A Well Lived Life 2 Book 6 SamanthaChapter 2 A Cold Hearted Bastard
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August 10, 1997, Chicago, Illinois
We’d just finished lunch on Sunday when the phone rang. Kara answered and handed me the phone.
“How’s my favorite Seppo?” Jon Todd asked.
“Very good. How’s my favorite butcher?”
“A new father! Amanda had a baby girl. She weighed in at seven pounds, twelve ounces and measured twenty-three inches.”
“Congratulations! Does your daughter have a name?”
“Indeed she does! Her name was chosen by Amanda - Kara Jessica Todd.”
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Would I kid you about that, Mate?”
“You would, but you aren’t. And I believe this means you can’t possibly bring Albert home next week.”
“Not if I want to stay married. And alive!”
“OK. Send him home via the BA unaccompanied minor option. I’ll wire you the fare difference.”
“What about Jessica?”
“I’ll take care of that. Just let Albert know he’ll be traveling like a grownup, the way Matthew and Birgit do.”
“Will do!”
“Congrats again, Sweeney! Let your bride know I’m very happy for her.”
“I will!”
We said ‘goodbye’ and hung up.
“She’s going to be very upset,” Kara said quietly.
“I know. But I can’t go get him, and there is no way Jess can insist that Jon leave his wife and new baby just to mollify her.”
“And when she throws a fit?”
“I won’t give in to a fit from her any more than I would from one of the kids. He’s old enough to do this, and it’s not as if he’s going to be alone. Jon will get him to Heathrow, and I’ll get him from O’Hare on Saturday afternoon. Let’s finish cleaning up. The kids from the Rap Session will be here soon.”
“Are you going to tell me this baby’s name?” Kara asked, hands on her hips.
“Kara Jessica Todd.”
“Seriously?” she asked.
I chuckled, “That’s exactly what I said. Yes. You have a namesake! Jon said the names were chosen by Amanda.”
“We have to send a very nice gift.”
I nodded, “We will.”
We finished and then went to relax in the ‘Indian’ room. We had the house to ourselves, because the girls were at Penny’s house and Matthew and Michael were with Elyse and Eduardo. We’d just sat down when the doorbell rang, which meant it wasn’t anyone from the Rap Session, because the usual practice was that they would just walk in. Kara and I went to the door and I was surprised to see Amelia.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” Kara and I replied.
“Can, I, uhm, come in?”
“Does your mom know you’re here?” I asked.
“No way! She’s impossible!”
“She works for me,” I said. “And that’s a problem.”
“Steve, go inside,” Kara said. “I’ll talk to Amelia.”
Amelia pleaded with her eyes for me to stay, but Kara was exactly right. I went back into the house and a couple of minutes later, people started arriving for the Rap Session.
When it was time to start, Kara hadn’t come in, but I didn’t think we should wait for her. We were missing several kids because of vacation, and Henry and Patricia were still missing, though they’d rejoin us at the next session in September. Elizabeth and Ben were on vacation as well, which led me to have a simple conversation about current events, instead of addressing any deep topics.
Kara still hadn’t come in when we broke for refreshments. She still hadn’t come in when we finished our social time. As everyone was leaving, Leah reminded me I had promised to talk to her. I smiled and nodded, and we went into my study.
“I’ve thought carefully about what you wanted, and if you still want to be together, I think once more is OK. But that will have to be the last time.”
“Then I guess I need to get Liv for the threesome!” Leah said with a smirk.
“If that’s what you want, we can talk about it, but I’d like to have three or four hours alone with you.”
“Really?”
“Really. But, if you want a threesome, and you’re both sure about it, then I’m OK with that.”
Leah cocked her head, “That almost sounds like acquiescence, not consent.”
“I’m glad you paid attention to what I said. In this case, it’s simply a matter of preference. It would be lots of fun, IF that’s what you really want.”
“Would it seem greedy to want to just be with you, and do what we did last time?”
“Not at all. Can you get away from say 11:00am to 2:00pm tomorrow?”
“Yes. The same place?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t buy lunch,” she said with an impish smile.
“I’ll eat beforehand,” I grinned. “See you tomorrow?”
“Yes!” she said excitedly.
We hugged and she left, and a few minutes later, Kara came into the house.
“That was a really long talk,” I said.
“I take it you remember our frustrations with our parents? Well, you with your mom and me with my dad?”
“Sadly, yes. Is she going to start at the High School next month?”
“It seems so, yes, but her mom is trying to put severe restrictions on what she can do. Did you know Amelia has a beautiful singing voice?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“She does, but her mom won’t let her try out for the musicals, or even the choir. And you can guess the reason.”
I smiled, “The same reason Christians always looked askance at thespians, and why an actor could never be ordained. I’m not sure there’s anything we can do about that, especially given that Monica works for NIKA. She could cause real trouble.”
“Amelia thinks her mom is looking for a new job.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me, but even that will cause Bob heartburn. And before you object, I pay Bob to have heartburn. Once Deborah and I spend a last night together, I won’t be involved in that way with anyone at NIKA. And with the exception of Claire and Jodie, everyone else I socialize with is management, which limits potential exposure. Those two were friends long before they were hired at NIKA, and I trust both of them to stick to the Code.”
“Penny?”
“You know the issue there. Bob will never be comfortable with our working arrangement, but even a discussion is off limits. You know what’s in Penny’s employment contract - the only one any staff member has.”
“Not the one provision she wanted - a chance to fuck the boss from time to time!”
“That would have been disastrous, and I think even she knows that now. Anyway, what that means is no staff, except for Claire and Jodie, will be invited here.”
“What about John in Pittsburgh?”
“He’s management now, and he and I have both kept detailed records of me paying for my tickets, food, and so on. Bob was actually OK with that because we literally just went to hockey games. And Mario made the promotion choice on his own, which followed his succession plan.”
“I know we’re off the subject, but you seem to have made peace with the situation.”
“Will you forgive a bit of blasphemy?”
“Is there such a thing?” Kara asked with a smirk.
“Not really.”
“Then go on.”
The gods grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting challenges as the pathway to peace; Taking, as they did, this chaotic world As it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that our combined efforts will make all things right If we refuse to surrender to Fate; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with my situation, In this life, and the next.
“Wow! Did you just do that impromptu?”
I nodded, “Yes. I know the prayer, but I think my changes make it better.”
“Of COURSE you do!” Kara laughed. “But I think I agree. I’m surprised you didn’t throw Loki in there somehow.”
“I did mention chaos. I replaced ‘sinful’ with ‘chaotic’ because of Loki, and my opinion of sin.”
“You really are developing a wonderful serenity. Let’s see if you can maintain it with Jessica in a few hours.”
“I have a plan for that. Let me make a quick phone call and then we can talk about Amelia.”
Kara nodded and I went to my study and confirmed that Al and Belinda were joining us for our family dinner, then explained my predicament, including details about Amanda’s baby.
“On second thought,” Al replied, “I’m thinking I’ll join Belinda on an early flight to Boston! She was supposed to leave tomorrow, but I know there are flights later today!”
“Coward!”
“Your problem here, Son, is that you are one hundred percent right, and she is one hundred percent stubborn.”
“Thanks for making it my problem, Dad!” I chuckled. “But now that you can actually be her father, would you speak with her about your grandson?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell her on the way home from the hospital so the house isn’t in the initial blast radius.”
“There is another option.”
“Which is?”
“I make a trip to ‘Jolly Old England’ and spend a few days with my friend Jon and my grandson.”
“My concern is that all that does is delay the inevitable.”
“Let me do this, Steve. We can have the conversation about risk aversion when the stakes aren’t nearly so high for Jess.”
“I’ll defer to your fatherly judgment.”
We said ‘goodbye’ and I explained to Kara what Al and I had agreed.
“I think he’s right about avoiding the confrontation,” Kara said.
“But it does have to be addressed. It’s kind of the one thing blocking complete serenity in our relationship. Anyway, back to the situation with Amelia. If Monica were to quit, it solves one tiny part of the problem, and removes some serious risk. But, to be honest, I’ll accept that risk for the hope that Monica being around a large group of open-minded people at NIKA helps her grow.”
“Isn’t that difficult to do at her age?”
“It’s difficult at any age,” I replied. “The difference is you get set in your ways and develop thought patterns, and the more those are reinforced, the harder they are to break without some kind of trauma. Monica suffered trauma, but it seems to have reinforced her thought pattern, rather than help her break out of it.”
“I’m sure you realize that’s the source of conflict - Monica wants to impose that rigid, close-minded thinking on Amelia, and Amelia has, frankly, had enough. She wants to see her brother, and she wants to do the things normal teenagers do. Monica is resisting at every turn.”
“And I thought she might actually see the light,” I said. “I thought her desire to see her son would ultimately win out.”
“She’s still at least somewhat under the influence of the Witnesses.”
“Jehovah’s False Witnesses? How wonderful,” I sighed. “So what did you tell Amelia?”
“We talked about how my dad and Kent van der Meer treated me, and how your mom treated you, and how, basically, we both had to wait until we were eighteen to completely escape. And even then, we both struggled mightily. In her case, it’s the school year, but she’s under more restrictions than you or I ever were. Even my dad didn’t lock me up that much. Heck, even Sandy van der Meer had more freedom than Amelia. Not much, but some.”
“Sandy is not exactly the example I’d use,” I said, “though I believe she’s happily married now.”
“Do you feel responsible for what happened?”
“You know my take on personal responsibility. I did feel bad about how things turned out, but to be honest, I think Sandy was going to do what she did whether I deflowered her or someone else did. It was her version of complete rebellion. And if you think about it, Ruth was in a very similar situation, with her dad in leadership at the church. After I deflowered her, she found a good man, married him, and they’re still happily married. The sum-total of Ruth’s rebellion was that day at her house.
“I think in both cases, they were going to lose their virginity. In a way, it being me was neutral in Sandy’s case - she’d have found someone to do it, and then gone on her rampage no matter what. For Ruth, on the other hand, she needed it to be someone like me who would teach her the mechanics, be kind and gentle, and answer her questions.”
“I’m still amazed she gave you all three cherries that day.”
“She’s not the only one,” I replied. “And you, young lady, gave me everything I ever wanted that first night in your room.”
“But...”
“What did I want from you, Honey?” I asked softly.
“My love.”
“The rest is all a bonus. A very, very nice bonus. But in the end, that love is what got us here, and gave us two wonderful girls, and a wonderful wife with two more wonderful kids. And besides, we got to that other stuff eventually!”
“Do you remember what Bethany said?”
“About being careful with Amelia? Of course. Why do you think I left her with you?”
“After talking to her today, I’m afraid she’s going to be like Sandy. I think you could help her be like Ruth.”
“That is the collision course that we’ve been on since the day she and Monica came to the front door.”
“I expected you to be upset with me.”
“Why?”
“Long experience.”
“But recently?”
Kara smiled, “No. You’ve become more thoughtful. Well, no, you were always thoughtful. You’ve learned not to let things upset you, and to deal with them as dispassionately as possible. Are you considering it?”
“Being calm doesn’t mean I think it’s a good idea, though I obviously see your point. I do want to say one important thing, and that is that Amelia is responsible for her own behavior. If she goes on a rampage the way Sandy did, it’s fully her choice and the fact that I knew it might happen doesn’t make me responsible.”
“I guess my question is, if you know something bad is going to happen, and you can prevent it, shouldn’t you?”
“If it were a pure zero-sum game, with an absolutely certain outcome, probably. But nothing is free of potential negative consequences. And there are no guarantees that my actions would prevent the bad result. It’s entirely possible they could create a worse result. Despite what appears to be evidence to the contrary, there are some girls for whom pre-marital sex would be a very, very bad idea.”
“Michelle?”
“She is probably the best example from my past. For her, sex and marriage are so intertwined as to be inseparable. Once I was inside her, she considered us married. So in HER mind, at least subconsciously, it wasn’t technically pre-marital sex. I know that sounds weird, but it’s true. I failed miserably because I didn’t truly understand. In hindsight, it’s obvious. And that goes back to my point about bad outcomes.”
“How would you express your feelings about Michelle? Are you responsible?”
“For my own failings and my own actions. And she for hers. I won’t make that same mistake twice. Of course, having said that, I know full well that I could, because I don’t have perfect knowledge and I could misunderstand or misinterpret anything and everything.”
“With your new attitude, I feel I’m safe to ask how you knew things would turn out so well with Natalie?”
“I didn’t. I believed they would, but I didn’t know. I let you and Jess read about the entire thing so you could see my thinking, and why I felt it was the right thing to do. We talked about pretty much every possible issue.”
“You didn’t write about any concerns about you being married.”
“She didn’t raise the issue beforehand, though I knew she knew. Remember my take on that - so long as the young woman in question has her eyes wide open, I won’t make an issue of it. I did with Magda because SHE made an issue of it. The same was true with Sari. And it is the very reason Melissa and I never got to that point and never will.”
“So what do you think?”
“Actually, I want to hear what you have to say,” I said. “What’s your opinion of the situation?”
“Well, given the set of transitions we’re undergoing, I don’t think my answer now would be identical to the one I would have given a few months ago.”
“Are you OK with the changes?”
“Are you happy? Really happy?”
“Yes. Minus the severe dietary restrictions, but honestly, I LIKE being calm. I don’t do crazy stuff and I still get plenty of awesome sex!”
Kara laughed, “But not as much as before.”
“Really?” I asked. “Winter, Vickie, Emmy, Summer, Mattie, Doctor Mary, Deborah, Julie, Ally, Jiang, Krissy, Cindi, Liv, Leah, Sari, Magda, and Natalie? All those were new, and about half virgins. And don’t forget about Maria Cristina. And then there’s Liz. And I was with Jacqui and Becka, too. And Becka was a threesome ‘over-the-top’ deflowering of Mattie!”
Kara laughed softly, “Things have been so calm I hadn’t realized just how many new girls you’ve had. But you said you’re going to slow down.”
“Yes. You, Jess, Maria Cristina, and Liz are more than any man deserves. And you know I’ll still have ‘random deflowerings’. But no more long term dalliances. Maybe, someday, when Maria Cristina decides it’s time for a relationship which could lead to marriage and kids, we’ll find someone else. But everything points to that being at least six or seven years into the future, if not ten.”
“So, would you consider Amelia?”
“Should I? From your perspective? Given everything that’s changed?”
“In the past, I would have said if someone is going to do it, why not? But that doesn’t seem right. On the other hand, if there is someone who can help her through this, it’s probably you. Her motivation is basically the same as mine, Sandy’s, and Ruth’s - rebellion and who is in control of her life and her body.”
“But can she handle it?” I asked. “You could. Ruth could. Sandy, well, that one was complicated by the fact that her goal wasn’t just to seize control, but to rebel in the most outrageous way possible.”
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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...
March 6, 1987, Chicago, Illinois “This is a big improvement,” I said as the green flag dropped for the Goodwrench 500 at North Carolina Motor Speedway. Bill had taken the pole, and when the flag dropped, led the field into turn one. “His car seems fast,” Kara said. It was. Bill led the first 89 laps, most of them under green, though there had been a yellow flag for seven laps when Richard Petty had wrecked in Turn 1 on lap 19. From lap 90 to 143, the lead shifted a few times, mostly...