Chapter 44: Pasts, Presents, and Futures

17 March 1997 – Hilltop Road, Lancaster, Massachusetts

“We have been parents for two days, Jeffrey, and you already know how to hover. I am not going to break!” Keiko swatted at Jeff’s hands as he ‘helped’ her to the couch after returning from Leominster Hospital.

“Keiko, nothing in this world is as important to me as you and the boys!” The aforementioned boys were unimpressed with their father’s declaration. They were sound asleep in their baby carriers.

“Do you wish for me to kick your gluteus maximus around the mat while we spar? Jeffrey, relax! Sit down here with me.” Keiko pushed Jeff onto the couch and snuggled up to him. She gazed down at the boys while his arms encircled her.

“Jeffrey, I know you care about us, but I do not wish for us to become ‘those’ parents. We will NOT hover over them, and you will NOT hover over me! We make sure the boys are safe, yes, but we must also allow them to fail. It will not be easy for us to do, but they will be more successful in life if we encourage them to try their best no matter what the outcome. You say it yourself, Jeffrey: ‘What if I hadn’t attempted to change when I was thirteen? What if I’d been too afraid of failing?’ We would not be here together, that is for certain.”

“You are right far too often, Keiko.”

“You should be used to this by now, Jeffrey. It is the natural way of things.” Jeff blew his wife a raspberry and tickled her. She tapped him in the ribs with an elbow. “In all seriousness, Jeffrey, we now have an awesome responsibility in raising our children, our boys.”

“Which we will handle like we’ve handled the past three years, Keiko: as a team. I’m not going anywhere. I know our hard work is just beginning, but we will make it through together. I’m sorry your dad couldn’t come out with your mom this time.”

Keiko gave an un-Keiko-like shrug. “Father knew he would not have much vacation time left after the visit to Japan and the visits to us last year. Did you submit your summer vacation requests, Jeffrey?”

“Yes, I’m approved for the week off after July Fourth as well as my Monday and Tuesday shifts the week after. I’ll get off work at eleven the night of July fifth and won’t have to be back at work until seven in the morning on the nineteenth. I found coverage for the shifts on the fourteenth and fifteenth by myself. That’s why they approved the requests. We’ll fly to Spokane on the sixth, come back the fifteenth, and I’ll still have three days to relax once we’re home.”

“Next item,” Keiko said, “we need to make sure that the house is ready for our visitors tomorrow.”

The two grandmothers burst into tears when they walked into the boys’ bedroom the following afternoon and caught sight of them for the first time. Kara reacted the same way. Stu, Joe, and Jeff shared a silent look, shaking their heads. Matty – holding his little sister’s hand – took in the scene, shook his head, and muttered, “Women.” The three older men fell over each other, laughing. The women were less amused.

Marisa and Mayumi each claimed a baby. Then, they carried their grandsons downstairs to the living room. Jenni Masterson scrambled up onto the couch to sit next to her ‘Gamma’ and check out the interesting doll she held. Gamma showed Jenni that the doll was something called ‘cousin Ryan.’ Jenni thought it was cool when Ryan opened his eyes and looked at her.

“How much do they weigh again, Keiko? Alex doesn’t seem very heavy.”

“Alexander was five pounds, eleven ounces at birth, Mother. Ryan was five pounds, nine ounces. Dr. Nuno, our obstetrician, assured us those weights are well within the norms for full-term twins.”

“And Alex has such big blue eyes!” Mayumi cooed to the boy in her arms. Alex closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

“Just like his father!” Marisa said. Jeff batted his eyelashes at his wife when he passed by. Keiko looked at the ceiling as if she were in pain.

“So the visitations continue through the week?” Joe asked while settling into his chair in Jeff’s basement family room. The men let the women have their time with the boys by retreating downstairs.

“Yep,” Jeff replied, handing his father and Stu a beer each before settling into his chair. “Heather and TC are coming tomorrow. Beth, Sean, Pamela, and Finnegan on Thursday. Gene, Jean, Elise, and Brady on Friday. Emilie, Charlie, and Madeline on Saturday ... Going back to work next Monday will seem like a vacation!”

Stu gave his brother-in-law a cautionary look while leaning forward in his chair. “It would be best if you never say anything like that again. Have you forgotten your wife is a black belt?”

“She’s on the fifteen-day disabled list right now.”

“And when she comes off of it, the first thing she’ll do is kick your ass! Trust me, Jeff, do not ever let Keiko hear you say anything remotely as stupid as what you just said! Ever!”

Joe watched the byplay with amusement. “I dunno, Stu. We could be messing with the survival of the fittest.”

“Good point, Joe,” Stu replied, leaning back into his chair and taking a drink of his beer.

Keiko tried to put the boys back down for another nap two hours later. They were fussy and irritable, however, like they’d been the night before. Jeff and Mayumi helped Keiko check the infants’ diapers, but they were dry. Keiko fed the boys before bringing them upstairs, which made the situation even more puzzling. Finally, after twenty minutes of rocking Alex and trying to get him to go to sleep, Jeff stood from the rocking chair. On a hunch, he put Alex in the same crib with Ryan, and the wailing stopped. The silence shocked the adults.

Keiko’s face reflected that shock when she looked at her husband. “How did you know that would work, Jeffrey?”

“I didn’t,” he shrugged. “It was a hunch, nothing more.”

“They have been sleeping next to each other for nine months,” Mayumi pointed out.

“Exactly what my hunch was. The boys may not be identical twins, but they are still twins.” Jeff watched the faces of both his sons relax while their breathing suggested they’d both fallen asleep. Jeff nodded towards the door and filed out after the women. He closed the door behind him.

Keiko gave him a grateful hug. “Perhaps now they will get the rest they should have been getting.”

“And us as well. Mayumi, let’s get you set up in your room.”

“Oh, they’re so precious!” Heather gasped a day later when Keiko and Mayumi carried the twins into the living room. Jeff kept to himself his sarcastic comments on how long they would remain ‘precious,’ though he and TC shared a glance. Mayumi handed Ryan to Heather. Ryan gazed up at Heather when he settled into her arms.

“Look at those big, brown eyes! Hi, Ryan! How have they been sleeping?”

“The first night home was a long night for everyone,” Keiko replied. “Neither boy slept well, so, as a consequence, neither did we. Yesterday, however, Jeffrey discovered the solution.”

“Quite by accident, if you remember,” Jeff added.

“How you arrived at the solution is irrelevant, Jeffrey. That you hit upon it is completely relevant, however.”

“What was the solution?” TC asked.

“Jeff placed the boys in the same crib, and they stopped crying right away. They appear much more at ease that way.”

“And, as a result, we’ve been able to get more sleep,” Jeff pointed out. Keiko rolled her eyes while smiling at him.

The women started talking between themselves. TC motioned Jeff out of the room and out to the workout area.

“What’s up, Reb?”

“Jeff, I need to ask you about something,” TC replied as he pulled an item from his pocket. He showed that item to Jeff.

Jeff looked at what TC held for a moment. “I’m flattered, TC, but I’m afraid that my answer will have to be ‘no.’ I’m already happily married to Keiko.”

“Why I became friends with you, I’ll never know,” TC sighed. “It’s for Heather! You’re a pain in the ass.”

Jeff smiled. “I know, TC, I know. You’re not just figuring this out, I hope? When are you going to ask her, and why show me the ring before you do?”

“I wanted to know if you’re okay with me asking her.”

“Seems like Jane’s permission would be appropriate, or Tom Cavanaugh’s.”

“I’ve already gotten permission from the colonels, but she considers you her brother.”

“And you’ve got my blessing too, TC,” Jeff replied while placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Now you’ve got to figure out when to ask her the most important question of your life.”

“Are you going to be okay?” Jeff asked Keiko while they traveled from his parents’ house to the Cliffside Hotel in Prescott.

“I will be when we return to your parents’ residence later this evening,” Keiko replied, wringing her hands.

Jeff patted her knee and returned his hand to the gear shift. “The boys will be fine, Keiko. It’s my parents I worry about.”

She gave him a pained look. “It is my first night out away from our sons, Jeffrey. You will forgive my trepidation, I trust?” Keiko received a smile in return.

The couple drove to the Cliffside for Jeff’s Tenth Reunion. This would be the last year the Class of 1987 would be considered ‘young alumni.’ Thompkins would now hold the Class of ‘87’s official reunions every five years.

Jeff admired his wife’s figure while walking in from the parking lot. Keiko’s six weeks of hard work in their gym at home paid dividends. Unless you knew she delivered twins two months ago, you’d be hard-pressed to tell.

“Take a picture, Jeffrey. It will last longer.”

“Those guys from our honeymoon, they can keep the pictures. I don’t need any because I have the real thing, and that’s much better.”

Keiko gave him a big kiss before they went inside.

They picked up their name tags from the reunion’s registration desk and stepped inside the function room. They scanned the crowd but didn’t see any of his classmates or friends right away.

“Would you like anything from the bar? You’re still nursing the boys, so a Coke or something?”

“I will come with you.”

When the bartender handed them their drinks, Jeff and Keiko heard a voice behind them.

“Why do I always run into you at the bar, you lush?”

Jeff turned with a smile on his face, ready to introduce his wife to his oldest friend. He was not expecting to see the woman on Jack’s arm.

“Kathy Stein! You look terrific! Where have you been?”

“Hi, Jeff,” she said, hugging him. “Where I’ve been, as well as how, is a long and not entirely happy story.”

“Kathy’s staying here at the Cliffside like I am,” Jack said after giving his drink order to the bartender. “We ran into each other at the registration desk while checking in this afternoon. It took Kathy most of the afternoon to tell me her story. It’s ... it’s not a good story for a night that’s supposed to be fun like tonight.”

“Well, we’ll table that for now. Kathy, Jack, this is my wife, Keiko. Keiko, these fine folks are Kathy Stein and Jack Jarrett, two of my oldest friends in the world.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you both. Where are you sitting?”

“We haven’t picked a table yet,” Kathy replied.

Keiko hooked Kathy’s arm. “Let us go find one, then.” But, first, Allison Newbury and Tony Rosado’s arrival interrupted their table selection. Then, the appearance of Pauline and Frank McGahn delayed it further.

“We’re gettin’ the band back together!” Jack crowed while they all sat.

“Pauline, your Tenth Reunion was last year, wasn’t it?” Allison asked.

“Yes, but I knew this year was yours and that all of you would be here. You, all of you, were my best friends growing up. I miss those days. I miss all of you. Other than Frank, I didn’t make any friends at UMass like those I made at Thompkins, who are all sitting right here around this table. Keiko, Tony, I don’t know you very well yet, but you’ve married two of my best friends, and that’s enough for me. I look forward to getting to know you.” Tony and Keiko both thanked her.

“I’d like to say something about my absence over the past ten years, everyone.” Jack looked at his former girlfriend. “No, Jack, I know what you’re thinking, and I do need to explain myself to our friends.”

Kathy took a deep breath. “I was so excited to go to NYU. As much as I loved it here during high school, going to school in New York was the biggest adventure of my life. Unfortunately, I wasted the summer after graduation. I didn’t concentrate on my remaining time with Allison or Jack after you left, Jeff. In effect, I left not too long after you did, even though I was here until August. Jack, I know you felt the distance I built between us that summer, but you were too kind to mention it.”

“When I got to NYU, I found someone even faster than you did, Pauline. But, unfortunately, my discovery didn’t evolve into the fairy-tale and wonderful life you and Frank have enjoyed. Domenic Accardi swept me off my feet within my first two months in the city. He was oh so smooth. He slowly, subtly, cut me off from my family in California, my parents here, and finally my friends in New York.”

“Domenic convinced me to stay in New York after my freshman year and convinced me to move in with him by the end of the summer. I know why he did that now – to make it easier to control me and harder for my parents to find me. My ATM card and credit cards? Gone. He insisted on giving me cash to spend. The apartment was in his name, the phone, everything.”

“Domenic convinced me I didn’t need to go back to NYU by my junior year. He convinced me to marry him by Halloween, which I did in front of witnesses he chose on New Year’s Eve 1989. The first two years of marriage were okay, I guess. After that, things got worse. When I didn’t get pregnant right away, his moods grew darker. That’s when the abuse started. Domenic beat me for years after that. I made the standard excuses – I said I fell down the stairs, walked into doors, or shouldn’t have made him mad. Jeff, I see you nodding.”

“I’m a paramedic, Kathy,” Jeff answered, heartbroken for his friend. “I hear that more than I ever care to, directly or indirectly.” He knew her story would get worse.

Kathy nodded. “Domenic grew steadily more violent until last year when he made his last mistake, a fatal one: he hit me in public. We were in the middle of Central Park when Domenic flew into a rage over what I don’t remember. He punched me in the stomach and drove me to the ground. Domenic followed me down to the ground and hit me in the head, sides, and back while I curled into a ball. Two officers walking foot patrol in the park stumbled across us. They ordered Domenic to stop, but he didn’t until they took him down with their batons.”

“The officers called an ambulance for me. I finally summoned the courage to tell the paramedics how Domenic abused me. Then I told the nurse and the doctor who treated me. Each time I told the story, it became easier and easier to tell. I told my story over and over until Domenic went to jail. There he learned that he wasn’t the toughest. He was stabbed to death in the dining hall at Riker’s Island in less than a week. Domenic had pissed off the wrong person. I didn’t shed a tear for him when I heard.”

“I cried for an hour after speaking to my parents for the first time in almost eight years. They didn’t care how long it had been, just that I was safe. They looked for me for a couple of years, but my mother’s cancer diagnosis derailed the search. Their time, effort, and money went to that. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough left over to do both. Dad took an unpaid leave from GVMC, so no money was coming in.”

“Mom was on her last legs when I called home last year. She was still lucid enough to answer the phone herself and know my voice. When I was well enough, I came back here, back to Prescott. I helped Dad take care of Mom while she approached the end. Dad and I took care of each other when Mom passed in the fall.”