Chapter 34: Home for the Holidays, Part V

December, 1981, Milford, Ohio

On Tuesday morning, I swam and ate breakfast with my little sister and hung out with her until it was time to head out to see Anna. I was still surprised that she’d called out of the blue, and was really curious as to what it was that she wanted. Even though I hadn’t driven to her house before, I’d been there enough times to remember how to get there. I parked in the driveway, then walked up to the front door and rang the bell.

Anna opened the door almost immediately and gave me a quick hug and invited me in. She looked past me and saw the car and whistled.

“Wow! Nice Trans Am! It’s yours?”

“Yep. And in about eight months, I won’t owe the bank anything!”

“So cool! Have a seat. Do you want a drink before we head out?”

“Sure, I’ll take a Dr Pepper or Coke if you have them.”

She handed me a Dr Pepper and then disappeared for a moment. She came back with a baby on her hip. A baby that looked to be just over a year old, had sandy blonde hair, and blue-gray eyes. I did some quick mental math and groaned inwardly. The baby was the right age. I’d been with her in July. She’d said she was on the Pill, but with my track record, who knew if that was true or not? She sat down on the couch.

“Steve, this is Kyle,” she said.

I was filled with dread, but I reached out and let Kyle grab my finger with his little hand. If what I suspected about Kyle was true, Kara would kill me. There was no way we’d ever get past something like this, even though it had been before I met her. God damn it! We stood there in silence for a minute before she spoke.

“He’s Gina’s baby,” she said with a smirk.

I exhaled and visibly relaxed. I hadn’t realized just how tense I’d been.

“You scared the hell out of me!” I said with a smile. “He’s the right age for him to have resulted from that last time we were together.”

“I told you I was on the Pill!” she giggled.

“Yeah, but even the Pill is only 99.97% effective, and only then if you use it properly and don’t do things that mess it up, such as take antibiotics. You implied he was mine on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“I saw my life flash before my eyes! My girlfriend would kill me!”

The twinkle went out of Anna’s eyes, “Girlfriend?”

So she was interested, at least in something. What that something was, I couldn’t be sure. Anna had never been one for just fooling around, so I doubted that was what she was thinking.

“A girl from Milford that I started dating about a year ago. She’s a Senior. When she graduates, she’ll be coming to Chicago to go to school with me. You and I never did speak again after the last chess meet during Senior year. Where are you going to college?”

“Ohio University in Athens. Are you and this girl serious?”

“I suppose the answer to that is ‘yes’. We’re not exclusive, but it’s moving that direction.”

“I had hoped you would call me after that chess meet.”

“After you hung up on me, which I rightly deserved, by the way, I was pretty sure you hated me. Even at the meet when you were friendly, which I appreciated, you told me that forgiving me didn’t change anything.”

“I did. I’d hoped to see you again at a regional meet but you didn’t come to either of those. I guess I should have just called you sooner. Then I got busy with life and school. I was reading my diary the other day and thought about you. About how sweet you were to me, and how gentle, and how much fun we had. So I decided to call you and see if you might be available. I guess you aren’t, really. At least not the way I’d like you to be.”

“No. I know you’re interested in a relationship and probably an exclusive one, and that’s not something I could do. If I’m going to commit to someone, it’s going to be Kara. I’m really sorry.”

“Me too. I wish I’d had the courage to tell you how I felt last year, but I didn’t.”

“I hurt you pretty badly,” I said. “I used you and lied to you. You were right to be upset with me. I’m grateful that you saw your way clear to forgive me and I’m really, really sorry for how I treated you back then.”

“It’s OK. I guess you were under a lot of strain because of Jennifer and that mess. Whatever happened to her?”

“Her family is living in Seattle and she’s attending Stanford. We’re friends, and that’s all we’ll likely ever be. Things just didn’t work out for us, for a host of reasons,” I explained. I paused before asking, “Do you still want to go to lunch with me?”

“Sure. I’d have to bring Kyle. Gina had to go out and left him with me. She won’t be back until around 5:00pm. She had a job interview, and she really needs to get the job.”

“Sure. Babies are fine. I like ‘em, just so long as they aren’t mine! At least not yet, anyway!” I grinned.

She bundled Kyle up nice and warm, grabbed his car seat, and we walked out to my car. It was a bit of a struggle, but we got it strapped into the back seat. She got in and put Kyle into the seat and then buckled him in.

“Where to?” I asked.

“Wendy’s is fine. We used to go there all the time.”

I drove the short distance to Wendy’s and parked. Kyle had a bottle of formula while Anna and I ate our ‘Doubles’ and fries. We caught up on the last year and a half of our lives. She’d dated a guy for most of her Senior year, but he ended up at Purdue in Indiana, so they broke up and weren’t likely to get back together. She was dating a guy at OU off and on, but it wasn’t serious, mostly because they both were studying hard and putting priority on school. She was also playing competitive chess, which took up most of her free time.

She asked about Pete and Melanie and I explained that they were back together and very happy and would probably be getting married in a couple of years, and the only thing that depended on was where Pete’s job would be.

Kyle was making cute faces and cooing at Anna, and grabbed my finger when I tickled his tummy, making him laugh. He was a cute kid. A kid that looked like my son actually might have. That memory washed over me and made me sad for the first time in almost a year. And the last time I’d been sad about it, I’d done something extremely stupid. I had to be on my guard.

“Steve, what’s wrong?” Anna said, suddenly worried.

“Just some memories that came back. It’s a really long story.”

“Want to tell me?” she asked.

I thought about it and decided that I owed her at least a basic explanation of my wild mood swing.

“About two and a half years ago, a girlfriend of mine tricked me into getting her pregnant. We had agreed to keep the baby but then her mom pressured her into an abortion. It really hurt because I had accepted what had happened, and I was looking forward to having a baby. Seeing Kyle, who looks like he could be mine, just triggered those old feelings.”

“Wow. That really does suck. What happened with that girl?”

“It hit both of us hard and it basically destroyed our relationship. She tried a few times to put things back together, but the pain was just too great. Anyway, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kill the mood. Let’s talk about something fun!” I said, forcing a smile.

Anna smiled impishly.

“You know, we never did get around to playing strip chess,” she giggled.

“True,” I chuckled. “But we got the same result in the end, just by a different route.”

She looked down at her food tray.

“We could, if you wanted,” she said shyly.

Did I want to? Hell yes. Anna was extremely sexy, and I remembered her firm body and tight pussy. But it fell into the category of things I shouldn’t do. First, because I was emotional due to Kyle; and second, because I felt she was looking for something I’d never be able to give her.

“Anna, as much as I would like that, it’s not a good idea. I’m a bit too emotional because of Kyle to make a decision like that, not to mention that I can’t give you what you’re ultimately looking for.”

She sighed, “I guess I knew that. I sort of hoped that if we did it, you might think about being with me. We were always good together, and I’m not talking just about sex, though that was fantastic.”

“That’s very true. But I think we missed our window of opportunity. So much has happened over the last couple of years. I’m sorry. As much as I would like to, I can’t.”

“It’s OK. Once you said you had a girlfriend, I knew where this would end. Would you do something for me?”

“That depends on what it is,” I said.

“Stay in touch. If there comes a time when you don’t have a girlfriend and I don’t have a boyfriend, maybe we can go out on a date.”

That I could do. Given what my plans were, it wasn’t likely, but the way she’d asked didn’t seem risky to me at all. And it didn’t sound like she was pining for me or going to wait for me. It was just a request to keep the possibility open should circumstances arise.

“Sure! I will.”

“Thanks!” she said brightly.

We finished our lunches, then bundled Kyle up and got him back into the car seat and headed back to Anna’s house. I fumbled and struggled to get the car seat out of the back of my Trans Am, realizing that this was not a car I’d want to try to use with a family. Something like Kathy’s Volvo was much better suited for baby car seats! I carried the seat inside the house while Anna took Kyle.

“Thanks for taking me to lunch,” she said when she’d put Kyle down in his crib.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you called, really. It was nice to catch up and to clear the air. Tell Gina her baby is cute as a button!”

“I bet we could make one that was cuter!” Anna giggled.

“Maybe! Talk to me when I’m out of college if I’m still single!” I grinned.

Anna put her arms out for a hug and I pulled her to me. She felt great and sighed as she rested her head on my chest. She held the hug for about a minute, then kissed me on the cheek and let me go. I decided she deserved a real kiss, if she wanted one. I put my hand under her chin and looked her in the eyes. She nodded, and I gave her a soft kiss on the lips. We said our goodbyes, and I headed out.

I went back to the Spencers’ to take a quick shower and change clothes so that I didn’t smell like Anna’s perfume. There was no reason to upset Kara that way. Once I was dressed, I headed over to Kara’s house to pick her up. She wanted to sit in the sauna, so I drove right back to the Spencers’ and we sat in the sauna with my usual copious amount of steam. I was glad Melanie and Pete were out so that we’d have the privacy.

“You doing OK today?” I asked.

“I’m fine. I know you’re worried about last night. Don’t be. Call it ‘Kara’s Wild Night of Crazy Sex’ and let it go at that. I don’t regret it, I just feel a bit freaked out by the fact that I liked it so much.”

“It was pretty intense. I promise I won’t ask you about it again.”

“Thanks. I’ll probably want to talk to you about it in the future, but not now. What did your friend Anna want?”

“Just what you thought. She wanted to start dating, but as soon as she heard I had a girlfriend, she basically backed off. Nothing to worry about at all, Kara.

“Good,” she smiled.

“You’re just setting up the targets and knocking them down, aren’t you?”

“I told you I had my strategy. I’m eliminating the competition one at a time! I think at this point, finally, I can out-fuck any of them, too. Including that little hussy Bethany!” she smirked.

She’d said it in a way that made it clear she was teasing.

“She was the one who challenged you to a fuck off, wasn’t she?”

“Yes. And I think NOW I can beat her. Back then? No!”

“Hmm. That sounds like a challenge. Shall I call her?” I asked with a sly smile.

“You know better than that, Snuggle Bear! That would ruin everything you’ve worked so hard to make happen in her life. It would hurt me, but it would devastate her.”

“I know, Honey. I was teasing. On the other hand, you’re here. Want to give me a sample?”

Kara smirked and reached into my lap and began stroking me. A minute later, she mounted me and rode me until we both came, then moved back to sit on her towel.

“Was that OK?” she asked impishly.

“Sex with you is never just OK,” I said. “It’s always awesome.”

“I can tell that your big dick likes my tight little pussy!” she smirked. “And so does your tongue!”

I took the hint and knelt in front of her and licked her to another orgasm, then moved back to sit next to her.

“I was right!” she giggled. “And do you like other parts of me?”

“All of them, Honey. All of them!”

We finished in the sauna and took a quick shower, then went out to dinner. After dinner we came back to the Spencers’ and made love before I had to finally take her home for the night. I was really looking forward to next Summer when we could sleep in the same bed and so was Kara.

Nothing special happened on Wednesday — I swam and ate with Stephanie and then Kara and I spent the day together. We finalized our plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and I went back to my parents’ house to spend the night, as I would the next night, which I knew would make my dad happy. My only concern was keeping Stephanie from coming into my room at night! Fortunately, she behaved.

Christmas Eve dawned cold and clear, without even a remote chance for snow. The various light snows that we’d had didn’t really make for a white Christmas, much to my annoyance. Stephanie and I swam and then had breakfast. After breakfast, we put our gifts under the tree, as our family tradition dictated. I spent some time with my dad later in the morning, but mostly just hung out with Stephanie.

Just before our family Christmas dinner, the phone rang. Melanie was calling to let me know that she’d managed to arrange everything that I’d asked for. I thanked her profusely and then placed a call to the Anderssons to wish them a Merry Christmas. I spoke to Lars and Annika for a few minutes each, and then to Karin. All of them were looking forward to seeing me in June and I told them that I felt the same way.

Our family Christmas dinner was passable, which I attributed to the fact that Stephanie had been allowed to help my mom. She had just enough influence to make sure that everything turned out at least halfway decent. I wished that I had been allowed to cook, but my mom wouldn’t even discuss the issue with my dad. I was sure that the issue was what it always had been — I’d show her up and she simply couldn’t allow that to happen.