A Well Lived Life 2 Book 6 SamanthaChapter 24 Bethany
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August 1980, Milford, Ohio
I rang the bell and Bethany opened the door a few seconds later. We got in the car and I pulled out of the driveway.
“Where to, Bethany?”
“That depends. Do you want to eat or should we just go straight to making love?” she giggled.
“Let’s eat and talk, which is what you said we would do.”
“You still aren’t sure.”
“That’s right. What do you want to eat?”
“Let’s go to my dad’s country club! You’re dressed OK in slacks and polo.”
“I wondered why you had on a dress! But I want to pay.”
“Dad will never allow it. Don’t worry about it. It’s just something he wants to do for me.”
I drove to the country club and when we pulled up to the door, I reluctantly handed the keys to my baby to the way too anxious valet. Bethany was greeted by name as she had been the previous time and we were quickly shown to one of the romantic booths as we had sat in when we were at the country club before the dance. This time, though, Bethany sat close enough that our knees touched. We both ordered lemon chicken as we had that night.
“There is one difference between tonight and the last time, Steve,” Bethany giggled. “You can get lucky tonight!”
I nodded, but still kept a serious face, “We really do need to talk.”
“I know,” she agreed. “So talk.”
“You really threw me for a loop,” I said. “I need to hear from you what it is you want and what you expect.”
“I know you for who you really are. I knew that before you left. You remember Kathy’s party?”
“Yes, of course,” I replied.
“That night, you told me everything you had done. I knew you had been with quite a few girls. After that, what happened between you and me before you left for Sweden?”
“We made love,” I sighed.
“Yes. And what did I tell you that night?”
I thought back to that night over a year ago.
“You asked me to promise that we could explore the possibilities with no commitment.”
“I did. And you agreed. What else do you remember me telling you that night?”
“That if we made love then, we would see how we felt about each other when I came back.”
“Yes, and how you and Jennifer felt about each other. I know you don’t want to hear it, but things have changed between you and Jennifer. That was clear from what you said when we talked.”
“I know they’ve changed. I’m not denying it. I even told Elyse that just last night.”
“Then we can explore our relationship,” she stated.
“What do you expect from me? What are you looking for?”
“Just an exploration,” Bethany said. “I know you’re having sex with Debbie. I know you’ll visit Katt and you’ll be with her. Eventually you’ll see Karin and probably be with her. I accept those things. All those things, and a lot more, have to happen before I can have you. And yes, honestly, I think in the end, when all is said and done, we belong together. I knew it from that first date. I knew it when I asked you to help me. I knew it when we made love before you left. I know it now.
“I also know that for some reason, at least for now, you can’t be monogamous. Jennifer and I talked about that when she let you help me. We talked about it more when you were away. It’s simply who you are. Jennifer could accept it. Well, so can I. You’ve told me Joyce has a real problem with it, and that she’s hoping that you’ll change. Jennifer told me she didn’t think you would change, but she felt that she had a solution that would work to create a successful relationship.”
Our food arrived, and we started eating. As usual, the service was so good it was almost oppressive.
“And what do you think?” I inquired.
“I think that when you finally ask someone to marry you, you’ll keep your commitment. I think both Joyce and Jennifer are wrong. Let me ask you, did Birgit think you would keep your commitment?”
“Yes, she trusted me implicitly. And so does Karin.”
“Then you really only have two choices right now. The two girls who trust you implicitly.”
“Are you telling me to dump Joyce?”
“Oh no, Steve. That’s not my place. Not yet, anyway.”
“What about Katt and Elyse? And the other girls?”
“Tell me, honestly, besides me and Jennifer, who have you felt any kind of connection with?”
“Birgit, Karin, and Elyse,” I said.
“Birgit, well, I can’t compete with a ghost, but I don’t think I have to.”
“No, you don’t. Birgit will always be with me in wonderful memories, but I’ve made my peace there.”
“Good. With Karin, it’s two years from now before you see her. A lot can change in two years. I’ll worry about that then. You didn’t mention Katt, but I don’t see it lasting, either. Even though you say she’s changed, at some point either you’ll tire of providing emotional support or she’ll be so busy you can’t see her. I believe you told me that was going to happen before and I still think it’ll happen.
“As for what you euphemistically call dalliances and random deflowerings? Well, that’s just who you are. I know it and I’m going into this with my eyes wide open. I knew about those things before the first time we had sex. I’m not expecting you to be anyone other than who you are. Well, for now. I told you who I think you’ll be in the future.”
“You seem to have thought this out quite thoroughly!” I said with a smile. “What about Stephanie?”
“Didn’t you ask her what we talked about?”
“No. I felt that was between you and her. She didn’t really volunteer anything, though I think that now she sees you as a co-conspirator; someone to help her keep me from being a ‘dumb boy’.”
“She said ‘fucking idiot!’” she laughed. “Where did she come up with that?”
I chuckled, “That’s Katt’s line, though in Swedish. Stephanie got it from my journal.”
“Anyway, I really pushed hard on her about the two of you. She didn’t waver at all and insisted, quite convincingly, that she’d instigated the whole thing. She told me that if you hadn’t figured it out, then one night she would have crawled into your bed naked and, I quote, ‘made him fuck me’. So I guess my concerns were misplaced.”
“And?”
“Oh hell Steve, who am I to judge? I set out to seduce you to solve my own problem with my own ulterior motives, and I misled you about it. You never once said a thing to me about it. In fact, quite the opposite; you were more worried about me than about yourself. I’m not going to help you, but I’m not going to stand in your way, either.”
“I guess you’ve put my mind more at ease,” I sighed with a feeling of relief. “Yes, let’s explore.”
She smiled, leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and whispered in my ear, “I still have one cherry!”
“Bethany Michelle Krajick!” I chuckled. “When did you become a bad girl?”
“It’s your fault, Steve Adams. You’re the one who corrupted me by telling me about all those things!” she giggled.
“Me? You told me you would never do that!”
“I’ll tell you a secret,” Bethany said in a conspiratorial tone, “Jennifer told me just how amazing it was. She said your connection made it fantastic. We have that connection and you know it! Jennifer didn’t know that when she told me about it. And honestly, if I’m going to try anything wild, you’re the guy to try it with. Is there anything you haven’t done?”
“Well, I’ve never been with a guy and a girl. I’ve had a couple of girls suggest it, but it’s just not my thing.”
“I wonder who I could get to join us?” she giggled.
“Just calm down a bit, young lady! You could very easily get out of control and do things you don’t want to do. Let me tell you about Annie.”
I told her the story of what had happened in Sweden with Annie. She listened without interrupting.
“Afterwards, did you feel like you had raped her?”
“I’m not sure,” I replied “but maybe that’s the feeling I had, though I was sure that she had consented.”
“Well, no, that’s probably not the case. I don’t think that she consented. What happened was that she didn’t object. Those are two very, very different things. It’s something you need to watch out for. You can very easily take a young girl someplace she doesn’t want to go if you aren’t careful. You are that talented. Think about it. Take it from me; you need to always be sure. Always. And that means that if you haven’t discussed it, you ask. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, I hear you. I need to tell you about Kim, then.”
I explained what had happened with Kim Smith. She listened as she had before.
“There’s an important difference between that and Annie. You told Kim that it got even better and she asked you to show her. That was clearly consent. Sure, it wasn’t a direct ‘Is it OK to fuck you?’ with a clear ‘Yes!’ but when you offered to show her how much better it got, you had consent to proceed. Not to mention her begging you to actually do it later on!”
“The reason I brought it up is that you mentioned taking a young girl someplace she didn’t want to go.”
“I did. But it sounds like in this case you had an agreement to make out and she asked you to continue, and at the two important points, you had clear consent. With Annie, you never even talked about it. You kissed her, got her worked up and she let you do it. Those two girls are perfect examples of the right way and the wrong way, Steve. Remember that.”
“I will.”
We finished eating and Bethany signed the bill. Once again, I didn’t get to see what it cost. I didn’t bother asking because I was sure she wouldn’t tell me.
“You need to tip the valet $5.00 when he brings you your car,” Bethany whispered as we walked out.
I pulled out my wallet and took out five singles, and handed them to the valet after he opened the door for Bethany.
“Where to?” I asked as I put the car into gear and drove down the long driveway towards the street.
“Believe it or not, I want you to take me home.”
“What?!” I asked in surprise. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Not at all! You did everything right. But you aren’t ready for this yet. You still need to think about it. Remember, I know you pretty well. If you don’t think about it before we get into bed, it’ll drive you nuts for weeks. That’s something you have to work on.”
I turned the car towards Milford.
“Stephanie told you about my tendency to obsess about things, didn’t she?”
“She might have!” Bethany giggled.
“You two are already conspiring against me! And how, pray tell, will you know when I’m OK with all of this?”
“When you can take my last cherry and be happy about doing it,” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing. “Your reaction to my whispering that in your ear told me everything I needed to know. I can read you like an open book, in case you haven’t noticed.”
The connection. She was doing the same damned thing Jennifer used to do to me all the time. It was different, though. Where Jennifer was direct and blunt, Bethany was subtle. I much preferred Bethany’s approach.
“Yes, I noticed. Whatever this connection we have is, it makes it easier for us to understand each other.”
“It’s pretty clear what it is. It’s being in tune with each other emotionally and really understanding the other person. Think about everything we’ve talked about over the past two years, everything we’ve experienced. We know each other really, really well. That’s all it is. It’s not magical or mystical or anything like that. You and Stephanie have it, and that is exactly why you two feel that you need to break the societal taboo on incest. Ed and I have something like it, but it’s not that strong, not even close. I’d be scared to death if it was.”
“I was scared to death when Melanie first told me what Stephanie wanted. Scared out of my mind. It took a lot to get past that and overcome the taboo.”
“I think you and Stephanie got as close as you did because you were both looking for exactly the same thing. You are both strong, independent kids who couldn’t stand the control your mom was exerting, and you teamed up to protect yourselves. It might not even have been conscious on your part.”
“It was on Stephanie’s. She’s been looking out for me since she was seven.”
“Trying to help you avoid your mom’s control, as well as her wrath.”
“Yes.”
“So you developed that extra strong emotional bond, one that’s usually reserved for husband and wife, or maybe identical twins.”
“How did you get to be so smart, Bethany?” I asked.
“I’ve spent three years with Doctor Mercer, as you know. And I read a lot of psychology books. You’ll find out soon enough I read lots of other books, too! I’m pretty sure I want to be a psychologist. That’s what I’ll probably study in college.”
I let the ‘books’ comment go and asked, “Do you know where you want to go yet?”
“I’m going to apply to a bunch of schools in the Midwest, probably University of Illinois, Northwestern, University of Wisconsin, University of Iowa. What about you?”
“Far enough away from home that my mom can’t bother me. I’ve discussed with Elyse and Jennifer schools in the greater Chicago area because we all want to be in the same city. Isn’t Northwestern in Chicago?”
“Evanston, but that’s a suburb to the north. It would be cool if a bunch of us went to school in the same area, or at least close enough to visit.”
“You know the risks of Jennifer and me being at the same school or close?”
“I do. I don’t think it’s really a risk, Steve. And I honestly don’t think Elyse is a risk. Oh, you might have sex with both of them, even a lot of sex, but I don’t think you’ll end up with either of them. It’s me or Karin. It could be some unknown person you haven’t met, but I don’t think so.”
“How do you know this?”
“Women’s intuition!” she giggled.
“Wait! You give me an hour’s worth of free psychological analysis and your answer is intuition?”
“Yes!” she giggled.
I laughed and shook my head. Girls could be so silly.
When we got to Bethany’s house, I walked her to the door. I pulled her into a tight hug and we touched our lips together and I tasted peaches. She parted hers, so I pressed my tongue gently into her mouth. Our hug grew tighter as our tongues danced with each other. Bethany broke the kiss, and we both took deep breaths.
“If you thought sex with me was good before, just wait,” she said softly.
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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...