Good Medicine Junior YearChapter 65 Developing A Relationship
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August 22, 1983, McKinley, Ohio
“Well, here we go!” Teri said as we walked together into the lecture hall.
“I had an abbreviated one of these at the start of the Summer.”
“How did things go?”
“Well, there were two incidents and one surprise. The incidents were a girl who went into diabetic shock and a fight between two guys over a girl. The big thing from that first incident was that my counterpart was fired because she was drinking with some underage students at the time.”
“Oops. I take it they replaced her?”
“Yes. Milena’s friend, Deb, if you know who that is.”
“Sure. I saw her at a couple of Milena’s parties. What was the surprise?”
“That the tradition says floor RAs have to sleep together the first night,” I smirked.
Teri laughed, “Did Deb try to pull that on you?”
“No, the original RA, Cecilia. She’s the one who was fired. I refused, and found out later it wasn’t the case.”
“Usually it’s the guy RA who pulls the joke. I can’t imagine you doing that, though!”
“I just did!” I countered.
Teri laughed, “So you did! And if I hadn’t known about it being a joke and had said ‘yes’?”
I grinned, “We’ll never know for sure!”
We took seats near the front of the lecture hall, and I surveyed the room. I recognized about a third of the people in the room. I stifled a groan less than a minute later when Dean Parker walked into the room. I’d known she was in charge of the first portion, which covered the rules, and was prepared for it, but that didn’t make it any less annoying.
“Let’s get started, please,” Dean Parker said.
Everyone quieted down and faced front.
“This is your most important session of the two-day orientation and will cover the dorm and campus rules. I want to be clear, these rules are serious, and MUST be enforced to the letter. If you try to be lax, I WILL find out and you WILL be removed from your position and be subject to further discipline as necessary. I will not tolerate cover-ups or feigned ignorance. If you open the binder and turn to page 1, we’ll begin with the rules designed to protect female students from male predators.”
“Dean Parker?” a male voice in the back of the room called out.
“Yes?”
“Who protects the male students from the female predators?”
Uproarious laughter quickly filled the room, and Dean Parker’s face clouded. I had NO idea who had the guts to challenge her that way and didn’t want to turn to look. Teri solved that by leaning over.
“The son of the Vice Chancellor,” she whispered. “There is literally nothing Dean Parker can do to him!”
“Nice,” I chuckled.
“That’s enough, Mr. Lawson! One more outburst, and I’ll be forced to notify your father AND the Chancellor! As I was saying, these rules are important to protect our female students.”
She droned on for the next two hours, sounding more and more like a prison warden than a dean responsible for ‘Student Life’. When we finally had a break, Teri, I, and a few other RAs from the Rickenbacker dorm sat in the student union with cups of coffee.
“How did you handle things over the Summer?” Rick, who had the 7th floor, asked.
“Nothing like the way she’s talking,” I replied. “The only time there was a real problem was when we had to call for an ambulance. It was kind of hard to hide the fact that the girls had been drinking from the cop who showed up.”
“Ambulance?” Beverly, who had the 3rd floor, asked.
“A girl with diabetes went into diabetic shock. They had been celebrating a birthday, and the cops saw the red plastic cups in the trash and that was pretty much all she wrote. They cited the kids for underage drinking and Cecilia was fired. The underage girls were kicked out of the dorm, but Dean Anderson was cool and didn’t suspend or expel them. One of the professors took them in for the rest of the term.
“Anyway, the other time was a fight, and even though I’m pretty sure one of the guys was drinking and the other guy and the first guy’s ex-girlfriend were smoking pot, I sure as heck didn’t say anything to anyone because I didn’t actually see it happen. I could truthfully tell the detective I didn’t see anything. And neither did anyone else.”
“So how do we handle it?” Teri asked.
“Don’t go looking for rules violations!” I said. “Seriously, everyone should know to keep their doors shut if they’re going to drink. The Freshman will have to hear that from other students. We can’t tell them how to break the rules! But we don’t go looking for violations, either.”
“What’s she going to do when every floor votes to have no curfew?” Beverly asked.
“Blow a gasket,” I chuckled. “The all-girls floors are automatically under curfew, but the mixed-sex floors can vote. According to my friend Melody, Dean Parker about had a total meltdown when the Board of Regents voted to eliminate the girls-only dorm. The Chancellor’s goal is for both the Rickenbacker dorm, and the new Armstrong dorm which opens next year, to have only mixed-sex floors. She’s fighting that tooth and nail because all men are rapists.”
Beverly rolled her eyes, “Give me a break.”
“You didn’t go to the ‘Campus Safety’ rally she had last year?” Rick asked.
“No.”
“All men being sexual predators is one of her hobby horses,” I said. “It didn’t help that Dean Parker’s underage daughter fooled around with her graduate student piano teacher last year.”
“I heard about that,” Bev laughed. “The rumor is the daughter was the predator.”
“That is the rumor,” I replied. “But it reinforced the Dean’s thinking. That said, we all have to watch out for ANYTHING that might be considered abusive behavior. Guys need to police the guys in a serious way. If we don’t police ourselves, SHE is going to police us, and that is the last thing we need.”
“College students get drunk and fuck,” Teri said. “It’s a fact of life. And then they regret it. That doesn’t make it assault.”
“No, it doesn’t, but it sure calls into question consent, doesn’t it?” I asked. “I mean, I get your point, but being stupid isn’t going to do any of us any favors.”
“Hmm,” Rick mused. “College students. Alcohol. Sex. That’s a recipe for stupid if there ever was one.”
“I know,” I replied. “As I said, we need to police ourselves. Get drunk or get laid; don’t do both at the same time.”
“Good luck convincing anyone of THAT,” Teri laughed.
“Then we’re all screwed in the end,” I sighed.
We finished our coffee and returned for the second half of the morning presentation, which, thankfully, was done by Dean Anderson, and covered dealing with emergency situations. When that session finished, we had our CPR refresher course, and then the final session of the day, led by Doctor Hart, on dealing with adjustment issues for incoming Freshmen, as well as dispute mediation.
At the end of the day, there was a dinner and a reception with the Chancellor and Board of Regents. I stayed just long enough to be polite, then headed back to Doctor Blahnik’s house to call Liz.
“What Hannah told us was totally accurate,” Liz said. “One of Maggie’s parents is with her pretty much every waking second. They alternate who goes to church so she’s not alone. It’s worse than with Sasha!”
“Wonderful. How is she holding up?”
“Well, she’s happy that she’s not allowed to go to church, but otherwise, miserable.”
“I can imagine.”
“She wants to see you.”
“That’s asking for no end of trouble,” I sighed. “I mean, I want to see her, but I can’t go anywhere near their house and she’s grounded for two centuries, or so you said.”
“Why don’t you come home over Labor Day weekend? Maybe we can figure out a solution by then.”
“That seems awfully dangerous,” I replied.
“Just come home, Mikey. I know Mom and Dad will be happy, and we can hang out.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Mikey, please?!” Liz whined.
“If you promise to stop whining,” I chuckled.
“Deal!” she laughed.
“Then I’ll see you that weekend. Let Mom and Dad know.”
“I will.”
We said ‘goodbye’ and then I went to the music room to spend time with Clarissa and Milena.
August 24, 1983, McKinley, Ohio
On Wednesday, Teri and I joined the other RAs in the main hall of the Student Center at 8:00am to await Freshmen who were arriving for orientation which would begin on Thursday morning. We sat down at the table marked ‘Last Names: M-S’ and I opened the box with the envelopes.
“How many Freshman do we have on our floor, I wonder?” Teri asked.
“I just scanned the roster and it looks like an even dozen,” I replied. “Six guys and six girls. Most of the rest of the list is composed of our friends who selected the floor. I only see a couple of upperclassmen whose names I don’t recognize.”
“That’s going to make this year a lot easier,” Teri said. “With everyone knowing each other, I can’t imagine we’ll have any real trouble.”
“And you know Dean Parker will put us under the microscope for that very reason.”
“That bitch needs to fall off the face of the earth!”
“You’re telling me?” I said, shaking my head. “If I never see her again, it’ll be too soon.”
“I heard you’re giving a concert for the Freshmen tonight.”
“I got roped into it by Doctor Blahnik and Milena.”
“Guitar?”
“And piano, with Milena singing some duets with me. She’ll play some of the songs on piano and I’ll sing. For other songs, it’ll just be me and my guitar.”
“Cool. Are you going to do concerts for the floor?”
“I figured maybe three per semester — one each in September, October, and November.”
“So three new groupies?” Teri teased.
“Are you signing up?” I chuckled.
“You’ve certainly loosened up! That’s a good thing, Mike. You were WAY too uptight in the past.”
“That’s a ‘no’, isn’t it?” I grinned.
“Are you asking me to cheat on my boyfriend?”
“No way!”
“So you were teasing, as I suspected.”
“Of course!”
“José Ochoa,” a black-haired, brown-eyed, obviously Hispanic kid said, walking up to our table.
I flipped through the packets to find his.
“Welcome!” I replied. “I’m Mike and this is Teri. We’re your Resident Advisors on the 8th floor. You’re in room 811.”
“Hi!” Teri said.
I handed him a manila envelope.
“This envelope contains your room key, student ID, dining hall card, parking sticker, a campus map, a set of dorm and campus rules, and a schedule of activities for the next five days. The only mandatory sessions are this afternoon and tomorrow morning, but we encourage you to attend as many sessions and activities as possible.
“There are carts available on the first floor of the dorm to use to take your things to your room. The dining hall opens today, so you’ll be able to eat there if you want, but your meal plan doesn’t start until Monday. Any questions?”
“No.”
“OK. Go back out the main doors, follow the path straight and you’ll be at the front door of the dorm. If there are any problems, the student at the desk can assist you.”
“Thanks.”
He was the first of a steady stream of students, and by lunchtime, we had only two envelopes left — Marie Olsson and Jacob Reiner. I took those two envelopes to the coordinator, and handed in the check-off sheet.
“Two ‘no shows’,” I said.
“OK. Thanks. You and your partner are done for the day.”
“Thanks,” I replied.
I went back to let Teri know we were finished, and then headed back to Doctor Blahnik’s house to have lunch with Clarissa. Once we finished eating, we took my things to the dorm. Clarissa couldn’t properly move in until Saturday, but she brought some clothes and her bathroom things so she could stay in my room with me.
“You’re sure you won’t get into trouble?”
“I’m sure. The overnight guest rule only applies to non-students. You’re enrolled. I double-checked with Doctor Blahnik and Doctor Hart to make sure.”
“Won’t I cramp your style tonight?” she asked with a silly smile, looping her arm with mine.
“Because of the concert? I swore off groupies, remember?”
“That was the old Petrovich,” she laughed. “The new one finally got over himself and spent nearly three hours fooling around with a girl just because she asked!”
“But Katy wasn’t some random girl I had just met!” I protested.
“I’m stringing evidence together. You made peace with yourself about Kristin. You and Milena became very intimate lovers. And, Petrovich, as soon as Maggie can figure out how to be alone with you, she’s going to DEMAND you make love to her, and you’ll agree!”
“That would commit me to marrying her,” I replied.
Clarissa laughed, “No, it’ll be her declaration of independence. It’s the SECOND time that would be the potential commitment, but then again, she might just want to fuck to rebel!”
“That strikes me as a VERY bad idea.”
“Aren’t you the one who says each person has to make their own decision on their own terms? Or are you going to take on the role her dad is playing now and control when and who she can have sex with?”
“That’s not even close to true,” I objected.
“OK, how about you’ll decide for her if she’s ready or not, even if she tells you she is? And unlike Tasha, she hasn’t extracted a promise from you NOT to do it with her.”
“It just seems over the top as an act of rebellion.”
“Ask your sister about that.”
“«Говно»,” I spat.
“It’s all about who controls her body — her dad or her. And if you refuse, because you don’t think she should, then you’re just doing the same thing her dad is.”
“«Ерунда»!” I declared.
“It’s not nonsense, at least in her mind.”
“Then I’m just going to avoid being alone with her, which shouldn’t be too difficult given she’s under house arrest.”
We arrived at the dorm, and Clarissa helped me set up my room, and once we had it in some semblance of order, we began walking towards the Quick Mart to restock my supplies.
As I thought about what Clarissa had said about Maggie, and thinking about Maggie’s behavior, I concluded that there was quite a bit of truth to what Clarissa had said. And that meant ensuring Maggie and I weren’t alone together. As I’d said to Clarissa, that wouldn’t be tough given the current situation, but I did need to be careful. And as for groupies, that wasn’t something I wanted, and it would be simple enough to avoid.
“So now you think I’ll just sleep with anyone?” I asked.
“No, of course not! But I think your hang-up over sex is gone. And that was important for me.”
“For you?”
“Petrovich, if you were going to feel guilty, or be tentative, or whatever, I couldn’t even consider any exploration. You had to get past all your hang-ups. I think you have. But not in a way which will have you out of control. That said, there is nothing wrong with a bit of selective fun!”
“I’m curious; what do you think I should do about Kristin?”
“An interesting question, really.”
“Because you expect to sleep with me every night?”
“Did you forget I have a girlfriend?” Clarissa laughed.
“No, of course not!”
“So why an interesting question?”
“Because if you resume what you were doing last semester, it basically serves as a way to block any other girls. On the other hand, it gives you guaranteed access to regular sex.”
“And you think that’s what I need?”
Clarissa shrugged, “I think you need intimacy. Sex is a bonus, if you will. I think what happened with Milena proves that, not to mention our relationship. Ultimately, the question is, does Kristin provide that, or is she just a convenient, warm, sexy body?”
I took a deep breath and let it out, “The latter, I think. Sandy was more about intimacy; Kristin was more about sex, in the end. Certainly for her, and probably for me. And to make it a bit stranger, it’s softer and gentle with Kristin than it was with Sandy by a longshot.”
“I am NOT encouraging you to seek out other girls, Petrovich; I’m saying keep your options open, especially given that for various reasons, you’re realistically down to just Tasha, and you aren’t completely sure she’s the right girl for you.”
“You think Maggie is out of the picture?”
“Unless something changes; otherwise, you won’t see her before you and Tasha need to have your conversation. And you certainly can’t make any plans, unless you do it through some third party, which has its own set of risks.”
“Yeah,” I sighed.
The conversation stopped as we entered the store, where we picked up soft drinks, snacks, and Pop-Tarts. I paid Nancy for the purchases, and then Clarissa and I headed back to campus.
“She’s still interested,” Clarissa said after we left the store.
“I know. But every time we try, she gets flakey or I have some sort of serious concern about what’s happening. It’s nobody’s fault, really; I just don’t think we’re compatible.”
“Of all the girls, who do you think you’re most compatible with?”
“You!”
“Minus the whole being a lesbian thing.”
“That doesn’t change our overall compatibility, Lissa. Sure, it means we probably won’t marry, but it doesn’t change anything else.”
“OK, besides me, then?”
“I’d say it would have to be Tasha. Honestly, with each day that passes, it seems to me she’s the best choice.”
“What gives you pause?”
“Just the fact that she’s lived in a very controlled environment.”
“You mean like you?”
I laughed, “Yes, like me. But coming to McKinley changed that. Sure, it’s not Berkeley or even UCLA, but it changed my perspective. I know there’s a lot more to the world, and I want to see it. Of course, that’s going to have to wait.”
“You haven’t thought about medical school somewhere else?”
“Thought about? Sure. But this really is home, Lissa. I just don’t see myself as a big city kind of guy.”
“I think I agree with you on that. I mean for you.”
“You don’t want to stay?”
Clarissa shrugged as well as she could, carrying a bag of groceries, “I want to stay with you. But I wonder sometimes about the opportunities in bigger cities.”
“Is this something we need to talk about?”
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April 2, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “«Ты говоришь по-русски?»” I asked when I recovered from the double shock. “«Удивлены»?” “I don’t think surprised even scratches the surface!” I replied in English, not wanting to give up any nuances of my speech. “What’s your full name?” “Larissa Sergeyevna Federova. I was named for ‘Lara’ in Doctor Zhivago, but I go by Laura Sera Bragg. My parents divorced when I was little and both remarried. My mom changed her and my legal name to Bragg, which is my...
June 3, 1983, McKinley, Ohio “You’re serious?” Milena asked, incredulous. “I am; you figured it out, and this is the talk we SHOULD have had.” She shook her head, “Now you have ME thinking about whether we should do this or not.” “Which was my entire point.” “Not to interrupt this moment of clarity,” Deb said quietly, “but is that invitation open?” I chuckled, “I’ll leave the answer to that to the pianist. Her opinion may have changed.” Milena sighed, “How the hell did a twenty-year...
September 30, 1983, McKinley, Ohio Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. Well, perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration, but compared to other first kisses, this one was certainly memorable — a soft touching of lips, a light hug with Kimiko’s small, silk-covered breasts brushing lightly against me, and her hand lightly on my back. Kimiko broke the kiss, looked me in the eyes, and whispered,...
December 1, 1983, McKinley, Ohio “You really object to Emmy and Clark being together because they’re from different races?!” I asked, completely taken aback. “I’m sorry,” Kimiko replied meekly. “I was trying to describe how Japanese felt about mixed-race children, especially those of black American soldiers and Japanese women. But it’s really any mixed-race children or relationships, because they are not pure Japanese.” “So if you and I were to marry, and have kids who were half-Japanese,...
August 7, 1983, McKinley, Ohio The phone in my room rang late Sunday afternoon while Milena and I were relaxing and listening to music. “Hi, Mikey!” “Hi, Liz! What’s up?” “Guess whose parents came home WAY earlier than expected? Three guesses, and the first two don’t count!” “«Говно». Maggie’s.” “Right the first time.” “And?” “Grounded for two centuries, I think.” “Wonderful,” I sighed. “It’s worse, Mikey.” “How could it be worse?” “Her dad found the books you gave her and the...
January 7, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “Thanks for the lift, White Boy!” Clark said as we got out of my Mustang. “Somebody had to drag your lazy black ass the last fifty miles, and I have sympathy for the mentally challenged,” I deadpanned. “Hey, Cracker, are you saying I’m dumb because I’m black?” “Not at all! You being dumb has absolutely nothing to do with the color of your skin!” “Fuck you, Honky!” “I love you too!” I grinned. We both laughed, shook hands, and with Clarissa following...
June 25, 1983, McKinley, Ohio I awoke to someone pounding on my door and calling my name. A quick glance at the clock showed it was 2:50am. I quickly got out of bed, pulled on shorts and a t-shirt and went to the door. I opened it to see a girl in a robe. “What’s up?” “Cecilia said to come get you. One of the girls is really sick!” “Did someone call for an ambulance?” I asked. “I don’t know.” “Call right now. Use my phone. Where are they?” “243!” I hurried down the hall into the...
December 16, 1983, McKinley, Ohio Exams had gone well, and Clarissa, Sandy, and I didn’t have a Friday exam because of our work in the lab only had an evaluation, which we’d each received earlier in the week. We’d all received excellent reviews, which meant an A for the course for each of us. Our stats exam had actually been a breeze, as had the biochemistry exam. The psychology exam was moderately tough, but I was sure I’d achieved at least a B, which meant I would have an A for the course....
I leaned against the hallway wall and listened to them, and I "didn't" suck it up; I sobbed instead, just like a little boy. I was quiet about it, but I did sob. I could hear him donning his clothes. I headed for the dinette. A shot of brandy would be useful right then, now, this last few minutes of my marriage to Gillian Miller nee Crowley. I was actually on my second shot when I heard them coming downstairs. They were talking kinda low, but I did manage to hear them saying some stuff about...
Wife LoversMarch 30, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “Sorry about earlier,” she said. “My roommate was being a bitch.” “Something specific?” I asked. “She’s been on the rag ever since our second week here. Guy trouble. I guess she thought you were trying to use me.” “I can see why she would think that,” I replied. “You and I don’t know each other except basically by sight and name, I sang to you, and you came to my room.” “If I were totally clueless about life, I could see it. But I knew what was going on!...
MAGIC MEDICINE Christopher Halstead was at the end of his tether. He was only 50 years old but felt deep down in his soul that his useful life had come to an end. To understand why it is necessary to go back some twenty-five years. In 1992 Christopher married his childhood sweetheart Amy. He and Amy had grown up in adjacent houses; attended the same schools; and had had an unspoken 'understanding' from their teens. They only occasion they spent time apart was whilst they were at...
Gillian Crowley and I met at a wedding reception for a friend of hers, Margaret Tilly; that was twenty-three years ago; we were both twenty-five and single. At any rate, I was actually a distant cousin of Margaret's. I was just adding my congrats card, with a crisp new C-note in it, to the pile of other gifts and cards, when a very pretty and sweet smelling woman doing the same bumped into me almost dropping her gift. Hers was a large box. I immediately thought microwave oven. She bumped me,...
Wife LoversJune 1, 1983, McKinley, Ohio Wednesday at the Quick Mart was very much like Tuesday, though there were no deliveries, so I had time to work through a number of items on Mr. Sokolov’s list. That kept me busy, and away from Nancy except for when it was time for her breaks. She apologized again and I replied as I had before, just telling her to take her break. Maybe I was being a jerk, but I was honestly quite upset with her, and really didn’t think there was much to talk about. When my shift...
November 26, 1983, West Monroe, Ohio “So what did you say?” Clarissa asked after I relayed what Hannah had said. “I simply said I appreciated the offer, that I’d keep that in mind, then smiled and left the house.” “After Maggie gave you permission?” “I don’t need ‘permission’ from Maggie to do anything,” I protested. “And be serious, Lissa, do you think it’s a good idea?” Clarissa shrugged, “Is it all that different from Kristin? Or from Mindy and Emmy?” “That kind of thinking is a...
October 16, 1983, McKinley, Ohio “I started dating someone,” I said to Tasha as we relaxed in the whirlpool at Doctor Blahnik’s house. “You’re not cheating on her, are you Mikhail Petrovich?” “No. It’s not THAT serious, and it won’t be anytime soon, if it ever is. But I thought you should know because we promised complete truth and complete honesty. I don’t want any misunderstandings.” “May I ask about her?” “Her name is Kimiko Mei Takahasi. She’s from a small town called Oguni in...
July 23, 1983, McKinley, Ohio Just as I had when Nancy told me that her mom had put her on the Pill, I missed a shift due to being completely surprised by Maggie’s question. I recovered enough to find the correct gear, and willed my heart to stop beating rapidly. The silence was deafening, but I needed to think about how I could answer her question. I wasn’t sure I knew the answer, but saying that seemed lame in the extreme. Almost immediately, I realized that I really shouldn’t have been...
July 28, 1983, McKinley, Ohio On Thursday evening I was sitting in my room, practicing my guitar after having spoken with Tasha and confirmed our date for Sunday. Just after 9:00pm, there was a knock at the door. “It’s unlocked! Come in!” The door opened and Milena walked in, closing the door behind her. “Hey!” I replied. “What’s up?” “Got some time for me?” “Always. What can I do for you?” “Sing me a love song and then make love to me?” “Your wish is my command!” I grinned. “Come sit...
November 19, 1983, West Monroe, Ohio “You know I think you’ve made a terrible mistake and given Sasha bad advice, right?” Clarissa asked after we got into my Mustang for the drive to my parents’ house. “Obviously.” “Her life is going to be very, very difficult.” “And living with her conscience after what she would consider murder would be easy?” “It’s not murder, Mike,” Clarissa said firmly. “I know that’s what you believe, and I know that’s what the law says, but I also know what she’s...
March 15, 1984, Gettysburg and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania “You’re OK?” Clarissa asked when she and I got out of bed on Thursday morning. “Yes. Just kissing was fine, Lissa. Let’s get our showers and meet Jocelyn. We need to get on the road by 6:30am so we can be in Philadelphia by 10:00am.” We both quickly showered and dressed, then we met Jocelyn in the hotel lobby. We went across the street for breakfast, and from there, straight to the car so we could get on the road. We followed US 30,...
July 1, 1983, McKinley, Ohio “Are you OK?” Clarissa asked on Friday morning as we lay in bed together. “Why wouldn’t I be?” “You seemed a bit out of sorts last night. Did that kiss bother you?” I smiled, “Not the way you mean. It was just, well, to be blunt, fighting a reaction. And losing.” Clarissa laughed softly, “I know. I felt it when I spooned. I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. I liked the kiss. The other reaction is kind of involuntary. As I keep saying, testosterone knows NOTHING about...
July 5, 1983, McKinley, Ohio As I showered after karate, I wondered exactly what Angie had meant when she said that she’d changed, and what that meant for the future. Angie had told me that her counselor had advised against starting a relationship, so perhaps this was just Angie’s way of telling me that what Clarissa had suggested might be true — that Angie was playing the ‘long game’ and this was simply the next step. That made more sense than anything, but it also meant I needed to be...
April 8, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “Natalya Vasilyevna Antonova, please meet Larissa Sergeyevna Federova,” I said. I laughed as the two girls instantly switched to Russian and I had to focus to catch everything that was said. Clarissa smirked and rolled her eyes, and I just shrugged. The gist of the conversation was hometowns, parents, churches, majors, and to Tasha’s obvious shock, Lara’s age. “Perhaps we should switch to English so Sveta isn’t left out,” Tasha said in English. “Mike looked...
June 18, 1983, McKinley, Ohio “Becky, this is my friend Milena; Milena, Becky.” “Hi!” Milena said. “I hope I’m not intruding.” “Hi,” Becky replied. “You aren’t. Mike told me you were going to hang out with us tonight.” “Do you drink wine?” Becky laughed, “My pastor would have a cow, but he’s not here!” Milena laughed, “And shacking up with Mike, THAT would be OK?” “Well, no!” Becky laughed, blushing slightly. Milena uncorked the bottle of wine while I got three glasses from the...
August 28, 1983, McKinley, Ohio When I got up on Sunday morning, I showered and dressed, and then Kristin and I left my room and I found a note from Angie on the corkboard next to my door. It said she was getting a ride to church from the same woman who had picked her up the previous night and I shouldn’t wait for her. I shrugged, locked the door, and gave Kristin a quick kiss. She headed down the hall towards her room and I walked over to the elevators and pushed the ‘Down’ button. An...
February 25, 1984, Rutherford, Ohio “Hi!” Emmy gushed when she opened the door for Clarissa and me on Saturday morning. “Thanks for letting Clarissa hang out here while I take care of this for Liz.” “You’re doing the right thing, Mike. I have to go to work in a few minutes, but Clarissa can buzz you in when you come back, and then if you just lock the door when you leave and bring the key to Lou’s everything will be cool.” “You’re a sweetheart, Emmy Nelson!” “I know!” she giggled,...
August 27, 1983, West Monroe, Ohio “Tasha,” I said gently, “you made me promise to keep you pure until we were married, or at least betrothed, no matter what you said! In other words, you made me promise not to do it even if you changed your mind! And I made that promise!” “I can’t change my mind?” “You were very clear that I was responsible for you NOT doing that.” “But isn’t that up to me?” I nodded, “As an adult, in charge of her own decisions, it is. But you extracted that promise...
October 14, 1983, McKinley, Ohio “I’m worried about Angie,” I said as Clarissa, Melody, and I made our way back to the dorm from the Chancellor’s office. “I know you told the detective that you have no idea where she might be, but do you have ANY thoughts?” Melody asked. I shook my head, “If she wasn’t with her friend and she wasn’t at church, and her counselor hadn’t heard from her, then no, honestly, I have no idea. I mean, she could have gone home, but I’m sure someone called there to...
December 21, 1983, West Monroe, Ohio “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” I said. “Afraid you’ll lose?” Violet asked. No, I thought, I wasn’t afraid of losing at all. In fact, I was sure that win or lose, I’d win, from a certain perspective. “No, that’s not it...” I started. “Then let’s play!” “Are you sure?” She nodded, “I can’t think of a more fun way to celebrate my birthday!” I could, and I was sure that what I was thinking was exactly what she was thinking, and she was just...
January 8, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “Is it always like that in the morning?” Clarissa asked. “Pretty often, but it doesn’t have the urgency, if you will, and it goes away pretty quickly once I get out of bed.” “Do you have ANY control over it?” “Limited,” I chuckled. “It pretty much has a mind of its own.” “That has to be difficult.” “Think standing in the altar, wearing acolytes’ vestments and seeing Tasha walk into church in a sundress.” Clarissa laughed softly, “She is gorgeous!” “And...
May 6, 1984, Rutherford, Ohio “I’m curious,” Clarissa asked quietly, “but what about a patronymic in this case?” “Sasha hasn’t said,” Tasha replied. “Technically, it would be some form of Timothy, because Timmy Aston is the baby’s father, but I don’t think she’ll do that. She really could pick anything.” “What happened with the baby’s father?” Clarissa asked. “My dad, Timmy’s dad, and two attorneys worked out the deal. Timmy’s going to college and really can’t afford to pay child support,...
Gillian Crowley and I met at a wedding reception for a friend of hers, Margaret Tilly; that was twenty-three years ago; we were both twenty-five and single. At any rate, I was actually a distant cousin of Margaret's. I was just adding my congrats card—with a crisp new C-note in it—to the pile of other gifts and cards, when a very pretty and sweet smelling woman doing the same bumped into me almost dropping her gift. Hers was a large box—I immediately thought microwave oven. She bumped me,...
June 5, 1983, McKinley, Ohio My alarm rang on Sunday morning and when I reached over to shut it off, Milena groaned softly, stretched, and turned to face me, her glorious breasts rubbing against my chest. “Hi,” she said sheepishly. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing! That’s just it. Nothing is wrong. I slept, naked, with a guy and literally nothing happened except a ‘good night’ kiss and spooning.” “And you think something should have happened?” She kissed my nose, “No, not at all. I mean, we can...
September 3, 1983, West Monroe, Ohio Tasha was very quiet on the drive home from Jackson Lake, and I wasn’t sure what to say to her, so I stayed quiet as well. When we arrived at my house, we exchanged a perfunctory kiss. “Are you OK?” I asked. “Yes,” she replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow at church.” I got out of the Volvo and went into the house. I said ‘hello’ to my parents, then asked Clarissa to sit on the patio and talk with me. We went to the kitchen, got glasses of lemonade, then...
September 5, 1983, West Monroe, Ohio “Now that you’ve had time to sleep on it, have you had any new thoughts?” Clarissa asked as we walked along the road from my house towards ‘downtown’ West Monroe on Monday morning. “Should I have new thoughts?” I asked. “Let me put it this way — if you’re going to change your mind, do it NOW, today. If she shows up in McKinley expecting two passion-filled nights and you back out, it’s going to be VERY ugly.” “Why would I back out? You and Liz made very...
December 17, 1983, Rutherford, Ohio After Vespers, Clarissa, Jocelyn, Tasha, and I went to Lou’s diner in Rutherford for dinner. “Is this Mike’s nightmare?” Jocelyn teased. “Or Mike’s ultimate fantasy?” “The three of you would be a nightmare,” I said flatly. “It’s bad enough to have ONE woman telling me what to do! But three? Kill me now!” The girls all laughed. “He knows women are in charge,” Tasha said primly. “Even the bishops cower in the corner if the women of the church are...
January 5, 1984, Columbus, Ohio “Master, Bless!” I said to Vladyka ARKADY when he greeted me in his office. “The Lord bless you, Subdeacon Michael,” he said as I kissed his hand. “Anthony, would you please bring the tea?” “Right away, Vladyka,” Subdeacon Anthony said. “Sit, Subdeacon. We’ll use the comfortable chairs so we can have a quiet chat.” I sat in one of the very comfortable wingback chairs and the bishop sat in a second chair which was very close. Subdeacon Anthony brought in a...