Chapter 13: They Were VERY Interesting!

June 22, 1984, Chicago, Illinois

"I won't plan to see you next Thursday unless you call me," Teri said as we showered on Friday morning.

"Thank you for handling this like a mature adult."

"As I said last night, the fact that you were honest with me from the get-go made all the difference. I have no regrets, except perhaps not going to bed with you a lot sooner. I'm not sure that would have mattered, though, because I think Keiko would have won against any competition, maybe even against Violet."

"Maybe," I admitted. "Well, I suppose if the only thing that changed was you and me going to bed together, you're probably right. Violet was always the wildcard."

"Will you promise me something?" Teri asked.

"What's that?"

"That if things don't work out between you and Violet, you'll call me? I obviously can't promise I'd be available, but I'd at least like the chance to decide."

"With the caveat that I don't see that happening, yes, I'll make that promise because I really like you, and I've enjoyed the time we've spent together."

"Including the frustrating debates?" Teri asked with a smirk.

"In hindsight, yes, because they helped me clarify my position on religion, church, and just how much I could tolerate."

"Does Violet go to church?"

"No. She's an atheist."

"Another positive mark in her column; Keiko had one because her religion was very different from Christianity, and what you reject is the Christian God."

"I see your point, though it's more like Abraham's god because Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all have the same god. Keiko's practice of Shinto followed the rituals, not the underlying religious dogma. And Buddhism is more philosophy than religion."

"Even so, you'd have less of a problem with a Hindu than a Christian."

"Probably," I said, thinking of Anala, who had basically fallen off the face of the Earth.

We finished our shower, dried off, then had breakfast together. After breakfast, I sent Teri home via the car service, then headed to the Spurgeon Capital offices.

That afternoon, instead of meeting Jack and Kristy for dinner, Taya and I went up to the condo where my mom was waiting, having arrived around 3:00pm.

"Mom, this is Taya; Taya, this is my mom, Mrs. Kane," I said. "Mom, we're ready to go to dinner whenever you're willing to put down your granddaughter!"

"I can't bring her with us?" Mom asked after she and Taya greeted each other.

"You could, but at only ten weeks, she's going to sleep."

"Does she go outside?"

"Absolutely. The nannies take her on walks in her stroller and stop at a park, and Bianca and I have done the same thing on weekends. Sofía likes to lie in the grass, but she can't do very much, obviously."

"I think I'll leave her because restaurants are either loud, which won't be good for her, or quiet, which might not be good for the other patrons."

I took Sofía from my mom, hugged and cuddled her, then handed her to Jessica. Mom, Taya, and I left the condo and rode the elevators down to the lobby. The doorman hailed a cab for us, and it took us to Star of Siam.

"How was your drive up?" I asked.

"Uneventful," Mom replied. "Exactly as I wanted it! I listened to the radio and tapes with show tunes."

"How is Mitchell?"

"VERY good," Mom said with a smirk.

I laughed, "I suppose I deserved that. Now, seriously?"

"He asked me to marry him. I said 'yes'. A judge friend performed the ceremony."

All I could do was laugh.

"You do realize that if I had done something like that, you'd have had a conniption fit!"

"Mom's privilege!"

"Congratulations, Mrs. Kane," Taya said.

"Thank you!"

"I assume you're selling the house and moving in with him?"

"Yes to selling the house. Moved. You don't think I'd get married and not spend my wedding night with my husband, do you?"

"Who knows what old folks do?" I teased.

"Watch it, Mister!"

She was only thirty-eight, so she wasn't actually old.

"When will I have a brother or sister?" I asked slyly.

"Oh heavens no!" Mom said, shaking her head. "I'm happy with a granddaughter, thank you very much! You are more than welcome to have more grandchildren for me, but I am NOT having a baby at this point!"

"Are you two always like this?" Taya asked.

"Yes!" Mom and I both said in unison.

"I probably should have warned you," I said.

We got out of the cab at the restaurant and headed inside. We were seated right away, as we had beaten the Friday night crowd by about twenty minutes. After reviewing the menus, we all ordered.

"How is Heather?" I asked.

"I think she's doing OK. She's asked for Bev and obviously doesn't understand what Jim and Julie are telling her."

"I wonder if it might have been wiser to take her to the wake," I said. "I do understand why they felt they shouldn't, but it might have been better. How are they?"

"Enjoying having Heather, but struggling with what happened with Bev."

"And Glen?"

"According to Mitchell, Glen worked out a joint plea deal with the US Attorney and the Clermont County Prosecutor. Someone from Youngstown was involved, too. Five years in federal prison, then twenty-five years in state prison. He'll be eligible for parole after fifteen years of state time. The sentences are consecutive, not concurrent."

"So, the earliest he gets out is in 2004?"

"Something like that, but Mitchell thinks Glen would have a tough time getting parole, so potentially 2014."

"I take it there were girls in Youngstown as well?"

"Yes, but they didn't want to testify if they didn't have to, and Glen wanted to avoid another trial or separate plea deal, so they added some extra time in the plea deal and only identified six victims."

"Statutory rape?" Taya asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Complicated by the stuff that happened with Heather that you've heard about. Sorry I brought this up. We should change topics."

"It's OK," Taya said. "What do you do, Mrs. Kane?"

"I'm a secretary at Goshen High. In case you didn't put two and two together, Mitchell is a judge in Clermont County, Ohio, where Jonathan grew up and where I still live. Jonathan, Mitchell's house is on Kirbett Road."

"It'll be strange coming to visit and not coming 'home', so to speak. But home is really wherever you are, not a specific house."

Mom smiled, "Thanks for the thought, but home is where your daughter is."

"I'd say it's both, really – my childhood home and my adult home."

"Jonathan Kane is sentimental?" Mom teased. "Who knew?"

"Yeah, yeah."

We had a nice meal, then went to Oberweis for ice cream before heading back to the condo. I managed to wrangle five minutes with my daughter from my mom, and then Taya and I went up to my room.

"Your mom is totally cool!" Taya said as we began undressing.

"Don't let her hear you say that, or I'll never hear the end of it!" I chuckled.

"She's in her late thirties, right?"

"Yes. She was seventeen when I was born, and I'm twenty-one."

"What does she know about us?" Taya inquired.

"Just that we're dating."

I had thought about telling Taya that things had changed, but decided it was better to do that when my mom wasn't visiting, in case Taya had a bad reaction. Putting it off for a week wasn't going to make things worse. In fact, putting it off until she returned to school wouldn't really make much of a difference, but I felt I had to say something sooner rather than later.

"She's staying here, right?" Taya asked as we got into bed.

"Yes. She's using the bed in Sofía's room, and Sofía is sleeping in the bassinet in Bianca's room."

"I take it you like your stepdad?"

"He's a good guy," I replied. "But I don't see him that way because I never had a dad growing up. Mitchell is simply my mom's husband."

"I suppose I can see that. You were used to not having to share your mom with anyone."

"Except for the two jobs she worked to make ends meet," I replied.

"She seems to have done a pretty good job raising you. You're kind, considerate, and thoughtful."

"Sometimes," I chuckled.

"Being focused and determined is a good thing, and sure, that does attenuate the things I mentioned, but not terribly so, and I think the tradeoff is worth it. I mean, what other twenty-one-year-old except maybe a Rockefeller or the son of an oil sheikh has a condo like this at twenty-one?"

"Not many, I'm sure."

"Wanna fool around with the 'Young Beaver'?" she asked, using the meaning of her name in Cherokee.

"Obviously!" I declared.

June 23, 1984, Chicago, Illinois

"Thank you for accommodating my request," Taya said when we got out of bed early on Saturday morning.

When we'd woken up to my alarm, set early enough so we could fool around before I had to leave for Violet's house, Taya asked me for anal, and, as was my way, I accommodated her request, despite it not being something I particularly liked. I did that because she really got off on it, and for me, that was a good enough reason. She knew my view, which was the reason for her thanking me.

"You're welcome," I replied.

"Let's shower and wash, then I'll give you an amazing blowjob!"

"I'd be an idiot to refuse!"

"Men can be idiots at times!"

"Yours truly included!"

We got into the shower, washed each other thoroughly, and then Taya did as she'd offered, ending with a deep French kiss.

"I know anal isn't something you really like," Taya said as we began dressing, "so I won't ask every time, and I'll understand if you say 'no'."