A Well Lived Life Book 6 Kara IChapter 52 Sorting Things Out Part II
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March/April, 1982, Chicago, Illinois
When I arrived home on Sunday night, Elyse was sitting on the couch reading a book and listening to music. I dropped my bag just inside the door and took off my shoes.
“Hi, Honey!” she exclaimed. “There’s tea if you want it. No Georgia Peach?”
I poured myself a mug of tea and then went to sit on the couch.
“I wasn’t sure what time I’d get in tonight, so I just let her know I’d see her in the morning. She won’t stay the night until Tuesday.”
“Would it be OK if I sleep with you?” she asked.
“I’m pretty sure Warren would object to that,” I said.
“I’m not steady with him yet. He hasn’t asked.”
“A technical point at best,” I replied, using the exact same words I’d used with her Aunt years ago.
“But an important one. I want to spend an entire day playing just once more before Kara comes here, because at that point, you’ll be off limits.”
“That’s true. Let me ask a different way. Does Warren think you’re steady with him? You seemed to imply that you guys were before. I know you’re working on a relationship with him, but given that he’s not as, well, experienced as we are, he might well think having sex makes you steady. And like I said, you implied to me that you were.”
“We haven’t talked about being exclusive, so I don’t think so. I know I kind of gave that impression, but I promise you that we aren’t exclusive.”
“Why not just slowly work your way up to things with him?”
She sighed, “I’m not sure he’ll ever be ready to let me do to him what you let me do to you.”
“But you want to eventually go steady with him, anyway?”
“I think so, yes. Other than being a bit prudish, he’s pretty much what I’m looking for — calm, no drama, smart, friendly, and quiet. He’s a reasonably good fuck, but I don’t have a lot to compare to. Sean was just using me, and you, well, I’m jealous of whoever gets to fuck you for the rest of their lives. Of course, I’m more than willing to sacrifice and be that person.”
“Some days, when things are a bit crazy, that’s damned tempting,” I said. “And our sex life would be out of this world. But you know I want to be with Kara.”
“I know that, though I wonder if you might not be better off with Stephie.”
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“Common interests, common background, similar personalities, and, without question, sexual compatibility. Honestly, are you going to be able to make things work with an evangelical Christian?”
“Yes, I think so. Kara is hardly a typical evangelical at this point.”
“True, but I suspect that she’s going to want to go to church and I just can’t see you going to that kind of church.”
“We’ll have to find some kind of compromise, I guess.”
“Sort that out before you marry her, Steve. If you don’t, you’re just asking for trouble.”
“That’s good advice, Elyse,” I said, sincerely. “Thanks.”
“I want to ask you perhaps a more difficult question,” Elyse said.
“Why Kara?” I asked.
“Yes. I would have thought you and Jennifer might reconcile, but if you didn’t, then either Bethany or Karin would be the most likely. And like I said, I think you and Stephie are more compatible.”
“I don’t think I’ve told you the whole story about how Kara and I got together, have I?”
“No. If you feel like telling me now, let’s relax in a hot, soapy bath and you can tell me.”
“And THAT would be OK with Warren?” I asked.
Elyse sighed, “Will you forget Warren for a moment? Were you and I steady after we fucked three times at Aunt Jennie’s wedding? Were you and Aunt Jennie steady because she took your virginity?”
“No,” I said. “But I think those were different. I just have a feeling that Warren would not accept this, given that he didn’t even want us living in the same apartment.”
“Steve, let me worry about Warren. We aren’t steady. You aren’t breaking your rule. Are you steady with Kara or Stephie?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then let’s go. Grab the teapot.”
I gave in to Elyse, grabbed the teapot and my mug, then walked down the hall to the bathroom. I started the water in the tub and added bubbles. I stepped across the hall to my room, stripped off my clothes and went back to the bathroom, and got into the tub. Elyse came in to the bathroom naked and stepped into the tub. She sat down and leaned back against me. I put my arms around her and she sighed, then took one of my hands and moved it to cup her breast and the other one she moved to her mons.
“Elyse?”
“Just gently, while we talk,” she said.
I did as she asked and started telling her the story about Kara and me.
“It started my Senior year, in chemistry class,” I said. “Chemistry was usually a class for Juniors, but because I went to Sweden, I had to take it as a Senior. Kara and I were assigned as lab partners, and Kara didn’t like it one bit. She had heard about my, well, escapades, and didn’t want to be my partner. She asked to be reassigned, but our chemistry teacher refused. Kara told me I was going to hell and wrote out a Bible quote. I decided to mess with her and wrote out a quote from Song of Songs that talks about a dripping pussy.”
“No way!”
“Yeah, actually, it does,” I said with a grin Elyse couldn’t see. “Anyway, that started a back and forth of quoting Bible verses and eventually I told her I wanted to taste her mixed wine. Anyway, eventually I switched tactics and started being nice to her and flirting with her, instead of trying to upset her. When I ran the computer dating thing at Milford, she thought it was disgusting, so I bet her I’d match at least half the questions with her. She disagreed. I won a bet and so she had to go out for ice cream with me. We made another bet later on about the Bible, and I won again. This time, she had to go on a real date with me. And give me a goodnight kiss. That one kiss pretty much sealed the deal.”
“One kiss from you and she was ready to fuck you? I’m not surprised. Even for her,” Elyse giggled, and then moaned slightly.
“Did you like that?” I chuckled.
“If I don’t cum three times before we get out of the tub, I’m going to castrate you!” she threatened mirthfully.
“ANYWAY,” I huffed, “she wanted another kiss. I made her wait a few months because I knew if we kissed again that we’d end up in bed. I was right, of course. The problem was that by the time we made love the first time, I’d fallen for her. She was in love with me, too. She was willing just to fuck a few times and move on, but that didn’t happen. We were in love and I asked her to go steady, which really shocked some of my friends and my sister.”
“But you were still planning on being with Jennifer in Chicago at that point, weren’t you?”
“Yes. Kara knew that, and was hoping against hope that Jennifer and I would have a falling out, which, in the end, we did. But that’s skipping ahead. Not long after Kara and I agreed to be steady, I went to a conference in downtown Cincinnati and ran into Becky, an old flame. To make a long story short, I cheated on Kara with Becky.”
“One!” Elyse whispered as she shuddered. “Wait! You what?!”
“I cheated. But Kara, bless her heart, forgave me immediately. I was shocked, but basically she said she knew my history and more or less expected it to happen. From that point until Prom, I was completely faithful to her. She decided that because I was going to be with Jennifer in Chicago that Bethany should have her Prom to remember, so Kara broke up with me. Well, we’d still see each other, but not sex. Then, when everything went to hell with Jennifer, Kara decided she wanted to sleep with me again, but without requiring me to be steady. She knew Karin was coming to see me and knew I’d be sleeping with Karin when she did. And the rest is, as they say, history.”
“OK, you fell in love with her. But so what? You’re in love with Stephie. Bethany said that you’re in love with Tatyana, and I know you were in love with Bethany. You were in love with Karin. And you love me and Kathy too. In fact, you love quite a few young women. And what’s interesting is that you can love all of them without taking anything away from your love for any of the others. So I ask again, why Kara?”
“Because she’s the one who helped me be the man I wanted to be,” I said.
“Two,” Elyse hissed, her body shuddering again. “So? She’s helped you, but does that mean you should marry her?”
“Honestly? Yes, I think so. I have a penchant for getting into trouble. She’s the one who can help me stay out of it for life. Add in the fact that she’s loving, kind, drop-dead gorgeous, and the sex is fantastic, so yeah, I think I should.”
“The sex is really fantastic?” Elyse asked. “I don’t believe it.”
“Other than toys, we’ve done everything you and I have. And she asked me to get a toy.”
“Whoa! But I still think you might want to consider a different option.”
“Which is?”
“A group marriage,” she said, “A clan, a tribe. Like what Heinlein mentioned in his books.”
“Being with more than one person? Kara would never, ever accept that.”
“No, But Jennifer would. I think Bethany might as well. Kathy might, given the right arrangement. I might.”
“What? You would be willing to be in a group relationship? Without being my legal wife?”
“Yeah, actually, I might. Why not live your life like you are now? Marry Jennifer or Bethany and have me, Stephie, and whoever else you want to live with us as well.”
“Stephie?” I asked.
“She’s already accepted that kind of relationship. She might just accept it on a more permanent basis.”
“So I’d be some kind of Arab sheikh with a bunch of wives? I just don’t see it.”
“Well, the law says you can only have one, but you could have as many girlfriends as you wanted.”
“That’s just crazy!” I said.
“Three!” Elyse groaned as her body shook again. “I think you should consider that solution.”
“I don’t think anyone except Jennifer would accept that. And I wouldn’t do that to her, and especially not to Bethany! Bethany is finally happy, and so is Kathy. I simply won’t do that to them. I just don’t see that working out well for anyone.”
“I think it could,” she said, groaning as I pressed my finger deeply into her pussy.
“And what would you tell your parents? And what would the other girls tell theirs?” I asked.
“Who knows? And who cares? I just sort of came to this possible solution today while I was driving back to Chicago.”
I slid my finger in and out of her pussy as quickly as I could, and a minute later, she groaned again.
“Bastard!” she hissed. “I need you to fuck me hard. And I need it right now!”
We stood up, went to her bed, and she got on all fours. I got behind her and slammed my dick deep into her. I grabbed her hips and fucked her as hard as I could. It only took about five minutes before we both came. We went back to the bathroom and showered while the tub drained. We dried off and put on robes and went to the kitchen to make a late dinner. After dinner, we went to my bed and spooned naked together.
“I really think you should think about it, Steve.”
“There isn’t really anything to think about, Elyse.”
“Just think about it.”
We made love slowly and when we finished, we snuggled and fell asleep.
When I awoke Monday morning, I slipped quietly out of bed, dressed, and went out to run. The weather was finally good enough that I could run regularly. As I ran, I thought more about what Elyse had said. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a very bad idea. Asking Bethany to do something like that would be downright abusive and would undermine everything I’d tried to do for her. I simply could not do that to her.
As for Jennifer, she would absolutely accept such a relationship if it were her and Stephanie. But I didn’t think I could do that to my sister. I felt that her best interests were in getting married and continuing a relationship with her after she was married violated one of my cardinal principles. That principle was important. Yes, I had set it aside willingly for Sofia, but that had to be a special exception. The other times I’d considered setting it aside had been when I’d been having one of my tantrums, and I certainly wasn’t going to base my life on THAT kind of behavior.
It hit me that I was falling back into the old pattern of having sex with just about anyone who asked, and THAT was most certainly not what Kara expected of me. I had failed her and really failed myself. Self-justification was a strong suit of mine and I had to find a way to overcome it and actually start acting like I kept promising to. I had, in effect, let Elyse bully me into having sex with her. And if I was totally honest with myself, I had let Tracey and Stephanie goad me into sex with Jessica. Then there was Dona — that was simply pure lust for a smoking hot body. And Jackie, well, that happened because I’d been with all the other girls and I’d simply decided that one more was no big deal.
In less than two weeks, I’d be going to DC to see Tanya. There was no doubt that I’d sleep in her bed with her. In about two months, I’d be going to Sweden and there was no doubt that Karin and I would be together, if only for a final week of passion, before putting an end to our relationship. Pia had a steady boyfriend, as of her last letter, and neither she nor I would violate that relationship. I couldn’t give Sofia what she was looking for, and that last lovemaking session had truly been a one-time thing in both our minds. As for other girls, there wasn’t anyone I was involved with, and no expectation that I would be.
I had to ask myself what it was I truly wanted. I kept saying I wanted to be with Kara permanently, and yet, I kept having sex with other girls. I kept promising myself that at a future date, I would stop, and that date was fast approaching. Was I, as some of the girls said, just getting it out of my system? That had been Birgit’s thinking, and, to a lesser extent, Kara’s; though Kara didn’t have quite the same mindset as Birgit had once had. Was it OK to continue as I was, right now, until the end of July?
If not, how would I deal with it? I wasn’t going to be in Milford again until the middle of May, so that removed the temptation to be with them, if only due to distance. When I was there, I’d be with Kara as much as possible and it was unlikely I’d see any of the girls, though I might see Anna. That was safe in my mind — twice I’d resisted her, not because I didn’t want her, but because, like Bethany, I didn’t want to hurt her. Jackie was a one-time thing, though I wasn’t completely sure that she wouldn’t ask again. Stephie and I knew the end date for our relationship, and that was basically the last day of school, or perhaps the following day, depending on our travel schedules. The same was true for Elyse.
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June, 1982, Milford, Ohio “You know what? We need to eat something,” I said. “Let’s see your sister and your dad first, and then we can go out,” Kara replied, sounding very tired. We pulled into the driveway at my house and after I parked, we went inside. First, I went to find my dad and asked if he’d come talk to me and Kara privately. My mom glared at me but said nothing. It was cool and overcast, but not raining, so we went out on the deck. “Dad, I wanted to let you know that Kara and...
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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...
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 Friday was a cool, cloudy day. It was getting late in the year and we had passed the point where the nights began to be longer than the days. I knew that it wouldn’t be too long before I’d have to find something to replace jogging, at least for the couple of months where it would be brutally cold and snowy. I had found an ice rink, but it wasn’t convenient to either home or school. I decided to ask Sensei Jim for an exercise routine that I could do indoors, in...
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...
October, 1981, Chicago, Illinois I was still a bit tired when I woke up Monday morning because of the lack of sleep on Saturday night. I dragged myself out of bed when the alarm rang and went out to run. I could tell I was going to be dragging all day, but because there were no exams and my homework was done, I figured I’d manage through the day and just get to bed a bit earlier tonight. In calculus we received our graded test and I was happy to see a 94, which kept my solid A. I’d made a...
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...
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...
November, 1981, Chicago, Illinois The days were growing shorter — well, the daylight portion, anyway, because the days were still twenty-four hours long — and the weather was getting cooler. On Monday, Mike, the guy in my calculus class, asked me if I’d be interested in joining a fraternity. He was a member of Theta Xi. They had a house on the fraternity quad and most of the guys were into engineering, and their president was the head teaching assistant for Doctor Bauer. That made it mildly...
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...