Chapter 35: What the Hell Happened to You?

December, 1981, Chicago, Illinois

I made good time on my drive back to Chicago, arriving just before dinner. Other than one stop for gasoline and the restroom, I had driven straight through. When I pulled up in front of the apartment, I didn’t feel like cooking, so I parked, dropped my things inside, and then walked to the Chinese restaurant and got takeout. I took it back to my apartment, retrieved two weeks’ of mail from the mailbox, then went inside. I set the food on the table and sorted the mail. I put Elyse’s mail in a basket on her desk, then sat down to eat and read my mail.

The first item I found was from the Russian Embassy in Washington. I set it aside as I didn’t want to get food on it. I quickly opened a few bills and set them aside to pay, then opened a letter from Tatyana, which contained the details I needed for my trip. The most important thing was that I should call the Embassy a few days before I was to arrive so that they could send a car to the airport for me. She said she was very much looking forward to seeing me.

Next, I read a letter from Tina Hoff, who continued to be my most regular correspondent in Sweden, even surpassing Karin. I also had letters from Pia and Sofia, as well as a few Christmas cards. I hadn’t even bothered with any Christmas decorations in the apartment, so I simply set the cards aside. I didn’t like hanging them on the walls the way my family had always done. In fact, to me, Christmas cards just didn’t mean a whole lot.

They were a tradition, and some traditions were honored because they were traditions, not because we necessarily liked them. I’d sent out perhaps three dozen cards to family and friends, making sure I sent them to my friends in Sweden, especially the ones I didn’t talk to or write very often. I’d sent one to Karin, along with a small gift. She’d done the same for me. Reading her card reminded me that she and I had a date with destiny in June — one where, more likely than not, we’d agree that our futures led in different directions.

When I finished eating, I started my laundry. I had done laundry once while I was in Milford, but had a week’s worth of dirty clothes to wash. I changed the sheets on Elyse’s bed so that Jennifer could have clean sheets when she arrived, chuckling slightly when I saw the stain that had been a wet spot. I put Elyse’s sheets with my sheets that would go in the second load of laundry. I made a list of things I needed at Jewel and stuck it to the fridge with a magnet we kept there for that purpose. I’d do the grocery shopping on Monday morning.

While I waited for the first load of laundry to finish, I dusted, vacuumed the area rugs, and then used a dry-mop on the hardwood floors. I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom and then changed the laundry load. I sat down at my Apple II and updated my journal from my travel notebook. I had quite a bit to add from my conversations with Jennifer, Bethany, Joyce, and Kara as well. I wrote, changed the laundry, and then wrote some more. When I finished writing, the laundry was done as well, so I folded it and put it away.

I slept well on Sunday night and awoke to light snow on Monday morning. It was too cold to run, so I pushed the furniture aside and did my warm-up exercises and karate kata until I was good and sweaty, then showered and ate breakfast. I drove to Jewel with light snow continuing to fall and coat the grassy areas and trees. I bought my groceries and headed home to put them away. Once I’d done that, I headed to the furniture store where I’d purchased, or rather my dad had purchased, the couch and other items for the apartment.

He had done so as a way to, in effect, apologize for the way my mom had treated me for years. For Christmas, he’d privately given me a check to help cover expenses and tuition. Like the one before, he’d written it from his investment account so that my mom wouldn’t know about it. I didn’t really need it due to the income from my business and my work for Don Joseph and his Chicago associates, but I didn’t want to offend my dad, because I really appreciated the gestures.

I put the money to good use, purchasing a sleeper-sofa so that Elyse and I would be able to have guests if we weren’t sharing a bed, which looked increasingly likely. I found something that complemented the two easy chairs that we had, though I’d have to sell or give away the current couch to make the new one fit.

I arranged delivery for January 4th, figuring I could find someone to take my current sofa by then. When I arrived home, I printed a couple of ‘For Sale’ notices. I hung one on the apartment bulletin board and then walked six blocks to hang one in the UofC student union. Even though it was Christmas break, there were still plenty of students around. Finally, I hung one in the coffee shop around the corner from the apartment on their ‘For Sale’ board.

My last stop of the day was at the travel agent’s office to pick up my tickets for Washington, DC. I’d booked the earliest flight out on January 7th. My flight departed at 6:00am and would arrive in DC just before 9:00am local time, and my return flight on the 10th left DC at 10:00am local time and got me back to Chicago around 11:00. I paid for the tickets, then headed home. I took it easy the rest of the day, relaxing to music and reading. I fixed myself a simple lunch and later a simple dinner and went to bed at a reasonable time.

On Tuesday morning, I exercised in the living room again. I wasn’t completely happy with that option, but I didn’t have any really good choices. Had there been an ice rink close, or on the way to school, I’d have done that. I didn’t want to join a gym because I wasn’t interested in weight lifting or exercise machines. IIT did have a pool, but it wasn’t open at the hours when I would want to exercise.

I finished my exercise by running through the two karate kata that I’d learned about a dozen times each, working up a good sweat. I showered, ate breakfast and then made sure everything was ready for Jennifer’s arrival, including lighting a scented candle to eliminate any trace of my exercising. I read and listened to music until around 11:00am, when I ate a light lunch, because I didn’t know if Jennifer would eat on the plane or if she’d even be hungry when she arrived.

I left home just before noon to head to O’Hare to meet her flight from Seattle. I parked in the short-term lot and walked into Terminal 2 and checked the arrival board. Jennifer’s flight was listed as being on time, so I went through security and then walked down the concourse to the gate to wait for her.

At 1:10pm I saw a DC-9 park on the ramp and the Jetway was extended. A few minutes later, passengers began filing off. Jennifer was among the first group to deplane and she looked far better than she had when she’d arrived in Cincinnati over the Summer. Her eyes were bright and her strawberry blonde hair was neatly brushed and was draped over her shoulders. She was dressed in a fuzzy blue sweater and blue jeans, both of which accented her figure. I saw she was wearing the necklace with the red stone that I had given her for her fourteenth birthday, which suddenly seemed like a lifetime ago.

Jennifer saw me and walked over to me, dropped her overnight bag on the floor, and gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. I kissed her on the cheek in return and picked up her bag. We headed out of the terminal to the car. Jennifer was quiet, though she looked happy. I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but we had four days to talk. We got into the car and I headed to Hyde Park. I asked Jennifer about her flight and her Christmas and told her about mine. Her grades had been good, and she expected mostly A’s, with a B in Drafting.

When we arrived at the apartment, I put Jennifer’s bag in Elyse’s room and offered her something to eat or drink. She said she’d eaten on the plane but would like some tea or hot cocoa. I made tea for the two of us and then sat down on the couch with her.

“Is there anything specific you want to do while you’re here?” I asked.

“Nothing in particular,” she replied. “We have a lot to talk about, I guess. If we just stay in and you cook for us, that’s fine. If you want to go out for dinner, that’s OK as well. I came to see you, not Chicago.”

“Well, at a minimum, we should go to Pizzeria Uno for Chicago-style pizza. I’m quite sure you’ve never had that.”

“True! And that sounds good. How about we do that tonight, and then just stay in for the rest of the time? Or did you want to go out on New Year’s?”

“Why? We can’t drink if we go out. Joyce got me a bottle of champagne that we can have here, if it’s OK for you to drink. If not, we’ll have Coke. If you want to dance, or whatever, I can put on music, etc. Unless you want to be with people? I think all my friends are home for Christmas break, so pretty much nobody is around at this point.”

“Celebrating here is fine,” she said.

Her tone and responses didn’t match her appearance. Something was bothering her, and I felt I need to find out what it was right away, or we’d make no progress of any kind in restoring our friendship to where I thought it should be.

“What’s bugging you, Jen?” I asked. “You seem a bit cold and stand-offish.”

She sighed, “It’s a mix of things. Let’s just take things as they come. Tell me about how things are going with you.”

I didn’t think that was the right solution, but I’d give it a try.

“Pretty good, really. My mom didn’t bother me at all at home, I managed to avoid Jeff except for a couple of family meals and I had a couple of chances to have private conversations with my dad. Stephanie and I swam and stuff like usual. I had a party while I was home for the gang and otherwise I mostly hung out with Kara, though I did see Bethany quite a bit. And Joyce had dinner with Kara and me like we’ve been doing when I go home. How about you?”

“Things are good at home,” Jennifer said. “My parents have relaxed a bit now that I’m doing better and I can talk with my mom about anything. Dad’s still a bit of a stick in the mud, but we’re getting along OK. I don’t have any real friends in Seattle, but I do at Stanford. How are things with you and Kara? And what about the other girls?”

“Things with Kara are great,” I replied with a smile. “Her dad was actually nice to me when I was at her house on Christmas Day, but I think that might have been a one-off thing. Joyce and I are just friends at this point, the same as Kathy and Bethany. That’s probably true about Elyse as well, because she seems to have a boyfriend.”

“Elyse?” Jennifer asked, sounding a bit surprised.

“Yes,” I said with a sly smile. “She decided she wanted to be intimate from the first night. We’re keeping it mostly to ourselves because she knows Kara’s coming here next Summer. Basically, Elyse felt we’d end up in bed eventually, and rather than have all the tension, she just decided to do it the very first night.”

Jennifer laughed softly, “Why am I not surprised? The legendary Steve Adams’ sexual prowess just can’t be resisted!”

“Funny! I do have a secret to tell you, but you can never, ever repeat it. You’re the only one I’m telling this to. You know your personal massager? Well, she has one and likes to use it, and many other toys that she has on me. And you can guess where.”

Jennifer guffawed, “Does she tie you up, too?”

“Yes.”

“And you enjoy it?” she smirked.

“I enjoy making her happy,” I said.

“That’s the same old Steve. Laser-focused on the girl’s pleasure. What’s the strangest thing she’s done to you?”

“She has this harness thing that has a fake dick in it and she uses it to fuck me in the rear.”

“She ass-fucks you with a strap-on?” Jennifer giggled. “Oh my God! Does Melanie know this?”

“No way! And you can’t tell her. I seriously violated Elyse’s confidence by telling you, but you and I have always told each other everything.”

Jennifer tensed for a moment, then sighed, “No, we didn’t. That was part of the problem. You told ME everything, but I told you next to nothing.”

“Ancient history, Jennifer. Forget it. You’ve told me everything since we saw each other this Summer, true?”

“Yes,” she nodded, and then smiled. “You do realize that Melanie would go insane, right? She’d do anything, and I mean anything, to be able to do that to you!”

“All the more reason to not tell her!” I laughed. “Promise me that you won’t say anything. Please?”

“I promise. Everything we say stays between us, unless my therapist needs to know.”

“That goes without saying,” I agreed.

“So is it really down to just Kara, then?”

“Well, I’m sure I’ll see Karin when I go to Sweden in June, and there’s a girl here in Chicago that I’ll probably be with for the next semester. But honestly, that’s it. I’m going to DC next week to see my friend Tatyana, but she’s a ‘good girl’ by her own statements.”

“So was Kara,” Jennifer said with a silly smile.

“Yes. But I think this is different. Anyway, I’m staying at her dad’s official residence. He’s the Soviet Trade Attaché. With the KGB around, I doubt there’s much room for messing around, even assuming she’d want to.”

“So, really, except for this girl here in Chicago, you’re only with Kara now?”

“Yes, by my choice. Kara asked me to end things with Joyce, but I agreed that made sense at this point. We’ll still get together with her for our dinners, but she’ll bring one of the guys she’s been dating.”

“Joyce has been dating? Wow! She must really believe you and Kara are going to make it!”

“Well, no, she’s not giving up, but she’s also not waiting. It makes sense. Joyce probably won’t get married before she’s 23 or 24, and that would be after I graduate from college. I’d say that if I’m not married by the time I’m 23, she’ll show up at my door!”

“Bethany will do the same thing,” Jennifer said. “She’ll wait until you marry before she finally marries, I think. And Karin is so young that if she waits until she graduates from college, then we’re talking six years.”