A Well Lived Life Book 7 Kara IIChapter 20 The Winds of Change
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October, 1982, Iowa City, Iowa
Alyson opened the door and flashed a smile. She and Becky hugged, then Alyson gave me a quick hug and invited us in. We followed her into what appeared to be a den, where she introduced us to her mom and dad. I managed to keep my face neutral when she introduced me as Becky’s boyfriend, but I saw Becky smile a bit when Alyson said that. Alyson asked her parents if it was still OK to go out to lunch with us and they said yes, but were clear that we were to come back immediately and not be gone longer than necessary.
We walked out to the car and Becky had me drive. Backing the car with the stick shift out of the driveway was an experience, but I managed to do it. Alyson directed us to a local family-style restaurant where we got a booth with Alyson and Becky sitting together on one side with me on the other.
“Boyfriend?” I asked, looking at Becky.
“What did you want me to say?” Becky asked. “The guy who found her in that house and helped her escape? Come on Steve, don’t be stupid.”
“Sorry, you’re right. I guess that’s the most logical and reasonable thing to say.” I said. Then, turning to Alyson, I asked, “Alyson, how are you doing?”
“Pretty good. I’m a Sophomore instead of a Junior, but I’m getting mostly A’s. Nobody here knows anything about what happened in Chicago. I haven’t even told my best friend, though she does know I ran away to see a guy and that it didn’t work out the way I had hoped.”
“I’m glad things are going well,” I said.
The waitress came to take our orders, interrupting the conversation briefly.
“They are, thanks to you and Becky. I don’t know how I can ever thank you enough for what you did, Steve.”
“As I said before — just have a happy, normal teenage life. Find a nice guy, settle down, and let the past stay buried in the past.”
“I’m glad I took the chance to tell you and ask you to help me. I’m still amazed at how you treated me. Everyone else treated me like dirt, and you treated me like a person.”
“That’s how he is, Alyson,” Becky said. “He’s a good guy and he’ll go out of his way to help his friends. I’d say he considers you a friend.”
“How? We barely know each other!” Alyson said.
“Because you trusted me to tell me something important, and for me, that kind of trust is the basis for a good friendship. Without trust, everything falls apart.”
I saw Becky nod, and saw a tear form in her eye, but she quickly got control of herself.
“And that,” Becky continued, “is why he isn’t my boyfriend. I violated his trust a couple of times when we were fifteen and sixteen and it’s taken three years just to become friends again.”
“So you two were a couple back then?” Alyson asked.
“Yes, and I did a couple of really dumb things that messed it all up,” Becky said wistfully.
“You’re friends again, though. Can’t you put it back together? He seems like such a nice, caring guy.”
“I would, but Steve won’t. And I don’t blame him. What I did to him was pretty bad.”
“Can you tell me?” Alyson asked.
Becky looked at me and I nodded. I had no issues with her telling the story if she wanted to.
“He was the first person I ever made love with; in fact, he’s still the only one. But I put so much pressure on him to make things permanent when we were fifteen that it tore us apart.”
“Permanent? Like getting engaged?” Alyson asked, incredulous.
“Yeah. But it gets worse. We kept seeing each other off and on and I decided I wanted him badly enough that I stopped taking my birth control pills and got him to make love to me again. Needless to say, my plan worked, and I got pregnant.”
“Oh my!” she gasped. “I can see how that would mess things up!”
“Actually, it didn’t. Steve is an amazing guy and although he was upset, he promised to take care of the baby and me, even though we wouldn’t be a couple.”
“No way! You trapped him and he said he would do that?”
“Yes. In fact, he took responsibility without me even asking him to. But then I totally betrayed him. I promised to have the baby and I let my mom pressure me into having an abortion. Twisting a knife into Steve’s heart would have done less damage than that!”
“But isn’t it your decision?” Alyson asked.
“He never said it wasn’t. He told me that he wanted me to have the baby and that he would stand with me. I agreed. It was when I changed my mind and didn’t talk to him about it that hurt him so badly. He was prepared to be a father and, from his perspective, I had killed our baby because my mom pressured me to do it. At that point, he wouldn’t even talk to me.”
“How did you manage to become friends again?”
“I’m not even done with the bad stuff yet! We ran into each other in January of our Senior year at a conference. I took advantage of his emotional state and seduced him, then encouraged him to hide it from his girlfriend, and keep seeing me and lie to her. He couldn’t. He confessed to his girlfriend, Kara, and she forgave him. They’re still together, even though she’s in Ohio and he’s in Chicago. He hated me for everything I said and did.”
I hadn’t hated her, but I had been extremely angry and disappointed and even today, I didn’t trust her fully.
“Becky, I don’t get it,” Alyson said. “You’re one of the nicest people I know, and so is Steve. How could you do that?”
“I was a real bitch in the past. Steve saw that deep down, I could be sweet and caring and loving, but I fought that all the way, preferring to be a bitch because it let me get my way. Well, it did, except for the one thing I wanted most — Steve as my boyfriend. I was lucky in the end. When you asked him for help, he needed to keep what he was doing from his other friends, so he called me. I helped him because it was a straw to grasp at. It worked out to my benefit. When you asked Steve for help, you helped me repair my relationship with him, at least as far as I think is possible.”
“Wow!” Alyson exclaimed. “I had no idea! But I knew he was a good guy when he refused to have sex with me when I offered. I needed to talk to him alone and wanted him to do it as cover, but he wouldn’t. I did make him get naked and fake it, just in case someone came into the room. Then, when I realized just how sweet he was, I wanted him to do it because I’d never, ever felt love during sex.”
I let Becky continue the conversation because I was curious what her take on this would be.
“That sounds like Steve,” Becky said. “I can’t imagine him ever taking advantage of someone like that. Steve does good things for people because it’s the right thing to do, not because of any reward he might get. And your guess is right, too. He knows how to make love in such a way that all you feel is love and caring. Unfortunately, I threw it all away by being stupid.”
Our food came, and the conversation paused while the waitress set the plates in front of us. After refilling our sodas, she walked away and we started eating and resumed our conversation.
“Steve,” Alyson said, “is all of that true?”
“I’d say so, yes. I have to tell you that I really did want you, but I felt it was the wrong thing to do. It would have been taking advantage of you and I could never, ever, do that to you or any girl. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, but I’m happy to say I didn’t make one with you.”
She looked around, then looked down and spoke softly, “And if I offered now?”
“I’d still say no, Alyson,” I replied gently. “Not because you’re not desirable and not because I don’t think I’d enjoy it, but because your life is here, in Iowa City. Find a guy here, fall in love, then have sex. Don’t have sex with anyone just because you think you owe it to them or because they were nice to you! You’re worth way more than that! I know this might sound silly, but pretend you’re a virgin and think about the next guy you’re with as your first. He should be the first one you love, not just a guy to do it with because you feel you owe him something.”
She looked at me for a moment, and a tear ran down her face, followed by another. I reached across the table and used my thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
“But how can I do that? I’ve been with hundreds of guys and done everything you can imagine! I can’t be a virgin!” she sniffled, choking a sob. “I don’t even remember what being a virgin was like!”
“My best friend in the world was raped when she was thirteen. It took her years of therapy and lots of help from her friends to get over it enough to make love with someone. I told her to think of that first lovemaking session as her first time. Rape is about violence, not about sex. She was shocked that I would say that, but I’ve maintained for years that she gave me her virginity when we made love, even though she didn’t have a hymen and a penis had already been in her vagina.”
“But what about Mark?” she said, referring to the guy she had first had sex with.
“What about him? Did he love you?”
“No,” she sighed, “but I loved him. Or I thought I did.”
“I guess what I would say is that everything that happened before you got in Becky’s car happened to Dawn, not Alyson. When Alyson meets the right guy, then that’s when Alyson has sex for the first time. Dawn is dead and buried and everything she did is dead and buried with her.”
“Do you really believe that?” she asked.
“Alyson, if I didn’t know your past, and met you in High School, I’d say you were a sweet, beautiful girl who I’d want to get to know. A girl I’d ask out. So don’t tell anyone about your history. As I said, Dawn is dead and buried. Alyson is alive and well, and has a great life in front of her.”
She smiled, “You mean that? Seriously? That you would ask me out if you met me in High School?”
“Absolutely. But you need to find someone in your High School. I’m in Chicago, and I have a serious girlfriend. The last thing you need to do is have a one-night-stand as Alyson. That would be a terrible thing to do.”
We finished eating with very little further conversation. It was clear that Alyson was thinking about what I had said. After I paid the check, we headed back to her house and she invited us in. We went to the basement and her mom brought us Cokes to drink. We spent about an hour talking about school, friends and Alyson’s future. I had a good feeling about her and hoped that I was right.
We got up to leave and Alyson quickly pulled me into a tight hug. I kissed her forehead, and she kissed my cheek.
“Thanks, Steve. I hope you’ll be my friend.”
“Absolutely!” I said. “If you’re ever in Chicago, just call. And I’ll try to visit again sometime with Becky.”
Alyson beamed and then gave Becky a hug and showed us out. Becky let me drive so that I could get some more practice with the manual transmission.
“Steve, has anyone told you how amazing you are? The things you said to her were just perfect!”
“The entire time we were talking, I was thinking of my friend who was raped and remembering the things I said to her and how I treated her. Plus things the therapist said to me when I talked to her about my friend, and later when I saw the therapist for my own issues.”
“I feel like an even bigger idiot after seeing you with Alyson. Kara is a lucky, lucky girl.”
“And I’m a lucky guy to have her. Becky, you and I were young and stupid. We’ve learned a lot in the last five years. All we can do is move forward.”
“Do you think you’d ever be able to be with me?”
I sighed, “I’m going to tell you the same thing I’ve told other people who have asked questions like that. I’m not going to speculate on a future that I do not think will happen. I’m going to be with Kara in May, we’ll be a couple, we’ll be exclusive, and we’ll be working on our future together.”
October, 1982, Chicago, Illinois
Becky was silent for quite some time and the only sounds in the car were the radio playing softly and the sound of the tires on the road. When she finally spoke, I looked at the clock and saw more than an hour had passed.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “It’s just that I never, ever stopped loving you. Even when I was being a total bitch to you, I still loved you. I wish I could find a way to make things different, but I guess it’s not possible at this point. I hope you’ll continue to be my friend.”
“I will, but please don’t get the idea that things are going to change between us.”
“I won’t,” she said softly.
I wasn’t sure she was telling me the truth, but I had been honest with her and had kept our relationship completely platonic, and I was going to keep it that way. When we arrived back at Rosary, Becky gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, and I headed back to Hyde Park. I arrived just in time to watch the movie Elyse had rented and sat on the couch cuddling Stephie until it was time for bed. Jackie, Katy, and Eduardo all left when the movie finished, and would return on Sunday to spend the day with us.
On Sunday, as soon as the usual gang arrived, we started planning the Halloween Party that we’d host the following Sunday. We agreed on a costume party and that everyone should bring a snack and something to drink. None of us was twenty-one, so we’d use my alcohol, but anyone who wanted to drink would kick in a few bucks to help replenish the stock when I went home at Thanksgiving. In addition, it was a school night, so we decided to start at 4:00pm and end at 1:00am, to give everyone a chance to get home and get some sleep. Kathy and Kurt said they’d sleep over and leave around 8:00am to get back to Northwestern because they didn’t have class until 10:00am on Monday. That would allow both of them to drink and not have to worry about driving.
Stephie worried that because mid-terms were coming up the week after Halloween, having the party on that Sunday might interfere with studying. For my part, I didn’t have much studying to do, so it wasn’t a concern. Elyse and Stephie discussed it and decided that so long as they cracked the books hard during the week, they’d be OK. And of course we’d have our weekend study time.
I mentioned inviting Dave, Cindi, and Julia, and asked if anyone knew some guys to invite to even the ratio. Eduardo suggested his roommate and Elyse quickly agreed, because she’d met him and felt he was cool. She said she might know a couple of guys and she’d let me know. We discussed costumes and Stephie told me she had the perfect idea for us — a NASCAR driver for me and Daisy Duke for her.
“You don’t have the tits for it!” Elyse teased.
“Yankee ain’t complainin’ none!” Stephie countered, with a defiant smile.
Everyone laughed, including Katy and Eduardo, which put my mind at ease. We hadn’t been ribald since they’d joined us, but it seemed like everyone was getting comfortable with them. Kurt and Kathy said they were coming as a doctor and his naughty nurse, and Jackie said she’d come as ‘Elvira, Mistress of the Dark’.
“Who the heck is that?” Stephie asked.
“She has a TV show in Los Angeles where they show campy horror movies. My only problem is that I also don’t have the tits for that costume any more than you do for yours!” she said, laughing.
Katy and Eduardo weren’t sure what they could come as and Elyse flat-out refused to say, though she did say she had a costume in mind.
“So besides dancing, what else are we going to do?” Elyse asked.
“I’d say a costume contest, but the rules would have to be that you can’t vote for your own costume or your date’s,” Kathy offered. “Just have everyone vote the best costume and have a prize.”
Everyone agreed that was a great idea.
“‘Spin the Bottle’?” Elyse suggested, with a sly grin.
“No chance!” Katy said, laughing. “There is no way on God’s green earth I’m kissing Steve! Do you know how dangerous that would be?”
“Yes!” Kathy, Elyse, and Stephie all exclaimed at the same time, laughing.
Eduardo had a funny look on his face, but Elyse whispered something in his ear and he nodded. I was glad that Jackie hadn’t joined them, though she did give me a surreptitious wink. There weren’t any more suggestions at that point and after everyone left, Stephie, Elyse and I had a quiet evening together.
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September 1981, Chicago, Illinois, and Milford, Ohio When Elyse arrived home she found me sitting in a beanbag chair drinking some of the bourbon that I’d had Joyce get for me. The wine was stashed in my room, though I left two bottles on the kitchen counter. “Uh oh! What’s wrong?” Elyse asked. “Just thinking,” I answered. “About Bethany?” “Yeah. It’s good, but it’s sad. She’s always depended a bit too much on me and now she’s moving on. We didn’t break up, per se, but she’s going to...
November, 1981, Milford, Ohio Kara came out quickly when she saw me pull into the driveway. I barely had time to stop and go around to open the door for her, for which I was rewarded with a quick peck and a sultry look of promise for later. We headed to Skyline, where Kathy wanted to meet. Kathy and Kurt were already there when Kara and I walked in. I introduced Kurt and Kara to each other, then all four of us ordered, with Kathy insisting that Kurt get 5-way. We had a nice lunch and a good...
July 1982, Dawsonville, Georgia My drive south took me into Kentucky and I stopped for lunch at Wendy’s just after I passed through Lexington. As the countryside rolled past my windows, I reflected on the things that had happened recently. I hadn’t been keeping my journal as closely as I should have and resolved to spend some time alone at Stephie’s to put my thoughts on paper so I could put them in the computer when I got back to Chicago. I was a bit concerned about the situation between...
January, 1982, Chicago, Illinois On Monday, I woke up early to do my exercises and karate kata, then showered and made breakfast. Elyse showered while I exercised, and Stephie showered while I made breakfast. “You two had a good time yesterday!” Elyse whispered as I put the food on the table. “Yep!” I smirked. Stephie came out of my room and sat down at the table. The three of us ate and then Stephie and I headed to IIT. We stopped at her dorm so she could drop her overnight bag, then...
November, 1981, Milford, Ohio Stephanie was waiting for me when I pulled into the driveway and came walking out to the car. “So?” she smirked. “A wildcat, just as you predicted. She’s going to be sore for a couple of days, I suspect.” “Tell me about it! I sure was!” “You both asked for it!” I grinned. “Oh, I’d do exactly the same if I had to do it all over again. Did you get her unconscious?” “No, I did not. And I thought we weren’t talking about stuff like this!” “Special...
August 1982, Chicago, Illinois I woke up to the alarm on Monday morning, kissed Stephie, and quickly slipped on my running clothes and headed out. I took a slow, easy pace and worked to clear my mind and prepare to shift my focus to my schoolwork. The Summer had been a combination of fun, emotional highs, emotional lows, and adapting to the reality that Kara wasn’t going to be with me this year. On the other hand, I had Stephie, Elyse, Kurt, and Kathy close, and Kara was less than six hours...
November, 1981, Milford, Ohio On Sunday, I spent the morning with Stephanie swimming and eating breakfast, as well as making my call to Karin. I had lunch with Larry before heading over to Don Joseph’s house. The weather wasn’t good enough for bocce, so I sat with Don Joseph and his friends and talked before dinner and with Larry and Joyce after dinner. When it was time to leave, Joyce followed me outside. “Can I come spend the night with you?” Joyce asked. “Sure. I’ll see you at the...
May 1982, Milford, Ohio On Monday morning, I followed my usual routine for being in Milford and had lunch with Trudy Spencer after our sauna. That afternoon, Krista and Beth were coming over to talk about business. Kara would join us as well. Beth arrived about 2:30pm and Krista and Kara walked over from the school campus and arrived about 2:45pm. The three of us were very happy with how things were going. We had a total of twenty-two veterinary clients paying a monthly support fee, about a...
October 1981, Chicago, Illinois I went to my room, closed the door and dialed my old number in Milford and Stephanie answered. “Hi, Stephanie!” “Hey, Big Bro! How’s Chicago?” “Pretty good. A lot of stuff is happening. But I have a favor to ask. Well, really, it’s a favor from Ed. I’m coming home this weekend and I was wondering if I could borrow the keys to the apartment.” “You and Kara? On Saturday? I’m sure the answer is yes. Where are you staying?” “I was going to call Mrs. Spencer...
July 1982, Chicago, Illinois On Sunday morning after breakfast, Kara packed her things, said goodbye to her mom, and followed me to my car. I drove to the Spencers’ to pick up my things, where I thanked Trudy and reminded her that I’d be back on Friday. Kara and I took my bags to the car, loaded them in the trunk, and set off for Chicago. As usual, the drive was uneventful. I had encountered neither traffic nor an accident, nor been pulled over a single time despite all the back-and-forth...
March, 1982, Milford, Ohio “What’s the craziest thing you’ve done, Tracey?” “That one’s easy! Asking Steve to the Sadie Hawkins Day dance!” “What?!” Kara said, looking askance. “Think about it. I was a frumpy, shy girl with no self-confidence. I asked the school sex god to take me to the dance, knowing full well I’d probably end up losing my virginity, though I was worried he wouldn’t do it with me. Boy, was I wrong! Not only did he do it, but he spent the entire next day with me doing...
July 1982, Milford, Ohio Kara and I awoke, and she took a quick shower before we drove to my parents’ house so I could swim and have breakfast with Stephanie. My dad joined us for breakfast before he had to leave for work. After cleaning up the kitchen, we went to my old room to hang out with Stephanie for about an hour before heading back to the Spencers’. Nobody was home and there was a note on the fridge that said that Frank, Trudy, Pete, and Melanie were out for the day because Frank had...
July 1982, Milford, Ohio Sandy came into my room and shut the door, shaking visibly. She leaned against the door and didn’t move further into the room. “Relax, Sandy,” I said gently, trying to ease her nerves as best I could. “Are we going to do it now?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion. “No. We’re just going to talk,” I said. I could see visible relief. That confirmed to me that she was very nervous about doing this and I needed to be very cautious. “Talk about what?” “About...
March, 1982, Milford, Ohio On Wednesday morning, I swam with Stephanie and we ate breakfast together. I avoided talking about Saturday or what we might do. I still had no clue what I should do, and the implications of my decision were huge. I wondered if Stephanie could handle the conversation about the deep meaning behind what she was asking, and I wondered if she understood the implications. The fact that she and Jennifer were talking meant that she and Jennifer could have discussed this...
February, 1982, Chicago, Illinois On Monday morning, while Stephie and I were driving to school, she asked what I was doing for Valentine’s Day. I let her know I was going to Ohio, but that I’d be happy to celebrate with her either on the 11th or the 16th, because I was taking the three-day weekend in Milford. “I guess that will have to do,” she sighed, “because it does make sense that you would be with Kara on Valentine’s Day.” “Are you going to be OK, Peaches?” I asked. “Do I have a...
December, 1981, Milford, Ohio As I drove to Kara’s house, I thought more about my conversation with Bethany. And the more I thought about, the more I realized that I had totally missed the signs. I had fallen in love with Kara without feeling the connection — in a sense, our kisses, and even our first lovemaking, didn’t feel different from many other girls I’d been with. But it was different. It was different because I loved her. And, eventually, we HAD felt the spark of the connection. We...
July 1982, Milford, Ohio Joyce, Kara, and I sat quietly on the lower bench while the steam built in the sauna. I was really going to miss the easy access to a sauna when I went back to Chicago. IIT had a steam room that I could use, but they required towels and it wasn’t ever quiet. It also wasn’t co-ed. “Joyce, I didn’t see Terry at your grandfather’s house yesterday,” I said after about five minutes of silence, other than the steam hissing and our breathing. “He’s sort of upset with...
December, 1981, Milford, Ohio I pulled into the driveway at the Spencers’ and went inside. Melanie was halfway up the stairs and turned to say hello. “Want to spend some time in the sauna with me?” she asked. “Only if you promise to behave. I need to make a phone call first, and it may take a bit of time.” “I do. And I’ll wait. If you want privacy, use the extension in my room. I can read while you’re on the phone.” I nodded and walked up to her room and shut the door. It hadn’t changed...
November 1982, Milford, Ohio After dropping Elyse in Glen Este, I headed to the Spencers’ to drop off my stuff and then drove to Kara’s house. Kara hadn’t been clear about me staying every night at her house, so I didn’t want to assume. “Hi, Snuggle Bear!” she said when she opened the door. “Hi, Honey!” I said, pulling her into a hug and kissing her. “Do you need to get your stuff?” she asked. “I wasn’t sure from our last conversation which nights I could stay here, so I dropped my...
January 1982, Chicago, Illinois Bethany and Gene arrived just before 10:00am on Sunday morning. The apartment was full as both Warren and Stephie had spent the night, and Kurt and Kathy were staying the weekend. The plan was to have a big meal together around 3:00pm so that Gene and Bethany could get back to Madison before 10:00pm. Bethany was in great spirits and seemed very happy. I hadn’t had much chance to talk to her in the past few weeks because both of us were busy with school, and I...
February/March, 1982, Chicago, Illinois I made good time on the drive back to Chicago despite the light drizzle that I ran into just south of Gary. I walked into the apartment to find Stephie and Elyse stretched out on the couch, each one leaning on an arm and their legs alternating so they could put them out straight. “You two look comfortable,” I said, taking off my shoes and coat and dropping my bag. “Hi, Steve,” Elyse said. “Hi, Steve,” Stephie echoed. Neither of them moved to get...
July 1982, Milford, Ohio Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were nearly identical — swimming and breakfast with Stephanie, spending the day with Kara, finding time for a sauna, and making love in the evening. I did end up sleeping alone on Saturday night because I took Kara home so she could go to church in the morning with her mom. She would drive to my house after church to help set up for the party, which was starting at 2:00pm and might even continue after fireworks, depending on how...
November, 1981, Chicago, Illinois “How are things going?” I asked. “Amazing!” Kathy said with a huge smile. “He’s just what I needed. Last night was the first time we could sleep in the same bed. Doing that with you was always my favorite thing!” “Oh, really?” I chuckled. “Actually, yes. You holding me in your arms while we slept was the most amazing feeling. Don’t get me wrong, the orgasms were out of this world, but feeling safe, secure, and loved; it’s the best thing there is. And I...
November, 1981, Milford, Ohio We made good time, arriving at Kathy’s house about 2:00pm. She and Kurt thanked me for the ride and we agreed that I’d pick them up at noon on Sunday so we could be back in Hyde Park by 5:00pm Chicago time and they could be back at Northwestern by 6:00pm. We agreed to have lunch on Wednesday, then I said goodbye, got back in the car, and pulled out of Kathy’s driveway to head to the Spencers’ house. Melanie and Pete were there waiting for me, and I got one of...
December 1981, Chicago, Illinois I really should have guessed that what Jennifer was saying was prompted by a girlfriend who saw me as a competitor, but I had to know if it was just Jocelyn, or if it was from Jennifer’s therapist as well. “And not your therapist?” I asked. “No. The reason Doctor Clauson didn’t want me to come is because she knows how I feel about you and that you’re in a serious relationship with Kara. She’s afraid that I’ll have a serious setback, or do something stupid...
April/May 1982, Chicago, Illinois I made very good time driving back to Chicago, assisted by the radar detector, and arrived at my apartment before 6:00pm Chicago time. As usual, Stephie and Elyse were sitting on the couch when I walked in. “Well, another fantasy up in smoke!” I teased. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Yankee!” Stephie exclaimed, getting up to hug me. “Did you have a good weekend?” “I did. How about the two of you?” “Same as always, though I didn’t have a date on...
August 1981, Chicago, Illinois We ended up not getting crazy that night. We made love and fell asleep in each other’s arms. We woke up the next morning and repeated what looked like was going to be the pattern for the school year — I jogged and Elyse showered, I showered, and then we ate breakfast. “Bye, Honey! Have a good day,” she said again. I headed to IIT and after parking I walked into the Stuart Building for Computer Science 200. I’d been permitted to skip CS100 because I already...
March, 1982, Milford, Ohio Tuesday started off like usual days had when I visited Milford and after Stephanie went off to school, I played some video games and practiced pool until it was time to go and meet Susan Pollard for lunch. We met at Skyline just before 1:00pm and both of us ordered Five-Way chili. We started out by catching up on our lives. It had been a really long time since we’d talked and said more than just a brief greeting. Susan was attending Clermont Community College and...
September 1981, Milford, Ohio Friday was routine until lunchtime. Afternoon classes had been canceled for both Elyse and me because of the Labor Day weekend, so I drove back to the apartment instead of having lunch on campus. Elyse and I packed our overnight bags and waited for Kathy and Bethany, who arrived as planned, and we left Chicago just before 4:00pm. It was my goal to make the trip to Milford in just under five and a half hours, which I could do if we grabbed fast food on the way...
December, 1981, Milford, Ohio On Tuesday morning, I swam and ate breakfast with my little sister and hung out with her until it was time to head out to see Anna. I was still surprised that she’d called out of the blue, and was really curious as to what it was that she wanted. Even though I hadn’t driven to her house before, I’d been there enough times to remember how to get there. I parked in the driveway, then walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Anna opened the door almost...
December, 1981, Chicago, Illinois I made good time on my drive back to Chicago, arriving just before dinner. Other than one stop for gasoline and the restroom, I had driven straight through. When I pulled up in front of the apartment, I didn’t feel like cooking, so I parked, dropped my things inside, and then walked to the Chinese restaurant and got takeout. I took it back to my apartment, retrieved two weeks’ of mail from the mailbox, then went inside. I set the food on the table and sorted...
July 1982, Milford, Ohio It was getting close to the time that both Kara and I had to leave, and Kara was still crying softly as I held her in my arms. I simply held her tight and occasionally kissed her hair and whispered that I loved her in her ear. “Kara honey, are you going to be OK to have lunch with your mom? Do you need me to call off my lunch with Anna and stay with you?” She sniffed, “No. I need to pull myself together. Mom’s expecting me and I don’t want her to worry or be...
March, 1982, Milford, Ohio At the Spencers, I quickly changed clothes, then headed to pick up Kara. Our evening followed the usual pattern for this week — dinner, lovemaking, a sauna, and then cuddling on the couch in the basement until I had to take her home. On Thursday, I swam and had breakfast with Stephanie, and after she left for school, I headed back to the Spencers’. I went to my room and wrote in my journal. I sat down in the beanbag chair to read my history text from school. I was...
April 1982, Chicago, Illinois and Washington, DC Sunday evening, after dinner, I excused myself and called Joyce. I knew she’d have good advice for me, knowing the full situation. “Shit,” Joyce said, “That is really bad. Some of those guys don’t care about age. In fact, they want the teenagers because they attract clients and they can actually charge more. Grandfather absolutely forbids his guys from using girls who are under eighteen. One time he found out about a girl who was only...