Prescription
- 3 years ago
- 20
- 0
November 17, 1994, Greater Cincinnati, Ohio
“The first thing I want to say is that I believe you are in a good frame of mind. I’m not worried about you going home today.”
“Were you worried on Monday?”
Doctor Mercer nodded, “A bit, but probably not for the reason you think.”
“You were concerned that I was overly critical of myself, and that might LEAD to clinical depression, not that I was actually clinically depressed.”
She laughed, “Some days, I don’t know why I bother!”
“Don’t be TOO hard on yourself,” I said with a soft smile. “Once you said it wasn’t the reason I would think, that eliminated clinical depression and other than that, there really only was one answer.”
“That ability to quickly analyze possibilities is probably the key to your success in business.”
“That and having Elyse as the adult in the room. And a very good attorney and a Board of Directors I use to help me keep things from going too far off the path.”
“Very wise. You conduct your life in that way, with your own ‘Board of Directors’. In one of our talks during your last therapy, you called yourself «Pater familias», but you also listen to your closest advisors. That group shifts around, but it seems Elyse and Bethany are the most consistent ones, though Jennifer and Kara have significant influence. You bring in others as well, such as Michelle and, most importantly, Jorge. And you come to me for what amounts to trauma.”
I chuckled, “That sounds about right.”
“Let me ask you this question before I give you my analysis. If you had to pick two girls, just two, which ones would you say you manipulated the most, and had a bad outcome?”
“Crystal is an easy choice, because even though we more or less came to a peaceful resolution, I set out to manipulate and tease her simply because I could.”
“Did you sleep with her?”
“Eventually, but only because I cynically manipulated her into doing it.”
“And the other?”
“It would probably have to be Becky. A concerted effort by me and some of the girls to manipulate her with downright disastrous consequences for all of us. Becky and I pretty much can’t even see each other socially and I modified how I deal with her dad to avoid having to explain everything to him, though he knows a lot of what went on. She’s only one of the attempted suicides I was involved with.”
Doctor Mercer flipped through her notebook, “And the other one was Melanie.”
“Yes. While I agree that Melanie is responsible for her own actions, Jennifer and I played a huge role in what happened.”
“I remember talking to you about that years ago. They’re good friends now, right?”
“Yes. Pete and Melanie are great friends.”
“One of the things we discussed was your friend Joyce and how you felt you had manipulated her. Why wasn’t she one of the two?”
“On further consideration, I believe I was hearing her frustration and her venting, and not the truth, which probably lies somewhere between what she said and what I think.”
“That’s usually the case. In fact, it’s nearly always the case. Our personal filters change even the words we hear others say. Or we hear nuances that aren’t there, or make assumptions that aren’t true, and so on. What’s your take?”
“That she went into this with her eyes wide open, at least as much as someone in their late teens and early twenties was able to. And she made decisions which impacted my thinking, even if I outwardly denied it.”
“Yes, that’s very likely. May I make a fairly blunt, perhaps completely off-the-wall observation? Something I think is true based on the last fifteen years of talking to you when you had need of trauma support?”
“Sure.”
“With the possible exception of Bethany, and I’m not so sure about even her, never, ever could you have married a woman who’d been with another man AFTER she’d been with you. And the two you considered, Bethany and Jennifer, were both victims of rape, which changed how you viewed them. Not in a negative way, mind you, but they had been violated which, in effect, gave them a free pass on that issue. If I look at your history, certainly before you were married, your actions bear that out.
“Bethany is a strange case; as we both know, she had a public love affair with the young man in Madison. But that required your advance approval and consent. As if, and I’m using this carefully, she was your property and you were allowing another man to touch her. I think, for that reason, you still felt she was a potential partner. But I wonder if that didn’t finally cause your break. I’m pretty sure Bethany knew, and knowing the other things she’d done, of which I know you’re aware, you wouldn’t have been able to accept her.”
“I think that’s possible,” I said. “It was actually discussed at one point amongst some of the girls and me.”
“OK Here’s the bottom line. You are being far too harsh with yourself. You know very well I do not condone how you’ve handled your sex life, but it appears, from all the evidence, that in the vast majority of the cases, maybe even nearly all of them, you didn’t actually manipulate the girls nor did you steal anything from them. They consented and freely and willingly gave you what you wanted. There may be one or two exceptions, such as the girl, Annie, in Sweden, but those are very, very rare. I was actually surprised you didn’t mention her.”
“I didn’t manipulate her or abuse her. I didn’t have positive consent, but she didn’t stop me. I learned a lesson there, but in the end, she chose to have sex with me. I was far more careful after that to obtain positive consent.”
“Exactly. Do you think taking a girl to dinner and a movie is manipulation?”
I chuckled, “No. Of course not. And I know exactly where you’re going with that. Dating, in and of itself, isn’t manipulation. What you’re asking about having a nefarious intent. Guys want to find sex partners, so they behave in certain ways which they believe will attract potential sex partners, then do the things they think are necessary to gain a sexual relationship. The transaction, if you will, might be dinner and a movie, it might be a wedding ring, or it might be the height of sexual nirvana while losing your virginity.”
Doctor Mercer laughed, “You are so smug about your abilities.”
I shrugged, “We talked about girls basically spreading the word to others who then came to me. You work it out, Doc.”
She laughed, “I’ve talked to a few of your partners.”
I smirked, “And they gave glowing, five-star reviews.”
“No comment.”
“Fair enough.”
“The point I’m trying to make here is that you didn’t take anything from most of those girls, with the possible exception of Annie and Becky. They gave it to you, willingly. They might have been foolish or shortsighted or whatever, but they gave it to you. You didn’t rape anyone. You didn’t even, with a couple of exceptions, pressure anyone. In fact, I believe you did your best to try to talk girls out of it.”
“That’s not QUITE what I was doing. It was about making sure I wasn’t taking and they knew what they were giving. There were only a few I really tried to talk out of it.”
“Which brings us to the root cause of your problem.”
“That I believe I should have tried to talk Michelle out of it, and if I couldn’t, then refuse.”
“You know, in most people, I’d find that trait admirable. With you, it’s just downright annoying.”
“Why?”
“Because, and I’m choosing my words carefully here, you can be a smug bastard at times.”
“At times?” I grinned.
“Good point! But in the end, you feel guilty for what you did with Michelle. And you’re beating yourself up for it. Badly. You need to stop.”
“Didn’t you just say I should have tried to talk her out of it? And refuse if I couldn’t?”
“No. What you said was that YOU think you should have done. I simply agreed with you.”
“Shit,” I sighed.
“So, now that we know what the problem is, what’s the solution?”
“To admit to myself that Michelle was an adult, who made an adult decision. That if there was any woman on the planet who had given clear consent, and clearly telegraphed what she wanted, despite the cryptic way she made the request, it was Michelle.”
“May I read back something you said? Or rather, something you read from your journal?”
“Sure.”
“I’m happy. I really am. You were the perfect man to share my virginity with.”“Share?” I asked.
“Share. Think about it. Give? Take? Those words are wrong. Share is the right word. We shared it.”
“Michelle York, you never cease to amaze me!”
“Does that sound like a confused young woman? One who felt you took something which didn’t belong to you? One who felt manipulated or abused?”
“No.”
“You see her, STILL, even after she broke things off with you, as a nun in that convent in Pennsylvania.”
“Oh for the love of Loki,” I sighed.
“The Norse god of chaos? I think he’s the perfect symbol for you.”
“No kidding. That’s why I have a bronze figure of him in the case with the rest of my spiritual items.”
“You aren’t going to get past this until you get past THAT. She did her best to make her point to you, didn’t she?”
I chuckled, “Yes. That was a very un-nun-like thing to do.”
“And yet?”
“I still have these stupid blinders on.”
“And because of that, you see younger girls as potential repeats. Think about what you said you would consider in the future.”
“Love affairs like with Elena. Where there wasn’t a risk like with Michelle.”
“Yes. As usual, you had it all figured out before you got here. You just couldn’t make the leap for some reason.”
“So what do I do?”
Doctor Mercer laughed, “This is where I just want to put my face in my palm.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see. First, would you like to hear my prescription? The one I’d give anyone OTHER than Steve Adams?”
“Sure.”
“Make Kara your primary wife. Forget the paperwork, because that’s a mess. And I mean only you and Kara in your bed. She’s the woman you wanted to, and should have, married. Let Jessica become like Elyse. Move to her own room, and have occasional privileges.”
“Why would I do that?” I asked.
“Because it’s what Jessica wanted from the start. The FICTION of a marriage. Think about what she told you. She didn’t want a real relationship. I’m not sure, deep down, she does now. I don’t think your equilibrium will last, because Jessica simply isn’t cut out for the kind of deep, loving relationship you and Kara have. It’s not in her nature. Medicine will always be her first love, and if she has to choose between Medicine and you, you WILL lose. So simply acknowledge that.”
“I’m not going to do that.”
“As I said, that’s the advice I’d give anyone OTHER than Steve Adams. My advice to you is to be true to yourself. Deep down, somewhere in that psyche, perhaps even a result of your congenital defect, is a part of you that needs to be with women besides your wife, or wives. If you try to shut it down completely, you run the risk of going off the rails again.”
“Are you telling me to have love affairs?” I asked with a grin.
“I’m telling you what I think is required for you to stay mentally healthy, despite all the other potential problems which might arise. If I had to give my professional opinion, with no reservations, it would be what I said before about Kara. Period. But, you’re smart enough to listen to what I’m saying and put it into proper effect. It’s not something I’d say to any other patient.”
“So I’m special?” I asked with a silly smile.
“That’s one way to put it! But remember the rule for diagnosing a mental illness.”
“That it has to have a significant negative impact your day-to-day functioning.”
“Correct. Yours, in the main, does not. You have a successful business, good friends, and a happy family, as different as the arrangement is from the norm. Does ANY of that sound like signs of mental illness?”
“Two wives? Seven kids?” I asked, laughing.
“OK. Yes. But you know what I meant by that.”
“I do.”
“I do want to say another thing, and that is, after fifteen years, I am positive that, even without the problems with your hypothalamus, the fact that you received no love, support, or acceptance from your mother had a tremendous impact on your decision-making and your relationship with the women in your life. You substituted your sister’s love and acceptance for your mom’s with disastrous consequences for both of you. Would you like my opinion of the turning point? Of when you began to realize what you were doing and when you started being more, well hedonistic, as opposed to needy?”
I thought about it for a second, “When I refused to have sex with Trudy Spencer.”
“Oh for the love of ... will you just stop!” she laughed.
“Nope. I’ve spent most of my time this week reading my journals. That event got about thirty pages, including a very detailed fantasy.”
“You might want to delete that.”
“I have others, too.”
“It’s one thing to keep your journals; it’s a very different thing to use them as an outlet for sexual fantasy.”
“Because someone might read them someday? You mean, like Jessica? Kara? Elyse? Bethany?”
“They’ve all read them?”
“Pretty much up to date for Elyse. The others not in the past year or so.”
“What happens when you die?”
I smiled, “They go to Birgit. She is, without question, my kindred spirit.”
“But the sex?”
I laughed, “By then, as I said, her list might be longer than mine.”
“And those detailed sex fantasies?”
“Doctor Mercer, I guarantee you, and Kara knows this as well, that on or about her fourteenth birthday, my daughter is going to request, no demand, I take her virginity. I’ll refuse. I know the damage that could do. But she’s going to ask.”
“That concerns me gravely because of your sister.”
“I know. But trust me, Doctor, there will be no repeats in our home. We are all fully aware of the situation - Jennifer, Elyse, Jessica, and Kara. We’ve already had talks with the kids about sex, at an age-appropriate level. Our ‘age appropriate’, not society’s. Ashley is three and knows about sex in a basic way because we had the ‘good touching’ and ‘bad touching’ talk.”
“Isn’t that a bit young to talk about sex?”
“Explain to me how you give a kid a good, healthy view of sex if you only talk about ‘bad touching’ and tell them not to do it until they turn fifteen or eighteen or whatever insanity some parents decide to inflict on their kids. If we’re going to protect them from abuse, and not mess them up, we HAVE to explain ‘good touching’ right along with ‘bad touching’. None of my sons or daughters are going to be scolded about masturbation. Or discouraged from doing it. How dumb is THAT thinking? And most importantly, we’re inoculating them against the complete and utter stupidity that passes for sex education and public policy on sex.”
“You’re swimming against the tide, as always.”
“Tell me something I didn’t know! But talk to Bethany. She’s seen the havoc wreaked by downright stupid behavior by adults with regards to teen sexuality. I experienced it myself. Yes, we disagree on when it’s appropriate, but I highly doubt you’re willing to make a blanket statement that no sixteen-year-old is ready for sex.”
“No, I’m not prepared to say that.”
“Then we just have a disagreement on age. Puberty is the absolute minimum, but beyond that? How about we let parents and kids talk about it and let parents have the last say, at least in the normal case?”
“That opens up all kinds of possibilities for abuse.”
“Bullshit, Doc. Those possibilities are there no matter what. And you can still punish abuse. But we’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater here. Soon enough, it’s going to be a felony for two six-year-olds to play ‘doctor’ or for two fifteen-year-olds to finger each other to orgasm.”
“That does appear to be the trend.”
“And a completely fucked-up one, too. Sorry for the language, but society is on a ‘Highway to Hell’ and we’re going to have entire generations of kids with messed-up views on sexuality, potentially destroying lives, all so some moralistic assholes can get reelected.”
“Which rant is that?” Doctor Mercer asked.
“What?!” I gasped in surprise.
“Bethany told me about it when we talked a month ago.”
“Basically a combination of #2 and #3,” I chuckled.
“I think we’re about finished. Is there anything else you feel you need to talk to me about today?”
“Just that personal prescription, I guess. And that’s how to know when I’m making the right decision.”
“An answer only you can give, Steve. You’ve made rules in the past to guide you. Update them again. That’s what you’ve always done, and they’ve served you well. When you encounter issues, as you did with Michelle and the twins, who, by the way, aren’t REALLY a problem, you update the rules.”
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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...
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,...