A Well Lived Life Book 10 The WifeChapter 32 Jennifer Lynn Block
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July 1980, Milford, Ohio
When we arrived at Jennifer’s house, her mom was home. She greeted me, but Jennifer dragged me to the basement before a conversation could start. We sat on the couch.
“So you want to know who I am?” she asked.
“Yes, I do. Everything. Get it all out on the table, whatever it is.”
She sat quietly for several minutes, just looking at me, as if she was evaluating me. She was clearly trying to decide what to say and how to say it. I wasn’t going to rush her because I couldn’t imagine anything she could tell me that would destroy my love for her.
She sighed, “Melanie wasn’t the first girl I had sex with.”
I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. Jennifer had a horribly shocked look on her face.
“Jennifer Lynn Block! As if you had to hide that from me. You know I don’t care about that. Well, unless you like girls better than guys.” I held back a chuckle with a questioning look.
She wiped a single tear from her cheek.
“No, I don’t. I thought you might be upset, though, because it was before we first made love.”
I had a flash of revelation. Several seemingly unrelated things made sense now.
“Why would that upset me? Wouldn’t the fact that you and Stephanie are going to have sex after she and I do be more likely to upset me?”
“God damm it, Steve!” Jennifer giggled.
“Shoe’s on the other foot now, Jennifer Lynn.”
“How did you figure it out?”
“What you just told me made all the pieces fall into place. Both of you are talking about a threesome with me. Stephanie said that she and I were going to do everything that you and Melanie did. The closeness between you two and Stephanie’s concern that you and I would break up. Your freak out with Melanie before she tried to kill herself. The way you and Melanie made love. I totally missed how it all fit together. I only have one question, Jennifer.”
“Can you watch?” she giggled.
“Hell yes!” I said. “Watching you and Melanie was hot. Watching you and Stephanie would be out of this world.”
“We WANT you to watch! And participate. I’m not sure now when it can happen because I won’t be here during Spring Break.”
“Will you tell me who it was? You don’t have to, but I’m curious.”
“It was during 7th Grade, before I even knew you. It was Chris Jones. It lasted almost the whole school year. I was only experimenting, but she fell in love with me. It ended very badly.”
“Does anyone know about this?”
“Chris, me, and her mom. That’s who she went to when I told her I liked boys and didn’t love her. She told me she hated me and that I was evil for leading her on. But I didn’t even know that there were girls who liked girls and not boys. That’s why I understand Larry.”
“Wait, Larry likes guys? It’s not just that he doesn’t like girls?”
“Your best guy friend is gay and you have no clue? You really ARE dense!”
“No, Jennifer, I don’t think I’m dense at all. Think about it for a minute.”
“Oh! You just don’t care! I’m sorry Steve, I really am. You aren’t dense; you’re really, really smart! That’s why you didn’t freak out about me and Melanie, or about what you found out today. You accept people for how they are and don’t treat them differently if they are not like everyone else. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all this before.”
I had another thought. I didn’t think it was possible, but I had to ask. “Have you and Stephanie done anything?”
“No!” she said forcefully. “You have to be her first everything. Her first kiss, her first touch, her first penetration.”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to upset you. Any other major revelations for me?”
“No,” she giggled. “I do have some friends you aren’t aware of.”
“Why didn’t you invite them to our lunch table? Why keep them secret?”
“Because they wouldn’t fit in to our group. And some of them don’t go to Milford.”
“What makes you say that they won’t fit in? Our group is about as accepting as can be. The only issue was when the supposed Junior Class slut joined us and it turned out she wasn’t what everyone thought! Everyone accepted her once they actually got to know her. She and Ralph even dated for a while.”
“Our group is pretty intimidating. Everyone is a great student, is super smart, and is into chess or computers. And you, Steve Adams, have a reputation for being irresistible. Some girls are afraid to be within ten feet of you.”
“What?!”
“Name one girl who didn’t have sex with you when you asked them to or indicated that you wanted to. Just one.”
“I can’t.”
“Exactly! Some girls want to keep their hymen intact, and you, Sir, shred them like Archie Griffin did defenses when he was at Ohio State!”
“I wonder if they have an award for deflowering girls like the Heisman?” I chuckled.
“You’d have won that for ninth and tenth grade, and you got a few in Sweden, too. I suspect you’ll get more this year.”
“Oh? Is there something you know?”
“Your reputation as the guy to go to for an amazing first time is still intact. There’s a whole new crop of sophomores, Freshmen and eighth graders who are available.”
“I thought you wanted me to cut back!”
“No, that’s not what I said. I said you should go back to how it was before when you were careful to not lead anyone on.”
I thought about that for a moment, then looked at her, smiling. “We’re getting off topic here.”
“Well, you know I play chess and that I get good grades. Now you know I’ve had sex with Chris Jones, that I want to have sex with your sister eventually, and that I have some friends who are intimidated by our group or by you. There isn’t much more to tell.”
“What do you want to be when you graduate from college?”
“An Engineer. I’m not totally sure what kind yet. I love math, chemistry, and physics. But right now, I’d say an electrical engineer. I have a year to figure that out for sure.”
“Could you get a scholarship from Boeing if you studied aeronautical engineering?”
“They have a bunch of general scholarships that I can apply for just because dad works there.”
“Cool!”
“How are you paying for school?”
I decided this was one place to follow Joyce’s advice. Jennifer did not need to know that I was sure that Don Joseph would pay for my college if I asked him to.
“Well, my dad would certainly pay for it, but I don’t want the hassle that will cause with my mom. I want a clean break. So I’ll earn money from my programming. I can probably get some scholarships, too. I’m going to study computers and that’s really an up-and-coming thing. You keep turning this back to me!”
“Sorry, but I just don’t have much else to tell you.”
“Can I ask you something, Jen?”
“Sure. Anything.”
“Would you have sex with a girl while you are away from me?”
“I don’t know. I’ve only ever been attracted to Melanie and Stephanie, and in both cases, you are part of the package. Like I said, Chris was experimentation, and I wasn’t so much attracted to her as I was curious. Does that make sense?”
“It makes sense to me.”
“I guess I might if I met the right girl in the right circumstance. It would certainly scratch the itch without me breaking my promise to myself that I not have sex with any guy but you. But I’d have to make it clear that I was planning to marry you, of course.”
“Of course. Stephanie won’t have it any other way!” I chuckled.
“No, she won’t.” Jennifer laughed, shaking her head.
“Was that the other girl you would bring to bed from time to time?”
“Maybe!” she giggled.
“Damn! The two of you have this all mapped out. What about Stephanie getting married and having kids of her own?”
“Oh, some day she will. But until then, she’ll always be available to you, no matter what. You already know that, if you think about it.”
“I guess I do. What else have you two conspired on?”
“Getting you to come back to me, obviously.”
“Obviously. It worked, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“You still haven’t let me kiss you!”
“Oh that! Really, you’re fixated on sex when we’re trying to fix our relationship.”
“If I remember correctly, girlfriend of mine, we talked better after we screwed ourselves silly.”
“Is that all you want from me?”
“No, it’s not. In fact, if you just want to be together today and not have sex, I’m fine with that.”
“Of course you are. You fucked everything in sight for a week!”
“I can see that really bothers you.”
“Yes, it does. If we fight when we’re married, are you going to screw every woman in the neighborhood? If you get upset, are you going to look for a comfort fuck? That is what you do, Steve.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You aren’t denying it.”
“No, I’m not. You’re right.”
“So why should I let you touch me? How long did you wait before you started fucking other girls? I bet you started calling them as soon as you left me after you found out I was moving.”
I didn’t say anything and just looked at the floor. She was right.
“And so you come back to me, say you’re sorry and I’m just supposed to spread my legs? Is that how it’s going to be? You can do whatever the hell you want and then fuck me whenever you feel like it?”
“Jennifer,” I said softly.
“Don’t you dare deny it, Steve Adams! Stephanie asked me to take it easy on you, and I did earlier, but you can’t deny what I’ve said is true. That is what you expect!”
“What do you want from me?”
“I want you to stop acting like a fucking idiot when things don’t go your way. You’re not a fucking toddler! You’re an adult, well, close to one. Act like it.”
“I thought you didn’t care who I had sex with.”
“It’s not the who, it’s the why. You did it to spite me, Steve Adams, and you know it. I dare you to deny it. Go on, deny it, and see what happens. I’m warning you, though, that you won’t like it. And don’t give me that pathetic wounded puppy look!”
“This could have all been prevented if you had just told me in March!”
“Bullshit! The exact same thing would have happened, though your rampage might have been tempered by the fact that you were in Sweden. Your real problem is me moving, not me not telling you. That was just an excuse. A lame one, but it was your excuse.”
All of a sudden, I thought of Lotta, Mikael’s beautiful, innocent girlfriend. I wondered if I would have made a different decision if I had known about Jennifer moving. I realized I probably would have, with terrible results.
“It actually might have been worse in Sweden, Jennifer,” I said, feeling totally chagrined.
“Worse? How?”
I told her about Lotta and her offer and why she had made it. And what might have happened if I had been in the same mood I’d been in here.
“You’re right, that would have been unforgivable. Taking thirteen-year-old’s virginity to spite me would have been the lowest of the low. At least here it was only girls you’ve fucked before.”
It would have been even worse than Jennifer was saying. I would have had sex with Lotta to spite Jennifer, while Lotta would have had sex with me to spite Katt! She probably would have ended up feeling like a cheap whore, and I, well, I wouldn’t have been much better than Josh Benton raping Bethany! Could I really have let myself go that out of control? I shivered inside; yes, given what I’d been doing the past week, yes.
“I know.”
“I know you know. But what are you going to do in the future? That’s what matters. If every time something bad happens, you’re going to find the closest girl to fuck, tell me now. It’ll save a lot of heartache down the road.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Are you really that fucking dense? Either you get control of yourself or you don’t. You’re the only one who can fix this and you have to want to fix it.”
“That’s what Doctor Mercer said. I told her about the situation and she told me that she couldn’t help me unless I wanted to fix the problem.”
“No shit, Steve! How the hell can a straight-A student who is fluent in two languages, has traveled across most of the US and lived in Europe for a year, be so fucking stupid? I’m surprised you can tie your own shoes, let alone figure out how to fuck!”
“Jennifer, come on.”
“No! It’s up to you. Fix it or don’t. But tell me now so I can get on with my life and find someone who’s just a bit more stable.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Steve! Would I be sitting here wasting my time if that’s what I wanted? If that’s what I wanted, I’d have been ecstatic when you didn’t talk to me instead of crying almost non-stop for the past week! Stephanie and Katt are right, you really are a fucking idiot, Steve. It’s decision time. I leave in two weeks. We can work on our relationship or I can go to Seattle and start a new life with new friends and hopefully find someone who fucks half as well as you do but has their head screwed on straight.”
“I don’t like ultimatums.”
“Maybe not, but it seems that you only get your head straight when someone gives you one. I’ve done it. Stephanie’s done it. Katt has done it. Joyce has done it. Hell, even Becky has done it. You only respond to someone giving you an ultimatum or clubbing you over the head. I’m really getting tired of it, frankly. This didn’t have to come down to an ultimatum. Well, on second thought, maybe it did, because that seems to be all that you understand!”
Just then, Mrs. Block called down to let us know lunch was ready.
“Saved by the bell, so to speak!” I chuckled.
“Not a chance! Either you decide to fix it or I take you home right now and you can explain to Stephanie that you did something really dumb today. The outcome of that will make what Pete did to you look like a friendly pat on the back.”
“How will you know I’m serious at this point? You’re offering me a pretty stark alternative.”
“Because the one thing you have never been able to do is lie to me.”
“Jennifer, for you, and for Stephanie, I’ll fix it.”
“Not good enough.”
“What? How is that not good enough?”
“If you don’t want to fix it for YOU, you won’t fix it. You’ll go through the motions trying to do what you think we want you to do, but in the end, you’ll fuck up royally.”
“I love you and Stephanie. I’ll fix it. For me. And for us.”
“Let’s go have lunch, then you’re going to fuck me, silly.”
At that she leaned towards me, her lips puckering, surprising me with what should have been a simple peck on the lips. Instead, that little peck turned into a soft kiss, just a pushing and holding of our lips together that made us both tremble, taking our breath away. We sat back, looking wide eyed, but not saying anything. We both had felt something in that kiss. Was it back?
After a moment to recover ourselves, we went upstairs to the dining room to eat. Mrs. Block asked us if we were working things out and we said that we were. She was happy about that and reminded me I was welcome to visit them at any point.
“Jennifer, may I make a phone call, please?”
“Sure, you can do it here or from the extension in my room.”
“Here is fine.”
I picked up the phone and dialed Doctor Mercer’s number. The receptionist put me on hold for a moment, and then Doctor Mercer came on the line.
“Doctor Mercer, I’d like to see you.”
“Have you changed your attitude?”
“Yes, Doctor Mercer. My girlfriend Jennifer beat some sense into me today after my sister beat some sense into me last night. I need to talk to you about it.”
August 1978 When we had brought the computer home, I had started to take the boxes to my room to set up. My mom stopped me. “We bought that, and it’s not to go in your room. Everyone needs to be able to use it. Set it up in your dad’s office.” I knew what had happened without even being told. Jeff was trying to interfere and cause trouble. This was par for the course. I am sure he told her that it wasn’t ‘fair’ if I had the computer in my room. I knew arguing with Mom would do me no good....
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November 1978 On Monday, I asked Jennifer to eat with me privately. I had two things I really needed to discuss with her, and both of them involved her directly and indirectly. There wasn’t really a spot in the lunchroom, but I had a key to the computer lab, and it wasn’t used during lunch, so we went in there to eat. I figured if Mr. Herbers objected, I could explain it to him. “So, what’s up?” Jennifer asked. “Two things — Joyce and Stephanie.” “Oh, this should be good!” she...
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November-December 1978 I woke up Monday as usual and got my trunks. Stephanie was waiting for me, which came as no surprise. We swam our laps, with me again outpacing her. I was sure in a few months she’d be able to keep up. We walked down the hall and she smirked and started to follow me into my room. I decided this was a chance to practice setting limits that Jennifer and I had discussed. “Stephanie, no!” I said firmly, but gently. “We’re not ready for this yet. You’re not. I’m not. We...
August 1978 I woke up on Sunday morning refreshed. I swam my usual laps, showered, dressed and made breakfast. Following Jennifer’s advice, I made waffles, sausage, and eggs. Stephanie came into the kitchen while I was preparing everything and asked if I’d make her breakfast as well. We ate together, then she went to get ready for church. I put on jeans and a polo, and grabbed my fedora. I was sitting on the couch wondering what Jennifer had in mind when I saw Melanie pull into the...
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August 1978 Things did go back to normal on Monday. Jennifer and I talked, and she seemed to be more like her old self. I wondered just how often she’d need something like this. I suspected she’d want something different before I left for Sweden. I wondered if I would survive. We would need to talk about this, but it seemed we both needed some time to think about what had happened. August moved right along. Jennifer and I went on dates and made love gently every time. I saw Joyce as well —...
July 1978 I awoke Sunday morning having slept well. That was a good thing, considering what I thought Jennifer had planned. But I did have my own ideas of how we should handle our first lovemaking since we broke up. I swam, showered, and ate breakfast, then did my chores and wrote in my journal. I was still missing Birgit, even though the feelings were not as stark as they had been. It seemed each passing day I was having more positive thoughts about her and less emotional pain. As much as...
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November 1978 I woke up on Saturday before sunrise. I read for a while, and once I heard my dad up, I went for my swim. I showered, got dressed, and went to get breakfast. I was sitting at the table and Stephanie came in to get her breakfast. She sat down and smiled at me and winked. A wink that conveyed a novel full of words. I just rolled my eyes. She crossed her arms and stared at me. I stuck my tongue out at her, knowing she was waiting for that. I’d let her have her thrill. “Do I get...
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January-February 1979 At lunch on Monday, people started getting their sheets and there was chaos as many people discovered that their boyfriend or girlfriend wasn’t on their list, and some rival of theirs was on their boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s list. I found it amusing. I saw Melanie laughing hard when she got her list. I walked over to her. “Steve, I love you. Thanks!” “You’re welcome.” “Did you run a real sheet for me?” I pulled it out of my pocket and said, “Your first match is a...
June-July 1978 On Tuesday I had my appointment with Doctor Mercer. I gave her new pages from my journal, but not the one from the previous night. I’d give that to her next week, after she spoke with Bethany. I didn’t want the fact that I had sex with Anna to color Dr Mercer’s opinion of me. We spent most of the session discussing my emotions, after I’d explained I’d moed from sadness to anger. After that discussion, it seemed to me that she was OK with a shift to anger. She asked about...
December 1978 On Friday, Stephanie and I did our usual morning routine and then I worked on the programs for Doctor Grossi. I had figured out how to make the connections between the pets and the owners and was working on a way to create invoices. I was confident that we’d have it working well enough for him to test it by the end of January. Joyce arrived to pick me up at 5:00pm for our date. We deviated from our usual pattern in that we didn’t make love before she cooked and we ate....
November 1978 Thanksgiving week had only three days of school, but a lot happened. On Monday, Brent asked Beth out on a date and she accepted. When she told me about it, I was happy for her. She was a bit disappointed that it meant the end of our physical relationship, but she knew my rule. On Tuesday, Petra Johansson asked me if I was interested in coming to a St. Lucia party on December 13th. She would be making «pepparkakor» (‘ginger cookies’) and «Lussekatter» (‘saffron buns’) and...
August-September 1978 The next week flew by. On Sunday, we used my tickets and went to another baseball game. The Reds were hosting the Cubs. Tom Seaver pitched a lousy game and the Reds lost 7-1. Bethany joined us this time, because Mary wasn’t able to go. As luck would have it, the same guys were sitting behind us. “Hey, what happened to the sexy blonde?” “She couldn’t make it today, but this is another one that he’s had sex with,” Melanie said. “Melanie!” I growled. “Oh stop, Steve!”...
July 1980, Milford, Ohio I was happy when Stephanie joined me to swim laps and eat breakfast on Friday morning. When she hadn’t done those things with me, it had made me feel incomplete. I didn’t understand how the connection between us worked, but I knew that I didn’t want to be without her. “Steve,” Stephanie said while we were at breakfast, “don’t do anything stupid today.” “I have no plans to do anything stupid.” “You’re a boy. Boys always do dumb things without thinking or...
September 29, 1991, Milford, Ohio “Thanks for everything, Steve,” Bethany said after I’d buckled Jesse into his car seat. “You’re welcome. And thank you, as well. I very much enjoyed last night.” “Me, too!” she giggled. We hugged tightly, I kissed her, and then got into the car. I started the engine, put the car in reverse, and backed out of the driveway. With a wave, Jesse and I began our drive back to Chicago. “I thought you and Aunt Befany weren’t kissing!” he protested. I suppressed...
December 1978 On Monday, Kathy Will found me and giddily agreed to my terms and asked when I’d do it with her. I told her that I still thought it was a bad idea. She was desperate. “Steve, I’ll do anything you want if I can have just one more night where we do it three or four times. Anything. Please?” “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I said firmly. “No.” “Nobody ever says ‘no’! Now you’ve said ‘no’ twice!” “That’s right.” “Fuck you, Steve Adams!” she growled angrily and stormed...
June 1979 On Friday, my grandparents came to visit for dinner, so I couldn’t spend any time with my friends. I would see all of them on Sunday, and Jennifer promised to be at my house at 6:00am on Monday to say goodbye. My grandparents didn’t stay late, and I set about making phone calls to people I wouldn’t see. I spoke with Anna, Elyse, and Jennie Sanders. Elyse was thrilled that I had called again and promised to write and said she was really looking forward to seeing me when I came...
June 1978 I woke up early on Sunday morning, feeling good for the second day in a row. I decided I was going to go to church as well. There was something positive about sitting in church that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. After church, I did my chores and then pedaled over to Bethany’s house for lunch. Her dad made hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill and I ate two of each. Bethany laughed when I had the second hot dog after I’d already had two burgers and a hot dog. “I’m a growing...
June 1978 Saturday morning was tough because of the previous night’s dream. I took a long shower and ate breakfast. I tried to talk to Mom at breakfast but she was still not speaking to me. Something had to give. I’d go to church again the following day as a ‘peace offering’. Maybe that would help. Dad drove me to the deli because Joyce would be picking me up there for our date. Work was better because we were catering a Knights of Columbus lunch. That meant that I spent time doing things...
May 28, 1979 — Memorial Day I woke up feeling refreshed, having slept deeply. Stephanie joined me in the pool after several weeks of enforced absence and we ate breakfast together. We hung out for the rest of the morning playing pool and just sitting and talking. It was clear she was going to miss me. I had no doubt I would miss her terribly. Melanie arrived to pick me up around 11:00am for the Memorial Day Cookout at her house. The way she was looking at me made me think that I was the...
January 1979 Tuesday started wonderfully because Stephanie joined me in the pool. As we walked down the hallway to shower, she dropped one of her shoulder straps, looked over her shoulder and smirked. I just shook my head and went into my room. She was going to push the limits every chance she got. But I’d keep her within them. At school, things quickly got back into routine. Melanie was still in her wheelchair, hoping to get her walking splint in a week or so. Her arm was really bothering...
July 1980, Milford, Ohio We arrived at Jennifer’s house to find it empty. “Dad’s at work and Mom’s out shopping. She’ll be home for dinner.” “So, what did you have in mind? We have a lot to catch up on.” “Sex and talking! I prefer sex first! It’s been a year since I was with you last!” “I did promise to fuck you silly, if I recall correctly! In every possible way; and no hole left untouched.” “You did. But you know what? Right now, I just want you to make love to me. Like the very first...
July 2, 1978 Mr. van Hoek was alone, which I had suspected might be the case. “Can I hear your side of what’s going on?” he asked as he pulled out of the driveway. Becky and I hadn’t coordinated stories, which meant the conversation could be really, really dangerous. That said, I felt the worst thing that could happen was that he turned around and took me home. I wouldn’t have to face Becky in that case; he would. “Well, Mr. van Hoek, Becky and I are in different places right now, I...
May 1979 On Monday afternoon, Kent and Jennie picked me up to get my tux fitted for the wedding. I was very happy to see that they had selected traditional tuxedos rather than some of the gaudy colored ones. All the groomsmen would wear black with light purple cummerbunds and ties and Kent would wear black with light blue. Jennie wanted me to wear black and yellow. I thought the offsets were interesting. Jennie explained that she was wearing light blue and her maids of honor were wearing...
June 19, 1978 I slept reasonably well despite the dream and despite the knowledge that the letters would likely arrive while I was at work. I did my usual morning routine with shower and breakfast, checked the pool, and unloaded the dishwasher, something that was usually Jeff’s job. Dad was going to drop me at work instead of me riding my bike, because the girls would be bringing me home. Unfortunately, things weren’t busy at the deli and I had a lot of time to think. Too much time, really....
July 3–4, 1978 On Monday I woke early, as usual, and ate breakfast. I did my chores and swam, and just before lunch, I called Pete to see if I could put a plan in place to see Anna. Pete was glad to hear from me. “Pete, you remember my friend Anna?” “I do.” “She has a sister. Would you be interested in a double date with them?” “What’s her sister like?” “Your age, not seeing anyone right now. She seems OK to me, but I don’t know her too well.” “Ah, you need a way to see Anna and can’t...
April-May 1979 Saturday morning after the Prom, I was up at my usual time despite coming in so late. I swam, then ate breakfast with Stephanie. “What’s bothering you, Big Bro?” “Joyce. We said ‘goodbye’ last night.” “Goodbye like in you’re going away goodbye, or goodbye like you’re done with each other?” “The first one, for sure. The second one probably, if I’m honest.” “And you’re sad about that?” “Yeah, Squirt, about both.” “You have to make your own decision in the end. You said so...
February 1978 The rest of the week went by quickly. I played chess with Jennifer and Larry. I played chess with Mary. Mary and I couldn’t find a time to get together, much to our mutual disappointment. Even Thursday night didn’t work out since she had to go out with her parents. On Saturday, I called Birgit. I was doing that way too often, but letters with two-week turnarounds just weren’t cutting it. I broached the subject of growing up and gaining experiences and she said that was more or...
October-November 1978 On Saturday, Jennifer joined me for lunch at work. Melanie had called her on Friday night. “So, she asked. She told me she agreed to the ground rules you set. She told me she had written Pete as well, and that he wrote back.” “Then it’s up to you, Jen.” “Do you want to do this?” “I agreed to it. It’s really a question of you and what you need. Is inviting Melanie to share us something you can deal with? Will it hurt our relationship as you see it? Do you think she...
December 1978 The last week of school before Christmas break flew by. The only thing of note was someone joined our lunch table. A girl named Sarah Leonard, who had transferred to Milford this year when her family moved from New York because her dad worked for GE and was transferred. I had seen her around the school, but she appeared to be shy, quiet, and reserved. She was about an inch shorter than me, had long, straight brown hair, and a cute face. She dressed in very loose-fitting...
St. Stephen’s Day, 1984, Indianapolis, Indiana I went to see if Ed had returned and found him and my sister sitting with Kara. Ed looked even happier than he had earlier, so I assumed my sister had properly thanked him. “She’s awake, but groggy,” I said. “She has no idea what happened, though. Ed, why don’t you go see her?” “Thanks!” he replied, giving Stephanie a quick kiss. “I see you properly thanked him!” I teased, after he left. She laughed, “I did. Twice!” “You weren’t gone THAT...
June 1978 First thing Monday morning I called Doctor Mercer’s office to set up an appointment. She said she wanted to see me right away, and Bethany had told her about my work schedule, so she set up a 7:00am appointment for Tuesday. I asked dad about it and he said he could drop me off on his way to work. He’d have enough time to come in and sign the paperwork. From the doctor’s office, I would then walk to the deli. Jennifer’s mom would pick me up from work, and Jennifer and I would have...
June 1978 Wednesday at work was tough. I hadn’t gotten much sleep and the random terrible thoughts kept entering my mind as I went about my tasks. Jennifer wasn’t able to make it for lunch, so I ate alone. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, either at work or at home. I made sure to write my thoughts, especially the dark ones, into my journal. My dream that evening was about Jennifer, and resulted in soiled sheets. I took that as progress. Thursday morning was my second visit to Doctor...
April 1979 Spring break started on April 8th. It was a busy week. On Monday, I went to Melanie’s to see Michelle, who was visiting. She was dating someone, and they’d been going out for a few months. She seemed quite happy, and I was happy that she was happy. The other good news was that Melanie had been cleared to drive. Michelle and I shared a nice hug and a gentle kiss before I left. On Tuesday, Joyce and I had our dinner date. We went to the apartment, and she cooked. We talked about...
Angela spent nearly two weeks wrapping things up. Most days, Frank and Angela talked long on the phone, and Frank helped her through the estate and funeral legalities, remembering his own experience when his parents died. Frank flew out for two days to attend Terrence's funeral and help with packing. The funeral was one of the most depressing events Frank had ever attended. The weather was cold and damp. Angela was red-eyed. Jennifer was completely silent and stone-faced as she huddled in...
June 1978 I was dragging when I rode my bike to the deli. The dream about Birgit had been disturbing and I couldn’t put it out of my mind. It was weighing heavily on me. What had she thought about at the end? Had her last thoughts been of me? That brought tears to my eyes again. Work started as usual. Andreas knew the situation, so he didn’t bother me. He did check to see if I was going to be at the High School next year. I told him ‘yes’ and he said that he would talk to me towards the end...
That December we received an invitation to Robert and Megan Stanwick's house for a Christmas party. This would be the second party at the Stanwick's since Robert became Jennifer's manager. Thursday evening, the night before the party Jennifer was trying to find something to wear and asked me, "What should I wear tomorrow night?" I said, "Something short and clingy, showing lots of cleavage. You need to look sexy tomorrow." Jennifer gave me a quizzical look and asked, "Why?" I...
On Jennifer's birthday, about two years after our experiment with swinging, Jennifer made a shocking and very unusual request. I had taken her out to dinner and dancing earlier that evening and when we got home I had given Jennifer her present, an opal ring. "Remember when we went to that swingers club on vacation a couple of years ago?" We were in bed, naked, and Jennifer was slowly stroking my cock and kissing and flicking her tongue over the head. I said, "How could I...
May 1979 Jennie and Kent arrived to pick me up at 4:00pm. Jennie came in and talked to Mom and reassured her that I’d be with them, except when sleeping. Mom asked about my room and Jennie said it was next to hers and Kent was across the hall. Jennie told her that Jennifer’s mom would drop her at the church, we would ride to the reception at the hotel in a limo with the rest of the wedding party, and then a limo would bring us home. Mom was reassured by all that, and I grabbed my overnight...
November 1978 Friday wasn’t a good day. The story of Melanie’s accident swept through the school. I didn’t hear any rumors of suicide, which made me feel a bit better. After my second period class, I went to the pay phone and called the number at the hospital that Mrs. Spencer had given me. They called her to the phone, and she told me that Melanie was doing better and that she was awake. Mrs. Spencer told me that they planned to move Melanie out of the ICU late Friday if there were no...
June 1978 Bethany called early on Friday morning to invite me to dinner. I was happy to accept. She said that she would be seeing Doctor Mercer that afternoon and would get a recommendation. I thanked her and said I’d see her later. I called Anna to chat. Her parents would be gone from June 26th through the 30th. I told her that any of those days would be fine, and I would make sure I worked mornings and early afternoons. She was happy, told me she was concerned about me, and was excited...
July 2, 1978, continued “Before I answer that, I have a question. Do you think at fifteen we can commit to a lifelong relationship?” “Didn’t you do that with Birgit?” Becky asked. “Actually, no. Think about it. I was dating. I fell in love. She was OK with that. She knew we were too young and too far away for anything permanent. That would come later. She was a really smart girl.” “When we, well, broke up, Mom and I had a long talk. She was really unhappy with me for putting that kind of...
When Dave woke on Saturday morning he was very anxious; he had a growing fear about talking to Jennifer and what her reaction would be. He knew that as each day passed he was getting closer to a probably difficult discussion with her and, now that he knew she was coming to QAI with the twins on Monday, he felt even more nervous. He went to Hawks Hallow and spent the morning practicing, but he was distracted as he continued to think about Jennifer. After two hours he finally decided to call it...
As Dave with his umbrella walked up the hill he could just make out the old wooden structure in the woods. When he was close to the door he noticed the blue plastic tarp he and Jennifer had put on the roof for rain protection still seemed to be intact. He lightly pushed to open the door but the hook they had put on for privacy was latched from the inside. His suspicion confirmed, Dave knocked softly and said, "Jennifer, are you okay? Please let me in. We need to be together." It seemed...