Variation on a Theme, Book 7
Copyright© 2026 by Grey Wolf
Chapter 26: Evolving Relationships
Tuesday, September 9, 1986
My other classes were ‘fine,’ and we all enjoyed lunch at Hullabaloo Cafe. The main event, though, was going to be Democratic Theory, and everyone knew it.
Jas and I got there a bit early. Sure enough, Lynn turned up early, too. Her outfit today was broadly similar to Thursday’s, but different enough to matter. A Depeche Mode t-shirt went with a black skirt, red stockings, and the same boots. I was quickly getting a feel for her. She wasn’t Amy — really, she wasn’t even close to Amy — but she had some stylistic elements that weren’t far off. I vaguely remembered that about her from before, but it had been decades.
“Hey!” she said. “I hope Angie’s okay. I kinda worried, over the weekend, even if ... you know. Even if it was just how I looked for an instant.”
“She’s fine,” Jas said. “And, I mean, really, she’s fine. A bit embarrassed about it, but that’s it.”
“Tell her I’m sorry,” Lynn said.
She added, “It sounds like Angie had it rough. Some of the others kind of explained it, but it was a bit confusing. She’s been your sister just since 1980, Steve?”
“Yeah,” I said. “She was my cousin first. Still is, I suppose. Her dad died, and she went to her mother, who was not ready to care for a child, much less a teenager. At all. Not even vaguely. There were some really bad parts, some of which I don’t know. The person who looks like you was in that part. Anyway, Angie wound up with social services in the end. She really wanted to get out of Chicago, so my parents took her in. And we all liked her, so ... adoption. By now, really, it’s just second nature. She’s my sister.”
“And I never knew her any other way,” Jas said. “It’s a cool story, but that’s it.”
“Angie’s put things together with her mother, too,” I said. “I don’t know the whole story of the woman that looks a bit like you, except ... I doubt that’s getting put back together.”
Lynn said, “Not if it would make her faint! Yeah, no. Anyway ... glad it’s fine.”
“It wasn’t anything compared to our party last December,” Jas said, grinning.
“Oh?”
Jas briefly covered the whole mess, complete with arrests and the eventual unraveling of the plot against us.
Lynn said, “Oh, my God!” about five times during the explanation, which seemed reasonable. It really had been something. Once it was over, she said, “Sorry I missed that! But I won’t wish that on you again. I have yet to get arrested and kinda would prefer to avoid that.”
“We’d like you to avoid that, too!” Jas said. Another case of something that meant more than it sounded like!
Class time was getting close, so we headed in. Kip turned up just as we got to the classroom and thanked us for the party. I’m sure parties could sometimes be hard from his perspective. At a lot of parties, he and his peers would be more ‘entertainment’ than ‘guests.’ We tried hard to stay on the right side of that line.
We just said goodbye to Kip and Lynn after the class. Friendships were forming at a reasonable pace. Trying to hurry things wouldn’t work.
Angie and I finally got our night together. At bedtime, Jas headed off with Paige, while we retired to Jas’s and my bedroom.
“This feels almost anticlimactic,” Angie said, as we hugged. “I’m pretty settled.”
“I’m glad you are,” I said, stroking her back. “But we need to talk.”
She growled, then giggled. “That phrase is for girls! But you’re right. We really do.”
We separated and started undressing, winding up snuggled in bed just a bit later.
“So. Lynn. Carrie. Carolyn. Whatever. All of the above,” Angie said.
“Just Lynn, I think. I mean, this one. This one calls herself Lynn, so she’s Lynn.”
“I like that. She’s not Carrie. Not the Carrie I met, and definitely not the Carrie I said goodbye to while expecting we would reconnect shortly. Older, more lines, and ... more life. I don’t know for sure what happened between her and her husband, except ... it sucked. Enough to make her kill him. And enough that they just gave her second-degree murder.”
“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “Not sure I want to think about it!”
“I know I don’t. And that I can’t help it.”
“I kinda get that.”
“Lest you worry — at all! — Paige and I are good. Really good. You should invite her tomorrow or the next day. And, before you worry about that, it’s already cleared with both Jas and Paige,” she said.
I chuckled and said, “I probably would have assumed it was.”
“We’re set. I meant what I said. I would’ve married Carrie, and it would’ve been good, I think. We were good for each other. But that Angie was a really damaged, maybe broken person, who probably needed another really damaged, maybe broken person. And it would have been good. ‘Good’ would have been a huge improvement over nearly everything in that life! But Paige and I are far better. And I’m not damaged anymore. Or ... well. Sometimes just a little. I’m so much less damaged than I was when you got here. Or even when we found each other.”
“I get that. Sometimes I’m just a little damaged, too. But it’s a good sort of damaged. The sort that makes me ‘me.’”
“Yeah,” she said. “An Angie who’d never been in prison would be less damaged, but she would also be just lesser. I’m me because of all of it. I’m this me because this me hasn’t done those things.”
“Yeah. I totally get it.”
“If I thought she was Carrie — even another one — I might have some issues. I carried that torch for a long while, and for good reason. She mattered. But the torch is out, and Lynn’s not changing that.”
“Good,” I said. “I have no interest in lighting torches. Honestly, and I haven’t said this to Jas, I think she’s off limits, because — right now — I think she would be bad for me.”
“Not to mention cheating.”
“Well, yeah. But if it wasn’t, it’s still ... I can’t go there. Plus, I think it might be bad for you, even if you don’t think it would be. Meaning me and her, not you and her.”
She blinked, then said, “I ... um. Hmm. You know ... that’s ... that’s fair. It might be bad for me. Seeing you and her ... involved ... yeah. I think, as she starts to be more of her own person and less this weird echo of other people, it would be less of a problem. But I don’t know.”
She shifted, then said, “But I know you. If you’re feeling that way, it’s kinda set anyway. You won’t go there. Won’t even be tempted to.”
“Yeah. Now, if it does shift into her being different ... well. That would be different.”
She giggled and nodded. “We can’t figure that out right now. Let’s file it as ‘unlikely.’”
“Works for me!”
She sighed again, then nuzzled me. “The best thing Carrie gave me was knowing I could love a girl. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a girl, but I found Paige, and she just moved right into my heart. That was that. In another world, maybe Gene and I make it. I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. If there’s no Sue, though ... maybe.”
“Maybe.”
“All this almost misses what I meant to say. We need to figure Lynn out. This Lynn. I don’t want Lynn killing someone, even if that person sucks. I don’t want them marrying if he’s bad for her. Right now ... it’s ... kinda a matter of honor. If she got to a wedding, I think I would feel hard-pressed to not ‘speak now’ when the officiant calls for it.”
“If they do call for it. Lizzie and Janet’s didn’t. Will ours?” I asked.
“I think so. It feels like it matters. Having the chance to speak, and not speaking, is a form of conveying a blessing.”
“Interesting point. I can see that.”
“Anyway ... obviously, it won’t happen quickly. But we need to make it happen. Seducing her is off the table, but pretending to seduce him is possible,” she said. “Or, really, pretending to let him seduce someone.”
“Not in favor.”
“Me neither. But there are a few people with strong opinions about him. We’ll see.”
“Hopefully, we avoid that,” I said.
“Definitely!”
She hugged me tightly, and I hugged her right back.
“It’s amusing,” she said. “Maybe ... almost ironic, if possibly in an Alannis sense.”
“Oh?” I said, chuckling.
“I doubt I could have gotten through this without you. But I also doubt I would have met Lynn without you.”
“Okay! That’s probably more real irony than Alannis irony.”
“Good!” she said, giggling.
“Sooner or later, that song will actually exist and other people will know what we mean.”
“Or it never will. Which would be...”
We both said it.
“Ironic!”
That got us laughing.
After we’d recovered, she said, “I vote sleep. We’re good. This is good. And ... hell. Maybe it’s even ‘all is for the best.’”
“We can hope!”
“I love you, big brother. Always.”
“And I love you, little sister. Forever.”
We kissed and rubbed noses. I turned out the light, and we were off to sleep quickly.
Wednesday, September 10, 1986
With everything else going on, we’d completely forgotten to check out Sbisa, the cafeteria immediately adjacent to (and in the same building as) Hullabaloo Cafe. The Cafe was a small, separate space within the much larger building that was Sbisa.
They had been promising updates, and it turned out there were, in fact, updates. There were now separate lines for pizza by the slice, sandwiches, hamburgers, and Mexican food (tacos and burritos, at least today). The items included in the meal plan were consistent at both places, so they wouldn’t undercut each other on the same items. Hullabaloo had a nicer atmosphere and plenty of more expensive options; Sbisa had a much more broad menu and was faster.
I was pretty sure we would eat here a fair number of times. It would be a good option between classes for business and engineering students, which was pretty much all of us except for Jas. She would be in this area fairly often, anyway.
When I got home from classes, a message from Mom was waiting. Penny Dryer had left a message asking us to call her back. Noting that the number was a California area code, I called, and she answered.
After we’d said hello, she said, “I’m sure you can guess this is about the parade, this time. Well — ‘Romance Amongst the Roses’. That’s still on. Are you still willing to participate? And do you know if Angie and Paige are?”
I was pretty sure they were the real draw here, honestly.
“I’m pretty sure we all are. We haven’t talked about it recently, but I can’t see it having changed at all.”
“That’s really good to hear! We can tape you at any CBS affiliate. Houston would be better than College Station, if you can get down there. They have better facilities.”
“What’s the time frame on this?”
She chuckled and said, “We’d prefer to have it taped by mid-October. That way, if we need any updates, we have over a month.”
“We’re expecting to be in Houston on the second weekend of October. A&M’s playing UH down there. We could probably come in on Friday afternoon, if that would give them enough time.”
“Figure at most an hour per couple. You’re only going to be on TV for perhaps twenty or thirty seconds. Meaning, each couple. They might get a bit more time. You know — thanks to the ‘60 Minutes’ tie-in.”
“I figured they were the real draw,” I said, chuckling. “Jas and I are romantic enough, but we’re not news.”
“This really isn’t about news, but ... yeah. There’s a difference between a straight couple saying, ‘Hey, let’s get engaged at the Rose Parade’ and a gay couple saying, ‘Yeah, we can get engaged at the Rose Parade.’”
“There is. You won’t upset me or Jas by covering us differently.”
“Thanks!” she said, chuckling. “Okay! I’ll get you on the schedule in Houston. If anything changes, give us enough warning. Oh — for the segment, think ... dating attire, I guess. We’re playing up the romance, after all. And something you’ll have available if we have to reshoot or add anything.”
“Can do!”
“This will all be scripted. They’ll know what to ask you. When it airs, it’ll just be each of your voices, likely, over a background of parade shots. Or proposal video, since we’re lucky enough to have that for both of yours. And no interviewer’s voice.”
“Got it!” I said.
“Thanks, Steve! If you — or they — have any questions, just let me know. And let me know right away if anyone is uncomfortable with this.”
“I will!”
“One more thing,” she said. “Please pass along to Angie and Paige that there’s some interest in having some sort of human-interest-story coverage of their actual wedding. There wouldn’t be, just with this, but when it’s tied into ‘60 Minutes’...”
“Got it! I think they’ll be interested. Same as I said before — I’ll let you know if they’re not.”
“Thank you!”
“I should ask,” I said. “Your father said he thought this would be good for you professionally. I hope it has been!”
She sighed and said, “It has! Thank you for thinking of me that way. I’ve definitely gotten some notice. No huge promotion yet, but a little one, and I think my bosses trust my judgment and drive a bit more. It’s a good thing. Offhand, I doubt any parade assistant director has ever put anyone on ‘60 Minutes’! They notice things like that.”
“I’m glad. Best of luck with all of it. Knock their socks off!”
“Thanks!”
We said our goodbyes and hung up.
I brought it up over dinner. Angie and Paige were pretty gung-ho about the whole thing, as expected. So was Jas, but we all understood the differences. Jas and I were a feel-good romance story — exactly what this was originally all about. Angie and Paige, though? They saw themselves as perhaps inspiring a bunch of gay people to think, ‘Why can’t we have proposals in the same way straight people do?’
Connect that with CBS tying this into ‘60 Minutes’ — which they obviously would — and this was a big deal. The wedding coverage just added to that.
The really funny thing might be the long-term payoff. If, as we expected, some or all of us were major news later for professional reasons, Angie, Paige, and Jas now had the same thing I did — a history of media appearances. Hopefully, ‘I knew those kids were going somewhere!’ would work for all of us. For CBS, they would have the flip side of it: ‘Remember when we reported on this young person? Look what they’re up to now!’
After classes, and before dinner, I got a page from an Austin number. I called it back, and Lee answered.
“Steve!” he said. “Good to hear from you!”
“Good to talk to you!”
“You might not think that after you hear what I’ve got to say.”
“Bad news?” I said.
“Actually ... it’s not. It’s just perhaps an inconvenience.”
“I can deal with that.”
He chuckled and said, “I believe that! Anyway, it’s that meeting I mentioned before. I’m taking a small group of people to the Vintner Inn in Santa Rosa, California for a retreat on September 26th, 27th, and part of the 28th. I’d like you to accompany us, if you can.”
“I should be able to do that. I’ll check with professors tomorrow, as much as I can. We’re gone Friday, so I might not be able to clear it all until Monday. But you’ve got a pretty solid ‘yes’ right now.”
“Good! I really don’t expect to need board-level decision-making. But having two of us there will underscore the stakes. I’ve got six of our folks, four industry consultants, a facilitator, and me. With you, that’s a baker’s dozen. You’ll have no credentials aside from being on the board — which is a big credential, I admit! — but I’m not worried. I don’t see you failing to stand out.”
I chuckled and said, “I’ll do my best. What are we working on?”
“We’re getting increasing resistance to major corporate and government sales because we have no field operation. We’re obviously still growing, but I guarantee we would grow twice as fast if we could make inroads in those markets. The 386 will temporarily cover that over, if my guess is right, but this is going to settle right back into an impasse within a year. A field operation would also be great because we still have the occasional noteworthy quality problem. We need to get out of our comfort zone and figure out a way to tackle this.”
“Sounds entirely reasonable,” I said. “I’m all for faster growth as long as we don’t sacrifice quality and support to get there. Bolstering all three would be perfect.”
“And that’s why you fit,” he said, chuckling. “You’re on that in ten seconds. We need something. Gotta shake things up.”
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