Chapter 64: What Did She Propose?

June 24, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

On Friday, I arranged my schedule so I could be home at 3:00pm, and when I arrived, I found Keiko and her grandmother in the front room, which my housemates had begun calling the Japanese room. I greeted Atsuko with a bow, then exchanged a quick kiss with Keiko, the first one not technically prohibited by her doctors.

"Jonathan-san," Atsuko said. "I will leave you two and return on Monday morning at 6:00am."

"«Arigatou gozaimasu»," I said, hoping I'd gotten the pronunciation which Keiko had painstakingly taught me the night before, correct.

"«どういたしまして» (Dō itashimashite)," Atsuko replied.

"Keiko-chan," I said, "I'm going to walk your grandmother to her car, and I'll be right back."

"I think I'll survive a few minutes without someone checking on me, poking me, or prodding me!"

"You allow Jonathan to care for you, Keiko-chan," Atsuko said firmly.

"Yes, «おばあちゃん» (O bāchan), I will." ("Grandmother")

Atsuko and I left the house by the back door, and I walked her to the alley where she'd parked.

"It was thoughtful of you to create that room," Atsuko said, "And your home is beautiful and bright, with flowers, very much like a Japanese home."

"Thank you."

"I know you'll take good care of Keiko, and her grandfather and I will help in every way we can."

"I appreciate it. Would a gesture of inviting her parents to the house be well received?"

"I don't see how it can hurt," Atsuko said. "My daughter-in-law is not a bad person; she just places being Japanese above all other concerns."

"I'll discuss it with Keiko and invite them."

We reached her car, I bowed once again, she got in, and once she'd driven away, I went back into the house.

"I want to invite your parents here as an olive branch to your mom."

"My grandmother's suggestion?"

"No, but I did ask her if it would be well received. She said she didn't see how it could hurt. I also need to get in touch with my grandparents, but we'd have to invite them to come here, and I'm not sure how that would go over with them."

"How could it hurt?"

"Given their religious beliefs, we're all living in sin, and in their minds, at least from what I gathered from my mom, they believe no unmarried woman should live anywhere except her parents' house. Jack and Kristy living together would offend them, to say nothing of Bianca and Juliette. I honestly don't care what they think, but why create a situation almost guaranteed to go wrong."

"So what do you want to do?"

"I think I'll call my Aunt and see if she'll host a dinner sometime in the next two weeks. You'd have to wear a mask, of course. And you know, I never asked you how you feel about how you look."

Keiko smirked, "Like I'm twelve when I'm naked! That hair fell out, too!"

"You know that wasn't what I meant!" I chuckled.

"Yes, of course, but you'll see that later, and I wanted to warn you. If you mean, am I self-conscious or uncomfortable? Not really. I don't mind wearing the scarf, and you've seen me without it. Would I prefer I had my hair? Yes, of course! But there was no way to avoid this outcome, so I simply accept it and move on. May I ask how you felt seeing me without hair?"

"You're still you," I replied. "And because I love you, I accept you as you are. Is there anything you need now?"

"No. I saw all the things you bought, and my grandmother washed my clothes and put everything away."

"I'm making dinner for you, me, and CeCi. Deanna is working, and everyone else will be out. Are you sleeping in our bed tonight?"

"I like how that sounds! 'Our bed'! And yes, of course!"

"Bianca and I discussed our plans for placing an order for a baby, and we'll start next week, once in the morning and once in the evening."

Keiko laughed softly, "Placing an order? That's cute, actually. And that's fine. And remember, until we exchange rings, you're allowed to play!"

"I think you'll discover that none of the girls will want to play because they don't want to disrespect you."

"But it's not!" Keiko protested. "It's OK, and I explained why."

"Yes, you did, but I guarantee they'll ask you, not assume, and they might not even ask and, therefore, not do anything with me."

"'Can Jonathan come out to play, Keiko?'" she said, laughing softly.

"Something like that! And maybe they will ask, but I was clear that we'd have to use their beds. I think that sent a strong message that Deanna and CeCi understood, even if they aren't proponents of monogamy."

"It's up to you until we exchange rings, but I want you to understand I have no objections."

"I do understand. Changing topics, what are we supposed to do with the kamidana?"

"On the first and fifteenth day of the month, we make offerings of rice, water, salt, and saké. The rice is cooked and eaten after it's replaced. Daily prayers would involve washing our hands and brushing our teeth, lighting the candles and a stick of incense, then clapping our hands loudly to get the attention of the «kami». After that, a simple prayer is said."

"Saké might be a problem," I said. "Nobody in the house can buy it."

"My grandfather will, I'm sure."

"OK. Is there a ritual prayer, you know, like The Lord's Prayer?"

"Yes, though it's not required to say a specific prayer. Given you can't speak Japanese, and your «kami» would speak English, we can say a simple prayer in English, then I'll say one in Japanese to honor my family's «kami». I think I know the perfect one for you — a prayer for peace. It goes something like this..."

"That doesn't sound like any prayer I've ever heard," I replied.

"Because you have only heard Christian prayers when invocations are given. Jewish prayers are in Hebrew, and Muslim prayers are in Arabic. I don't know any, but I suspect those are not dissimilar to the Christian ones, as they all have their origin in the Jewish Scriptures. Shinto, like Buddhism, is very different. I don't think you could say a Christian prayer, but you could say the Shinto one with no concern."

"I think so," I agreed.

"It's similar to saying «いただきます» (Itadakimasu) before a meal. You can say 'I humbly receive', but you could never say what Christians call 'Grace' because you don't believe in the Christian god."

"True," I replied. "Or any gods. And as you've explained, honor and respect are sufficient because the only thing in this house I'm ever going to worship is you!"

Keiko laughed softly, "And make an offering at my 'shrine'?"

"Cute. I should probably get dinner started."

"I can help," Keiko said. "I'm feeling good and don't want to just sit around."

"So long as you're feeling OK, that's fine."

"I am."

We made chicken stir fry and rice, and when CeCi arrived home, the three of us ate together, and CeCi volunteered to clean up. We had a quiet evening at home, and at about 9:30pm, Keiko and I went upstairs. I retrieved the UV air cleaner and, put it in my room and, turned it on, then shut the door. With the whole-house system in place, it was probably unnecessary, but I wasn't going to take any chances in that regard, and we'd need the room-sized units when the AC wasn't running.

"I'll shower with you," she said with a smile. "I don't think it's a risk, and I can make sure you're clean!"

I laughed, and we undressed, with Keiko removing her scarf as well. She was right about looking very young with her pubic hair missing, even younger than she normally looked. I took her hand and led her to the shower. We washed each other, dried with clean towels I'd put out, then got into bed. Keiko snuggled close, put her head on my chest, and sighed deeply.

About five minutes later, she moved on top of me and began grinding her mons against my pubic bone, causing an unavoidable reaction.

"Keiko," I cautioned.

"I want to," she whispered. "Please let me."

"But..."

She put her finger on my lips, "Advised against, not forbidden."

I wasn't sure it was a good idea, but I was sure Keiko would be very sad if I refused.

"Whatever you think is right," I replied.

She shifted so she could rub her labia along my shaft, but I noticed she wasn't very wet.

"You might need lube," I said quietly.

"I think so," she agreed.

She moved off me, got the lube from the drawer, slathered some on my shaft, then moved on top of me again. She once again rubbed her labia along my shaft, then grasped me and slowly impaled herself on me. She stretched out so that she was lying on top of me and simply ground against me, giving herself a pair of gentle orgasms before she began flexing her hips and squeezing her muscles so she could bring about my release, which she did about five minutes later.

"Thank you," she said.

She kissed me, stretched out on top of me, and fell asleep. It wasn't the most comfortable position for me to sleep, but I loved Keiko, and no matter what she needed, I was going to do it, so long as it wouldn't hurt her. A few minutes later, I fell asleep.

June 25, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

"Did you sleep OK?" Keiko asked on Saturday morning.

"Yes," I replied. "Did you like your special mattress?"

Keiko smiled, "I liked your warmth, and it made me feel safe and secure. I also missed the physical contact, which I couldn't have for the past five weeks."

"I don't want to do anything that will hurt you, but I do have one question."

"Birth control? Don't worry. I didn't have my period, and it's unlikely I'll have one for several months after the last round of chemo, and I might never again. It's unpredictable, according to the nurses."

"You don't think it's risky?"

"Not really, and please don't take this the wrong way, but chemo would stop any pregnancy if something very unlikely happened. I think it's safe to assume I can't get pregnant. And last night was very special. I don't want to be foolish, but I also needed to be with you that way last night."

"As I said, whatever you need. I assume the lack of natural lubrication was related to your chemo?"

"Yes. Another thing that may or may not recover for a long time, if ever. The nurse made that point, too. It affected saliva as well, but so long as I drink water with my meal, that's not too bad; it's just my mouth is a bit dry at times."

"Shall we shower and go to breakfast?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to leave the air cleaner in here," I said. "If you want, we could move all your things in here."

Keiko smiled, "I'd like that. Of course, when I have the second round, I have to sleep in my bed."

"I know, and we'll deal with that, but this is our room now."

Keiko smiled again, "Thanks."

We showered, dressed, and went downstairs so we could have breakfast, then hung out in the Japanese room until just before 11:00am, when I called my Aunt Wendy to ask about a dinner with my grandparents.

"How is Keiko?" she asked.

"She's basically recovered from the chemo, but she has another round starting July 18th."

"Did you want to speak to Alec?"

"Actually, I wanted to discuss an idea I had about trying to mend fences with your parents."

"What are you thinking?"

"Given Keiko's restrictions and limitations, I'd prefer not to drive all the way to Naperville, especially given it might be a very short encounter, if Grandpa Kane responds the way you and Mom think he might. Inviting them here is problematic because Jack and Kristy are living together, but more problematic is that Bianca has a female partner."

"That would be sure to set him off!"

"Exactly. If you could host a dinner on neutral ground, so to speak, that would be appreciated. Unfortunately, it would need to be before the 18th, or else we'll have trouble working around what might be monthly chemo treatments."

"For how long?"

"Until her blast count is negligible. At that point, she goes on maintenance, which is not nearly as rough. When she stays at a negligible level for a year, she's in remission, and if her count goes to zero and stays that way for five years, she's considered cured. We'll know more when we see how she responds to the next round of chemo."

"Next weekend is the Fourth; would Saturday the 9th work?"

"There's nothing on our calendar," I replied. "Let's do that if it works for your parents."

"I'll call and speak to my mom and impress on her that Dad should keep his opinions to himself."

"Thanks."

"I'm not sure it will work, but I'll try. He and Alec have tangled more than once."

"I just don't get it."

"When you believe you are in possession of 'The Truth', with a pair of capital T's, it changes your perspective of the world."

"Wonderful. Anyway, I appreciate it, and I'll wait to hear from you."

"I'll call you back this afternoon. I'll also make sure Lisa has someplace else to be. She won't mind and will probably be glad because she doesn't like my dad."

I almost asked 'who does?' but felt it would be inappropriate.

"I appreciate that, too. Thanks, Aunt Wendy."

"You're welcome!"

We said 'goodbye', I hung up, and then returned to the Japanese room and let Keiko know what had been said. At noon, we had lunch with our housemates, and after lunch, Keiko took a nap while Bianca and I went shopping.

"She seems to be doing OK," Bianca observed.

"So far, so good," I replied. "We're going to move most of her things into my room after dinner. She'll sleep with me except when she's having chemo and for the week following."

"And we're still good to go for our ordering process?"

"Yes. I plan to go back to my normal schedule because I don't need to visit the hospital, so I'll set my alarm so we have time in the morning and then after dinner. Keiko did remind me that 'playtime' is permitted until we exchange rings."

Bianca laughed, "As much as I enjoy 'playtime', it's counter-productive for us if you cum in my mouth!"

"Juliette knows about the plan, right?"

"Yes; she's on board and will accommodate. I know she'd like to join us, but I get the impression from you that you've basically become exclusive."

"I have. CeCi and Deanna both, in effect, yielded their time back to Keiko, even though she didn't insist. They aren't off limits; I just choose not to."

"Because you are, at heart, monogamous. Tell me to mind my own business, but when can you and Keiko do that again? A year or so, right?"

"Doctor Morrison's instructions were that it wasn't advisable, but he didn't forbid it."

"And Keiko wanted to last night, right?"

"Yes. Her body is so messed up, even though she feels better, that it's going to be rare, and obviously can't be for the week she has chemo or the following week when I'm not supposed to even touch her skin."

"But you'll kiss her if she asks, won't you?"

"Yes, though, just a quick touch of lips. Honestly, the risk is small, from what I've read. The real risk would be constant body contact or regular contact with saliva or other bodily fluids."

"I don't think you're cut out to be a monk."

"Well, unless you get pregnant on Monday, which we wouldn't know for two weeks, I won't be for several months. That said, I understand exactly what I'm signing up for."

"I wasn't implying you weren't, just giving you my two cents. I'll drop it."

"Don't feel you need to hold back your opinions or advice; just don't be upset if I push back. I promise I won't be upset with you for those opinions or that advice. Deal?"

"Deal."

"We should talk about names," Bianca suggested.

"Well, there's nobody in my family tree I'd like to name someone after, so I'm wide open."

"I think I know the answer to this, but do you have any concerns about ethnic names?"

"You mean Mexican? No."

"Sofía Angélica Kane Pérez?" Bianca suggested.

"So the kids have the dad's last name, then the mom's?"

"Yes. That's normal. In the US, they often hyphenate names or simply use the dad's name. Maybe it would be better to be slightly less traditional and make it Sofía Angélica Kane-Pérez, with the hyphen."

"I didn't realize that was important to you! What's your full name?"

"Legally, it's Bianca María Pérez Álvarez, but I've always gone by Bianca Pérez. The only place my full name appears is on government stuff. Sometimes, it requires an explanation, which is why I was thinking we might hyphenate the last name as Kane-Pérez. That would be her surname, and she could decide what to do when she marries and has kids."

"Boys' names are the same? Or do they reverse the order?"

"The same. For a boy, I like Nicolás Santiago."