A Well Lived Life Book 9 AnalaChapter 75 Callie
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December 22, 1994, Tokyo, Japan to Chicago, Illinois
When the flight reached sufficient altitude, I pulled out my PowerBook and opened my journal. The events of the previous week had affected me greatly, in many ways. The wake, for which I, and others, had stayed awake all night, had been a moving experience. My only regret was that the actual funeral service would be held the following week. I did ascertain, from a conversation with the Shinto priest who came to pray with us at the wake, the correct days on which to say prayers. I would also say them on the days appointed by the Orthodox, as I did for all of my friends who had gone on to the next life.
Hiroshi had told me, on the way from Oguni to Tokyo, that Hiro-san’s ashes would be divided into several urns, one of which he would attempt to send to France, and to Chicago, though we both felt the difficulties of sending remains might prevent that. I had been surprised when he, Suki, Hideki, and Sakurako had all accompanied me to Tokyo, and had been amused by the way Sakurako kept her distance from Hideki. She was teasing him mercilessly, but I knew what she had to share with him, and it would be worth the wait.
More interesting was that Sakurako had worn both pieces of jewelry I had given her. The diamond pendant draped nicely between her small, sweater-clad breasts, with the ruby bracelet gracing her wrist. I was sure she had told Hideki of their origin, but he’d said nothing to me, and had treated me as a close friend and confidant, as was befitting between the new master of my school, and me, who, someday, would be master of the Chicago dojo, which I would operate in his name.
The final act Sakurako had performed for me, was to stitch the kanji characters representing Hideki’s name beneath those of her grandfather onto my belt. I had inquired with Robert about doing that as a sign of respect and he had agreed. I’d approached Sakurako about it, and she’d simply smiled and asked for the belt. It was an interesting picture, my former lover stitching her future husband’s name onto my belt. There were other memories from the trip which I needed to record - my visit with Yoshiro, Hideki’s promotion ceremony, the quiet time of contemplation in the garden, and the last kiss with Sakurako. And her gift - a beautiful watercolor of a cherry blossom tree in full bloom.
It took several hours to complete those journal entries, and I still had to sort out the situation with Michelle. Fortunately, the business-class seat had a cigarette-lighter style power outlet and I could write for as much of the nearly 12-hour flight as I wished. At some point, I would nap, but I felt compelled to write, so I continued until dinner, and then while the first movie was being shown.
What about Michelle? And what about managing my sex life in the future? Those two ideas swirled in my head, more than they reached virtual pen and paper. One thing was certain, and that was that there were two outcomes I wanted to achieve. First, for Michelle to have her baby. Second, for her to remain as the NIKA Office Manager for a long time. The question of an ongoing sexual relationship was a much more difficult question.
I had just closed a chapter in that book on Monday morning, and wasn’t sure I wanted to start
any new chapters or even open an old one. Yes, there was the standing offer with Elena, but other than our family trip to Russia and my weekend away with my wives and Birgit, I had no intention of leaving Chicago for some time. That included office visits, which would have to wait until at least after summer. People might feel badly about it, but I had simply been gone too much. I shook my head, and regathered my thoughts around managing my sex life.
What did I want to do? I’d had plenty of time to talk to Doctor Mercer, as well as to my wives, and Michelle, and to myself. I had come back from the extreme position I’d taken when I’d asked Michelle to travel with me to Australia. So what did that mean? It certainly didn’t mean a return to the craziness of the past. Was it the idea of occasional love affairs with women closer to my own age? Was that it? Were there exceptions to those rules as there were nearly every other one I’d made?
In the end, the answer I came to was to pay attention to my wives, to love them, to care for them, and with the exception of Michelle, not worry about anyone else. I had ended all my relationships in Chicago and had started a friendship with Melissa, which made me happy. I also had my ongoing friendship with Gina, who I hoped had been running while I was away, but she had a tendency to slack off. Renewing that, as well as reconnecting with Samantha, was also key.
It was, finally, time to sleep, and perchance to dream. Of cherry blossoms.
December 22, 1994, Chicago, Illinois
I was greeted by a raging horde of blonde and strawberry blonde children, all looking for hugs, as well as two wives expecting kisses, and Michelle, who I was unsure of how to greet. We settled on a hug.
“Are you as tired as you look?” Jessica asked.
“Worse,” I said. “I feel like somebody turned me upside down and shook me hard. I need a bit of food, a sauna, and bed. Christmas begins in two days and Jonathan will be here in four.”
“You don’t plan to try to work tomorrow, do you?”
“Are you kidding?”
“Good. Let’s get you home.”
“Did he pass peacefully?” Kara asked.
“Yes. At home, surrounded by family and friends, as it should be.”
“Did he have an actual diagnosis?” Jessica asked.
“Yes. Robert-san brought in a cardiologist from Tokyo to see him. Congestive heart failure. The signs were so obvious that even a third-year medical student could recognize them. And Hiro-san knew. He chose the exact time, place, and circumstances of his own death without it being suicide. I don’t know what more anyone could ask for.”
“And the funeral?” Kara asked.
“Next week. It takes time. But I did get to participate in the wake, which was, to me, the important part. I was up literally all night, and slept a good portion of Wednesday, which has me totally messed up.”
“And your prediction?”
“Monday, as one of the last things Hiro-san did. You would have loved it. Sakurako toyed with Hideki the way a cat toys with a mouse. And took complete control of the marriage even before the proposal.”
“Smart!” Birgit giggled. “Girls are in charge!”
“Are not!” Jesse and Matthew replied in unison.
“Are too!” Birgit affirmed.
“Kids,” I sighed. “Dad is not in the mood right now, please.”
“Sorry,” the boys said.
“Sorry, Daddy,” Birgit said.
“When will they marry?” Jessica asked as we put my bags into the car.
“I’d guess they’ll do so quickly once Hiro-san’s funeral services are completed. The last thing Sakurako wants to do is have to go home to her father. I met him, by the way. He’s thoroughly modern and very westernized, and so is his wife. I can see exactly why she and her brother left home. The dichotomy of worlds is astounding.”
“Jason called yesterday,” Kara said. “They had a girl who they named Kristina Elizabeth. I sent them a gift this morning.”
“Thanks, Honey,” I said.
I got into the back seat of the car with Birgit, and as I had the last time I’d come home from Japan, nodded off as we drove home. Birgit gently woke me with a kiss on the cheek and we got out of the car and headed into the house. Amanda had stayed, and agreed to stay longer to watch the kids while I had a bite to eat, and then my wives and I went to the sauna for twenty minutes. After a quick shower, I got into bed and was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
December 23, 1994, Chicago, Illinois
“Are you semi-coherent?” Jessica asked when I awoke late on Friday morning.
“You assume he ever was,” Kara teased.
“You know, I could go back to Japan,” I grinned.
“And be lonely!” Jessica teased.
“I’m sure I could find a conservative Japanese girl who wouldn’t harass me!” I said.
“That’s not what you said happened with Hideki!”
“She never did that to me!” I grinned.
“Michelle was very circumspect about what happened in Australia,” Jessica said.
“Can we discuss that after we eat? What time is it?”
“10:30am,” Kara replied. “Early lunch or late breakfast?”
“Early lunch, I think. I hope you two, Elyse, and Jennifer took care of the Christmas shopping.”
“We did. Everything should be here for both meals, plus gifts for all the kids.”
“OK. I have things for them from Japan that we’ll put under the tree. I took care of your presents there. And the other adults.”
“Good,” Jessica said. “A bunch of things arrived for Doctor Todd. We put them in the nanny room. It’s ready for him, other than having all that stuff to put away. I’m not sure they’ll have enough room.”
“We can make some other space for him. Plus their kids are going to sleep in the kids’ room. And his family is going back to England in less than two weeks. He’ll be a bachelor for most of the year.”
“So a man with freedom shows up in the house just as you decide not to exercise your freedom?”
“It’s not as if we could go hunting together, so to speak. If you can’t eat what you catch while it’s fresh, it’s just not the same!”
Both wives hit me with pillows and the three of us ended up laughing and cuddling.
“We don’t do this enough,” I said. “No trips before next September except our three-day weekend in Vermont with Birgit and our family trip to St. Petersburg. And Saturday evenings when we don’t have the Guys’ and Girls’ Nights, are just the three of us. Friday can be date night, if you will.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Kara said. “I’ve really missed you.”
“Me, too,” Jessica added.
“Let’s go eat, then we can talk.”
The three of us got out of bed, put on our long robes and went to the kitchen to make some food. Amanda stuck her head in to say ‘hello’ and unsurprisingly, Stephie and Ashley came into the kitchen for attention. Their moms picked them up and held them while I made lunch.
“How’d you manage the days off, Babe?”
“I worked extra supervisory hours while you were away. Kara worked more research hours. And Amanda spent more time here.”
“So long as the kids didn’t feel neglected.”
“They had lots of friends visit, plus Kurt, Tom, Brian, and Bo all stopped by at least once. Some of the college girls spent afternoons studying here, which the kids loved, too.”
“Cool. What schedule do you have next week, Babe?”
“Just days, Tuesday to Friday. Are you going into the office?”
“Half days, I think. I need to see my new office space!”
Kara laughed, “Michelle had the room locked until you can be the first one in. Penny had a fit!”
I chuckled, “I bet. I’m surprised she didn’t call me.”
“Oh, she was going to, but Elyse basically told her to stow it! I guess Terry took her out to lunch and she calmed down.”
I laughed, hard, “That means he took her home, fucked her brains out, then brought her back to the office.”
Kara and Jessica both laughed, and Stephie giggled.
“Watch out, Kara!” I laughed. “Birgit’s little sister seems to be on the same page!”
“You know full well who it’s going to be, too. On her fourteenth birthday, if she has her way.”
“Nicholas! I love him!” Stephie declared. “He’s going to marry me. I asked him and he said yes!”
“As I said,” I chuckled. “That’s one down. Six to go!”
“Two,” Kara said. “Don’t forget ‘Tom Sawyer’ thinks kissing is OK now!”
“OK. Two down, five to go.”
“What about Jesse and Francesca?” Jessica asked.
I shook my head as I poured soup into bowls, “They’ll screw themselves silly, but he has his heart set on a Swede or a Russian. My money is on the Russian girl. But you never know, there might be a redheaded dark horse!”
“Those two are going to break more hearts than you can imagine!” Kara affirmed.
I served the bowls of cream of broccoli soup, along with bread and chips for my wives, and fresh broccoli for me. We ate, then by mutual agreement we went back up to bed, first depositing our kids with Amanda.
“So, Michelle?” Kara asked as the three of us snuggled naked under the duvet.
“I think first, I need try to explain where I am with regard to sex. I’m past the self-flagellation that led me to go see Doctor Mercer.”
“So just by us, then,” Kara giggled. “Shall I get the floggers?”
“Later!” I laughed. “And the strap-on if you think I need a good pegging.”
“Go on, Tiger. Ignore her!”
“Hmph!” Kara said, but snuggled closer.
“Anyway,” I grinned. “I had more or less sworn off other girls, and then at Kara’s suggestion, a correct one, by the way, I took Michelle to Australia. And I was with Sakurako in both Tokyo and Oguni.”
“What?!” Jessica gasped.
“She took the train from Oguni and surprised me at the airport. She wanted the extra time, and it was perfect. She really has her head screwed on straight.”
“And her brains screwed out!” Kara laughed.
“Yes, well; but that’s beside the point. Anyway, obviously now that she’s betrothed, that’s over. And properly so. The question is Michelle. She presented some very stark options to me. In effect, she wants an arrangement similar to Elyse’s, where I help her raise a child.”
“Impossible, Tiger! I mean there are experimental things going on, but you’d never get into one of those studies because people with real fertility problems can’t even get in.”
“I know THAT, Babe. She’ll go for artificial insemination. No other penis besides mine is ever going to pass her labia. Period. She’s like Kara in that regard. Her other option is to return to the monastery and live a life of seclusion.”
“She can NOT put that on you, Tiger!” Jessica protested.
“She didn’t. And even if she tried, SHE is responsible for her actions, and I for mine. If I make a decision, and based on that she decides to go to Ellwood City, that’s HER choice, not something I caused. I’m past that kind of dumb thinking now. WAY past it. I did ask her to consider an alternative, and that was to consider staying and having a child even if she and I weren’t lovers.”
“What did she say?”
“That she’d think about it. I told her I’d know what to do once I returned from seeing Yoshiro and Hiro.”
“Do you?” Kara asked.
“As with everything else in my life, it’s about finding the correct balance, and setting my priorities straight. And that means ensure our relationship is solid. Everything depends on that. The vast majority of stress in my life has come because I’ve neglected that basic principle.”
“You can’t blame yourself for my problems,” Jessica said.
“Did I say I was? I said it was my neglect for our relationship. That has to stop, first and foremost. It can’t be an afterthought or a safety net or a fallback position. And, to be honest, it has been that. And that’s made every single thing that’s happened worse. Remember, we’re each responsible for our own actions, each of you for yours and me for mine.
“From day one, I’ve known there were issues. We all have. And what did I do? At first, it was just the three of us, and then Elyse as well. But slowly, I began worrying more about the next girl and not enough about my wives. Yes, I followed our agreement, but was it the RIGHT thing to do? Did I EVER concern myself with what it was doing to our relationship? Maybe on occasion, but the priorities were WRONG. And no matter what Jess felt or hid or whatever, I made the problems worse by not prioritizing our relationship first.”
“You sound as if you’re taking all the blame,” Kara said.
“No, I’m taking MY part of the blame. I’m not beating myself up for having sex with the girls, virgins or not, but for neglecting the two of you. Do you see the difference? The girls were simply the means for that neglect. And I don’t mean to minimize the women as objects, just to point out the things for which I’m holding myself responsible.”
“I think you’re taking things too far,” Kara said.
“Am I? Did I prioritize our marriage? Sure, I took care of your basic needs, even fathered children with you, but that’s not enough. How many things did I put before us?”
“But all the counseling?” Jessica protested. “Walking me to work? Doing everything you could to help when I left you.”
“The counseling was after each meltdown, Jess,” I said. “What was I doing before the meltdowns? Look, I’m not blaming myself for them, I’m saying perhaps, just perhaps, things might have been different had I paid PROPER attention to you.”
“A ‘What if?’ question?”
“For the purposes of analyzing my own behavior, yes. Let me ask you this, was there ever a single time, just one, when you wanted or needed me and I was with another girl. Just one?”
“I’m sure there was,” Jessica said. “But I can’t name a specific instance.”
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October, 1983, Chicago, Illinois On Saturday, I was happy to see that Jorge showed up to study group and spent some time with Stephie on his calculus. She asked him to stay for the party, but he declined. I felt that him showing up for study group was a good sign and that over time we’d be able to ease him into the group. It was a matter of convincing him that we liked him and wanted him to be around because he was an interesting guy who we wanted to hang out with. I only spent about an...
March 25, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “What time do I need to have you home?” “8:00pm will be fine,” Misty replied. “My parents are in Normal visiting my brother at Illinois State. They aren’t supposed to be home before 10:00pm.” Misty and I were in my car on the way to the NIKA apartment which, fortunately, was not being used. With our expansion, it was in more or less regular use, and that meant I didn’t have access to it as often as I would have liked. I was glad there had been a delay in...
January 17, 1989, Chicago, Illinois “What time do you have to leave this morning?” Kara asked as we showered together on Tuesday morning. “About 8:30am,” I said. “I’m driving over to get Jeri, then heading to O’Hare. We have an 11:00am flight. Assuming all goes well, we’ll be in the office by 3:00pm Pacific time. We’ll spend a couple hours going over the software then go to dinner. The demo is tomorrow. Our flight back on Thursday leaves LA at 11:00am, so we’ll be home by 8:00pm, I...
June 1977 Friday ended up being a non-event. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure that there was no way on this earth I could say what happened between Birgit and me was a sin. Calling it a sin would debase it into a meaningless act. I could never do that. And the more I thought about Jennie McGrath, the more sure I was that I couldn’t call what she did for me a sin, either. If the church was right, I was going to hell. And frankly, there was no way that could be true. So I...
March 4, 1992, Chicago, Illinois “Thanks for calling back,” I said when Keri put Dante’s call through to my phone. “Is there a problem with the project?” he asked. “From a technical standpoint, everything is fine. I’ll be blunt, because that’s how we deal with each other. I need you to stop hitting on my female staff members. And I need you to stop right now.” “Who complained?” “Does it matter? It’s not the first time. I’ve heard it from more than one of my female staff members over the...
It had not been my intention to see Janet and Berry off. I didn't think I could bear to see them leave. But as the hour of their departure approached, Ruth must have seen me keeping an eye on the clock. At first, I declined her offer to let me take a few minutes off. I argued that it was the middle of our rush hour. She whispered something to Ben, and he ordered me to get out of his kitchen, adding that he was concerned that in my present state of mind, I was an accident waiting to...
October 26, 1987, Chicago, Illinois The call I was expecting came just before 3:00pm on Monday afternoon. “You’re killing me!” Dante Puccini screamed into the phone. “Dante, could you please not scream into the phone,” I said, trying to sound as calm as I possibly could. “Hey, if somebody tried to stick it up your ass you’d scream!” I suppressed a chuckle. Elyse HAD done that, and a whole lot more, and I hadn’t screamed. “Dante, you asked us to solve a problem that every single vendor...
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...
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...
“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...
January 19, 1989, En-Route from LAX to ORD When the engines of the plane started, Jeri reached over and took my hand. She held it while we pushed away from the gate, and taxied for takeoff. Her grip tightened a bit as we hurtled down the runway, but nothing like the death grip she’d had on my arm for the flight out. The plane roared its way into the air and once we leveled out, Jeri’s grip loosened but she didn’t let go of my hand. “How are you doing?” I asked with a touch of...
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...
October 1982, Chicago, Illinois The drive back to Chicago was as uneventful as usual, and I arrived at the apartment just before 6:00pm. When I arrived, Elyse and Stephie were sitting on the couch and Jackie was sitting on the loveseat. Stephie hopped up as I opened the door and greeted me with a hug and a kiss. “Hi, Peaches!” I said. “Glad you’re home, Yankee!” “Hi, Steve,” Elyse and Jackie both said. “Hey,” I replied. “How was the weekend?” “Well, it was just Kurt with me, Stephie,...
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...
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 -...
October 5, 1988, Chicago, Illinois “Remind me why we’re watching this?” I asked Elyse. “Because none of us know a thing about Dan Quayle and this debate with Senator Bentsen is probably the only time we’ll get to see much of him.” “Jess, didn’t you say he was pretty much a zero?” I asked. “He votes consistently with the Republicans, the way you would expect, did the usual ‘help the constituents’ thing, but otherwise, I can’t recall a single thing he did.” The debate proceeded along...
Halloween is a silly holiday. People dress up in silly outfits and beg for candy. We live in a spread-out neighborhood that is part up-scale homes and part farm homes. Any trick or treating to be done had to be done using transportation. Several of our neighbors had a golf cart that they used to haul garden stuff around their property, they didn’t make golf carts big enough for the Herd, so we used the 16-passenger van we had decided to buy, and we drove the Herd from house to house in...
As the plane touched down and motored over to where it could be serviced, we stood around less than five minutes waiting for the courtesy van to take us to long-term parking. We cruised the lot until we found the two Broncos next to my dad’s 1976 Cadillac Sedan Deville, I had keys to the blue Bronco, and so I unlocked the doors. We put all the luggage in my truck Pam and my ladies got in her truck, My parents and their ladies got in the Caddy; they let me drive my own truck Whoopee! We all...
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...
You know, when you read "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" with a modern understanding of science, as a person who understands chemistry, biology, and psychology, the rational part of your mind will tell you it's not possible. That it makes for a fun story, but you could not drink a potion and transform either physically or mentally like the title character of that book. You can't change yourself like that. But the irrational part, oh it wishes you could. It looks at...