A Well Lived Life 2 Book 9 KamiChapter 8 Dealing with Dante
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June 10, 1996, Chicago, Illinois
“What exactly am I looking at?” Deborah asked.
We were sitting in her office with the door shut, because the conversation was one I couldn’t risk Penny overhearing.
“A list of all the women who work for NIKA who I’ve been intimate with, either before they worked here or after they started. That’s the before/after/both note.”
“You’re serious?!”
“Deadly.”
“Why show me this?”
“Because you need to know the full story if you’re going to be my attorney. Jamie knows because of those past incidents he discussed with you - Kaitlin and Mikela. And I’m sure he talked to you about Dave and Julia, and Elyse and me. And maybe Michelle and me, though she doesn’t work here now. By the way, Jamie does NOT have that complete list and he is NEVER to have it.”
“Why?”
“He’d quit. If you notice, there is one current employee who I was with after the Mikela incident and after everything blew up with Penny and Terry. Did Jamie fill you in?”
“The barest of details, but I know about the ‘Gang of Four’ and Terry’s affairs.”
“Good. I had asked Jamie to fill you in, and I’m glad he did.”
“First off, I find it amusing that neither Kaitlin nor Mikela are on this list. And those were the two you paid to go away!”
I chuckled, “Yeah, I know. They came on to me and I wasn’t interested. Well, I didn’t take them up on their offers is probably the best way to put that.”
“Was Tasha married?” she asked as she scanned the list.
I shook my head, “No. And if you look at the last name on the list, she’s not here yet. She’ll start her internship in August.”
Deborah shook her head, “This is, frankly, unreal. None of them are angry or upset or anything?”
“No. Talk to Charlie. She’s the ringleader of The Club.”
“The Club?”
“The Club of Steve’s Girls. Let’s just say Mikela would never have been able to make anything stick when they testified she was after me and I was a saint.”
“They’d perjure themselves?”
“Is the Pope Catholic?”
“Well, my first thought is NOBODY is that good! But actually, that was my second. My first was a concern that it was a job requirement.”
“Not even close,” I said. “There was never any quid pro quo, and in a number of cases, once it looked as if I might hire someone, I gave them the option. In every case, they decided they’d rather work for me than sleep with me.”
“So maybe that answers my second question,” Deborah said with a rueful smile.
“Feel free to ask. None of them will pull any punches or mince words. Nor will any of them deny it, at least in private. Actually, they might, at first, so they could check with me or Charlie.”
“Bizarre. And the policies?”
“I chose, on a few occasions, to violate them in my own best interest. But, and this is VERY important, each and every one of those girls came to me. Not the other way around.”
“It’s your eyes,” Deborah said, shaking her head. “Even for ME they have that effect.”
“Confirming my suspicions.”
“What?”
“You play for the other team,” I grinned. “Just as Jennifer, the mother of my eldest son does.”
“You have a son with a lesbian woman?”
“My Junior High and High School girlfriend who spent a good dozen years figuring out her sexuality. I was along for that ride. Well, probably it’s best described as a demolition derby. Anyway, she’s married, not legally, mind you, to her partner Josie and they live in a coach house on my property in Hyde Park. My son lives with them as his two moms.”
“Can this get any more bizarre?”
“Probably,” I chuckled. “Did you read all the names carefully?”
“Holy shit!” she gasped. “You were with Dave’s wife?”
“In college. Before they started dating. The list is basically in order. And Dave knows. Terry knew about Penny and me before they married. And he and I are good friends. And, just to show you it IS more bizarre, Jamie knows I was with HIS wife before they got serious.”
“Now I’m looking for Rod Serling because this is the Twilight Zone! Or maybe Allen Funt!”
“No hidden cameras in this room, I promise.”
“This room?”
“There are obvious cameras for the security system. There are also several hidden ones which go to a separate recorder hidden in a locked cabinet in Elyse’s office. Only Elyse, Kimmy, Eve, and now you, know about it. It’s a defense against someone knowing the other system and defeating it. You know about the break-ins, right?”
“Yes. Jamie told me about those, too. He doesn’t know about the extra cameras?”
“No. I trust him implicitly, but we had a leak from Allen & Baker back during the BLS buyout, so I don’t fully trust everyone there.”
“Interesting. That partially explains you wanting in-house counsel. Why is Eve’s name highlighted?”
“I was going to get to that. Other than Eve and my wives, nobody knows about that. Not Elyse and not Charlie. Nobody. Not Jamie. And it HAS to stay that way. It ended in May, but there are reasons it has to stay completely secret.”
“So why tell me?”
“Trust. Either I trust you or I don’t.”
“But not Jamie?”
“Not after he threatened to quit if I hired Claire or Jodie. Not by name, but by a statement that if I hired anyone I’d had sex with or had sex with anyone who worked here, he’d quit, and Allen & Baker would drop us.”
“So why trust me that way? What if I were to quit over this?”
“Call it a gut feeling. Sometimes I have to go with that. But everything from your interview on has told me it was the right call. I waited a week to make sure my gut wasn’t off. I don’t think it was.”
“I can’t believe how long this list is. Most guys don’t get anywhere near this!”
I chuckled, “True confession time. That list is MAYBE 15% of the total list.”
“NO! FUCKING! WAY!” she gasped, then quickly recovered. “Uh, sorry, that was unprofessional.”
“It’s OK. My ears aren’t virgin, either.”
“Cute!” she said with a laugh, but then became deadly serious. “Wait! You hired me because I’m a lesbian, didn’t you?!”
“So I was right!” I grinned. “My gut wins again!”
“Yes, yes, you’re very smart!”
“You’re a Princess Bride fan?”
“Isn’t anyone who has even the slightest sense of humor?”
“Well, yes, of course.”
“So, back to my question. DID you hire me because I’m a lesbian?”
“Call it a ‘nice to have’. I was sure I wanted to hire you before I figured that out.”
“You’re not one of those idiots who thinks that an application of his ‘magic member’ will suddenly turn me into a penis-worshiping straight girl, are you?”
I chuckled, “‘Magic member’? That’s rich! But no, I don’t think that. I’ve had sex with several lesbians and none of them have turned straight! I told you I had a kid with one. The usual way.”
“You’re right, it is even more bizarre.”
“Think of it this way - when you bring your girlfriend to company gatherings, it’ll send a message loud and clear.”
“And nobody is going to give me shi ... crap about it?”
“Only if they want to lose their job on the spot. There are two things I do not tolerate - stupidity and intolerance. Beyond that? Do your job and I wouldn’t care if you were a green-haired, purple-skinned, four-armed, six-breasted, Martian hermaphrodite!”
“Now THERE’S an image,” Deborah laughed. “And someone you could literally tell to go screw themselves! Uh, sorry.”
“Apologize again and I’m going to write you up! Save the decorum for court or when you put on your lawyer hat, unless you’re with me, in which case I expect you to speak freely, be blunt, and swear like my sailor friends, if that’s the way you want to speak.”
“This is my first adult job, well, not counting the internships, but I don’t think you’re anything like most bosses.”
“I’d say I’m like zero bosses! And now that we have the easy stuff out of the way, I have a few more things to share with you.”
“You’re joking, right?”
I shook my head, “Let me tell you about the FBI, the Chicago Outfit, the CPD, and for good measure, a pair of dead lawyers.”
An hour later, I finished telling her everything EXCEPT my personal interactions with the South Side Outfit and Don Anthony.
“Espionage? Russians? A Mob law firm? Crooked Aldermen? Two murdered lawyers? I don’t even know what to say.”
“Welcome to Crazy Town, better known to my friends as Cirque du Steve.”
“Who knows all this?”
“Elyse. Jamie knows most of it. Eve knows part of it. Others know bits and pieces.”
“I think I understand why you have that pistol under your arm all the time.”
“Nobody at NIKA has ever been threatened,” I said gently. “This is about me personally because some two-bit hoods know who’s in charge.”
“Because of that Glass woman you helped cut a deal for?”
“That’s a part of it. Her dad is a personal friend, and he’s also helped me with several real estate deals, AND lets me invest in some REITs which are very lucrative. Oh, and he has a skybox at the United Center.”
“Unreal. But don’t you have a black belt in karate?”
“Yes. And if you’re ten feet away with a gun drawn, I’m dead before I can get to you. Two totally different types of self-defense. My goal is never to have to use either of them.”
“You’ve never used your karate?”
“Twice, once, or no times, depending on how you look at it. Once someone took a couple of swings at me and after I blocked them and warned him what would happen next, he took another swing. I blocked it and broke his nose. The other time was during my karate training in Japan. Three of my fellow karate practitioners took exception to a round-eye being an instructor in their traditional Japanese school. They learned the error of their ways.”
“Why did you say two, one, or none?”
“In neither case was my life in danger. I could have blocked punches from the kid fifteen years ago all day until he was too tired to throw any more. I just was annoyed that he’d called a young woman I still love very much a skank, among other things.”
“A broken nose probably wasn’t sufficient.”
“We agree. Others didn’t. As for Japan, you could call it advanced training and fellowship.”
“You’re funny.”
“That wasn’t meant to be funny. I bonded tightly with those guys after that. Well, after one of them tried a cheap shot later that day during sparring and I illegally punched him in the nuts.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, but he’s a friend now. Sometimes it’s like that. So, now that you’re fully read in, are you going to stay?”
“Are you kidding?” she laughed. “As a first-year associate at a law firm, I’d have to bill at least 2000 hours and I’d be doing grunt work on boring cases. THIS is actually going to be fun.”
I chuckled, “You may be the first person in history to refer to Cirque du Steve as ‘fun’!”
“I don’t believe that!”
“And you shouldn’t, but ‘crazy’ is the watchword here.”
“In all seriousness, I took this job because I hoped it would be interesting, not depend on billable hours, and maybe a little fun. It seems I was right. Any other secrets to share?”
“All kidding aside?” I asked with a smirk. “I actually AM that good.”
June 15, 1996, Chicago, Illinois
“Happy anniversary!” I exclaimed when Kara, Jessica, and I walked into Italian Village on Saturday evening.
“Happy anniversary,” Jessica added, “and thanks for making this at 8:00pm so I could attend.”
“Your slave-driving boss has you working your fingers to the bone!” Kathy teased.
“I chose these hours because that means I get to sleep with my husband and my wife every night!”
“I don’t think it’s sleeping that you’re concerned about!” Kathy teased. “And thanks for the anniversary wishes.”
Tom and Bethany arrived a few minutes later, and then we were seated. We placed our drink orders, including a bottle of champagne, and when the drinks arrived, we toasted Kathy and Kurt.
“Eleven years into your life sentence, Kurt!” I grinned. “Happy anniversary!”
“If this is prison, I’m not going to complain!” he laughed.
“Not if he wants his nookie tonight, he’s not!” Kathy teased, causing the rest of us to laugh.
“Hey, the warden is a gorgeous redhead, so what’s to complain about?” Jessica teased. “And it gives a different meaning to calling them ‘screws’!”
Everyone laughed hard.
“Speaking of gorgeous redheads, what are you doing this Summer, Kathy?” Tom asked.
“I have two sessions of Summer school, and I’m doing a bit of tutoring to help a couple of kids who struggled last year. We’re trying our best to avoid holding kids back AND avoid social promotion, but it’s tough.”
“You’re in a pretty good school district in Oak Park, right?”
“Yes, but good schools or bad, if the parents don’t accept responsibility for their kids’ education, it makes our jobs ten times harder. Too many parents think responsibility lies solely with the schools and teachers, and that’s just not true. You can tell which parents care by the homework. That’s not a hundred percent accurate barometer, but it’s close. Kids with involved parents just do better homework. I bet all your kids do.”
“If they want to live,” I chuckled. “With five master’s or doctoral degrees at the compound, education is a bit of a priority!”
“Do you make him call you Doctor now, Kara?” Bethany teased.
“No! And now I don’t have to PLAY doctor! I am one!”
Everyone laughed hard, drawing stares from others in the restaurant despite our private booth.
“You aren’t THAT kind of doctor!” I protested.
“Careful, Snuggle Bear, or I’ll perform an operation you’ll regret!”
I smirked, “More like one YOU’LL regret!”
“Are you and Kurt doing anything special tonight?” Bethany asked Kathy with a silly grin.
“Just dinner with all you turkeys and then wild sex! Or what amounts to wild sex when you’re in your thirties and have three kids in the house who seem on a mission to prevent it!”
“Your daughters are Birgit’s friends,” I chuckled. “They won’t care! And Keith should be sleeping through the nights by now.”
“He is. It’s nice to be able to be back in something of a regular sleep cycle!”
“And suggesting you’re old?” Tom asked.
“You men age SO much better. You get distinguished. We get old!”
“I don’t see a SINGLE woman around this table I wouldn’t classify as a ‘10’,” I declared.
“If Kara is an ‘18’!” Bethany laughed.
“Not true, and you know it!”
“He only ever has one complaint,” Kurt laughed. “And it’s like a broken record!”
“Hey, at least I’m consistent!”
Everyone laughed again, and the waiter came to take our food orders. We had a very nice meal, a wonderful dessert, and after wishing our friends ‘Happy anniversary’ once more, we all left the restaurant to head home.
June 16, 1996, Chicago, Illinois
On Sunday morning, Kara and I walked Jessica to the hospital.
“Do you have ANY idea what she wants?” Jessica asked as we walked along Woodlawn.
“All I have are clues, which could be accurate or could be red herrings. She named him Nathaniel Stephen, which in our naming tradition implies he’s my son. She asked me to be his godfather, even though I’m not Orthodox, which implies she wants me to be part of his life. But she’s steadfastly refused to say anything to me, Melissa, or anyone else that I’m aware of, about what she wants me to do.”
“Weird.”
“All I can do is wait and see.”
“Is Maria Cristina going to be at the house when I get home?”
“That was the plan we made before she left. We only got that one postcard she sent to Kara a week ago, so we don’t know if anything’s changed.”
“Did you talk to Mary Whittaker about August?”
“Yes. She’s OK with Maria Cristina observing. Granted, she’s not a medical student but Mary will make an exception. She cleared it with Doctor Ross and Doctor Alston.”
“You’ll stay overnight?”
“Yes. I had Barney book two adjoining rooms.”
“I think you’re being too cautious,” Kara said with a silly smile. “I think the first night Maria Cristina spends here will be VERY exciting.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Jessica said. “I bet you anything Tiger is on a much longer timeframe than she is.”
“I think you might win that bet, Babe,” I said. “The closest parallel I can draw from experience is Penny and the way we worked up to it. And I think that makes the most sense. But we’ll see. And remember what we discussed about her privacy. If she chooses to share with you, that’s fine, but I’m going to let her know it isn’t required.”
“I’m still not entirely happy with that answer,” Kara groused.
“I still say our husband has a very, very good point,” Jessica said firmly. “And if our relationship with Maria Cristina is good, we’ll know what we need to know.”
“I don’t want her to get the idea that it’s all about titillation,” I added. “If she thinks I run to you with stories about what we’ve done to excite you, or whatever, it’ll hurt her badly.”
“I suppose,” Kara said.
When we arrived at the hospital, we hugged and kissed Jessica as usual, and then Kara and I started on our way home.
“Is sex getting boring?” I asked casually.
“Why would you ask THAT?” Kara recoiled.
“It’s just the way you’re dealing with Maria Cristina. You know, vicariously reliving your wild teenage years!”
Kara laughed, “It wasn’t that wild at first! That started later!”
“Oh, I don’t know. Losing your virginity in your childhood bed in your parents’ house seems pretty wild for a good evangelical Christian girl!”
“Who was a good evangelical Christian girl? I was dreaming of fucking you from the second you sat down next to me in chemistry class!”
“Using that word?” I teased.
“Well, no,” Kara said with a soft laugh. “But the word isn’t nearly as important as the act! And once you started teasing me about putting your tongue in me, I was ready to have you just throw me down on the floor and do it in front of the whole class!”
“Now THAT would be a story to tell Birgit,” I teased.
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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 -...
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...
April 1978 Saturday I worked. I was still missing Jennifer. And Melanie. I called Jennie when I got home. Fortunately, she was there. I told her about the dance and Bethany and she was quiet for a minute. “You’re getting yourself into a situation that is really, really tough. You are going to have to be a perfect gentleman and expect nothing more than friendship for a long time. She’s really vulnerable and she’ll be really emotional. Just be prepared for that. Be her friend. Don’t even...
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,...
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...