A Fresh StartChapter 37 Sophomore Year
- 3 years ago
- 18
- 0
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!” And then she turned to the guys, “And before you ask, we did have that foursome we talked about last time.”
“Holy shit, kid. Whatever you have, can you bottle it and sell it to me?”
All his friends and all the girls laughed. I watched the game intently, redder than I would have been with a sunburn.
Bethany leaned over and whispered, “Foursome?”
I just shrugged.
The last weekend before school started was a three-day weekend because of Labor Day. On Saturday, Andreas called me to his office. First he asked me for a name and a photo. I knew what he meant. He also told me that because I couldn’t do regular rounds, and because I was at the High School, there were two tasks I could do.
First, I would take a gym bag and give it to a certain Senior each week. I was sure I knew what that was. I would get an identical bag back from him that I would bring to the apartment. I would count the contents, tally it, and then put it back in the bag. The cycle would repeat each week. I had just graduated to drug courier.
Second, although this wasn’t starting right away, I would have to deliver envelopes to certain seniors. I figured it was payoffs of some kind, gambling or drugs. I knew I couldn’t talk to anyone about this except Joyce, and perhaps Larry. It had to be completely secret from my friends.
And now I was going to receive an extra $100 a week. That meant that my salary during the school year would be about the same as the non-school year, despite only working for sure on Saturdays and one evening a week. $100 cash was far more than I would take home working 40 hours at the minimum wage.
When I left his office, I called Melanie and asked her to bring a Droflim, the Milford yearbook, to the deli, and that I needed to borrow it for at least a week. She said she’d bring it at lunch. When I had it, I took it to Andreas, gave him the name, showed him the picture and left the book with him. He said nothing, so I simply walked out.
Sunday was a lazy day around the house, swimming, reading, and not doing much of anything.
On Labor Day, I had a pool party with Larry, Jennifer, Melanie, Bethany, Ed, Beth Pater, Joyce, Mary, Pete, the neighbor girls, and my sister. I grilled burgers for everyone and we had a grand time ending the Summer. Pete and Melanie were friendly towards each other, but I didn’t detect anything picking up. He was headed to Ohio State on Monday.
A major positive development occurred that evening. Now that I was a Sophomore, my dad extended my curfew to 10:00pm on school nights and 11:30pm on Friday and Saturday. My mom didn’t like it one bit. According to Stephanie, she overheard my dad say that an early curfew won’t keep him from doing things you don’t like when his girlfriends’ parents are permissive. Dad was really going to bat for me.
On Tuesday at school, the very first thing I did was check in the office. I asked if the informational meeting for YFU had been scheduled. They told me it was set for September 26. I asked to sign up, and they put me down first on the list. I also asked if we had any exchange students. True to the pattern of the last 4 years, they said yes, that Petra Johansson was a Junior from Sweden. I would make sure to meet her as soon as possible.
My class list was pretty standard for a Sophomore on the ‘College Bound’ track. Algebra II, Biology, Accelerated English, and Spanish were my core courses. I also had Current Events, Introduction to Psychology, and gym. I was elated to hear Petra’s name called during my Current Events class, but was quite surprised to see that she was a brunette with brown eyes. One more stereotype bit the dust!
As soon as the bell rang for the end of class, I made my way to her to say hi.
“«Hej» Petra!”
“«Hej!»” she answered automatically, but puzzled.
“I’m Steve. You’re the Swedish exchange student, right?”
“Yes.”
“«Hur mår du?»” (“How are you?”)
“«Jag mår bra! Hur är det möjligt att du snacka svenska?»” (“I’m fine! How is it possible you speak Swedish?”)
“Sorry, «Hej», «Hej då», «Tack så mycket», «Var så god», and «Jag älskar dig» are all I know besides «Hur mår du?». Well and one more phrase, but that was private with Birgit, my Swedish girlfriend.”
She laughed, “You have a Swedish girlfriend?”
“I did, she was an exchange student two years ago. I plan to sign up with YFU and go to Sweden next year.”
“Wonderful! Will you see Birgit?”
My face fell.
“No, she died in June in a boating accident.”
“Oh my, I’m so sorry!”
“Thanks. I hope we can be friends. I would love to be able to talk with someone about Sweden this year before I go.”
“I’d love it!”
“Where do you live?”
She gave a street that was in the same sub-division as Larry and Bethany.
“Close enough to ride a bike. Well, I have to get to class. Talk to you tomorrow? OK?”
“Sure. «Hej då», Steve.” (“Goodbye”)
“«Hej då», Petra.” (“Goodbye”)
Before the end of the day, I made my delivery and exchanged gym bags. I’d do that on Mondays going forward.
I went to meet Melanie. She was a Senior now, and I planned to continue Spanish tutoring with her. I had a brand new teacher who did not have the same problem as Mrs. Thompson, but I wanted to make sure I could maintain straight A’s. We walked to Melanie’s house for a review. I hadn’t done anything all Summer, and it showed. Melanie was her usual harsh self with me.
When we finished the flash cards, I said, “Whatever happened to the one that asked me if I wanted to go to bed?”
“Are you offering?”
“In your dreams, Melanie!” I chuckled.
“Just once, please? Just you and me? Just like before Jennifer? You still owe me ten orgasms in a row, remember!”
I knew it was a bad idea, but I said, “I’ll think about it, OK?”
“Yes!” she said excitedly.
I sighed, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“When I mentioned owing Stephanie for all the favors she’s done for me, you gave me a strange smile after you told me to be prepared for her request and I said I’d start saving. Then when I said something about it to Joyce, she said she’d be interested in hearing when the bill came due. I asked her what she meant, and she said nothing. What am I missing?”
“Joyce said that, too? She’s only met Stephanie at your parties, right?”
“Yeah. And once when she cooked for me.”
“Interesting.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Just that it’s obvious she’s going to collect. Sorry, I didn’t mean to concern you. Seriously. Don’t worry about it.”
“Melanie, come on, this is me.”
“You’re overreacting. You’re reading too much into a couple of off-hand remarks.”
I wondered if I was overreacting. What could they mean? No, I was sure I wasn’t overreacting. They both suspected something.
“Look, I’m not a complete idiot. You’re trying to hide something from me. I want to know.”
“Are you sure? Really sure? There’s no turning back.”
“Tell me!”
“When Stephanie comes to collect, it’s going to be with a demand for you to take her virginity.”
“What?! What the hell are you talking about? That’s crazy! She’s my sister!”
“I didn’t say you had to do it, I just told you what she’s going to ask for. And she’s going to insist on it.”
“Damn, Melanie! How the hell can you know that?”
“I’m a girl. I see it. I guess Joyce sees it, too. You have a special relationship with your sister that most couples would kill to have. She’s not going to tell you or say a word to you. She won’t even give you any obvious hints. One day, though, she’ll drop the hammer. You need to be prepared.”
“Prepared for what? I am not having sex with my little sister!”
“I didn’t say you should! I told you to be prepared. If you think Becky was a basket case when you rejected her, think what’s going to happen here. She knows you have sex with pretty much any girl who asks in the right way. She’s going to ask, and she knows the right way. I think you have three or four years, but you better be prepared to deal with it, no matter how you decide to handle it.”
“What part of ‘no’ do you not understand?”
“I told you to be prepared for it and be ready to handle it. I didn’t tell you to fuck her!” she said in an exasperated voice.
“Sorry; I just can’t deal with this.”
“Then forget about it. It’ll be years. But when that day comes, remember she loves you and you love her. And that whatever you do will have a profound effect on her life — and on yours.”
At home that night, at dinner, I paid close attention to Stephanie. I didn’t detect anything. I had never detected anything. Sure, she had been in my room and seen me naked, but that didn’t appear to have been planned as far as I could tell. Spying on me having sex twice could be significant evidence, but it could also just be curiosity. She read my journal so I could see her wanting to get an idea of what it was like. I was going to have to keep an eye on her and look for clues.
I tried to program but couldn’t concentrate so I went to my room and tried to read. I couldn’t concentrate on that either. I couldn’t write it in my journal because Stephanie read it, and so might Doctor Mercer. I lay in bed for over an hour before I fell asleep. I was happy that my dreams didn’t take me to a place I could never, ever go. By morning, I was more settled in my thinking and tried to put the idea from my mind. I just didn’t see it. I hoped I wasn’t blind.
The rest of the week at school was basically the same. I had a date with Jennifer on Friday night, Larry and I played chess on Saturday, and Beth and I had our ‘computer date’ on Sunday. The next week was almost identical. I was doing fine in all my classes, and felt good about getting straight A’s.
Both Becky and Anna had called. I was relieved when neither of them even hinted at getting together or a relationship. It had been long enough with Anna that I was pretty sure she wasn’t pregnant from that first encounter. I also knew that Becky remembered inviting me to her house one more time before I left, and what she wanted. I hadn’t decided what to do, but my first inclination had been to say ‘no’ and that still made sense.
I had made friends with Petra and found out that she was from Lund in Southern Sweden. She joined Larry, Jennifer, and me at lunch. Most of the rest of our gang were on a different lunch, but Dave Allen and Christine Krebs, who were from Kevin’s group of friends, were on the same lunch and joined us.
On September 26th, I went to the Youth for Understanding info meeting. Judith Seime, the YFU volunteer coordinator for Cincinnati, was there, as were Petra and a couple of Seniors I didn’t know who had gone to Germany and Japan the previous year. Five other students who were interested in the program were there, plus Jennifer, who had come out of curiosity.
There was a slideshow and each of the exchange students talked. Mrs. Seime asked each of the students why they were interested. I talked about my friend Birgit, how she had encouraged me to come to Sweden, and that she had died at the beginning of the Summer. Mrs. Seime knew her, of course, and said she had been very sad to hear that. At the end, she handed out information packets. I asked for an application which she gave me. It was about ten pages long and had several essay questions in addition to inquiring about just about every aspect of my life.
When I got home that night, I showed it to my dad, and we discussed it further. The fees weren’t too bad, around $3000. I said I could pay part of it, but he suggested that it would be better if I used my money as spending money when I was because since I wouldn’t be working for an entire year. He told me he’d talk to Mom, but that I should go ahead and fill it out. He’d sign it and then I could get the three recommendation letters I needed from teachers, plus my grade transcript and give an evaluation form to my guidance counselor.
I knew which teachers I’d ask — Mr. Dixon, my 8th grade history teacher, Mr. Herbers, the math and computer teacher, and Miss Barkhurst, my biology teacher. I had a new guidance counselor, but I knew my school record was clean as a whistle and, except for B’s in Spanish, I had all A’s. From my perspective, I was as good as in.
August 23, 1982, McKinley, Ohio “Well, here we go again!” Jason said as he, Clarissa, Sandy, and I plopped into front row seats in the O-Chem classroom.” “Look at it this way,” Sandy laughed. “You’re about one sixth of the way done. We doctors are about one eighth, not counting the Summers we have to work for no pay and our intern year when we get a small stipend! By then you’ll be earning major bucks developing bioweapons for the CIA!” “I’m actually thinking of doing a PhD at some point,...
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1991 I woke up long before my alarm clock was set to go off, feeling sick to my stomach. The anguish was physical, not just emotional. The events from the night before played out in my head while I considered what to do. I hadn’t missed a school day for being sick in years. And if I did call in sick, I couldn’t participate in any sport or activity that day. That meant missing the Homecoming game and the dance. The idea didn’t really seem so bad at first, but a larger...
August 1980, Milford, Ohio On Monday morning, Stephanie and I got up early enough to swim and eat breakfast together. Stephanie was starting eighth grade, so she’d be riding Bus #8 with me. Unfortunately, Jeff was also on the same bus, but I didn’t really worry to much about that because of what I planned to do. My first order of business, when I got to school, would be to get a parking pass which Seniors could get automatically just by asking. I also knew that Mom would then insist that I...
May 15, 1992, Glencoe, Illinois “Join me in my study, if you would,” Noel Spurgeon said when we finished our dessert. It had been an interesting evening. Samantha and I had talked for a bit before we’d been summoned to dinner. The meal had been prepared by a chef and was served by a white-coated young man. Again, this was a far cry from Lois at the van Hoeks’ house. What wasn’t a far cry was the fact that I was having dinner with a man who knew I was going to be sleeping with his daughter...
“Hi—I'm Matthew Dillon. You know—a championship happens due to a team effort. And here at Carlise Chevy, GMC, Jeep—our team is out for you. We got them all—Camero, Corvette, GMC trucks, and my favorite, the Jeep CJ. Our award winning service department is open till 7:00 each night, Monday through Saturday. We have special financing for first time buyers, like high school and college students. Let us develop that perfect play for you, so you can score that winning touchdown, and drive home...
March 15, 1983, McKinley, Ohio “I’m Clarissa Saunders and this is Mike Loucks! We’re Sophomores and we’ll be your guides for your campus tour, and we’ll do our best to answer any questions you have.” I surveyed the prospective Freshmen and wondered if I’d looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck when I’d been on my first campus visit. I probably had, and several of the High School Seniors in our group certainly looked that way, especially one guy who was about an inch taller...
June, 1984, Helsingborg, Sweden I spent a couple of days with the Anderbergs, most of which was spent with Rolf at his restaurant and disco. The chef, Axel, remembered me and let me spend the afternoons in the kitchen with him. I really enjoyed working with him, even though for the most part I was just cutting up ingredients, stirring pots, and doing other simple tasks. Both evenings were spent in the disco, dancing and drinking. I made sure to change dance partners regularly, because...
Peggy was still playing her game of wait and see. We were running in the morning and talking, but she was not ready to commit to dating. I was starting to consider my other options. I decided that this morning I would make one last attempt. If things didn't work out, I was going to move on. I went to Peggy's house to pick her up so we could run. She was looking good in her sweats and t-shirt. Her red hair was pulled back into a pony tail. I really liked her and could not figure out what...
I woke up and ran with Peggy. We hadn't talked on Sunday as she had some family thing to do. I soon found out that she had more calls than I did. We had run for almost a mile when she said something that brought me to a dead stop. "David, I didn't realize what dating you involved. I think I need to break-up with you ... almost before we start dating," she said and then looked back to see where I was. "You're kidding me, right?" I asked hopefully. "No. I need to think this out...
December 31, 1993, Chicago, Illinois For the first time since I’d met him, I wasn’t sending anyone to Alex’s place for New Year’s Eve. It was, perhaps, a bit selfish, but this year I wanted my family and friends around me. Jorge’s death, and the entire situation with Jessica had really driven home just how important that was, not that I hadn’t believed that before. Alex had given me a bit of grief about it, but I reminded him that I’d been there the year before. Not to mention the fact that...
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...
School was boring enough that I considered trying to skip a few years but instead focused on the other aspects of my life: friends, football, farming, and fast cars. Okay, farming was becoming less and less of a focus, but I still felt obligated to give Uncle Ben more of a hand now that Ryan and John were away at school. Interestingly enough the farming gave me more specific ideas on how to apply drive by wire to large machinery. That, in turn, led me to Caterpillar, in a very roundabout...
I was packed and ready to go to camp. The plan was for Tami to pick me up to take me to the airport. I had loved up on Duke, and explained I would only be gone a few days. I was surprised when Harper walked in the back door. I didn't ask any questions until we were in the car. "Where's Tami?" I asked. "She'll see you when you get back. You get to talk to me on the way to the airport." "Okay, what am I talking to you about?" "My job is to talk you out of being Tami's boyfriend....
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1991 “I’m out in the cold (out in the cold) Body and soul (out in the cold) There’s nowhere to go (out in the cold) I’m out in the cold (out in the cold)” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had it about right. I was out in the cold. Of course, I still slapped the snooze button and shut him up anyway. I had a riot of feelings to deal with. Two rejections, were weighing heavily on my mind. Sure, I had sort of patched things up with Shelby. At the same time, we were...
High School Part 2 - My Sophomore Year [In which Shaun learns to cope with the aftereffects of his surgery, notices a few changes occurring in his body, and confides in his mother and Jeff.] While I'd been wearing panties and sanitary napkins during the summer, that didn't work for me when it was time to go back to school. My problem was that while I could control the flow of urine, when I had to pee I had to go, like, RIGHT AWAY, and I only had a minute or so to get to...
Tami and I drove to Lexington Kentucky to visit my friend John Phillips in the hospital. He had torn his Achilles tendon stepping off a curb. We decided to take the scenic route, so we could drive by horse farms in the area. The windows were down and you could hear the distinctive grumble and whine of the Charger as it ate up the miles. I was amazed Tami hadn't gotten a ticket yet, but she seemed to have a sixth sense as to where the police were. I was about to drop off into a nap when Tami...
June 12, 1982, West Monroe, Ohio “What’s going on between you and Jocelyn?” Mom asked when I returned upstairs after talking to Dad. “I thought that was obvious,” I smirked. “Or did you want details?” “Pass,” Mom laughed. “But seriously, Mike, what’s going on?” “We love each other. We had a long, long talk about everything and this is what we want to do. We’re not going to marry; we both understand that. And I’m not going steady with Melody.” “Do you love Melody?” I shrugged, “I have no...
November 7, 1982, McKinley, Ohio “What’s up with you and Nancy?” Angie asked as we drove home from church on Sunday morning. “Nothing, really,” I said. “I’m taking her to dinner, but I’ll be back for study group. I missed last Sunday because I was at her house until fairly late. I can’t do that too often.” “You’re still interested in her?” “As a friend. If you recall, she had serious trust issues, and I don’t know that she’s past them.” “And if she is?” “I have no plans to have a steady...
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...
I also lived less than a mile from someone I had known (and been all but in love with) since high school. Her name was Betty. She was two years my senior and gorgeous. She had caramel hair, hazel eyes, a cute smile, and a great ass. Her tits left something to be desired, but the rest of her made up for it. Besides, I always preferred a great can to a nice rack. If, however, the chick happened to have both, it was a major bonus. Betty and I had hung out quite a bit since my arrival in...
Twins Part 4 - Sophomore Year (Alex buys a few pieces of girl's clothing, has sex with Allison for the first time, gets a new hairstyle and begins wearing makeup.) I had mentioned to Allison that I needed to shop for a few new clothes before school started - Mom hadn't given me all that much money and I had to be careful about how I spent it - so I wasn't unhappy when Allison volunteered to help me pick out the clothes. A new pair of sneakers, a backpack and two pairs of jeans were...
I was dreading this week. It was Homecoming, and Eve Holliday was coming back to shoot her video for Hometown Hero. I was still not happy about her breakup song, as it made me look as though I'd cheated on her. I had told Kendal that I would help her any way I could, and that promise was about to be called in. They were supposed to meet me at the park this morning, and follow me on a run. I grabbed some running clothes, and I made sure I had my Range Sports gear. I went out and stretched...
January 29, 1983, McKinley, Ohio “These cookies are excellent!” I took another bite and washed it down with a bit of hot cocoa. “Believe it not, it’s just the ‘Toll House’ recipe!” Kristin said. “I’m glad you like them.” “You liked my songs?” “Oh man, those love songs made me shiver! You must have really loved her.” “I did, and I still do, but it doesn’t really matter now.” “I guess not,” she said quietly. “Why pick me to sing to?” “I saw a pretty girl who didn’t have a guy with her,”...
February 5, 1983, West Monroe, Ohio “I owe you an apology for earlier. Not for what I said, but how I said it.” “And I owe you one for interfering in something I shouldn’t have.” “I’m going to need to talk to Dad, too,” I said. “But again, only for walking away, not for objecting to his classification of April as not being a ‘nice’ girl.” “I thought for a moment you were going to say, ‘make Mom’ instead of ‘make me’.” “For a moment, I was. But at that split second good sense overcame my...
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...
The Kick Part 2 - As a Sophomore (Drew switches from Track and Cross Country to Soccer, is injured during a match, and begins to live with the consequences of his injury.) For my sophomore year I wanted to try a different sport. Like, Track and Cross Country were fun but, for Cross Country especially, they were more individual sports than team sports and I missed being part of a team where everyone depended upon everyone else if the team was to succeed. Jeff was on the soccer team...
Summer had finally arrived. Not a moment too soon—I was going nuts. I finished up my Sophomore year, mostly uneventful. Although we did win the state championship, mostly cause of me, it went unrecognized, like someone else had done it. Seniors—seniors---seniors. Like the rest of the team wasn't even there. It was fucking with my head, and began more and more diving into the world of male prostitution and drugs, and less mowing yards, and football. I still worked out a lot—had to keep...
August, 1984, Chicago, Illinois I asked Mr. Wyatt to come by about 11:00am and he said he’d see me then. I checked the clock and saw that my dad was most likely home from work, so I dialed his number. Jeff answered and I simply said, “Put Dad on,” without even greeting him. I had no time for him and wanted absolutely no interaction with him at all. I wondered again if I should just stay in Chicago for Christmas and avoid the entire situation at home. My dad came on the line a moment...
May, 1985, Chicago, Illinois After dinner and karate, Bethany and I went up to my room. We’d agreed to take everything slowly, and savor each step. I hadn’t seen Bethany so excited about sex since the very first time we’d been together in the apartment back in Milford. At each step, she was fighting her urges for us to simply fuck like crazed bunnies. I spent considerable time licking and sucking her nipples, and then traced my tongue down her chest to her stomach, and eventually to her...
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?”...
** This story is completely fictional. Please Enjoy! Rebecca could see up her skirt as she held Amy high above her head. “Nice ass, Amy.” That got a few chuckles from her fellow cheerleaders and a blushing face from her best friend. Rebecca and the other cheerleader holding Amy up released her feet and caught her as she twirled into their arms. Amy gave a death stare to Rebecca once she got back onto her feet. Rebecca just smiled back and laughed. She always enjoyed teasing Amy since she knew...
** This story is completely fictional. Please Enjoy! Rebecca could see up her skirt as she held Amy high above her head. “Nice ass, Amy.” That got a few chuckles from her fellow cheerleaders and a blushing face from her best friend. Rebecca and the other cheerleader holding Amy up released her feet and caught her as she twirled into their arms. Amy gave a death stare to Rebecca once she got back onto her feet. Rebecca just smiled back and laughed. She always enjoyed teasing Amy since she knew...
Group SexJuly, 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...
May 9, 1983, McKinley, Ohio “Is something wrong?” Kristin asked on Monday morning. “What do you mean?” “It just felt as if you were somewhere else last night when we were fooling around.” I had been, because once my sleep deprivation was past, I had basically obsessed on the bishop’s comment about ‘choosing’ and the myriad of possibilities I had to choose from, AND the potential problems each of them might create. What he had said about serving at the cathedral and in other parishes only...
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...
This story is quite outside my usual genre. It is hot, sexy and full of twists and turns. Fair warning, it is also a LONG story. Still, I hope you will enjoy it. Steffi the Sophomore Part Two I had no idea what Steffi was thinking at that moment, but I was practically terrified. Steffi and I had just gotten caught by my girlfriend while we were having sex. When I say caught, I mean CAUGHT! We were both naked on the bed in the guest room with Steffi laying spread legged on top of me...
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...
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1991 “I’m your dream, make you real I’m your eyes when you must steal I’m your pain when you can’t feel Sad but true” Waking up to one of the crunchiest guitar riffs of all time is not a bad way to start your day. I slapped the snooze bar and realized my palm was still pretty sore from that punt block. I was starting to wonder if the punter’s foot had connected with my hand. I had a bit of a bruise forming right in the center of my palm. Well, no matter. I couldn’t...
“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...
February 24, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “What the heck were you thinking?” I asked testily. April and I were in my study, and I was giving her a hard time about being with Jesse. I didn’t REALLY have a problem with it, but I did need to make a couple of points with her. “I thought you’d be OK with it!” April protested. “Jennifer even let me spend the night with Jesse on Tuesday!” “You’re thirty-four! He’s fourteen!” “Steve, I’m sorry. I honestly thought you were OK with it! Your first was...
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...
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...