A Well Lived Life Book 6 Kara IChapter 9 A Trip to Milford Part I
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September 1981, Milford, Ohio
Kara came into the living room when the dishes were done and took my hand and led me to the den. We sat in our chairs, as her father insisted.
“Did you put your mom up to that ice cream date?” I asked.
“No! I was just as surprised as you were. I could tell that dad was really upset at her. And when you stepped in, I thought he was going to blow a gasket. You agreed with him and made him look bad at the same time. And then, when mom did that thing with the dishes, you really twisted the knife.”
“Your mom did that one on purpose,” I grinned. “I’m glad I caught it. She’s taking a real chance, and I’m not sure she should have said those things in front of us.”
“I think she’s frustrated, Snuggle Bear. She’s afraid I’ll leave home and never come back because of him. I think he just doesn’t see it and thinks if he puts enough pressure on me, I’ll give up on you. That is NOT going to happen. Well, unless you give up on me!”
“That’s not going to happen, either! You can thank your mom for me, but I don’t think she’s helping right now.”
“When do you think you can come home again?” Kara asked.
“I don’t know yet. Classes haven’t become tough yet, but I’m already having to budget my time. There is way more homework than in High School. I’ll let you know in the next few weeks. But I can come for lunch on Monday if you want.”
“Of course I want. Let me go ask mom!”
She bounced out of the den and was back within a minute.
“She said yes! Too bad dad will be here, otherwise I might be able to get her to go shopping!” she giggled.
“I’d like that, but we have to be very careful with your dad.”
“I know,” she sighed. “Will you be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas?”
“Yes. I’m not sure what days I’ll be here during Christmas break, but I’ll let you know.”
“Do you want to join us for Thanksgiving dinner?” she asked.
“I will if you want me to, but that would be about the least thankful day your dad could imagine.”
“True. I’ll discuss it with mom and we’ll see.”
We chatted for another hour or so about school, friends, and other mundane subjects. Right on schedule, her dad announced it was time for me to leave. Kara, foolishly in my opinion, made a point of grabbing me and kissing me hard and hugging me tightly in his sight. I felt all that would do was antagonize him, but I hugged her and kissed her back.
“I love you, Steve!” she said firmly.
“I love you too, Kara!”
“See you Monday!” she said sweetly as I walked out the door.
I was half-tempted to find out where Sandy and her family lived and give them a piece of my mind, but I figured that would only be throwing gasoline on the fire. Given the circumstances, the best thing to do was simply ignore it. Kara wasn’t going to go on a date with the preacher’s kid come hell or high water, and as such, I was happy to just let things be. It was still early, so I decided to drop by Larry’s house and see if he was home.
Larry was home and invited me in. We spent a couple of hours hanging out, and then I headed back to Don Joseph’s house. I stopped in the main house to say ‘hello’ and then went out to the guest house. I grabbed my book on the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and started reading. I was only on the second chapter when I found the first reference to Mikael Suslov. It was only a reference to his birth and a notation that he would rise to importance. I continued reading until after 11:00pm and then turned in. I half wondered if Joyce would show up, but when I woke on Sunday morning, I was alone.
I quickly showered and headed to our usual breakfast place, Bill Knapp’s. I would have liked to have gone to the house to swim, but given the distance and the time I had woken up, I simply headed straight for the restaurant. I was happy to see a large table had been reserved for us. Pete, Melanie, Tracey, and Marty were already there. Beth Pater had stayed in Champaign, but the gang told me that they were expecting Bethany, Ed, Joyce, Larry, Susie, Krista, and Jessica, who was a friend of Tracey and Marty’s that I didn’t know. Everyone trickled in over the next ten minutes.
Tracey introduced Jessica Simons, who was a Sophomore at Milford. She was a cute, tiny girl with a bubbly personality. It was almost as if they took the energy of a 6’2” athlete and stuffed it into a 5’1” girl. She said ‘Hi!’ and then a river of chatter just seemed to pour out of her mouth. I felt I’d heard her entire life story in about 30 seconds, but she kept going and I wondered if she was even going to take a breath. Tracey smiled and just rolled her eyes. There was a story there, but it wasn’t the time to find out what it was.
The waitress came to take our orders and Jessica changed her mind at least four times. The word ‘scatterbrained’ popped into my head. She finally got her order right and started chattering again. I just smiled and let her go on. By the time the food came, I knew everything, including the name of her dog and parakeet. She finally stopped talking when she had to eat. I realized that I might have said only five words to her after I had said ‘hello’. I looked at Melanie, who just smirked.
We finished eating, and I managed to chat with Marty for a bit. He and Tracey were doing well in school and they were having a great time with each other and were very happy. He asked how things were going for me and I told him about the first few weeks of school and about my apartment.
Tracey, who had been sitting on the other side of Marty, got up and came next to me and plopped into my lap. She put her arms loosely on my shoulders and I wrapped my arms loosely around her waist.
“How are things?” she asked.
“Good! What’s up?”
“Marty and I were wondering if you were doing anything after breakfast?” she asked, the corners of her lips upturned and an eyebrow raised.
“As much as I’d like that, Tracey, I have to say no.”
She broke up laughing, “Sorry, I should have known you would take it that way! We just wanted to have coffee with you. But,” she wiggled her butt, “if you DO want that, I know a place we can go!”
I chuckled, “Coffee would be great! Where did you want to go?”
“There’s a coffee shop in downtown Milford that just opened. Meet us there at 10:00am?”
“Sure. I have to leave by 11:30am.”
“That’s fine.”
She got up, and I moved so that I could talk with Krista for a bit. She’d been communicating regularly to Beth and said everything was going well. She had the first dating program running at her house while we were at breakfast and had several more scheduled. I was pleased with her report. She also let me know that she’d started dating a Junior, and I told her I was happy to hear that. She promised to call me with updates every few weeks and we both headed out.
I drove back to Milford and parked near the library, and walked to the coffee shop. I saw Tracey and Marty sitting in a booth and walked over to them and sat down. I ordered coffee and asked them what was up.
“Not much, we just wanted to hang out with you.”
“Cool. What’s up with your friend Jessica? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that excited. She was talking a mile-a-minute!”
“She’s like that all the time,” Tracey said. “Don’t mind her. I could tell she liked you.”
“Liked me? She just met me and I barely said a word to her!”
She could use a ‘Steve Adams’ experience! I suspect you probably aren’t interested, but if you are, or things change, just let me know.
“With her personality? She’s not like you used to be.”
“Sure she is. Think about how she was acting today. What guy is going to put up with that?”
I nodded, and a thought came to me.
“I have an idea for you, Tracey. Will you consider it?”
“Sure.”
“Let her have the ‘Marty Heller’ experience. From what you’ve said, I think that’ll be a pretty good alternative!”
“Hmm. You know, you might just be right! Let me think about that,” She said slowly, looking at Marty as if appraising him for the task.
Marty was just sitting there, smiling. And why not? I’d just told his girlfriend to let him have sex with a cute, bubbly girl who would probably be a wildcat in bed.
We chatted for another twenty minutes and then I shook hands with Marty, who had a huge grin on his face. I nodded in acknowledgment.
“Thanks!” he said. “Does this make me your protégé?”
“I don’t know if I’d go quite that far, and your girlfriend hasn’t told you that it’s OK just yet!”
Tracey smirked, then gave me a quick, soft kiss on the lips and winked at me. I said goodbye and walked back to my car to head to Don Joseph’s for the rest of the day. Joyce was waiting for me when I arrived.
“I have your wine and liquor. Do you want to put it in your car?”
“Thanks. And yes, let’s do that now.”
We moved two cases of red wine and the bottles of vodka and bourbon into the Trans Am. I closed the trunk lid and Joyce followed me back to the guest house. I had planned to relax for a bit because people usually didn’t arrive until after 1:00pm. I kicked off my shoes and plopped down on the couch. Joyce went to the small kitchen and started the Mr. Coffee that was on the counter. Five minutes later, she brought me a cup and sat down beside me.
“How are things going?” she asked.
“So far, so good, I guess is the best way to put it. I did do some work for your grandfather’s friends.”
“Computers?”
“Yep. And otherwise, school is OK so far, I started taking martial arts classes and everything is great with Elyse and Kathy.”
“Any other girls?” she smirked.
“None that I’m doing anything with. My chemistry lab partner is a girl from Georgia and my partners for my Computer Science project are a couple of Sophomore girls.”
She laughed, “That figures. Of course, you end up with female partners! You met Kara in chemistry class, right?”
“Yes, yes. But nothing’s going on with Stephie. We’re lab partners and I’m helping her with her computer science homework. In the computer lab, before you get any Smart Aleck ideas!”
“Me?” Joyce smirked. “So I guess you’re behaving so far.”
“Yes. I think Kathy may start dating, though, and that would kind of put the kibosh on things with her at some point. She hinted that she’s going to do that. I don’t have a problem with it. In fact, I think it’s good. Now that she’s away from that stupid High School cheerleader/football player clique, maybe she’ll find a nice guy who can curl her toes for her.”
“What will you do? Visit Bethany more often?”
“That’s a good question, actually. She wants to talk to me on the ride back. I have a sneaking suspicion that she’s met a guy already. I’ve encouraged her to date, but she still has some qualms about being with anyone but me. Part of it is that same silly idea that Jennifer has that if she has sex with someone else, then she’s taking herself out of the running, so to speak. But another part of it is that I think she’s just not comfortable because of the rape.”
“That could very well be it. I can see how she might be a bit uncomfortable. And you’re really OK with that?”
“If I’m going to be with Kara, I think it makes sense for Bethany to find someone else. She’s mentioned it, and I encouraged her to not put her life on hold for something that probably won’t happen. It’s like you. You’re dating, right?”
“Yes, I do go on dates. And the fact that I slept with guys after you and I first did it doesn’t seem to have taken me out of the running.”
“Why would it? That would be a pretty horrible double standard on my part. I think Jennifer thinks that because of some personal issues that she has.”
“Oh?”
“Sorry, it really wouldn’t be right to discuss the details with you.” I said.
“I understand,” she answered with a nod, and continued. “It doesn’t surprise me that the girls who are not at the top of the list are falling away, especially someone like Kathy, who is just a friend and won’t ever be your long-term partner. At this point, those girls will start to look for someone they can be with long-term. You’re not a good option for anyone except Kara or Karin, really. And even Karin’s in a precarious position. But she’s still young. She’s still in whatever they call High School in Sweden, after all.”
“«Gymnasiet». But what about you?”
She smiled, “I’m playing all sixty minutes; and into overtime, if necessary. But I’m hedging my bets, as you’ve noticed. Last girl standing. But, if that doesn’t happen, there are other guys out there. I’m not worried because I don’t plan to marry until a couple of years after college; which would be about the time you’ll be ready. If things work out with Kara, I’ll be the first to congratulate you. If they don’t, well, then I’ll be there for you.”
“You do have it all mapped out.”
“I can plot with the best of them. If I was a guy, I’d be running grandfather’s businesses as soon as I graduated from college. But the old Dons could never deal with a woman in charge!”
“They certainly won’t take a non-Italian like me. But they need my skills and I’ll take their money, so it works out.”
“You’ll never be fully trusted, but they reward loyalty. And you’ve shown that to grandfather, obviously. But that’s enough talk, let’s go have some lunch.”
We went back to the main house and grabbed some sandwiches and chips from plates in the kitchen. We sat down at the small dinette table and ate. When we finished eating, we went back to the guest house because nobody else had arrived.
“Would it be OK to come visit you in Chicago?” Joyce asked.
“Absolutely. I told you that’s fine. Just let me know when. If it’s on a weekend, we’ll just make sure that Kathy doesn’t come to visit, so there isn’t a conflict. As I said, she and I already talked about that with regards to her dating. Well, unless you’d WANT Kathy to be there!” I added with a smirk.
“You wish!” she said with a soft laugh. “Maybe I’d ask Kara, but unfortunately, she’s under house arrest so she wouldn’t be able to come along for the ride,” she added with a smirk of her own, drawing out the last word for emphasis.
Fortunately, I didn’t have coffee in my mouth, but I did clear my throat nervously as THAT image flashed vividly! Joyce just giggled softly, something which was a rarity for her.
“How about the weekend of Columbus Day? My last class on Friday ends at noon, and I don’t have school on Monday.”
“That’s fine with me. I’ll let Kathy know,” I grinned.
“You never did really answer the question about what you’ll do if Kathy and Bethany both find steady boyfriends.”
“I don’t know, really. It’s a kind of tricky situation, as I’m sure you know.”
“I do. The whole thing with Kara is really a mess because of her dad. She told me what he’s trying to do. You know you could solve the whole problem with an engagement ring.”
“Kara and I talked about that. We don’t want to do it under duress or for the wrong reasons. And I don’t think it would help, actually. At this point, I think that would just make her dad redouble his efforts to split us up. Kara and I agreed that the best thing to do is wait until she can move in with me. She did say she wanted to get married right now, but she’s underage and her dad would never, ever sign the papers. Not to mention that she needs to finish High School.”
Joyce thought for a moment, then said, “And all of that creates your problem. You can’t just find a girl in Chicago that Kara doesn’t already know and sort of casually date for the next ten months or so. Kara wouldn’t like that at all. Unless, of course, you didn’t tell her.”
“That’s an even riskier game to play,” I said. “If she found out about it, she’d have a fit, and rightly so. She asked me to behave, and that doesn’t seem like behaving to me. Does it to you?”
“I guess it would depend. Remember what I told you to do in the past? Find one girl to date and stick to her. If you did that, AND you made it clear to the girl who you weren’t looking for a long-term relationship at this point, then I think that would qualify as behaving. Now, doing what you used to do? No chance. That absolutely is not behaving.”
“But wouldn’t that be unfair to a girl? Implying that in the future there might be something long term?”
“Just tell her that you’re not thinking in those terms at this point and won’t until you graduate. You can even say that there’s a special girl back home, but you two aren’t steady. I suspect you’ll find a girl who likes how you treat her and how much attention you pay to her and the girl at home won’t matter.”
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October 1981, Milford, Ohio Kara and I headed to Frisch’s for lunch. Our food arrived quickly, and we started eating. “A lot has happened in the last week,” I said. “Oh?” “Bethany has a steady boyfriend in Madison.” “Really? I had hoped something like that would happen, but I wasn’t counting on it. I always thought she was going to wait until you actually married before she did something like that. So she’s really moving on?” “That’s a good question. I would say that she’s recognized...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
September/October 1981, Chicago, Illinois When we walked in, the light on the answering machine was flashing. I pressed the button to listen. It was a message from Bethany asking me to call her. I picked up the phone and dialed her dorm. They put me through to her room. “Hey, Bethany, what’s up?” “Can I come see you next weekend?” “Kathy will be here, but sure. Why?” “I just need to talk to you face-to-face.” “Is something wrong?” “No, I promise. Nothing is wrong. I just need to talk...