A Well Lived Life Book 3 PiaChapter 2 Saying Goodbye
- 2 years ago
- 35
- 0
August 1980, Milford, Ohio
On Thursday, Jennifer’s second to last day in Milford, we got together with Pete and Melanie for lunch at Melanie’s house. Melanie and her mom made homemade pepperoni pizza, and the four of us devoured two whole pies. When we finished, we stayed at the table drinking Cokes.
“It’s going to be really different without the three of you around all the time,” I said.
“We’re not that far away,” Melanie said. “Remember what you told me when Pete went away — it’s a quick trip that you could make any time. You’ll get your license in less than a month and you can come visit us anytime you want to.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean things won’t be different.”
“You’ll be fine,” Melanie said. “You did just fine in Sweden. In fact, you did great in Sweden. Jennifer told me you’re developing a new support group the same as you did there. Your sister is still here and you can talk to Jennifer. It’s only a year. How fast did your year in Sweden pass?”
“It flew by. When I first got there, it seemed like a long time, but once I got into a routine, time just disappeared,” I said.
“It’ll happen this year, too,” Melanie said, clearly trying to reassure me.
“You’ll be really busy, from what I hear,” Pete said. “That will help.”
Pete was right. Between school, programming, the chess team, and friends, I would be busy. That didn’t take into account any work I’d be doing for Andreas, nor my trips to see Katt.
“I know, guys. That doesn’t make it easier,” I sighed.
“How about a sauna?” Melanie said with a smile.
I gave her a hard look and said, “As long as you behave, Melanie Spencer!”
Melanie stuck her tongue out at me, causing Jennifer and Pete to laugh. I wasn’t going to take the bait, though. I just smiled at Melanie.
“No fair! You always say not to do that unless I plan to use it!”
“You’re right, I do. But in this case, you can only use it on Pete, so it’s up to him to decide.”
“Well, there might be one other guy I could use it on,” she smirked.
“It’s not happening, Melanie. You know Pete won’t approve.”
“Are you sure about that? I can be pretty convincing.”
I looked at Jennifer, who gave a small shrug.
“Well, Pete? I guess it’s up to you to decide if we give Melanie what she wants. Say the word and we can go upstairs right now!” I said with confidence.
Pete just shook his head, “I know what she wants; you’re right, my answer is ‘no’.”
Melanie pouted, but I was pretty sure that she’d known the answer before Pete spoke.
“We can go up to the sauna if you want, Mel. I’m comfortable with that.”
“Let’s go,” Melanie said, but without any enthusiasm in her voice.
Melanie and Pete headed upstairs, but Jennifer grabbed my arm.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Sure, I’ve been in the sauna with them before, back when I was seeing Michelle during Spring break years ago.”
“I haven’t, though. Well, of course I’ve been in there with Melanie and Sarah and Mary, but not Pete.”
“I didn’t even think about that, Jen. I’m sorry. We can tell them that we decided to head back to your house.”
She considered for a moment and said, “No, let’s go. If another guy is going to see me naked, I guess Pete is fine.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Yes, let’s go!” she said. “I’ll be interested to see how you and Pete measure up!” she teased.
“Don’t even go there!” I replied. “Melanie used to give me grief about that.”
“You’re perfect, OK? I was just teasing!”
We walked upstairs and stripped off our clothes, and went into the sauna to join Pete and Melanie.
Jennifer and I sat close together, and I put my arm around her. Pete was already sitting that way with Melanie.
“Everything OK?” Melanie asked.
“Just fine!” Jennifer replied with a smile.
“Still looking as hot as ever, Melanie!” I teased.
“Steve, be careful, that’s my fiancée you’re talking about!” Pete said with a grin.
“I’m looking, not touching, Pete. Besides, you see who I have my arm around!”
“And she is smoking hot!” Pete laughed.
Jennifer blushed deep red at Pete’s comment, smiled nervously, but said nothing.
“Smoking hot, Petey? And what am I?”
“Mine!” he chuckled.
“Yes, I am,” she said softly.
We sat in the sauna for about twenty minutes and then quickly rinsed off the sweat, dried ourselves, and dressed. Jennifer and I said we were going to head out, and I shook Pete’s hand and gave Melanie a hug. That wasn’t good enough for Melanie, who gave me a searing French kiss. I looked at Pete and he just rolled his eyes. He was smiling, though, so I guess the kiss was permitted. Melanie and Jennifer hugged tightly and kissed each other on the cheek.
We headed out and drove back to Jennifer’s house.
“Jennifer, you blushed when Pete said you were ‘smoking hot’!”
“He is the only guy other than you to see me naked. I wasn’t expecting that. It’s your fault,” she giggled, “because you had to flirt with Melanie! And what was with that kiss?”
“Given I’m still alive and in one piece, I’m guessing Pete is OK with that. He rolled his eyes when I looked at him. Maybe that’s his way of letting Melanie blow off some steam by being just a tiny bit naughty.”
“Maybe, but be careful there.”
“I will. You think I flirt with Melanie?”
“Yes, you two flirt shamelessly. I’m surprised that Pete puts up with it, though after that kiss, I guess flirting is tame. But that whole thing about the threesome was you and Melanie telling Pete you wanted to fuck each other silly!”
I thought about it for a minute and realized that she was right.
“I guess that’s true, but it’s never going to happen. We may flirt and tease, but that’s it.”
“And kiss.”
“Is that a problem for you? I didn’t initiate it, but I can easily put a stop to it.”
“No, it’s OK. You two have a history. But I’m worried about Pete.”
“I’ll make sure he’s OK with it, Jennifer,” I replied, the asked with a smirk, “So, how do we measure up?”
“It’s difficult to tell in that state!” she giggled.
“Are you saying you want to find out?” I teased again.
“No, not at all! I told you I have no interest in other guys. But,” she giggled, “you were right, Melanie was as hot as ever!”
“And compared to Stephanie?” I asked, “Of course, I can’t say personally, given I’VE never seen her naked!”
“Just wait,” she grinned, “be prepared to be blown away. That’s all I am going to say.”
“I get a good idea of that from when she wears her bathing suit, and when she walks around in her t-shirt and shorts,” I said.
“You’ll like it!” Jennifer replied.
I sighed as I faced what was coming up. “We’re down to less than 48 hours. What do you want to do? The only thing that’s set in stone is the party tomorrow.”
“There is one thing I really, really want to do. Something we’ve never done, believe it or not.”
“What’s that?”
“Make love in your bed! We did it in your parents’ bed, but never yours. Do you think we could?”
“Tonight is my parents’ date night, but Jeff will be home, so I’m not sure we can manage. There really isn’t a way to get to my room without walking past the living room, and that’s where he usually hangs out. Mom will never stand for you being there when they leave, either.”
“Maybe I can sneak in late. Your curfew isn’t until 1:00am. Think we could get away with that?”
“We can try, but if we get caught, my dad won’t be able to prevent mom from punishing me! Is it really worth the risk?”
“I guess not. You’re still planning to spend the night tomorrow after the party, right?”
“Of course! The only way I won’t be there is if I’m dead!”
“You might be by morning!” she giggled.
“Sounds like just making love isn’t on the agenda.”
“No, that’s all we’re going to do; we’re just going to do it all night!”
I chuckled, “So, besides sex, what do you want to do before you leave?”
“We have to go to Graeter’s for ice cream tonight and we should eat lunch at the deli tomorrow. Otherwise, we’ll just hang out. Let’s go upstairs.”
We went up to her room, and she shut the door and took off her clothes and got into bed.
“Come cuddle me until dinner. We have a few hours to just hold each other.”
I got into bed with her and pulled her into a cuddle. She put an arm and a leg across me and I felt her breasts pushing into me. She sighed and rested her head on my chest. We lay like that for the next few hours, not talking or moving very much, just holding each other. I thought about Jennifer’s impending departure and just how much I was going to miss her.
We lay there until Jennifer’s mom knocked on the door and told us that dinner was in fifteen minutes. We kissed a few times, then got up and dressed. We went downstairs to dinner. Mrs. Block had gone all out with homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and a salad. I ate heartily and thanked her for a fantastic meal. When we finished eating, Jennifer and I excused ourselves to go to Graeter’s for one last time.
At Graeter’s, Jennifer and I both ordered sundaes.
“Want my cherry, Steve?” Jennifer smirked.
“I already got all of them!” I chuckled. “And I enjoyed every one!”
“Me too! I’m going to miss making love with you, Steve. I’m going to miss everything,” she said with a hitch in her voice as tears ran down her cheeks.
“I love you, Jennifer,” I said softly.
“I love you too, Steve.” she replied, sniffling.
We finished our sundaes and walked hand-in-hand down the street towards the river, and then walked along it until we came to a bench and sat down. I put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her tightly against me. We sat quietly for about a half hour, just savoring her presence. I’d kiss the top of her head, taking in the sweet aroma of her hair. She’d smile sadly, and our lips would touch, just gentle reminders of all we’d shared over the past years, as if that would slow down time.
Finally, with a heavy sigh, I said that we should be going back. She nodded, answering with her own sigh as we got up from the bench and walked back to Jennifer’s car. We drove to Jennifer’s house, and I called home to talk to Stephanie.
“Is Jeff planted in the living room, Squirt?”
“Yeah, of course. I’m in my room avoiding him like I always do. Why?”
“Jennifer wanted to make love in my bed tonight, but there’s no way to get to my room without Jeff seeing us.”
“What about climbing in my window? I’ve done that before.”
“Something you need to tell me, Stephanie?” I chuckled.
“Ask me later!”
“The problem with that is he can see down the hallway to your door from where he sits.”
“True. It’s too risky. If he told Mom about it, Dad wouldn’t be able to save you.”
“I know. OK, Squirt. I had to ask.”
I hung up and told Jennifer exactly what had been said. She was disappointed but took me by the hand and led me to her room, where we made love. When we finished, we dressed, and she took me home. I saw Jeff sitting in the living room through the window so I couldn’t even invite Jennifer in. We kissed goodnight, and I went inside and went to my room.
Stephanie came to my room and sat down on one of my beanbag chairs.
“What’s up, Squirt?”
“I’m going to miss her,” she sighed.
“Me too, but you and I are together.”
“Hug me, Big Brother?”
She stood up, and I pulled her into an embrace, though not too tight. I let her go fairly quickly, and we sat down again.
“I meant to tell you, Vickie told me to say ‘hello’.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Good. She’s seeing that college guy off and on. They aren’t dating, but they appear to be fucking as often as they can. I guess Aunt Sylvia won’t let her date.”
“That’s pretty funny. That sounds like Erin’s situation — she and I have had sex quite a bit, but we wouldn’t be allowed to date yet. I guess her mom will let her date High School guys when school starts.”
“Vickie is probably going to spend the night here at some point. She’s going to let me know when.”
“Don’t promise her anything. You know the rules.”
“I know. She actually didn’t say anything about it other than to tell you ‘hello’.”
We talked for another twenty minutes or so, then she went back to her room. I wrote in my journal about how I was feeling about Jennifer leaving. I checked the clock and realized it was early enough in Colorado to call Katt. She said everything was going OK, and that she was excited to hear from me and told me she was really looking forward to my visit in a little over a week. When I hung up, I went to bed.
August 8th, 1980, Milford, Ohio
It was Jennifer’s last day in Milford. Stephanie and I swam, then dressed. Jennifer arrived at 7:00am to have breakfast with us. I cooked bacon and eggs and Stephanie made waffles. Stephanie asked if it was OK to join us for lunch today, and Jennifer quickly agreed. I knew Mom would hate it, but at this point, I simply didn’t care. I fully expected Mom to gloat about the fact that my ‘slutty girlfriend’ was gone. Of course, she’d call any girl I hung out with a slut, so I knew I wouldn’t get a reprieve. We finished breakfast and then went to hang out in my room.
“Jennifer, don’t you have to pack?” Stephanie asked.
“Just what I need on the trip and for a few days afterwards,” she answered. “The moving company is packing everything for us today. Steve didn’t stay over last night because I needed to pack when I arrived home. If he was there, I wouldn’t have wanted to pack!”
“That’s how I feel every day, Jennifer. I have to live with him and I don’t want to do anything except,” her voice dropped to a whisper, “rip his clothes off and attack him!”
“Soon enough, Squirt!” I whispered back.
Once everyone was up, we went to play pool for a bit, and then Jennifer and I played chess. She won all three games quite easily, just as Erin and Larry had, and we headed back to my room.
“Wow, Steve, you really are out of practice. You could never make the team playing that badly.”
“I know,” I said. “I told you I didn’t play all year!”
“You’re going to see Becky at the Indian Hill chess meet, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. It’ll be fine. I’d prefer not to see her, but there really is nothing between us at this point.”
“Be careful, Big Brother. You were always a moth to her flame,” Stephanie warned.
“I hear you Stephanie. It’ll be fine. I’m more concerned about the Turpin meet, actually.”
“Oh, that’s right! You’ll see Anna. That should be interesting,” Jennifer said.
“I’m going to wear a cup. She’s likely to try to rip my balls off if the way that conversation ended is any indication.”
June 23, 1994, Oguni, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan My first week in Japan flew by, and a routine developed. Sakurako would wake me; I’d exercise and run, then shower and have breakfast, and share tea with Sakurako. After breakfast, I’d meditate, and then have my training session. After lunch, I’d work in the garden, or, as I had this day, wash the floors in the house. Hiroshi would accompany me back to the cottage and we’d talk while I washed up and dressed for dinner. After dinner, I’d spend...
June 15, 1994, Chicago, Illinois “That’s everything, I think,” I said. “My luggage is in the trunk of the car, I have my passport, tickets, and money, both dollars and yen. I can’t think of anything else.” “I’ll see you in five weeks,” Elyse said, giving me a quick hug. “Did you see they rioted in Vancouver last night because they lost the Stanley Cup?” I chuckled, “Only Canadians would riot when they LOSE the Cup! I did see that on the front page of the Trib. Are we ready?” “Michelle and...
August 1981, Chicago, Illinois On Sunday morning, I made my usual call to Karin. I described everything in the apartment and all the things I’d done during the week, including the reception. Both of us would start school in a week and we were both looking forward to it. When we finished talking, I went out for my run, showered, and ate breakfast. I made some tea, started a load of laundry, and then turned on the stereo. I put on an REO Speedwagon album and then relaxed on the couch with the...
August 21, 1989, Chicago, Illinois “Unbelievable,” I said when I read the headline from the Chicago Tribune. “It says here that Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki was nominated to be Prime Minister of Poland.” I hadn’t had a chance to read the paper on Sunday because it hadn’t been delivered before we left for the race track in Michigan. “So now what?” Kara asked. “We’re in totally uncharted territory. Your guess is as good as anyone’s right about now.” “Steve, do you have a minute?”...
July, 1983, Chicago, Illinois I woke up early on the First of July, because my body clock was still set to Swedish time. The flight back had been long but uneventful, and I was happy that the businessman in the seat next to me hadn’t wanted to talk. I read, wrote some longhand journal entries, ate, and generally relaxed while the plane zipped over the Atlantic. I’d come home, taken a sauna, eaten a light meal, and gone straight to bed, not bothering to check messages, look at the mail that...
June 1977 When I got home, I grabbed a Coke and some chips and went right to my room. I didn’t think I could deal with my parents or Jeff or Stephanie. I just needed to be by myself. That wouldn’t seem odd to anyone, because I often went to my room to read. In addition, I now had the TV I’d received for my birthday. I flipped it on to WXIX Channel 19 and reruns of Gilligan’s Island and Green Acres played in the background while I read. I had to get my mind clear for the final exams that...
July, 1982, Milford, Ohio I woke up early on Friday morning to make breakfast for Kara and her mom before she went to work. Mrs. Blanchard was surprised, but very pleased. After her mom left for work, Kara gave me a fierce kiss. “Thanks for staying in and cooking breakfast for us,” Kara said. “I hope that doesn’t cause you trouble with Stephanie, with you breaking your normal routine.” “Don’t worry about it,” I said, kissing her back. “We got in a bit later than I expected, and she’ll...
July, 1983, Chicago, Illinois After Rosie left, I stripped the sheets from my bed, as well as the cover of the duvet, and tossed everything into the washing machine. I lit a lavender candle in the room, and then swept and dusted. I did a quick spot-check of the rest of the house and noticed that the tub in the sauna needed to be cleaned. I scrubbed it, then mopped the sauna floor with a damp sponge mop. I finished cleaning the sauna about the time the washing machine finished, so I moved...
May 26, 1991, Iron Mountain, Michigan “Shall we see if we can find a farm?” I asked at breakfast on Sunday morning. “That sounds like a great idea,” Jessica said. “There’s a visitor’s bureau in town,” Kara said. “I saw it when we were here the first time.” “I’m sorry I ruined that vacation,” Jessica said. “Ruined?” I protested. “Are you kidding? Getting you back was way more important than a few days of vacation!” “I agree,” Kara added. “Jess, you know exactly how bad off Steve was...
August, 1984, Chicago, Illinois The rest of the week proceeded as expected - class on Wednesday, as well as the usual visit from Penny, work on Thursday, and class on Friday. Kara and I had lunch together at IIT, Sofia practiced her driving and parking, and I hung out with Mark Agnini after class for beers. Staci and I got into a couple of interesting debates about the Old Testament that Mark had to break up to allow others in the class to participate. She was very much of the ‘directly...
March 25, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “What time do I need to have you home?” “8:00pm will be fine,” Misty replied. “My parents are in Normal visiting my brother at Illinois State. They aren’t supposed to be home before 10:00pm.” Misty and I were in my car on the way to the NIKA apartment which, fortunately, was not being used. With our expansion, it was in more or less regular use, and that meant I didn’t have access to it as often as I would have liked. I was glad there had been a delay in...
January 17, 1989, Chicago, Illinois “What time do you have to leave this morning?” Kara asked as we showered together on Tuesday morning. “About 8:30am,” I said. “I’m driving over to get Jeri, then heading to O’Hare. We have an 11:00am flight. Assuming all goes well, we’ll be in the office by 3:00pm Pacific time. We’ll spend a couple hours going over the software then go to dinner. The demo is tomorrow. Our flight back on Thursday leaves LA at 11:00am, so we’ll be home by 8:00pm, I...
June 1977 Friday ended up being a non-event. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure that there was no way on this earth I could say what happened between Birgit and me was a sin. Calling it a sin would debase it into a meaningless act. I could never do that. And the more I thought about Jennie McGrath, the more sure I was that I couldn’t call what she did for me a sin, either. If the church was right, I was going to hell. And frankly, there was no way that could be true. So I...
July 22, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “Albert, do you have everything packed?” Mom asked. “Yes, Mom!” I replied, rolling my eyes because she’d asked before I went to bed. “He’ll be fine, Babe,” Dad said. “Let’s walk to the hospital.” I usually didn’t get up early, but Dad had suggested it would help Mom if I walked to the hospital with her because I was leaving to see Jane for three weeks. Mom, Dad, Aunt Kara and I left the house and headed down the sidewalk towards the hospital where Mom and...
May 14, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “Start talking!” Melanie demanded when I sat down in her office about an hour later. “There isn’t much to say. Katya found the information for me when I asked her to look into several things about Brandon Littleton, Kevin Lomax, and John Milton.” “Do you know more about him?” “A LOT more. I don’t think you want to know.” “Probably not, but I’m your criminal defense attorney, and even though San Antonio doesn’t have you involved in this, you know the CPD...
“So, how should we do these Stone’s songs?” Phil asked at our rehearsal session. “I think we all know the music, we just need to come up with a pretty awesome arrangement; we don’t want to sound like yet another cheap cover band.” “I had some ideas, if it’s okay for me to make some suggestions,” Allison said. “Of course it is,” Phil said. “Everyone can have a say, there’s no rule that says you can’t participate in the discussion.” “Thanks, Phil, I guess being the newest here, I’m a bit...
May 11, 1992, Chicago, Illinois Monday was turning out to be a LONG day. After my run and talk with Gina, and my talk with Elyse, I had a full day at the office scheduled. First was our leadership meeting in the morning, and then I had status meetings with each team. At lunch I’d gone to see Siobhán and explained that I was going to break off the sexual relationship, but that I wanted to remain friends. She was disappointed, but admitted that Thursday would have been the last time, since she...
January 19, 1989, En-Route from LAX to ORD When the engines of the plane started, Jeri reached over and took my hand. She held it while we pushed away from the gate, and taxied for takeoff. Her grip tightened a bit as we hurtled down the runway, but nothing like the death grip she’d had on my arm for the flight out. The plane roared its way into the air and once we leveled out, Jeri’s grip loosened but she didn’t let go of my hand. “How are you doing?” I asked with a touch of...
September 1982, Chicago, Illinois The weekend was quiet and besides homework, I worked on the program changes for Frank, called Karin, Tatyana, and Kara, and hung out with my usual study group. Monday was refreshingly normal. On Tuesday morning, I handed Katy my completed intake form. She put it in an envelope and stuck it in her bag. She said she’d let me know soon about the interview. On Tuesday afternoon, after having lunch with Stephie, I made my rounds and then I headed over to Sigma...
October 1982, Chicago, Illinois The drive back to Chicago was as uneventful as usual, and I arrived at the apartment just before 6:00pm. When I arrived, Elyse and Stephie were sitting on the couch and Jackie was sitting on the loveseat. Stephie hopped up as I opened the door and greeted me with a hug and a kiss. “Hi, Peaches!” I said. “Glad you’re home, Yankee!” “Hi, Steve,” Elyse and Jackie both said. “Hey,” I replied. “How was the weekend?” “Well, it was just Kurt with me, Stephie,...
June 11, 1989, Chicago, Illinois It was just after 3:00am when I kissed Trish goodbye. She’d been an enthusiastic, energetic, and adventurous lover. We’d done just about anything either of us could think of, though her breasts weren’t large enough for a tit-fuck. The last time had been in the shower where we’d ostensibly gone to clean up afterwards, but instead I ended up taking her from behind as she leaned against the wall of the shower. “I think I’ll have you again, Steve Adams,” she...
May 1978 The first couple of weeks in May were busy with school, work, and friends. Except for Becky, I didn’t even have any dates. But I was OK with that. Well, almost OK. I wanted to see Anna, but it likely wasn’t going to happen until school was out. I had tutoring sessions with Melanie, but she still wouldn’t talk to me about anything other than Spanish. Barely a hello. I was grateful for the tutoring, but it was maddening seeing my friend this way. I hoped someday she could understand...
March, 1982, Milford, Ohio As I drove along I-65, I thought about what Stephanie had asked for and what Bethany had said without even knowing about the request. Of course, because Bethany and I were so in tune, she might have actually had an idea that I was struggling with getting involved with my sister again. I kept turning it over and over in my mind and I kept coming to the same conclusion — that I shouldn’t do it. I was torn between doing what Stephanie wanted and doing what Kara and...
September 7, 1992, Chicago, Illinois “That went reasonably well,” Michelle said when her parents drove off. “There were a few times I thought my expression would give away something I shouldn’t. You were messing with me, weren’t you?” She grabbed both my hands and smiled, “I was telling the truth, in my own way. Thank you!” She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “So, what’s left?” I asked. “To visit UofC tomorrow and formally withdraw from classes. To spend some time with you and your...
October 1981, Chicago, Illinois I arrived back at the apartment just before 10:00pm and saw the address for the party. I decided I wasn’t particularly interested in going so I put on some music, poured myself a glass of wine, and started reading more about Russia. I was alternating between the history and culture book and the Communist Party book, decided on the history and culture book for this time. I didn’t get much reading done because I was thinking about Tatyana, which led me to...
January 23, 1996, Chicago, Illinois “Father, bless!” I said, greeting Father Basil with upturned palms. “Bless you, Stephen,” he said as I kissed his hand. The waiter showed us to a quiet table along the wall of Roditys in Greektown. He took our drink orders and was back quickly. We placed our food orders right away and he left to put them in with the kitchen. “I’m not quite sure how to address this, so I’m just going to ask you bluntly. Are you the father of Michelle’s baby?” I shook my...
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...
November 4, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “Good morning, Sensei,” Miyu said when Kara, the girls, and I walked into the dojo on Saturday morning. “Good morning, Miyu.” “Do you have a moment, please?” I nodded and we went to the small practice room for privacy, as Sensei Jim had a family in his office. “What can I do for you?” “I need you to meet a young man,” she said. “I think you might be taking this ‘not do anything without permission’ a bit too far!” Miyu shook her head, “No, I’m not....
May 1979 The limo dropped me at home about 9:00pm. I took my stuff to my room, stripped, and hung up the tux. The rest of the things went into the hamper. I took a shower, put on shorts and a t-shirt, and walked down the hall into my dad’s office. I saw no reason to put this off any longer. “Stephen, you need to explain yourself!” my mom demanded. “I was in Mrs. McGrath’s, well, Mrs. Sanders’ now, wedding, as I said.” “You walked her down the aisle! You’re sixteen and not even related to...
November 3, 1990, Chicago, Illinois “I still don’t understand why you told everyone to leave Katy alone last night,” Elyse said on Saturday morning. “Because we weren’t going to talk her out of it. I could tell by the way she told us. I hoped letting her sleep on it would allow her to hear what we had to say. Obviously I was wrong.” “I was surprised that she wouldn’t talk to Jennifer at all,” Kara said. “I thought Jennifer would be the one to get her to listen to reason this morning.” I...
February, 1983, Chicago, Illinois Our first joining since the previous summer was slow and sweet, trying to express our deep love for each other through the motions of our bodies. When we finished, Karin held me tight and refused to let me move off of her. “Sleep there, please,” she whispered. I kissed her once more then adjusted my pillow so that I could rest my head next to hers. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but it was what Karin wanted. The feel of her firm body under mine,...
July 3, 1996, Chicago, Illinois I blinked several times and took a breath before responding. It didn’t help. The best I could do was contain my visceral reaction at her completely out-of-line request and her wrong-headed assumptions when she had NO idea what had happened in my life the previous eight months. “What makes you think you can make that request after refusing to talk to me for nearly eight months? And equally importantly, without explaining Alexi? And without giving me the first...
August 12, 1994, Chicago, Illinois “Fuck ‘em all,” I sighed. “Especially Donald Fehr. Running to Federal Court, the NLRB, and Congress? I’m really tired of the government putting its thumb so heavily on the scale.” “Well, we’re not going to resolve that problem today,” Elyse said. “Jackie and Jeremiah want to come over.” I chuckled, “Why am I not surprised? I bet you anything he had a rough sketch done ten minutes after they hung up the phone.” “They want to discuss options. Kimmy felt...
July 1983, Milford, Ohio My drive to Ohio was filled with wild swings of emotion. After quickly driving Anala home I had set out for Milford, driving as fast as I thought I could get away with, slowing only when warned to do so by my radar detector. I’d told Nancy that I’d come straight to her house and asked her to call my dad and let him know so that Stephanie wasn’t worried. I pulled into the Blanchards’ driveway at 3:30pm, having managed to avoid any run-ins with the Indiana State Police...
June 1980, On the Train, and in Abisko, Sweden As the train sped across the Swedish countryside towards Stockholm, I reflected on the fact that there were less than three weeks to go until I had to be in Copenhagen to board a flight home. I was torn between wanting to go home and wanting to stay, but in the end, I didn’t have a choice. I really liked my life here, the freedom I was given, the friends I had and, the respect I had from adults. I hadn’t run into a single adult who had treated...
May 18, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “As I said last time, today we’re going to talk about decision making and how to make good decisions. I think we’ll start with what I think has to be the easiest decision with the least controversy - is it ever OK to drive drunk?” “No!” came a chorus from several of the students. “And yet, people do that every day,” I replied. “And they die or kill people because of that bad decision. You have to ask yourself why people would drive drunk; and often it’s...