Chapter 16: A Southern Belle, a Surprise Proposal, two Cheerleaders, an Old Flame, and a Girl Back Home, Part IV

October 1981, Chicago, Illinois

I went to my room, closed the door and dialed my old number in Milford and Stephanie answered.

“Hi, Stephanie!”

“Hey, Big Bro! How’s Chicago?”

“Pretty good. A lot of stuff is happening. But I have a favor to ask. Well, really, it’s a favor from Ed. I’m coming home this weekend and I was wondering if I could borrow the keys to the apartment.”

“You and Kara? On Saturday? I’m sure the answer is yes. Where are you staying?”

“I was going to call Mrs. Spencer and arrange to stay in Milford. I plan to go to Don Joseph’s on Sunday. Why don’t you call Larry and see if you and Ed can go?”

“Great idea!” she exclaimed. “Will you swim with me on Saturday and Sunday?”

“You know I’ll do whatever you want!”

She laughed, “Be careful. You never know what I might want!”

“Ed’s not satisfying you?” I chuckled.

“He’s doing fine, but when you have the best you’ll ever have first, it kind of sucks,” she sighed.

I decided to ignore that. I probably shouldn’t have teased her in the first place.

“I have more news for you. Are you sitting down?”

“No,” she said, laughing, “but tell me anyway.”

“Bethany has a steady boyfriend named Gene.”

“What? Bethany? Steady? And she’s...”

“Yes. Not only is she, but she’s super happy. And I’m happy for her. But that’s not all. Kathy also has a steady boyfriend!”

“Wow!” she giggled. “You’re going to run out of girls soon, Big Brother!”

“More than you think! Elyse met someone, but she’s not serious about him, yet. She’s going to see if he wants to do something this weekend while I’m in Milford.”

“Damn! So what are you going to do if she starts dating someone?”

“There’s a girl I met at school named Stephie. We just kind of clicked. I help her with computers and she helps me with chemistry. We have a lot in common, including our special person back home being an Evangelical Christian. We’re probably going to date, but it won’t be serious because of Kara and Daryl — that’s her boyfriend back in Georgia. She’s a NASCAR fan, like I am.”

“Things are really changing for you, Big Brother.”

“Joyce predicted this would happen. Jennifer, of course, and now Bethany and Elyse.”

“But Jennifer isn’t gone, Steve,” she said softly.

I smiled to myself, it seemed that my little sister still held out some hope.

“True, but she’s not my girlfriend and I don’t expect her to be in the future,” I answered gently. “Anyway, I’ll see you Saturday morning.”

“Cool!”

We hung up, and I dialed the Spencers’ house. I talked to Melanie’s mom, and she teased me that I didn’t have to ask such a silly question, and that I was welcome to have a guest there if I wanted. I let her know I’d arrive around midnight. She said she’d be awake to let me in. I thanked her, and we hung up. Next I called Joyce and let her know that I’d be at her Grandfather’s house on Sunday afternoon, and I’d be leaving from there around 6:00pm. She asked where I was staying and I told her I was staying at the Spencers’.

“You could stay at Grandfather’s on Saturday night, if you wanted.”

“You mean YOU want!” I chuckled. “I could probably do that. Check with your grandfather and I’ll call you on Saturday at some point and let you know. I probably will, because I have a lot to tell you.”

When I finished my call with Joyce, I dialed Jennifer’s number in California. School was going well, and she was going to her counseling sessions. She confirmed that it was OK to visit Chicago in late December and I let her know I’d be here midday on the 29th. She said she’d fly in that day, and because there was no layover, probably arrive around 1:00pm.

“I have other news, Jen,” I said, then paused for effect. “Bethany has a steady boyfriend.”

“Oh wow! Do you have her number?”

I gave her Bethany’s number, and she asked if it was OK to hang up so she could call Bethany. I assured her it was and that she could call back if she wanted. She said she would. I went out to the living room and pulled out my German flashcards to study. I was using the same method Melanie had used with me in High School when I needed to improve my Spanish grades and it was working pretty well. Twenty minutes later, the phone rang.

“She really does seem happy,” Jennifer said. “How are you doing?” Jennifer said once we’d greeted each other again.

“I’m fine, Jennifer. This is really, really good for Bethany. And Kathy has a boyfriend as well. But don’t worry about me. I’m going to see Kara this weekend and we’re allowed to go on a date, so it’s all good. I’m happy and at peace.”

“Wow. I guess Joyce was right, wasn’t she? If things keep going like this, Kara will be your wife!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that! Remember, right now I’m just taking things as they come!”

We chatted a little bit more, then said our goodbyes, promising, as always, to keep in touch frequently.

We hung up, and I made my final call, this one to Kara to let her know that I’d pick her up around 11:00am on Saturday and we’d spend the day together. Her dad insisted that she be home by 9:00pm, but that would give us plenty of time to spend together. I let her know I’d be at Don Joseph’s on Sunday, but if she wanted to have an early lunch, I’d be happy to pick her up around 11:00am and have her home by 12:30pm. I’d be leaving for Chicago from Don Joseph’s around 5:30pm which would get me back to Hyde Park by 10:00pm Chicago time.

We expressed our love, and we hung up and I went back to my German. When I finished my homework, Elyse put her book down and came to snuggle on my end of the couch. She rested her head on my shoulder and put one hand on my chest. She sighed deeply. It was clear that she was still struggling with her emotions and that her supposedly off-hand remark on Friday night was closer to the truth than she wanted to admit. I pulled her close and stroked her hair.

“Are you doing OK?” I asked.

“Yes,” Elyse replied. “It’s just that I feel so safe, secure and loved in your arms. Will you take me to bed?”

“Of course.”

We put our books away, turned off the lights, got ready for bed and snuggled under the comforter.

“Just hold me, please,” Elyse sighed.

On Tuesday, I woke exactly as I’d fallen asleep — my arms around Elyse and her head on my chest. I slipped out of bed so that I could run. When I came back, Elyse was just getting out of the shower. I showered while she prepared breakfast and after we ate, we headed off to class.

“Bye, Honey! Have a good day,” Elyse said with a silly smile.

“See you later!” I responded, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

In Computer Science class, we had to hand in a status report for our group project. Jackie had prepared it, and after I reviewed it, I suggested one minor addition, which she made and then handed it in. When class was over, we met for lunch and then spent the afternoon in the computer lab. Jackie and Papiya typed up the punch cards and just before it was time to head home, we were able to run our program for the first time. Unfortunately, it failed, so I took the printout with me to see if I could figure out the problem. I told Jackie I’d call her and let her know what I found, and she said she’d call Papiya. We agreed we’d meet on Thursday to fix the problem.

I got some good news at karate class that evening. Sensei Jim said that he felt I was ready to test for the next belt, which was still white, but had yellow tips. Because it was basically a half-step, he said that he’d test me on Thursday rather than wait for the regular quarterly testing. He thought I had enough time to be ready to test for my yellow belt the first week in December.

On Wednesday, I had lunch with Stephie and got the results of the German and calculus mid-terms. I had a 92 on my calculus exam and an 89 on my German exam. I was clinging to an A in German by about one tenth of a point. When German class ended, I walked to the student center in Hermann Hall where Stephie was waiting for me. We walked to David’s Restaurant in Bridgeport for dinner. We talked while we waited for our food.

“Do you have any more clarity?” Stephie asked.

“In some ways, yes. I’m actually not dating anyone here in Chicago now.”

Which was true. Elyse and I weren’t dating. In fact, she and I hadn’t made love the last few nights, either. I wondered if that was a preparation for moving back to her own bed, or just a simple product of being tired from all the schoolwork.

I continued, “I’m heading back to Milford this weekend so I’ll be seeing Kara. It’s a bit easier for me to go home than it is for you.”

“True. When are you leaving?”

“Friday after class. I’ll be back Sunday night.”

“But you know, you didn’t really answer my question.”

She was right, of course. I liked her, and I certainly wanted to hang out with her. Beyond that, I wasn’t sure.

“Peaches, I like you and I’d like to go out with you,” I said.

“I’d like that too, Yankee. Now that we have that out of the way, what’s next?”

“Food! Here comes the waitress with our orders!” I grinned.

“Smart ass! I’ll let you slide because I’m hungry!”

We ate our dinner and then walked hand-in-hand back towards campus. When we came to the parking lot where my car was, Stephie stopped and grabbed my other hand.

“So, what’s next?” she asked.

“One day at a time, one step at a time. But you know what? I never asked you if Daryl is OK with you getting involved with someone, if you know what I mean. I should have asked before I kissed you in your room.”

“Isn’t that really up to me? And between me and Daryl?” Stephie asked.

“Yes, it most certainly is. But if you two are dating exclusively and he isn’t either aware of me or told you that it’s OK in general, then I have an issue.”

“Does Kara know you’re doing what you’re doing?”

“Yes. We have an agreement. I’m not breaking any rules by being with you. What about you?”

She sighed. That threw up some warning flags. When she didn’t answer after a couple of minutes, I spoke up.

“If you don’t know the answer,” I said gently, “then I’m concerned. You need to figure out an answer, which probably means talking to Daryl. I’m pretty adamant about not getting involved with someone who has a serious boyfriend.”

“That does make sense. Daryl and I never really talked about it.”

“How serious are you two?” I asked.

“Kind of,” she sighed. “We’ve known each other since first grade and we started dating when we were Sophomores in High School. We were never steady, if that’s what you mean, because he has a strange idea about what that means.”

“I know all about that. Kara’s dad thought going steady was just a stepping stone to engagement, and you didn’t go steady unless you were going to get engaged soon.”

“Baptists have a really strange way about them, don’t they?”

“Well, Kara’s not Baptist, per se, but it seems her church and Daryl’s church are pretty close in their theology. Let me ask this way — did you go out on dates with other guys besides Daryl? And if you did, did he know about it?”

“Yes to both. But the last time that happened was around Christmas. Since then I haven’t gone out with anyone else except you. Well, I don’t count my cousin and the Prom, of course. And there’s the whole issue with the church I go to. But that’s a different kettle of fish. As I said, in the end, I guess I’d go to his church if we ever got married.”

“How did you leave things with Daryl?”

“That we’d see each other at Christmas, Spring Break and next Summer.”

“It sounds to me like you aren’t exclusive with him, then. Would he be upset if he knew you were kissing me?”

“I don’t know. I think you’re right that I need to talk to him. I’ll do that tonight. I’ll let you know in Chemistry lab tomorrow. Is that OK?”

“Yes. And no matter how things work out, I want to be your friend and we can study together.”

“Me too,” Stephie said. “But I want to kiss you as well. I’ll sort things out.”

We hugged, and she gave me a quick peck on the lips. I walked her to the door of her dorm and when she was safely inside, I headed back to the car then drove home. I walked in about 8:30pm to find Elyse studying. I pulled out my books as well, and we did homework for a couple of hours before heading to bed. During that time, I found the issue with the program and called Jackie to let her know. For the third night in a row, Elyse just wanted to cuddle when we got into bed. Just as I was falling asleep, the reason crossed my mind — she was having her period. She used tampons, which meant she didn’t need to wear panties to bed to hold the pads! I fell asleep with a silly grin on my face.

When Stephie came into the lab on Thursday, something was clearly bothering her. I knew she’d planned to call Daryl the night before, of course, but I couldn’t guess what it was that was bothering her. It could have gone so many different ways that speculating didn’t make sense. I’d just have to wait until after class to find out. We got our tests back. She had a 98, and I had a perfectly acceptable 91.

After class, we headed to The Bog for lunch. We got our burgers, fries, and drinks and sat down at a table in the corner. Stephie started eating, so I did the same. I figured she’d tell me what was bothering her when she was ready. We finished eating before she spoke.

“I talked to Daryl last night,” she said.

I had assumed that was the case, so I just nodded.

“He told me he didn’t want me seeing anyone at all; not even just going out as friends. According to him, the temptation is too great. I asked him why he hadn’t said anything before I left and he said he didn’t think he had to.”

“That sounds like he thought you guys were exclusive and serious, Peaches.”

“But we weren’t. Not the way he’s implying. I hung out with Red, my buddy. Sorry, his name is Jason, but he has bright red hair and freckles and we’ve called him ‘Red’ since before he was in kindergarten. Anyway, Red and I used to go to the dirt track to watch the races all the time, and we went to the races in Talladega and Atlanta every year. Daryl never said nothin’ about that. Daryl ain’t a racing fan; he likes football a lot more.”

“Were you and Red involved, or just good friends?”

“We’d kiss, you know, like friends, but nothing serious. I thought Daryl was cool with that. I mean, Red and I were the ones who gave each other their first kiss in fifth grade, and everyone knew that. A lot of people thought we’d end up together, but we turned out to be best friends. He has a girlfriend, but she ain’t into racing neither.”

“Maybe Daryl wasn’t threatened by Red?” I suggested. “And he is by me?”

“Could be,” Stephie allowed. “Is that how things were with your friend at Northwestern?”

“More or less, yeah; I’ve had a few friends like that over the years. In fact, my best friend is at UW Madison and she and I have been friends for a long time, but we dated from time to time. So how did you leave it?”