Chapter 31: Home Sweet Home

April 1, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

After Bianca, Miranda, Ellie, and Josie finished their tag-teaming, the five of us managed to crowd into the shower, much to Bianca's delight, though Miranda was distinctly uncomfortable. She didn't balk, but I could tell she didn't appreciate it. Once we had all rinsed off, we dried ourselves, the girls dressed, then we stripped the soiled sheets from the bed and put on fresh ones.

"I'll put these in the washer," Bianca said. "And let Keiko know you're all hers; well, what's left of you!"

The four girls left, and a minute later, Keiko appeared, closing the door after she came into the room.

"I hope they didn't wear you out," she said. "But if you just want to sleep, I understand."

"I saved some energy for you," I said. "What would you like to do?"

"Be on top and then fall asleep with you inside me."

I took her hand, and we got into bed. Thirty minutes later, after five orgasms, Keiko sighed deeply and stretched out on top of me.

April 2, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

"Are we moving everything?" I asked Keiko as we walked into the dorm at Loyola on Saturday morning.

"Yes. I don't see any point in maintaining the fiction that I have a dorm room. It's paid for, but there are only seven weeks of school left, and my dad has no problem with the situation, given how little I'll have to pay to live in your house."

"And Loyola doesn't care?"

"They have their money, so no, they don't. I'll simply go to the Registrar's office and change my residence address. Housing won't care, and I've already let them know I don't need a room next semester. I also don't receive any mail here, so I don't have to worry about that."

We made fairly quick work of moving her things, as she'd packed most everything earlier in the week, and it took only a single trip in my car, with everything easily fitting into the trunk. Once we had carried everything into the new house, Bianca, Shelly, and I went grocery shopping while Keiko unpacked her things and set up her room.

Once we'd completed our shopping, I dropped the girls at the new house, then headed to the old house to meet Kasia for the move-out inspection. I arrived a few minutes early and did a final walkthrough to check we hadn't left anything at all. Finding nothing, I waited in the foyer for Kasia to arrive, which she did promptly at 10:00am. I greeted her, and she did a complete walkthrough of the house, then checked the garage.

"Everything is fine," she said.

"How do you propose to quantify the 'damages' if anyone asks?"

"They won't, but cleaning fees and wear-and-tear on appliances would satisfy them. I'm going to replace the gas range, as you suggested, and that will cover a good portion of it."

"Is there anything else you need from me?" I asked.

Kasia laughed softly, "There are so many ways I could answer that!"

"And so many ways I could respond!"

"And if I wasn't meeting a guy for lunch, I might actually make one of those comments just to see how you responded."

"Goofily, of course! Or, frustratingly, if that would actually be more fun."

"That is totally you!"

"First date?"

"Third, actually. I met him about three weeks ago. But so far, all 'safe' dates, if you know what I mean."

"Meeting someplace like a restaurant or coffee shop and having your own transportation."

"Right the first time! Stay in touch, OK?"

"Sure. I enjoy your company."

We hugged, she gave me a signed document that indicated the 'damage' deduction, and I turned over all the keys. I walked her to her car, and we hugged again. I got in my car to drive to the new house to help set up for the party.

"Jonathan, this is CeCi!" Deanna said. "CeCi, Jonathan."

"Hi!" the tall, athletic blonde girl with sparkling blue eyes said. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you as well. Welcome!"

"Thanks!"

"How long will you be in Chicago?"

"Until Thursday. I'm meeting with my counselor and some professors, setting up my schedule, and sitting in on classes. And with time to have fun and get into trouble!"

"I hope you'll excuse me. I need to check with Bianca about setting up for the housewarming party that begins in ninety minutes."

"I'm sure we'll have time to get better acquainted!" she said, flashing a smile.

I went to find Bianca, who was in the kitchen with Shelly, Keiko, and Kristy.

"All moved in?" I asked Kristy.

"Yes. Dad asked if it was OK to simply send you the check each month in interoffice mail."

"Fine with me," I said. "I do know where he works!"

Kristy laughed, "True!"

"Anything you need me to do?" I asked Bianca.

"You could get the grill ready."

"Will do!"

That took ten minutes, and I was back inside.

"Ready to go. It just needs to be lit when we're ready for the burgers and brats."

"Then I think that's it for now," Bianca said. "We'll put out the snacks right at noon."

The doorbell rang, so I went to answer it.

"You must be Jonathan," a good-looking, sandy-haired guy in his mid-twenties said. "I'm Perry Nielson."

"Nice to meet you!" I said.

I extended my hand, and we shook.

"I'm glad you could make it. Shelly is in the kitchen."

"I could make a smart-ass comment, but I'm not sure that's wise."

I chuckled, "'Where she should be'?"

"That's the one!"

"Congratulations on your assignment at Cook County."

"It's a blessing and a curse — one of the busiest, most understaffed trauma centers in the country. But that means I'll see more cases and have more opportunities to do procedures than anywhere else. When I finish my Residency, I'll find a less insane hospital!"

"Baptism by fire?" I asked.

"Basically."

"Would you mind taking off your shoes? There are slippers if you prefer, but stocking feet are just fine."

"You do have gorgeous wood floors, from what I can see past the protective paper."

"We're taking that up shortly," I said.

He removed his shoes but didn't opt for slippers. I led him to the kitchen, where he and Shelly greeted each other, hugged, and exchanged a quick kiss.

"If you're willing to pitch in," I said. "We need to take up all the butcher paper that's protected the floors while we moved in."

"Glad to help!" he replied.

I enlisted Jack, Deanna, and CeCi to help as well, and between the four of us, we removed all the butcher paper, which had become dirty and scuffed, protecting the hard work we'd done earlier in the week. Not long after we finished, Allyson and Tim arrived, followed almost immediately by Sally and Will. They were the first wave, and over the course of the afternoon, nearly everyone I knew in Chicago, including my Uncle Alec and Aunt Wendy, stopped in at some point or another. Those who didn't show were people I had invited but hadn't expected — Murray Matheson, Noel Spurgeon, and their dates.

I fired up the grill at about 2:00pm, and between Jack, Stuart, Costas, and me, we served dozens of hamburgers and brats. Beth, who was the last to arrive, appeared just before 4:00pm.

"Serious upgrade!" she declared when I gave her a quick tour. "It's too bad you aren't Jewish."

"Why?" I chuckled. "So we could marry and stop having sex?"

Beth laughed, "I did say that, didn't I?"

"You did! Not very good marketing! That said, given I'm «goy», you aren't interested in anything except friendship and a good «schtupp», the marketing you did do to the «mensch» was very good!"

"Nice oral technique!" Beth teased. "You've learned some new words!"

"I find it pays to learn as much as possible about as much as possible."

"An admirable attitude! Dinner in a few weeks?"

"Sure. Just call."

We rejoined the guests and spent time talking to as many of them as I could, but it was tough, given that over the course of the afternoon, seventy people showed up at the house, most of them staying for two or three hours, though some stayed the entire time, including Shelly's boyfriend, Perry, Violet, Lily, Allyson and Tim, Sally and Will, Miranda, Josie, Esme and Katy, and Ellie.

When the party finally wound down around midnight, several of the girls stayed to help clean up, and it didn't surprise me when both Josie and Miranda offered to spend the night.

Having made no promises to anyone, and with CeCi crashing on an air mattress in Deanna's room, the field was wide open, and I didn't feel compelled to decide.

"I don't want to have to choose, so if you two want to share..."

Both girls laughed.

"Not choosing works to your benefit," Josie exclaimed. "Miranda?"

"Share, but not do anything, right?"

"Right," Josie agreed. "I think we can make Jonathan happy without putting on a girl-on-girl exhibition!"

I was sure they could, and when we finished cleaning up, the three of us went up to my room.

April 3, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

On Sunday morning, we were up fairly early and ate breakfast. After we'd eaten, Miranda and Josie left to spend Easter Sunday with their families.

"Two candidates for your harem!" Bianca teased when I joined her in the front room with coffee.

"Yeah, yeah," I chuckled. "Where is everyone else?"

"Deanna and CeCi aren't up yet; Shelly went home with Perry; Keiko went to her parents' house; and Jack and Kristy went to his house. All of that was on the calendar in the kitchen."

"I saw you hung it to the left of the door as you walk in, but didn't look at it."

"What's your plan for today?"

"I'm surprised you don't know! I thought you had all the inside scoop!"

"What did I miss?" Bianca asked with a curious look.

"I have a date with Deanna and CeCi today."

Bianca smirked, "You do like leggy blondes!"

"And curvy «chicas» as well!"

Bianca smiled, "Esme?"

"You!"

"But you like Esme, too!"

"I do, but I prefer you to your cousin for a number of reasons! Not to mention, she has plans for the next four years that involve enjoying college a thousand miles away. When are you leaving today?"

"About 9:00am. I'll go to Mass with my extended family, and then we're going to our grandmother's house — mine and Esme's shared grandparents."

I hadn't actually checked with any of my new housemates about their plans for the day, and it had worked fortuitously, so Deanna, CeCi, and I would have the house entirely to ourselves.

"Morning!" Deanna exclaimed, coming into the front room, followed by CeCi.

"Morning! We've already eaten, but I'm happy to make breakfast for you."

"Great!" Deanna exclaimed.

"Sausage, eggs, and toast? Or I can make pancakes or waffles."

"Sausage, eggs, and toast are fine," Deanna said.

The three of us went to the kitchen while Bianca went upstairs to shower.

"Where in Cincinnati do you live?" I asked CeCi.

"Now? Madeira. I was born and raised in Milford and lived close to Deanna and her family, but when my parents went to Guatemala on a mission trip, I moved in with my aunt and uncle."

"I'm curious, if you don't mind my asking, how they're OK with you missing Easter dinner."

"My family is part of the Religious Society of Friends, who you might know as Quakers. We don't celebrate any of the pagan holidays."

"Hang on!" I protested. "Christmas and Easter are Christian holidays."

"I can give you chapter and verse, but I'm positive you don't want to hear it!"

"I'm actually curious, from a purely educational point of view. You can tell me while I'm making breakfast, if you don't mind."

"Let's start simple — Easter eggs and bunnies are not exactly Christian symbols! They're fertility symbols tied to the celebration of Spring. The same is true of Yule logs, hanging mistletoe, and Christmas trees. Basically, there is nothing in the Bible which supports celebrating any day other than the Sabbath. Some Friends don't even use names for days or months because they're derived from the pagan Roman Calendar."

"That's pretty hardcore," I said. "Where do you go to school?"

"Tri-County Christian Schools, a private non-denominational school."

"What do you plan to study at the Art Institute?"

"Film," CeCi replied. "I want to make movies. You're a stockbroker, right?"

"Right now, I'm an analyst, and I support our traders. I do have my licenses and trade a bit on my own and for a small group of friends. I hope to eventually move up to full-time trading."

"So in, say, five years, you could help me arrange funding for movies?"

"I have no idea how that works, but I could certainly find out by the time you graduate. What kind of movies do you want to make?"

"Eventually, I want to direct in Hollywood."

"What's the path from here to there?" I asked.

"A degree in film, which includes making short movies, then finding jobs on movie sets and working my way up while making my own shorts and writing screenplays."

"Have you shot any movies?"

"My grandfather gave me a Super 8mm camera, and I've filmed home movies and some things for film club at school."

"That's cool."

The food was ready, so I served the girls, poured them orange juice and coffee, then sat down with them. Bianca came in to say 'goodbye' and then left for Mass.

"Did you arrange for everyone to be out?" Deanna asked.

"No," I replied. "Everyone had plans either for Easter or the end of Spring Break."

"You're not religious at all, right?" CeCi asked.

"Correct. I've been in church three times in my life — one funeral and two weddings. Did Deanna warn you I was blunt?"

"She did."

"I find organized religion to be nonsense."

"Me, too!" CeCi declared with a soft laugh. "Friends have very diverse beliefs, and we don't practice any rituals, nor do we have ministers the way you would find in a typical denomination. Basically, everything comes down to conscience and where the Holy Spirit leads us."

"So you can believe whatever you want?"

"Not quite, but Friends are not nearly as strict as any other group of which I'm aware. That said, I'm basically done with it."

"Why is that?"

"I'm too outspoken, and my chosen career isn't really compatible with the 'simplicity' doctrine. I've been questioning for a few years, and after some long talks with Deanna, I think she made the right choice. My only complaint is that I can't room with her in the dorm, which I believe is YOUR fault!"

"Guilty as charged, but I won't apologize."

"Sorry. I was teasing."

"He's yanking your chain!" Deanna declared. "He likes to mess with people almost as much as he likes to mess around!"

"Good thing, given that's why I'm here!"

"For me to mess with you?" I asked with a silly smile.

"To mess around with me!" CeCi corrected.

"You need to add 'doofus' or 'goofball' to that kind of comment," Deanna interjected.

The girls finished eating, and I rinsed the plates and put them into the dishwasher, something we hadn't had in the old house.

"We usually clean up right after meals," I said. "Let me quick wash the skillets, bowls, and utensils."

"I'll dry," Deanna offered.

We made quick work, then went to the front room, where I sat in an easy chair and the girls sat on the couch.

"Deanna said she told you what I wanted to do but that I needed to say it to you."

"Effective communication prevents misunderstandings," I replied. "And given what Deanna said, the last thing I want is a misunderstanding."

CeCi smiled, "I want to cast off the shackles of my past and forge a new future!"

"And did you have a plan for how to do that?"

CeCi got up, came over to me, sat in my lap, and put her lips close to my ear.

"I want to go to bed with you," she said quietly.

"Birth control?" I asked.

"I went on the Pill after my last talk with Deanna."

"Then shall we go upstairs?" I asked.

"Yes!"

She stood, and I took her hand. We began walking towards the stairs, with Deanna following behind. I was a bit surprised but didn't say anything, assuming the girls had discussed it. When we reached the top of the stairs and turned towards the master bedroom, Deanna pulled the rope to the attic stairs.

"I'll be in my room," Deanna said. "You two get acquainted!"

I led CeCi to my room, shut the door, and turned to face her.

"I'll do anything you want, any way you want," she said.

"It's actually about what you want," I countered. "With Deanna as your friend, I'm positive you have all the knowledge necessary to tell me what you want to do. No limits on my part, either."

"Are you sure about that?" CeCi asked with a sly smile.

I was positive about what she was referring to, as there was no doubt in my mind that Deanna had discussed the possibility with her.

"As I said to Deanna, I was willing to experiment if that's what she wanted to do. I guess the question is, how bad do you want to be?"

"Very!" CeCi declared. "As bad as possible!"

"At the risk of you changing your mind, you do realize you can be free without going to bed with me, right?"

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, not at all. This is just me making sure you've considered your options."

"Deanna did warn me you were very analytical and also very careful about girls not feeling pressured. I'm here because I want to be. Did Deanna influence me? Yes. But I'd already decided to make a clean break with my past. Honestly, I'm no longer interested in a simple life. I can see moderation, but there's no reason to deny oneself full enjoyment of life. Once I saw what you looked like, I told Deanna what I wanted."

"Saw what I looked like?"

"You didn't know she sketched you?"

"No, I didn't."

"Oops!"

"It doesn't bother me; I was just surprised. I only know she paints."

"You didn't see her sketchbooks when you helped her move?"

"No. I had no idea."

"She's an excellent sketch artist, but it doesn't fulfill her the way painting does. Her sketch of you was pretty much spot on."

"Just a portrait?"

CeCi laughed, "I think I'm in big trouble now."

"Why?"

"One of the important traits of Friends is always telling the truth, and I know from Deanna that's yours as well. So, to answer your question, two portraits, but two full-body sketches."