Chapter 57: Rest and Relaxation, Part I

May 1982, Milford, Ohio

The drive back to Ohio had gone smoothly, and we had made good time. I had dropped Elyse at her house in Glen Este just before 6:00pm and then headed to Milford. I was very tired due to the mental exhaustion of exams, the wine, and then fooling around with Stephie and Elyse, but I wanted to see Kara. After I dropped my things at the Spencers’ house, I headed to Kara’s. She bounced out of the house as I pulled into the driveway and hopped into the car as soon as I stopped.

“Hi, Snuggle Bear!” she said, leaning over for a kiss.

“Hi, Kara!”

“What’s the plan?” she asked.

“How about a quick dinner and then a sauna? I’m pretty tired.”

“Late night last night?” she asked with an impish smile.

I pulled out of the driveway and headed for Duff’s. A buffet was perfect because we wouldn’t have to wait for our food and I could eat small portions of a lot of different things.

“We had an end of the semester party and I didn’t get to bed until midnight.”

“And then Stephie had to have her last time with you!” Kara declared. “How much sleep did you get?”

“About three and a half hours,” I chuckled. “But my lips are sealed. A proper gentleman does not brag about such things!”

She laughed, and lightly tapped my arm with her fist, “In her position, I sure would! But I’m not in her position! You’re mine, Buster. And in 55 days, we’re moving in together!”

“So now you’re counting, too?!” I teased.

“Yes! I talked the whole thing through with my mom. She’s concerned that my dad is going to react very badly. Her advice is that we tell him on the Sunday after graduation when we get home from church. It’ll be a bit hectic before then. We have the usual Milford graduation on Thursday, the Senior Class outing at East Fork on Friday, and then my graduation party on Saturday.”

“That makes sense,” I replied. “Is your mom OK with the party being at my parents’ house?”

“Yes. Will your dad take your mom out during the party?”

“That’s the plan. He’s getting theater tickets so they’ll be out until after 11:00pm. Could I come to the outing on Friday?”

“No. I’m not happy about that, but the class voted to make the outing ‘closed’ so it’s just Seniors. The outing is from 2:00pm to 10:00pm, so we can have lunch beforehand, if that’s OK.”

“It’s fine. We have lots of time over the next three weeks. Other than getting together with Tracey and Marty and Melanie and Pete, is there anything you want to do?” I asked.

We pulled into the parking lot and I parked the car.

“Make love! Duh!” she giggled. “But, otherwise, no. I guess you’ll need to find something to do during the day for the next couple of weeks because I’ll still be in school. Can you pick me up after school each day?”

“Just walk to the Spencers’. It’s kind of silly to bring the car across the street and fight the buses and all the cars.”

“True!” she said brightly.

We were seated right away and then went to get our food. I filled my plate with about a dozen different things, plus made a small salad. Kara took larger portions of a few things and a salad. I said grace at Kara’s request, though I felt silly doing so.

“Kara, do you plan to go to church in Chicago?”

“I was planning to go to Moody Church on Sundays. Would you come with me?”

“I doubt it. The churches you would go to don’t really line up with my thinking. And I’m not just talking about sex. Even putting that aside, I have real problems with both Roman Catholic and Protestant theology.”

“What other option is there? I can’t see you being a Muslim, though being able to have multiple wives would probably suit you!”

“You told me before that being a Mormon was out! And no, being Muslim wouldn’t cut it. Besides, it has the same problems for me that Calvinism has. Buddhism looks more like something I could deal with, though it doesn’t speak to me. But there is another option, by the way. I’ve read quite a bit about the Eastern Orthodox Church, you know, Russian, Greek. There’s a lot there that I think lines up with my view of the world and God. But I don’t think you’d like it.”

“Do we have to talk about this now?” Kara asked.

“We better talk about it soon, Honey. The problem won’t go away. It’ll be worse when we have kids.”

“So you would consider going to this Orthodox Church? But not Moody?”

“I can’t abide by Calvinism,” I said. “It makes no sense to me. Jefferson had a great comment about Calvinism in a letter he wrote to John Adams. Adams had expressed a wish that Jefferson would continue in life and health until he became a Calvinist. Jefferson agreed, because then he would be immortal, given that he could never agree with Calvin. I agree with Jefferson that Calvin’s views border on demonism. Think about the five points and what they imply.

“First, God knows, before the creation of the universe, who will and won’t be saved, and there is nothing at all that a person can do to change God’s mind on this. Those who are not saved are condemned to everlasting torture in hell. That means that God purposefully and intentionally created some people for the express purpose of torturing them in hell for all eternity. There really is no alternative explanation if you accept Calvin’s premise!”

“No way, Steve! God would never do that.”

“Exactly! Therefore, Calvin must be wrong. You can’t read him and get out of that conclusion. If God knew beforehand, and still created the person, then God is guilty of being a sadistic torturer. If God couldn’t do anything about it, he’s impotent and thus isn’t God. There is simply no escape. Calvin must be wrong, or God isn’t any more worthy of worship than Satan is!”

“So you believe that you can do things to affect whether or not you go to heaven? We’re justified by faith, not by works of the flesh, Steve!”

“And yet, the Bible says that faith without works is dead. And it says that we are not justified by faith alone. Remember that discussion? That one led directly to us making love!”

She smiled, “Yes, I remember. But then what, Steve? Catholics think you can give money to get out of hell!”

“No, they don’t. If you are in hell, you are in hell. They believe in Purgatory, which is the ‘refining fire’ that burns off sins. But, even so, indulgences are wrong in my book. You can’t say Hail Marys or give money or do anything like that to earn points for heaven.”

“Wait! You just contradicted yourself! If you can’t do anything, then how would you get there?”

“By loving God. What does Romans 8:28 say, Kara?”

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

“Good. And John 3:16?”

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” Kara said.

“I know that seems like proof-texting, but it sums up what I think is the core of Christianity. Love God, believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and then live according to the precepts that Jesus taught — do unto others as you would have them do unto you and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Kara sighed, “I know I won’t win this argument. You’re better at this than I am. In fact, I think you could give Pastor Kent a run for his money. I know you could take Pastor Mike down in a Bible debate.”

“Let’s set it aside for tonight, Kara. But we do need to solve this. Once you’re in Chicago, we’ll have plenty of time to discuss it and work it out before we get married.”

“OK,” Kara agreed. “I love you so much I won’t let this drive a wedge between us, but it’s hard.”

“I know, Honey. But we’ll manage.”

We finished eating and then headed back to the Spencers’. I turned on the sauna, then we went to my room, undressed, put on our robes, and headed back to the sauna. I created the usual extra steam, and we relaxed on the upper bench. As usual, the steam helped clear my mind, relax me, and, in a seeming contradiction, energize me as well. For me, a sauna was almost a religious experience! When we finished the sauna, we rinsed off and then went back to my room and climbed into bed.

“On your back, Steve. If you’re tired, let me do the work!” Kara grinned.

She stroked me with her hand until I was hard, then mounted me and gently rode me. She had three good orgasms before I had mine. Kara stretched out on top of me with my dick still inside her.

“I love making love with you!” Kara declared. “I don’t ever want to stop!”

“Me neither,” I agreed. “I couldn’t ask for a better partner than you, and I don’t mean just sex.”

“Same here. I told you a long time ago, you were the guy for me. Mom was sure, too. And, before I foolishly told my dad that we were sleeping together, he was sure as well. He’s actually been a lot better about it in the last few weeks. I think my mom has been working on him and it’s been fairly successful. He’ll be upset about us living together, for sure, but Mom thinks he’ll be fine once it’s clear that we’re permanent.”

“You mean getting engaged, or actually getting married?” I asked.

“Married. Engagements can be broken,” Kara said.

“Sadly, so can marriages. But I don’t believe in divorce.”

“What?! I know your church teaches it’s wrong, just like mine does, but I didn’t expect you to agree with them.”

“Oh I don’t. I don’t have a theological objection to divorce. I just think that if you go into a marriage with the idea, you can get divorced if it doesn’t work out, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Don’t get me wrong, though. There are good reasons for it, like if a husband is abusive. But the whole ‘irreconcilable differences’ thing just drives me nuts. Of course, like everything else, I only apply it to me; I wouldn’t presume to force it on anyone else.”

Kara smiled, “Interesting. But then again, given the experiences you’ve had in your life, I can see why you would want to believe that way. I think you learned from Jennifer that you ought to try working out the problems rather than running away.”

“You taught me that, too, Honey, when that stuff with Becky happened. You showed me that we can overcome just about anything. Not a repeat of THAT, of course, but the way you dealt with a massive problem — calmly and collectedly.”

“It was difficult,” Kara sighed. “I really wondered if I should give you another chance. It turns out that I was right. The next four months were fantastic. And, despite your dalliances, as Bethany calls them, over the last year, I’m confident that you won’t stray once we’re together.”

“I won’t. I’m amazed at the freedom you’ve given me this last year. I never expected it.”

Kara sighed, “You can thank Joyce and Bethany. They filled in a lot of gaps in your history and how to keep you stable, so to speak. I thought it would be Kathy that kept you in line, but when she found a boyfriend, you found a girl who could accept the situation and provide you what you needed. I can’t say I liked that, but I was looking out for your best interest. Next year, I’ll be there to provide you with your stability.”

“Yes, you will. And I’ll provide you with yours! And that’s why I’m sure about us, Kara. I’ve never been in a relationship that was two-way like this. We’re a team, Honey, and a good one.”

She smiled, “Yes, we are. Let’s get a shower, and then you can take me home. I want you to get a good night’s sleep. Pick me up after church tomorrow?”

“Of course!”

We showered, borrowed Melanie’s hair drier to dry Kara’s hair, and then I took her home. We kissed softly at the door and I headed back to the Spencers’. Trudy offered me some tea when I walked in, so I sat with her and Frank and drank it and filled them in on the end of the semester and my plans. The television was on and droning in the background with some movie that Frank and Trudy were half watching while we casually talked. My eyelids grew increasingly heavy and the next thing I knew, Trudy was shaking my shoulder, telling me I should go up to bed. I did and was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

On Sunday morning, I went to swim and have breakfast with Stephanie. She gave me a huge hug when I arrived and asked if I’d make some time for her. I told her that I would. When she left for church, I called Karin and then I spent some time with my dad, filling him in on everything. I left about 11:30am to take Kara to lunch.

We had lunch, then went back to the Spencers’ to sit in the sauna and make love, then went to dinner with Pete and Melanie. After dinner, the four of us hung out in the basement at Melanie’s house and talked for a bit, before Kara and I went upstairs to my room to fool around. As usual, we cuddled afterwards.

“Do you want to double-date with Tracey and Marty on Friday?” I asked.

“Sure!” Kara agreed. “They’re fun! Did you want to get together with Bethany or Kathy?”

“Yep. And we should go out with Stephanie and Ed one evening as well. I’d also like to go to at least one Reds game with Elyse, if you’re OK with that.”

“Sure. When?”

“Saturday, I guess. They play the Expos. We should see Joyce and Terry, too.”

“I talked to her already. They’re available Thursday and Monday.”

“Which works best for you?” I asked. “I don’t have anything I have to do, but you have school.”

“I can skip my exams,” Kara replied, “but I’m taking all of them because my dad insisted. But I’m locked into A’s or B’s in every class, so it doesn’t really matter. Anyway, let’s do Thursday.”

“Set it up!” I smiled.

“Do you need some time for yourself? I mean, besides the Friday after graduation?”

“I have all day for stuff when you’re in school. Really, other than maybe having lunch with Anna and seeing Larry a couple of times, I don’t really need any time. Well, I take that back. I will need some time with my sister. She’s already asked.”

“I’m sure. Why don’t you take her out next Sunday afternoon and evening? I can give her one day!”

“Thanks, Kara, I do appreciate that. And so will she!”

“And the rest of the nights are just you and me! And once school is out, how long do I have you for?”

“Until the following Wednesday. I head back then and my flight leaves on Saturday. That will let me have time to do laundry, clean the apartment, pack and take care of any loose ends in Chicago.”

“And when do you come back?”

“July 9th. I’ll get in early in the evening after an afternoon flight. It sounds strange, but when you take the time zones into account, it works out that way. I’ll drive down on the 10th, we’ll drive to Chicago on the 11th and then we fly to Seattle on the 12th. We fly home to Chicago on the 14th and then Katt and Mikael will come visit us from the 22nd to the 24th.”

“Fly home. I like the sound of that! It’ll be fun to go to Seattle and to see your friends Katt and Mikael! This is so exciting!”

“Then, as long as you’re still OK with it, I’ll fly to Georgia to see the race at Talladega with Stephie.”