A Well Lived Life Book 6 Kara IChapter 51 Sorting Things Out Part I
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March/April, 1982, Chicago, Illinois
“What?!” I asked, incredulous.
“How long have you and Elyse been fuckin’?” Stephie repeated. “Your pillow smells like her and I saw a small spot on the sheets. I wasn’t here since ‘fore you went to Ohio.”
I sighed, “Since the first day she moved in. She basically had decided that it was eventually going to happen and so rather than spend months or years with that kind of tension, she decided to get it out of the way, so to speak. I tried to talk her into stopping once she was with Warren.”
“Of course you did!” Stephie giggled. “Don’t get your knickers in a knot, neither. I’m not upset. I know you’ve been with other girls, like Tanya. If’n anyone is fixin’ to be upset, it’s Kara.”
“She’s not. She’d prefer I didn’t do this, but she puts up with it, for now.”
“And I’m right thankful for that! I can’t imagine gettin’ such an expert fuckin’ for my first time from nobody else,” she said with a happy smile.
“I do have a reputation for being an expert at deflowering girls.”
“Maybe I should rent you out to a couple of my friends who have need of solvin’ that little problem,” she teased.
“I thought you were the only eighteen-year-old virgin in Georgia,” I teased back.
“I did say that, didn’t I?” she laughed. “But you know they charge a lot for stud horses, so I bet I kin get a lot for you!”
I chuckled, “I’m easy, but I’m not cheap!”
“I disagree. It wasn’t easy to get you into bed!”
“Well, I’m here now! Or did you just want to sleep?”
“If you go to sleep without fuckin’ me, I’ll slit your throat!” she giggled.
We made love hard and fast and fell asleep in each other’s arms.
On Tuesday morning after I ran, we had our showers and ate breakfast, Stephie and I headed to IIT. Stephie walked with me to the Stuart building, gave me a quick kiss then headed to her dorm while I went to meet Jackie, who greeted me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, as well as a cup of coffee.
“How are you this morning?” I asked.
“Great! Last Thursday was awesome. I think a ‘six’ is too low of a rating, but I don’t have much to compare to. And, yes, I know what you said, but I’m saying that all you have to do is ask! You ever need someone to share your bed, or just entertain you, you let me know!”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” I said with a smile. “I certainly did.”
“I did! And, as I promised, it’s back to friends again. Though, as I said, just ask.”
“As much fun as it was, and as sexy as you are, and as much as I like you, that would be a bad idea. Let’s keep it at friends.”
“I promised that I would be OK with that and I am. How were your midterms?”
“Good. I’m working on straight A’s again this semester. How about you?”
“Mostly A’s, though I’m getting a B in an English elective. But I’m happy overall.”
We spent another fifteen minutes talking, then headed to our classes. When class let out, I went to meet Stephie for lunch.
“How’s Jackie doing?” Stephie asked.
“Just fine. She’s turning out to be a pretty good friend.”
“How good?” Stephie smirked.
I saw no reason to tell Stephie that I’d had a one-off screw with Jackie. If Kara asked, I’d tell her, but I didn’t feel I owed Stephie any extra information.
“Just a friend, Stephie.”
“She looks at you like a cat about to pounce on a rabbit. I’ve seen that look in girls’ eyes before when they get their sights set on a guy.”
“Don’t worry, Stephie. She’s really just a friend.”
“OK. Just watch out, though.”
“It’s under control. Speaking of someone with their sights set on a guy, what about you and me?”
“Well, like you say, there is no you and me. I guess next semester I’ll have to look for a boyfriend. On this campus, that shouldn’t be too much trouble!”
“True, it’s almost nine to one! What about Daryl?”
“Well, I didn’t tell you, but when I was home during break, I found out he has a girlfriend; some girl who goes to his church.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said.
“It’s no big thing. He would never have accepted me after you and I went to bed together, anyway. He has to marry a virgin. His daddy would say I’m a fallen woman, ruined, whatever.”
“That sounds like Kara’s dad and her pastor. I don’t agree, obviously.”
“You better not, given how many virgins I guess you’ve had! Let me ask you a question. Could you marry a girl who you didn’t take her cherry?”
“Yes, of course. It would be really hypocritical if I wouldn’t!”
“I guess it would be,” Stephie agreed. “It was kind of silly of me to ask. Besides, you got mine, so it wouldn’t even apply!”
“You see us getting married, Peaches?” I grinned.
“Only if you don’t marry Kara. I told you, I know the score. Don’t worry about it. All in good time, Yankee.”
“Just don’t get your hopes up.”
“Don’t worry. I got a good head on my shoulders.”
“That you do, Peaches,” I said, and couldn’t stop from thinking, ‘and everything else is good too’.
We finished lunch, and I headed to the computer lab to work on my latest assignment. I was close to finishing with my semester projects, and I’d be ready to turn them in within two weeks, which was three weeks before they were finally due. I worked on my weekly programming assignment and finished it quickly, then worked on my C-programming project. By the end of the afternoon, I’d completed all but the last module that handled the help text. I’d do that on Thursday afternoon and then I’d be ready to turn it in. The Assembly language project was about eighty-five percent done and I’d work on it after I finished the C program. I packed up my stuff and went to meet Stephie at her dorm so we could head down to Hyde Park.
We had dinner, went to karate and then came home and showered. I told Stephie I needed to make a couple of phone calls, so she sat with Elyse while I went to my room to make the calls. My first call was to Tanya to confirm the details of my trip the following week. She said she was looking forward to seeing me.
“And you will stay with me in my room?” she asked.
“Of course, Tanya. If that’s what you want. If not, then I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
“I wish you to stay with me, Stepa. I very much enjoy things you do to me!”
“And I enjoy being with you, Tanya. I’ll see you on Thursday of next week!”
When we hung up, I called Kara. She was happy to hear from me so soon after I’d gone back to Chicago.
“I’m going to come see you in about three weeks, on the 24th. I realized I wasn’t treating you properly by not coming home in April.”
“When will you be home?”
“Late Thursday afternoon. I’m going to skip my classes on Friday. I’ll clear it with my professors, but because I have all A’s, I don’t see a problem.”
“I love you so much, Steve!” she gushed. “I assume you’ll be at the Spencers’. Could we have a double-date with Marty and Tracey, and use the sauna?”
“Of course, Kara. Whatever you want. I’m making the time for you. I’ll call Tracey as soon as we hang up.”
“Good! Will you have dinner here on Friday?”
“Of course I will.”
“What about Thursday, for your birthday?”
“We can celebrate just us, if you want,” I said. “I’ll leave it up to you.”
“OK. I’ll let you know. How are things otherwise?”
“Pretty good. But they won’t be perfect until you’re here, Honey,” I said.
“Only about a hundred days, Steve! I can’t wait!”
“Me either. Do you still want to go to Seattle with me?”
“Of course! Is it OK with Jennifer?”
“Yes, absolutely. I did have one other thing to ask, and you decide one way or the other. Stephie asked me to visit and go to a NASCAR race at Talladega on August 1st. I’d like to go. If you wanted to go, you could.”
“You know, I think that kind of racing is dumb. They drive really fast in circles! Grand Prix is cool, where they race on the streets but going in circles? Forget it! Sure, you can go, but...”
She left it hanging.
“I know, Kara! Once you move in, Stephie and I are done. Finished. Over. She knows that, and she knew that even before we started hanging out together.”
“And I can trust you?” Kara asked.
I bit off an acerbic response.
“Only you can answer that question, Honey. I’ve given you my word. What you make of it is up to you.”
“That thing with Becky makes it difficult sometimes. I want to trust you, Steve, I do. I’m not sure.”
“We don’t have to decide today. Let’s worry about it when the semester is over.”
We talked for a few more minutes and hung up after expressing our love. Next, I called Tracey and arranged the double-date for Saturday when I was home. Finally, I called the Spencers to let them know that I’d be staying with them that weekend. I went back out to hang out with Stephie and Elyse until bedtime.
Wednesday and Thursday were normal days, and I finished up my C-programming project. When Stephie and I arrived back at the apartment that evening, there was a message for me from Theo. I told Stephie I had to run an errand and walked briskly to Theo’s place. He needed me to make the delivery on Sunday morning and I told him I’d be happy to do it. He also asked me about my Summer plans and I explained that I’d be out of the country for all of June and then in Seattle for a few days in July. He reminded me to let Richie know that I’d be gone. I told him I would and headed back to the apartment.
“What was that about?” Stephie asked.
“Just business stuff. I need to go do some computer support on Sunday morning. I pretty much need to do stuff like this on the weekends because of school,” I said, hoping that would be sufficient.
It was. We ate dinner, went to karate practice and after we showered together, did homework and then went to bed.
Friday was another normal day at school and on Saturday Kurt and Kathy came to spend the weekend, arriving around 9:00am. We hadn’t seen them in several weeks because of the different breaks, so it was good to see them. Warren arrived around 11:30am and the six of us had lunch together, then everyone did homework or studied. Around 3:00pm we took a break like we usually did.
“Still planning your trip to Sweden, Steve?” Kathy asked.
“Yep. I’ll pick up the tickets from the travel agent next week. I’m also getting tickets for Kara and me to go visit Jennifer when I get back.”
“Kara’s going with you to see Jennifer?”
“Yep. Jennifer and I are just friends. By that point, Kara will have moved in with me.”
I saw Kathy steal a glance at Stephie.
“Stephie knows everything, Kathy,” I said with a smile. “Ask her.”
“He’s telling the truth, Kathy. He told me even before we started sleepin’ together.”
“Why would you do that, then?” Warren asked, incredulously.
“Shush, Warren!” Elyse hissed.
“It’s OK, Elyse; I’ll answer,” Stephie said with a smile. “It’s because he’s a really nice guy, we get along really well, he treats me nice, and I can’t imagine having a better lover.”
“But you have no future with him. It doesn’t make sense,” Warren protested.
“Warren, you have to answer this, given you started it — was Elyse your first?” Stephie asked.
Warren blushed! He looked down at the floor and stammered, “Uh, no.”
“And did you plan to break up with your first?”
“No, of course not!”
“And yet you did. Next question, and be careful, but are you and Elyse engaged or planning to get married?”
He was quiet and looked at the floor again. Stephie had him trapped now. Elyse decided to have mercy on him.
“Of course we aren’t,” she answered. “We’re dating. Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn’t. That’s the point of dating. I dare say not a single person in this room thinks anyone has to be a virgin when they get married. If they do, well, they’re hypocrites! So, Warren, sweetie, if Stephie shouldn’t be sleeping with Steve, why should I be sleeping with you?”
Warren sank back on the couch, his shoulders slumped, staring at the floor.
“Warren,” I said, “I get the sense you’re really uncomfortable with my lifestyle.”
He took a deep breath, “Yeah. But not because of what you think. I’m not a prude. I’m just nervous and, well, somewhat inexperienced. You all seem so relaxed about this stuff. It’s all new to me. Nobody ever talked this way around me or acted this way around me.”
There were looks of surprise on five faces around the room.
“Then we just need to loosen him up a bit!” Stephie declared saucily. “It was all new to me seven months ago! What we need here is a good game of ‘Spin the Bottle’ or ‘Truth or Dare’!”
Kathy played her usual role by saying, “Let’s not get too crazy.”
“No, I think it’s a good idea,” Elyse said. “But Kurt and Warren would have to agree.”
Kurt looked at Kathy and they had a quick, whispered conversation.
“Sure,” Kurt said. “But boyfriends and girlfriends can veto dares or questions.”
“That seems reasonable,” Stephie said. “Mine won’t, so I can do as I like!”
“Warren, are you OK with this?” Elyse asked.
He took a deep breath again, “I guess so. I want to be more like you guys. How does this work?”
“It depends on what everyone is comfortable with,” I said. “Is everyone comfortable with their girl or guy kissing all the other guys or girls?”
I got five nods.
“OK. Let’s break the ice this way. Each girl move to the guy on your left and give him a nice kiss. Everyone fine with that?”
Again, I got five nods. The girls got up and moved — Stephie with Kurt, Kathy with Warren, and Elyse with me. Elyse sat in my lap and the other girls followed suit. I pulled Elyse to me and we French kissed. I saw Kurt and Stephie kissing, but Kathy and Warren were just looking at each other. I broke the kiss with Elyse and used my eyes to direct her to look at Warren.
“Warren, sweetie,” Elyse said, “she won’t kiss you. You have to kiss her. She’s waiting to make sure you’re OK with this.”
“Warren, go on, it’s harmless fun!” Stephie said, kissing Kurt again.
Warren tentatively kissed Kathy, who then put her hand behind his head and kissed him thoroughly. She broke the kiss, smiling.
“You OK, sweetie?” Elyse asked.
“Yeah!” Warren said, grinning.
The girls moved, so that Stephie was with Warren, Elyse was with Kurt, and Kathy was with me.
I chuckled because as soon as Stephie sat in Warren’s lap, she quickly moved her lips to his and kissed him deeply. This time, it was Elyse who was more tentative. She waited for Kurt and they kissed softly. She was slightly out of her comfort zone, but compared to Warren, her hesitation was minor. Kathy needed no invitation, and we exchanged a ferocious French kiss. I moved my hand to her small breast and gave it a quick squeeze.
“Naughty!” Kathy whispered, giggling.
The girls got up and moved back to their original spots.
“Everyone comfortable with playing a bit of Truth of Dare? As I said, partners can veto any question or dare, but the price is an article of clothing. Same goes for deciding not to answer a question or do a dare that isn’t vetoed.”
“I have overall veto, Steve,” Kathy said. “Somebody has to keep this from getting out of hand!”
“You’re always the one to do that, Kathy,” I grinned. “Whether it’s teasing or just conversation. I’m OK with that.”
Kathy smiled, “Good. I’ll start then. Steve, ‘Truth’ or ‘Dare’.”
“Truth, of course!” I grinned.
“How old were you and the girl when you lost your virginity?”
I wasn’t sure if I’d told her, but I knew Elyse and Stephie knew the answer.
“I was fourteen, and she was twenty-three, almost twenty-four.”
“Whoa!” Warren gasped.
“Elyse, your turn. Then Stephie, then the guys. We’ll just go that way, OK?”
Everyone nodded.
“Kurt, Truth or Dare?” Elyse asked.
“Truth.”
“Same question.”
“I was seventeen, and she was sixteen.”
Then it was Stephie’s turn. She asked Warren, he chose truth and got the same question.
“Eighteen. She was eighteen as well.”
“You know what, let’s just all answer that, then,” Stephie giggled. “I was eighteen, and he was eighteen.”
“Steve?” Warren said. “Hang on a minute. I know I was out of line before, but really, Stephie? You lost your virginity with a guy you didn’t plan to be with?”
Stephie smiled, nodded, and hooked arms with me.
“She’s not the only one, sweetie!” Elyse smirked. “I was fourteen, and he was twenty.”
“And I was fifteen, and he was seventeen,” Kathy said. “And it sucked! Can we change the game?”
“How so, Kathy?” Elyse asked.
“Let’s just go around asking questions. You can answer or not. If you don’t, you have to remove a piece of clothing. Since I know Steve will answer, he has to remove whatever everyone else has!”
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October, 1981, Milford, Ohio “What do you want me to do?” I asked. “Oh no, you don’t! It’s not about what I want, it’s about what you want. And you have to be sure that what you say and what you do line up with what you want. Telling Kara you’ll get engaged to her next Summer but starting a relationship with a new girl in Chicago is hardly consistent! I’d say that qualifies as ‘misbehaving’ by any reasonable standard, AND so was sleeping with Elyse.” “OK, let me rephrase that. What’s your...
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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...
August 1982, Chicago, Illinois I woke early on Sunday morning after a good night’s sleep. I was pleasantly surprised to not find Elyse in my bed. I wasn’t sure what our relationship was going to be, and I wanted to talk to her before anything happened, rather than afterwards. I went out to run, though I really would have preferred a sauna to help clear my head and organize my thoughts. When I got back, Elyse had just started a pot of coffee and I went to the shower. When I finished and...
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...