A Well Lived Life Book 4 BethanyChapter 49 Revelation
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June 1981, Milford, Ohio
I took my clothes off and got back into bed with Kara, pulling her close to me. She snuggled and sighed.
“Much better!” she said. “Now, it’s time for you to tell me everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yes. How you really feel about Jennifer. Not what you think I want to hear. How you really feel about Karin. And Bethany, Joyce. And Elyse.”
I lay quietly for a few moments, considering how I explain my feelings.
“It’s confusing,” I finally said. “I had everything ordered nice and neat before I met you. I was dating Bethany, and she knew that I’d be with Jennifer in Chicago and then see Karin next year. I expected things to work out with Jennifer, but Bethany didn’t. I was absolutely sure I would end up with one of those two.”
“What about Karin?”
“She was a wildcard, but I was reasonably sure that in the end, I’d be with Jennifer. Sure, I’d go to Sweden and Karin and I would have our fling, but I’d come back to Jennifer and given the distance, I’d end up deciding to be with Jennifer. I’ve told people she was going to be my wife and that we’d have kids. So, even though Karin was lurking in the background, Jennifer was my choice.”
“So what about Bethany?” Kara asked.
“I guess I’d have to say, in all honesty, that she was my second choice. If, for some reason, things didn’t work out with Jennifer, Bethany would be there for me. She knew that she was playing second fiddle to Jennifer and that things with Jennifer had to fall apart for her to get what she wanted. In a sense, Jennifer set up that situation by encouraging Bethany to ask me to the Turnabout dance during Freshman year. Bethany fell in love with me, which Jennifer didn’t plan on, and I didn’t realize until much later.”
“You never thought you would be with Bethany?”
“I did, but only when I was bummed about something going on with Jennifer.”
“And then you met me.”
“Meeting you wasn’t the issue,” I said. “It was making love with you in January that changed everything. All of a sudden, there was a true competitor for Jennifer. Honestly, I expected to have a brief fling with you and move on. Instead, I fell in love with you. That made things very complicated. I had second thoughts about Jennifer. I had second thoughts about Bethany. Karin was basically pushed down to fourth place, if she even had a place. You threw my life into complete turmoil!”
“I’d say we did that to each other,” Kara replied. “My life is in complete turmoil now. I had sex before marriage! I gave my virginity to a guy who collects hymens like baseball cards! And yet, I fell in love with him. I wouldn’t trade the feeling of his body against mine, moving in mine, for anything in this world. That’s why I can’t give up having sex with you. That’s why I was willing to cross that bright red line of needing to be exclusive in order to make love.”
I smiled, “I like making love with you too, Kara. And that was the event that created the confusion. All of a sudden, I wasn’t sure what to do. I kept my plans with Jennifer. Maybe I kept them because I gave my word to her and I didn’t want to break it. Maybe I kept them because it was what I had planned to do. Or maybe I kept them because I loved her more than anyone else, including Birgit.”
“Do you still love her like that?”
“Of course. But I’m not in love with her any more. I can’t be. Twice now she hasn’t told me important things. The first time was about something that wasn’t her decision. As much as it hurt me that she didn’t tell me, I could see why she felt the need to wait to tell me until we were together. The second time was totally different. She made a decision to do something in January, if not before, and didn’t tell me about it until June. Not only that, but she let me go merrily on making plans based on an agreement that she had already decided to ignore.”
“She hurt you badly. She violated your trust. So why see her now? She told you the reasons, and you felt they weren’t that good enough, right?”
Kara’s tone wasn’t accusatory, but questioning. She was trying to feel me out for what I really thought.
“I thought they weren’t. But Jennie pointed out that I needed to talk it out with Jennifer, for my sake, for Jennifer’s sake, and, Kara, for your sake. Jennie felt I needed closure, like I had with Birgit, or it would always bother me. And then, someday, if Jennifer and I would meet, the same thing that happened with Becky might happen with Jennifer. That scared me enough that I knew I needed to talk things out with Jennifer.”
“What do you hope to get by doing that?”
“Closure. I want to really understand why she did it and I want to figure out how to be friends with her going forward.”
“Just friends? Is that where it stops?”
“I don’t see how it could be anything more. I don’t trust her not to hide things from me. She has a history of doing that beyond just the two big ones I told you about. It’s a pattern. I let it go because, for the most part, it didn’t matter. Now, it matters. So, yes, just friends.”
“And you’ll never want to make love with her ever again?”
I smiled, “That’s not a fair question! What I want and what I should do are not the same things. It’s entirely possible to want something but never act on that desire. I believe it’s called temptation and I do believe that you think it can and should be resisted!” I chuckled.
“Good point!” she giggled. “I failed miserably on that one in the sex department!”
“Not from my perspective!” I said with a huge grin. “But back to the main topic. You and I agreed on being steady, and I violated your trust and my word. You were loving and kind and forgiving, which still blows my mind. As the months went on, I realized that we might have a future. By the time your birthday came, I was thinking quite differently. I was still planning on being with Jennifer, but I gave you that diamond that’s nestled so sweetly between your gorgeous breasts right now.
“At that point, something had changed in my mind, though I was still talking about Jennifer and Chicago. I know you blame yourself for breaking things off the day before Prom, but honestly, I’m to blame. I was so concerned about keeping my promise to Jennifer that I failed to really admit how I felt about you. And because I failed to admit that and failed to talk to Jennifer about it, you felt you had to break up with me the day before Prom.
“You had good intentions with the timing. You were allowing Bethany to have her Prom night to remember, with the assumption that I was going to be with Jennifer anyway, so what did one more girl matter? But you made another miscalculation there. Bethany not only didn’t require me to be exclusive with her, it was to her advantage to let me play around.”
“How so?” Kara asked.
“Because that struck a blow at you. Every girl I had sex with was a dagger in your heart, aimed by Bethany. She knew that you were the real competition, and you gave her the weapons she needed to win. She just has to be herself and every girl, old or new, that I’m with pushes you further and further away. She was totally sure that Jennifer and I would never work out. She was sure that the distance would mean Karin and I never would get together. If she pushed you out of the way, the field is clear for her.”
“Is she really that cold and calculating? And why would you want her if she is?”
“I don’t think she’s cold and calculating, but I do think she’s smart enough to see that all she has to do is to be herself. And that means giving me freedom. Freedom that in the end pushes you away. Now, a couple of days after Prom, Jennifer drops the bomb on me. I get upset. I realize that I’ve been an idiot and, as my dad said, had put too much faith in Jennifer and based too many plans on her. Part of that realization is that I’ve had my perfect girl right next to me for months.
“Of course, then I made a major mistake and confided in my little sister that I intended to pick one of you and begin the path towards marriage. It’ll take all of college, but I was going to make a choice. I had, in my mind, settled on a choice. I didn’t tell her, but she guessed correctly. The thing is, WHO I was choosing wasn’t nearly as important as the fact that I WAS choosing.
“As we all know, Stephanie freaked out. She didn’t want Jennifer to lose. Her solution was to call Karin and tell her that if she didn’t come to the US, she wouldn’t have a chance because I was going to pick you, and that would mean Karin had no chance. Now, I know that Karin’s parents want us to be together, so it’s no surprise that they agreed to let her come immediately. My sister got what she wanted — turmoil. Turmoil that would prevent me from picking you.
“Stephanie knew that in my emotional state, I’d agree to let Karin visit. What my sister wanted to happen was for me and Karin to hit it off, just well enough to stop me from committing to you, but not so well that Karin and I ended up committing to each other. That would buy time for Jennifer and me to reconcile. What my sister didn’t figure into the equation was that I didn’t WANT to reconcile with Jennifer, and even if I did, she was playing a risky game because for all she knew, I might decide on Karin.
“But, all that said, Stephanie got exactly what she wanted. Turmoil. Events played into her hands with Jennifer coming to visit, which created even more turmoil. When you became upset last night, that was exactly what Stephanie wanted. It helped Bethany too, but she was able to stay above the fray because the whole Karin/Jennifer thing really is Stephanie’s doing. So, here we are, having been dealt a lousy hand. It’s a total mess with no good solutions.”
Kara sighed, “I agree. I guess from my side, I’m trying to fix something that I did. I made a big mistake because of my own insecurity. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t be in this predicament right now. You and I would still be steady, and I don’t think I’d have had to deal with it. But I made the mistake of assuming things were going to go the way you wanted. I had to let you go the way I did so that I could have you back when you and Jennifer didn’t work out. I was resigned to the fact that you’d be with her and that she would give you the same kind of freedom that she always had. And I was prepared to deal with that. It’s not like you hadn’t slept with half the girls in Milford before then!”
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I understand the point,” I chuckled.
“So when Jennifer told you that she wasn’t coming to Chicago, I realized that I had made a huge mistake. Before I could really discuss it with you, your little sister had already arranged for Karin to come here. I knew in my heart of hearts that you and she needed to work things out and that sex was most likely part of that process. Like I said, I was already resigned to you having a year to fool around however you wanted. That wasn’t ideal, but you were going to break up with me when you went to Chicago, so I couldn’t really have avoided it.
“That left me with a major problem, and it’s all your fault! I like sex. No, I LOVE sex. I didn’t want to stop. Once you showed me what it was like, I wanted it. I needed it. And I needed to do it with you. I knew that you were going to have sex with other girls, no matter what. So I had to decide what to do. And, well, you know the result. Here I am, naked with you, lying in the wet spot!” she giggled. “Again!”
“From my perspective,” she continued, “everything that could go wrong went wrong. The question now is, how do we deal with it? And I don’t have the answer to that. I’m confused,” she sighed. “Let me ask a hypothetical question. If we were together until August, what would have happened when you went to Chicago?”
“I honestly don’t know,” I replied. “It’s so hard to think that through knowing all the stuff I know now. I guess I would have kept things as they are between us, though a long-distance relationship would be tough. It might or might not have worked out. Jennifer and I kind of kept our relationship going at a long distance, but there were all kinds of things about that situation that were very different from the one we find ourselves in.”
“One thing about you that I discovered in talking to Joyce,” Kara said, “is that you more or less divide sex into different categories. I’m not talking about the difference between lovemaking and fucking here, but your reasons for doing it. I think it can be divided by the Greek words for love. Do you know those from studying the Bible?”
“You mean «philia», «érōs», and «agápē»?”
“Yes!” she said brightly. “I think those are good divisions. Let’s just say, according to what you’ve said and what I heard from Joyce and to a lesser extent, Bethany, you have lots of «érōs» sex. In other words, just because it feels good. That’s all the girls you’re with that are ‘dalliances’, I think, is the term Bethany used. Mostly, you only are with those girls once or twice, then you move on to some other girl.”
“You also have a few girls that you have «philia» sex with, it’s not just to feel good, but to provide emotional support. That’s what you did for Katt and what Joyce did with you, and, if I’m honest, will do with you again before the Summer is out.”
I certainly must have had a total look of surprise on my face.
Kara smiled, “Come on Steve. You know that with Joyce, well, it was only a matter of time. It was going to happen once Jennifer told you that she was going to Stanford. You and Joyce NEED to do that, and I’m somewhat surprised that you haven’t done it already. But you seem to be exercising serious self-control there.”
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June 29, 1995, Chicago, Illinois On Thursday, I finally had lunch with Melissa again, something I hadn’t been looking forward to. Much like with Cèlia, Melissa and I had passed an inflection point and I was left with sub-optimal paths forward. I’d been struggling with the possible solutions, and all of them had pitfalls. When I walked into Takumi, I had something of a plan. Whether it was good or not would only be known once everything played out. “I spoke to my wives,” I said after we’d...
December 5, 2000, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota “I had a good time last night,” I said. “I was surprised you invited a friend!” Mary laughed as we walked into the exam room, “Naomi had a good time as well. You know what a Resident’s life is like.” I nodded, “No social life.” “Exactly. You guys seemed to hit it off pretty well.” “Yes, but I’m not here for that!” “You’re everywhere for that, and you know it!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s just say that you hit the sweet spot -...
March 1980, Hovås/Göteborg, Sweden I woke early as usual, but just enjoyed being in bed with Katt. When she woke, she hopped out of bed and pulled a robe out of her closet and handed it to me. “There’s a spare toothbrush in the bathroom. Go have your shower, then we’ll have breakfast after I have my shower.” I quickly showered and brushed my teeth, and went back to Katt’s room. She went to shower and came back a few minutes later. She dressed, and I got a very good look at her sexy body...
April 5, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “You missed cuddles this morning!” Birgit said accusingly when I walked into the house about 9:30am. “I know, Pumpkin, but I had a work emergency and had to go see Aunt Joyce and Grandpa A.” “And now we have to get ready for karate!” “I know. We’ll have some family time this afternoon. I don’t have any plans.” “Good!” I hugged her and the rest of the kids, then went to find Kara. We hugged and kissed, and went straight upstairs to get ready for...
September 3, 1989, Chicago, Illinois “Good morning, Sensei,” I said, bowing to Sensei Jim. “Good morning!” he said waving me to a chair in his office. “How was your trip?” I asked. “Enlightening. I spent most of my time acting as a manservant to Sensei Robert and Sensei Hiro.” “He who will lead, must first serve,” I said. “Someday, I’m going to send you to Sensei Hiro, should he live long enough. You understand.” “Does that mean you are now 6th Dan?” I...
October 29, 2000, Chicago, Illinois Birgit followed me as far as the stairs, then scooted upstairs when I went to the front door and opened it. “Hi!” Sophie said. “Hi!” I replied and held the door open so she could come into the house. I closed the door behind her then led her to my study where I waited until she went in, and then walked in, closing the door behind me. I nodded to one of the wingback chairs, she sat down in one, and I sat down in the other. “Is something wrong?” she...
August, 1983, Chicago, Illinois I walked in the near 90°F heat to Carla’s place. I was grateful that the humidity of the morning had dropped significantly; otherwise the heat would have been unbearable. By the time I walked up the steps to the apartment over the photography studio and knocked on her door, I had broken into a light sweat. Carla answered almost immediately and invited me inside her studio apartment. The air was moderately cool, and the window air conditioner was running full...
July 1982, Milford, Ohio On Tuesday morning, I kissed Kara goodbye and headed to my parents’ house for my usual morning routine with my little sister. She was happy that I could spend the morning with her and asked to take a walk, so we weren’t in the house with my mom. “Let me guess — this walk will end in the clearing,” I said with a smile. “Yes,” she said, taking my hand as we walked down Overlook towards Klondyke. As usual, we turned around and walked back, taking the path to the...
March 13, 1994, Chicago, Illinois “Hi, Steve!” Ailea said when she opened the door. “Hi,” I replied, accepting the offered hug. There was no touching of lips, just of cheeks, and I wondered if I’d misread her intentions at her birthday lunch, or if, perhaps, she detected my reluctance to return the offered affection. “Lunch is ready, so go ahead and sit. I’ll bring it in from the kitchen.” I went to the low table, sat down, and a minute later, Ailea brought miso soup and sushi, our usual...
April 3, 1997, Dallas, Texas “Remember what I said about drinking too much,” I said, as I poured bourbon into three cups. We’d stopped at a liquor store, bought a bottle of Blanton’s, and then returned to the small suite I’d reserved at the Westin. Deborah’s room was down the hall, and Krissy’s was two floors below. Krissy’s comment had caught me a bit off guard, but I hadn’t reacted visibly. I didn’t know her quite well enough to know if she’d been teasing with Deborah, so I was being...
March 28, 1991, Chicago, Illinois “This day belongs to you, Kara!” I said when the three of us woke on Thursday morning. “Happy birthday!” Jessica said. “Thanks,” Kara replied happily. “I think I’d like an amazing birthday fuck from our husband, and then a nice loving shower with my wife!” Kara said. “Do we have enough time?” I asked. Jessica giggled, “I set the alarm for thirty minutes earlier!” “Then let’s not waste any of it!” I said pulling Kara to me. Kara’s squeals as I plunged...
September 4, 2000, Chicago, Illinois On Monday morning I went to my study to make a surreptitious call to ensure that the surprise I’d planned for Kara was still going to happen, and after confirming that it was, Jesse, Matthew, Michael, and I began preparing for the Labor Day party by getting beer and soda into coolers, getting the grill ready, setting up tables and chairs in the backyard, and ensuring the liquor cabinets were stocked while my wives and daughters worked on food prep in the...
September 1, 1987, Chicago, Illinois “I heard that you have some kind of plan to help Ed,” I said to Connie. “There’s no plan,” she replied. “A witness who saw the shopkeeper alive after Ed left came forward.” That sounded convenient, and I wondered if the witness was real or someone that Anthony had put forward to solve the problem. Certainly, the videotape was real, because I couldn’t imagine how Anthony could have faked that, but the witness? Who knew? “So is he being released? Or is...
August 17, 1997, Chicago, Illinois We finished lunch and Marissa and the younger kids went to play, but Natalie sat with the adults to talk, with coffee, tea, or soft drinks. The Sarcus were very comfortable, but the Heaths were still struggling. But, vitally, they hadn’t left and hadn’t insisted Natalie leave the group. “Can you explain how you developed this attitude and approach?” Chris asked. I nodded, “It started when I was just a bit younger than Natalie. My mom was a total control...
July 1979 — Falkenberg, Sweden On Friday, when I got back from my run, Pam was in her bra and panties again. I whistled at her, she giggled, then finished dressing. I showered, and we went to breakfast and finished up our last day. Once class was done, we were pretty much free. On Saturday, we’d have several optional activities and then on Sunday we’d head back to our host families. After dinner on Friday, I took Pam’s hand and we walked towards the river. It was quiet and peaceful, and...
July 1980, Over the North Atlantic We reached cruising altitude, and I settled back to read my book. Pam raised the armrest between us, snuggled close to me and read as well. The cabin crew offered drinks, and I had my first Coke in a year! Meal service began about an hour and a half into the flight. After the cabin crew picked up the trays and offered drinks again, they passed once more, offering headsets for the movie. Trevor and Maria took them, but Pam and I didn’t, instead we turned on...
July 8, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “Is it really that surprising?” Leah asked. “I suppose not,” I replied. “I just didn’t read too much into the kiss on the cheek.” “I didn’t think it was a good idea to kiss you on the lips with all those people around, because I had no idea who they were or what they would think. You were VERY careful with our dance, so I kind of followed your lead.” Which showed very mature thinking on her part. Both of these girls were exactly the kind of students I...
November 8, 1993, Chicago, Illinois A dark fog swirled before my eyes as I tried to take stock. My head hurt, badly. I felt something on my face and realized, dimly, it was an oxygen mask. My right hand was uncomfortable and I recognized the feeling of an IV and pulse-oximeter. My left arm ached fiercely. On my chest I felt the pads and wires of an EKG. I didn’t feel anything else wrong as I continued taking inventory. I tried to open my eyes, but the fog didn’t clear. I tried to speak, but...
August, 1983, Chicago, Illinois In the morning Anala and I ran as we had the previous time, then showered together, carefully washing each other’s bodies in an intimate but non-sexual way. After our shower we went to the kitchen and I made breakfast and we sat down to eat. “Steve, may I make a suggestion?” she asked. “Sure.” “Broaden your circle of friends. Other than me, all of you are white, nominally Christian, 20-year-old Americans. And you don’t invite me to your Sunday...
June 23, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “Steve,” Kimmy said over the intercom, “I have a Suzanne Aavik for you.” “Thanks,” I replied. “Put her through, please.” A few seconds later, Suzanne was on the line. “Hi!” she exclaimed when I greeted her. “I’m in Chicago for three weeks. Can I still run away and join the circus?” I chuckled, “You might want to find out what the circus is actually like before you join! If you’re free, you’re welcome to come to the house tomorrow or Sunday and meet the...
March 1979 Monday was back to the normal routine of school. Debbie Courtney, who lived across the street and had turned fourteen the last week in February, started flirting more with me on the bus each day. Debbie Vaughn, who lived just down the street, would turn fourteen on March 16th and invited me to her birthday party. And Donna Woody, who lived just down the street in the other direction, would turn fourteen on March 20th. She had made it clear what she wanted for her birthday, and in...
June 2, 1990, Chicago, Illinois “My office, please,” Sensei Jim said after class on Saturday. I followed him to his office and waited for him to bid me to sit. He did, and I sat in the usual chair across from him. “She has a real problem, you know that, right?” he asked. “I do. That’s why I insisted she start seeing a counselor.” “I run a huge risk having her here with that kind of temper and her violent acts.” I nodded, “I understand. May I ask what you intend to do?” “I really don’t...
February 21, 1991, Chicago, Illinois “Hi, Sweetheart!” I said, greeting Bethany at the door. “Uncle Steve!” Nicholas exclaimed. I took him from his mom and he hugged me tightly. “Is Jesse with his moms?” Bethany asked. “Yes. They won’t bring him back over tonight so you and Nicholas can surprise him in the morning.” “Perfect!” “How was the drive up?” “The same as usual. Just a bit of traffic in Northern Indiana. Otherwise, smooth sailing. It was driving the other direction that was a...