely.
I made myself ready, then quickly sprang to my feet and jumped away from her. But she didn’t move as I’d expected.
“Look, I’m sorry if I upset you, but you need to hear the truth. I don’t care if you like it or not!”
“Go! To! Hell!” Jolene spat at me.
“I’m not sure what you want me to do. I don’t have a problem with you. I think you’ve got your priorities wrong and your head up your ass, but that’s your business at this point. I still want to be your friend. But I can’t help you until you decide that you want help, and you’re willing to take a good, hard look at yourself.
“Here’s the rub. We’re stuck in here until YOU decide we can leave. I don’t have a problem with you. Sensei Jim doesn’t have a problem with you. YOU have a problem with you. And it’s all up to you. You aren’t going to get your promotion to 2nd Dan and I’m sure as hell not going to have sex with you. And if you tell Sensei that you won’t make things right until you get those, he’ll kick you out of the dojo. You know it. I know it.
“And yes, Dear Heart,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “you can tell Sensei Jim we had sex and make whatever claims you want about it. It’ll hurt me. It might even get me dismissed from the dojo. But I have news for you. I don’t give a fuck! I’ll take my lumps for being an idiot. You can tell my wives. I don’t give a fuck because they already know! You have no leverage. None. Because I just don’t care. You can’t have what you want, so quit acting like a spoiled toddler and get your shit together!”
Jolene sat up, pulled her legs up to her chest, put her chin on her knees, and glared at me. She was at a crossroads, and I still wasn’t sure she realized it. If she didn’t change her attitude, she was done at the dojo. Either she’d quit or be kicked out. The only question then would be how much collateral damage would occur. On the other hand, if she decided to change her attitude, she might well get what she wanted, at least from Sensei Jim. I was pretty sure at this point he’d orchestrated this entire situation, not out of malice, but to test both of us. And so far, we’d both failed.
I was at a loss at the moment as to how to proceed. I truly didn’t have a problem with Jolene personally. As I’d just said to her, I could be her friend, and that wasn’t contingent on anything other than her wanting to be my friend. I could and would help her, if she wanted help. I had been convinced that yelling at her had been appropriate, but now it seemed like it had done no good. In fact, it had done no more good than her yelling at me. There was a larger lesson there that Sensei was trying to teach me; one that I should have known from my own personal experience.
“You win,” Jolene sighed.
“It’s not about winning! I didn’t win anything. In fact, I lost. And you lost. Do you really think Sensei Jim is happy with either of us? I’m sure not. Are you?”
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July 22, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “Albert, do you have everything packed?” Mom asked. “Yes, Mom!” I replied, rolling my eyes because she’d asked before I went to bed. “He’ll be fine, Babe,” Dad said. “Let’s walk to the hospital.” I usually didn’t get up early, but Dad had suggested it would help Mom if I walked to the hospital with her because I was leaving to see Jane for three weeks. Mom, Dad, Aunt Kara and I left the house and headed down the sidewalk towards the hospital where Mom and...
May 14, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “Start talking!” Melanie demanded when I sat down in her office about an hour later. “There isn’t much to say. Katya found the information for me when I asked her to look into several things about Brandon Littleton, Kevin Lomax, and John Milton.” “Do you know more about him?” “A LOT more. I don’t think you want to know.” “Probably not, but I’m your criminal defense attorney, and even though San Antonio doesn’t have you involved in this, you know the CPD...
November 1982, Milford, Ohio After dropping Elyse in Glen Este, I headed to the Spencers’ to drop off my stuff and then drove to Kara’s house. Kara hadn’t been clear about me staying every night at her house, so I didn’t want to assume. “Hi, Snuggle Bear!” she said when she opened the door. “Hi, Honey!” I said, pulling her into a hug and kissing her. “Do you need to get your stuff?” she asked. “I wasn’t sure from our last conversation which nights I could stay here, so I dropped my...
“So, how should we do these Stone’s songs?” Phil asked at our rehearsal session. “I think we all know the music, we just need to come up with a pretty awesome arrangement; we don’t want to sound like yet another cheap cover band.” “I had some ideas, if it’s okay for me to make some suggestions,” Allison said. “Of course it is,” Phil said. “Everyone can have a say, there’s no rule that says you can’t participate in the discussion.” “Thanks, Phil, I guess being the newest here, I’m a bit...
May 11, 1992, Chicago, Illinois Monday was turning out to be a LONG day. After my run and talk with Gina, and my talk with Elyse, I had a full day at the office scheduled. First was our leadership meeting in the morning, and then I had status meetings with each team. At lunch I’d gone to see Siobhán and explained that I was going to break off the sexual relationship, but that I wanted to remain friends. She was disappointed, but admitted that Thursday would have been the last time, since she...
October 7, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked. “What if they come home?” Actually, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea even IF they didn’t come home. I’d reluctantly agreed to the threesome because Cynthia had really wanted to do it. But that seemed out of the question, especially because I had decided, for sure, to ask Kelly to be my girlfriend after the dance on Friday. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with Libby. In fact, I had been very disappointed...
November 21, 1990, Chicago, Illinois “Do we have everything set for the Krajicks?” Kara asked as we sat in the ‘Indian’ room waiting on our guests. “I think so,” I replied. “The spare room upstairs is set up for Harry and Nora, and the guest rooms are set up for Bethany and Ed. Ed will move upstairs after his parents go home. Nicholas is going to sleep in Jesse’s room at Jesse’s request.” “He really wants to take care of Nicholas, doesn’t he?” “He certainly does.” “Is there anything we...
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...
September 1982, Chicago, Illinois The weekend was quiet and besides homework, I worked on the program changes for Frank, called Karin, Tatyana, and Kara, and hung out with my usual study group. Monday was refreshingly normal. On Tuesday morning, I handed Katy my completed intake form. She put it in an envelope and stuck it in her bag. She said she’d let me know soon about the interview. On Tuesday afternoon, after having lunch with Stephie, I made my rounds and then I headed over to Sigma...
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...
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...
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 -...
If you ain’t a Sci-Fi Geek, you ain’t going to like this one. Mild erotica, but very interesting Sci-Fi concept. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = WARNING! This warning is possibly not needed for this particular story, but I am including it because it is needed for most of my stories. If you decide to read other of my stories make sure that you read the disclosures and warnings at the beginning of each story. All of my writing is intended for adults over the age of 18 ONLY. ...
May 3, 1992, Chicago, Illinois “Thanks for coming early,” I said to Jorge as we sat down in my study. “What’s up?” he asked. “I just get the feeling that something’s not right. That you’re just kind of going through the motions.” Jorge was silent for a moment. He leaned back, closing his eyes, took a deep breath and started to speak, with eyes still closed. “Karate and dance have more than a few things in common,” he said slowly. “Each have their sets of prescribed moves. You can learn...
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...
November, 1981, Milford, Ohio Stephanie was waiting for me when I pulled into the driveway and came walking out to the car. “So?” she smirked. “A wildcat, just as you predicted. She’s going to be sore for a couple of days, I suspect.” “Tell me about it! I sure was!” “You both asked for it!” I grinned. “Oh, I’d do exactly the same if I had to do it all over again. Did you get her unconscious?” “No, I did not. And I thought we weren’t talking about stuff like this!” “Special...
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...
April 11, 1989, Chicago, Illinois Jorge finally came home on Tuesday afternoon. He was sore, but recovering. What hadn’t recovered was my sister’s attitude. She’d at least started going to classes after skipping three days, and seemed to be caught up, with a bit of help from some friends. But on the topic of Jorge and his family, she was immovable. The González family had finally gone home earlier in the day, once Jorge’s release papers had been signed. I only hoped things would improve...
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, 1985, Chicago, Illinois Bethany and Kathy finally came back to the house around 3:30pm. Kathy looked at me and her eyes told me that we needed to talk. I nodded my agreement and wondered how I could pull off the conversation without Bethany noticing. That problem solved itself when Bethany announced about 4:30pm that she was going out with Andrew and wouldn’t join us for dinner. After Bethany left, I asked Kathy to help me prepare dinner and she agreed. “So?” I asked as I got the...
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...