Happy Days He Shoots He Scores
- 3 years ago
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October 29, 1996, Chicago, Illinois
“Aren’t you going to say SOMETHING?” Penny asked.
“About what?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake! My engagement!”
“I told you ‘congratulations’,” I replied evenly.
“And then you went back to work as if I’d said the rain had stopped or we were out of TP in the bathrooms!”
“What did you want me to say? I can’t interfere in ANY way with you and Terry. You two need to work it out between yourselves. I’m happy that you’re doing that. But Penny, remember what caused your problems - lack of focus on Terry and your relationship. There, now I’ve said my piece.”
“You can be a real asshole at times!” she spat.
“I don’t know anyone who would disagree with you, including me. But Penny, this HAS to be you and Terry, and you and Terry alone. You two HAVE to work it out between yourselves and make it work yourselves. You’re getting a second chance. I’ll wager there won’t be a third. Do the hard work, and I’ll be there celebrating with everyone else. I promise. Oh, and there is one other promise.”
“What?” she half-growled.
“That I’ll always love you, no matter what.”
I leaned over and kissed Penny’s cheek. She fought the smile hard, but it broke through, causing her to stick her tongue out at me as her fingers began dancing over the keyboard.
The rest of the day was filled with all the things I didn’t like - reviewing staffing and budget requests, reviewing financial projections, and the sales pipeline. I was quite happy when 3:30pm rolled around and I escaped the office. I drove home at a leisurely pace, and walked into the house just before 4:00pm.
“Daddy!” Ashley squealed, jumping up and running to the door for a hug.
“Hi, Cinderella! How is the princess of the castle doing?”
“Good!”
“Dad!” Birgit exclaimed. “You’re home early!”
“I know,” I replied, setting Ashley down and getting a hug from Birgit.
“Hi, Pumpkin, what are you doing?” I asked when I had her in my arms.
“Homework! I have math problems.”
“She has ‘math problems’, alright,” Jesse said with a smirk.
“Jesse...” I said, giving him a hard look.
He’d succeeded, though, because his little sister had ‘that’ look. I decided to keep her in my arms.
“No hockey today?” I asked.
“No, Tuesday practice is before school, just like Thursday. Mom One LOVES getting up at 4:00am!”
I chuckled, “I bet she does! Mom One always liked to sleep late. Are you doing your homework?”
“Yes. Stephie and Nicholas are in the sunroom with Summer, and Matthew is using a computer in your study. Michael and Albert are in the kitchen having a snack.”
“Good report, sailor! Carry on!”
I chuckled as I carried Birgit with me past Jesse and into the sunroom.
“Mr. Adams!” Summer said, jumping up from where she was sitting with Stephie and Nicholas. “Is something wrong?”
She was wearing skin-tight jeans which showed off her tight, round butt and long legs, and a white t-shirt which showed off perfectly round, small breasts, clearly not encased in a bra. Her blonde hair framed her face and her bright blue eyes sparkled.
“No, I just came home early today,” I replied.
I put Birgit down and got a look from her.
“Birgit, go do your homework and IGNORE your brother!”
She scowled at me and left the sunroom.
“Are they at it again?” Summer asked.
“Do they ever stop?” I asked in reply.
“No!”
“Hi, Daddy!” Stephie said.
“Hi, Little Bunny Rabbit.”
“Hi, Uncle Steve!”
I nodded, “Hi, Nicholas. How are you?”
“Good! I’m doing homework. Summer is helping. Mom will come get me when she’s done at work.”
“You can stay as long as you like. Summer, I’m going to go change. I’ll come back down in a few minutes.”
“Uhm, OK,” she said nervously.
“Relax,” I said with a smile. “There is nothing wrong. In fact, I’d like to chat. We really haven’t had a chance.”
She nodded and I saw a slight smile, which conveyed to me that her nervousness was likely the result of what Kara had said. More importantly, I saw her nipples harden, trying to poke through her cotton t-shirt.
I went upstairs to the master bedroom and changed into more comfortable clothes - blue sweatpants and a long-sleeve royal blue t-shirt. I also put on a pair of over-the-ankle white athletic socks, then went back downstairs to the sunroom. Summer was once again sitting on the floor with Stephie and Nicholas, but jumped up as I came in.
“Relax,” I soothed, and sat down on one of the chaises.
I was sure she was nervous because we’d never really talked before. As I’d said to Kara, I’d only seen Summer once or twice since she started babysitting the kids at the end of the Summer.
“Have the kids behaved well for you?” I asked.
“Yes. I mean, they’re brothers and sisters, so, you know. I guess Jesse was teasing Birgit when you came in?”
“Yes.”
“That’s about the worst of it, really, though sometimes I have to remind them about no video games before homework.”
“If THAT is true, then I think I need to have a talk with my boys. They shouldn’t NEED reminding about that, because it’s been a rule since they first started school!”
“It’s only happened once or twice,” she said. “And they listened.”
I grinned, “Before or after you said you’d tell their moms?”
“After,” Summer said with a less-nervous laugh. “They’re just like my little brother.”
“Then you can share horror stories about brothers with the girls! I’m sure Birgit has had a thing or two to say about them.”
“Yes, she has! She’s, uhm, said a lot about you, too.”
“Now I’m REALLY worried,” I replied.
“Oh, no, it’s not like that!” Summer said, the words tumbling from her mouth. “She only says good things about you! Honest!”
“If Birgit is only saying good things about me, she has some weird ulterior motive,” I chuckled. “She’s quite clear that she knows I’m a boy, and boys are, according to her, really dumb!”
“You’re a man, not a boy!” Summer protested.
“I know lots of girls who think those are one and the same. That ‘men’ are simply boys with more money to spend.”
Summer shook her head, “I think men are different.”
“And why is that?” I asked.
She blushed slightly and looked down.
“Uhm,” she stammered, “because they, er, uhm, are more mature and uhm, stuff.”
“Stephie? Did you have your snack?”
“No.”
“Why don’t you take Nicholas and get a snack?”
“OK.”
She took Nicholas’ hand and the two of them left the sunroom.
“And you prefer men to boys?” I asked quietly once the kids were gone.
Summer bit her lip and nodded, then half-whispered, “Yes.”
“Anyone in particular?” I asked.
She turned bright red, blushing deeply, making the answer to that question very clear. I knew I had to be careful about how I handled the situation, not wanting to upset her, scare her away, or entice her into something she wasn’t ready for.
“You’re a very pretty young woman,” I said.
“You really think so?” she asked nervously.
The seed planted, I needed to change course to safer territory.
I nodded, “I do. You’re a Senior, right?”
“Yes.”
“What do you plan to do when you graduate?”
“I talked to Doctor Jessica and I think I want to be a nurse.”
“That’s a very good career, if you like helping people.”
“I do.”
“And your grades are good?”
“Mostly A’s and some B’s.”
“Are you involved in any sports?”
“I played soccer until tenth grade, then concert band got in the way.”
“What instrument do you play?”
“Violin.”
“A friend of mine has a daughter who plays violin; she’s playing for the New York Symphony after graduating from Juilliard.”
“She must be really good!”
“I very much enjoyed hearing her play. I’d like to hear you play, if you wanted to play for me.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I would.”
Stephie and Nicholas came back into the sunroom just then.
“Finished your snack?” I asked.
“Yes. We’re going to play Sorry! with Albert and Ashley!”
“OK.”
The other two came into the sunroom and the four of them sat down with the Sorry! game.
“It was nice talking to you, Summer,” I said. “I really would like to hear you play!”
“Thanks,” she said.
“I’ll be in my study. Stop by and say ‘goodbye’ before you go, OK?”
“Should I stay until Kara gets here?”
“Yes, I wouldn’t want you to lose out on your babysitting fee!”
She smiled and I left the sunroom and went to my study where Matthew was working on the computer.
“Whatcha doing, Foo?” I asked.
“A book report. You’re home early.”
“I am.”
“I’m almost done. I just need to print it out, then you can have your desk!”
“Thanks!” I chuckled.
The laser printer clicked, whirred, and clicked before the sound of paper shuttling over the rollers resulted in two crisply printed sheets. Matthew got up, checked them, then went back to the Mac and saved his work.
“All done!” he said.
“Ask your sister to come in, please.”
“Birgit?” he asked with a knowing smile.
“Yes.”
He left and two minutes later Birgit walked into the room.
“Matthew said you wanted to see me.”
“Come sit with me,” I said.
She walked over and climbed up into my lap and snuggled close.
“Do you like Summer?” I asked.
“Yes. She’s really nice and she plays games with us.”
“Good. Your moms and I are thinking about having someone come live with us like your nannies did, but she wouldn’t be a nanny. She’d help around the house, and be home when you guys get home from school. You and Jesse don’t really need a babysitter now.”
“I know! But Mom says we can’t watch the little ones yet. I can!”
“I’m sure you can, Pumpkin, but your mom is right about needing an adult in case there’s some kind of emergency.”
“I can dial 9-1-1!”
“I know. I said the person won’t be a babysitter, but she’ll be here in case you need an adult before your moms or I get home from work.”
“What about Summer?”
“We’ll have to see.”
“She likes you, you know.”
“And how do you know that, young lady?”
“She told me!”
“And what did you say to her?”
“That you would think she was pretty! She didn’t believe me!”
“And what else?”
Birgit giggled, “You mean about ‘kissing’?”
“Yes.”
“Nothing, Dad! I know the rules you made! I can’t talk about you having sex!”
“Good.”
“You thought I told her she could kiss you if she wanted?”
“I thought you might have said something like that, yes. I’m glad you didn’t.”
“You want to kiss her, don’t you?”
“Why do you think that?” I asked.
“She’s your type!” Birgit giggled. “Aunt Elyse said so!”
“Did she now?”
“Yes! She and Mom and Mom and Aunt Jennifer thought you would like her. But you aren’t here when she’s here.”
“That’s true. Were you eavesdropping or did your moms know you where there?”
“They knew I was there. They asked me if I liked Summer when she came to talk to them about babysitting.”
“OK. Just remember our rules, please.”
“I will. Who is the new girl?”
“We’re not sure yet, but a girl named Winter will visit in about three weeks.”
“Winter replaces Summer?” Birgit giggled. “That’s funny!”
“It is! You and Jesse will have to decide if you like her.”
“OK. I need to go turn on the oven for Mom and help Michael set the table. We have those chores today.”
“Go ahead.”
Birgit kissed my cheek, I kissed her forehead, and she slipped off my lap. At the door, she turned and blew me a kiss, which I caught with my hand, then pretended to eat. Birgit giggled and scampered off. I went to the computer, brought up my journal, and typed a bit about the conversations I’d had the previous two days, and as expected, just after I heard the front door open, Summer came to the door of the study. I waved her in and she moved close to the desk.
“Leaving?” I asked.
She nodded, “Yes. Kara is home.”
“OK. I’m really looking forward to hearing you play your violin.”
She smiled, “I want to play for you! Uhm, do you really think I’m pretty?”
“Very!”
She smiled and blushed, though not as deeply as she had before.
“When can I play for you?” she asked softly.
“You tell me,” I replied.
“Uhm, maybe Sunday afternoon?” she asked nervously.
Mary Whittaker would be visiting, but she was leaving around noon, so it wouldn’t interfere.
“What time?”
“1:00pm?” she said just barely audibly, “You could, uhm, come to my house.”
“What’s your address?” I asked.
“4900 South Kimbark. Just about a block north of the coach house.”
“I’ll see you at 1:00pm Sunday.”
She nodded, turned, and basically fled the room. She’d been EXTREMELY nervous, but that hadn’t stopped her from accepting the offer. I wondered about her parents, but I had a sneaking suspicion I’d find her home alone on Sunday. But I was also fairly sure she wasn’t a candidate for Kara’s fantasy. She was far too shy. Someone bold, like Winter, might do what Kara wanted, but I highly doubted Summer would.
“Hi!” Kara said brightly from the door.
“Hi! Come on in.”
She did, and shut the door behind her.
“Did you know she plays violin?” I asked.
“Yes. And she used to play soccer. And?”
“I think I’ll get the Fawn treatment on Sunday.”
Kara’s eyes lit up, “Really?”
“Yes, but I strongly suspect she’s far too shy to do what you want, and I don’t even know how I’d broach it with her. A girl like Winter, who was really adventurous, might go for it, but I think Summer might die of embarrassment simply at the THOUGHT of doing it. I know this might sound a bit weird, but I’m going to need to look for the right kind of girl to fulfill your fantasy and it’s not going to be easy to find her.”
“You don’t have to...” Kara said softly.
I held out my arms, “Come sit in my lap.”
She moved around the desk and sat in my lap, pulled up her legs, and snuggled.
“Hmm,” I chuckled, “this works better with a miniature version of you!”
“We could use the bed!” Kara laughed.
“Jess should be home any minute now, and I think your daughter is already preparing the kitchen.”
“She is.”
“Kara, I want to make you happy. I’m not quite sure how to do that just yet, but I will figure it out. I suspect, strongly, that you’ll be able to convince Winter, without much effort, to film our movie. SHE was adventurous enough!”
Actually, an idea popped into my head, but it was one that was something of a longshot. I wouldn’t say anything to Kara unless it panned out. But it WAS a possibility.
“I honestly wish there was a way to make Abbie’s movie. And with a slight story adjustment, it could take care of the whole thing!”
“Oh?”
“Yes!” Kara exclaimed. “I play the main character’s Swedish girlfriend who he meets at the bed-and-breakfast in Sweden after the credits. But the opening scene is us having wild sex outside somewhere!”
I chuckled, “That wouldn’t really alter Abbie’s script much and I’m sure she’d go for it! But I can’t imagine how we’d make that movie. It’s fun to speculate, obviously, but I think your idea of filming Jessica, you, and me so you can watch it later is the safest option. I do have to say it’s difficult to believe your sex drive is HIGHER at thirty-one than it was at seventeen!”
Kara smirked, “And you have NO complaints!”
“Not at all. It’s just that your sex drive was so high to start with!”
“It’s your fault!”
“Right! Because you had NO desire to have your brains fucked out by the class stud!”
“Who? Me?” she asked primly.
“Yes! You!”
“Maybe...”
“Samantha told me that Liz broke up with her boyfriend because he was trying to delay her going to law school. She’ll be here on Friday.”
Kara shook her head and smiled broadly, “What does your sister always say?”
“That I’m the luckiest dumb boy in the long and storied history of dumb boys!”
We heard Jessica call out that she was home, so we kissed then stood up. I looked at Kara curiously as she pulled half her blouse out of her skirt, mussed her hair, then unbuttoned a few buttons of her blouse and then re-buttoned them unevenly. I chuckled once I realized what she was doing, so I put my arm around her and we left the study.
“Nice try,” Jessica laughed. “You didn’t.”
“How did you know?” Kara asked, frowning.
“Because YOU wouldn’t have bothered to get dressed!”
Kara shook her head ruefully, “Ruined by my BAD reputation!”
October 30, 1996, Chicago, Illinois
“Got a minute?” I asked Claire late on Wednesday morning.
“Sure! What’s up?”
“Let’s take a walk,” I said.
She nodded, grabbed her jacket, and followed me out of the building.
“It’s personal, not work-related,” I said.
“Yes! You don’t have to ask twice!”
I chuckled, “The policy is still in place! And you know why it has to be!”
“I do. But you can’t blame me for daydreaming!”
“I may be in mortal danger then.”
“Why?”
I cleared my throat, “My wife has a particular fantasy she wants to fulfill and I thought you might be able to direct me to someone to help fulfill it.”
“Bastard!” she growled.
“Sorry.”
“Why ask me?”
“How many times did you offer to bring me virgins with whom both of us could have sex?”
“Uhm, three or four. Until you told me to stop. And then you hired me. I think those were related.”
“Certainly future hiring considerations were part of it. You know Jamie would have quit if he ever found out you and I were together.”
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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,...
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...
July 1983, Milford, Ohio My drive to Ohio was filled with wild swings of emotion. After quickly driving Anala home I had set out for Milford, driving as fast as I thought I could get away with, slowing only when warned to do so by my radar detector. I’d told Nancy that I’d come straight to her house and asked her to call my dad and let him know so that Stephanie wasn’t worried. I pulled into the Blanchards’ driveway at 3:30pm, having managed to avoid any run-ins with the Indiana State Police...
June 1980, On the Train, and in Abisko, Sweden As the train sped across the Swedish countryside towards Stockholm, I reflected on the fact that there were less than three weeks to go until I had to be in Copenhagen to board a flight home. I was torn between wanting to go home and wanting to stay, but in the end, I didn’t have a choice. I really liked my life here, the freedom I was given, the friends I had and, the respect I had from adults. I hadn’t run into a single adult who had treated...
May 18, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “As I said last time, today we’re going to talk about decision making and how to make good decisions. I think we’ll start with what I think has to be the easiest decision with the least controversy - is it ever OK to drive drunk?” “No!” came a chorus from several of the students. “And yet, people do that every day,” I replied. “And they die or kill people because of that bad decision. You have to ask yourself why people would drive drunk; and often it’s...