Chapter 17: A New Hope

June 1981, Milford, Ohio

We arrived back in Milford just before 7:00pm on Monday evening. I pulled the car into the driveway and parked. We grabbed our bags and went inside. My first order of business was to find my dad and find out what had happened on Friday night. I had thought about calling, but in the end, decided I wanted to talk to him face-to-face, and there was nothing I could’ve done from Chicago, anyway.

I found my parents together and given the temperatures were in the upper 80s, I asked my dad to come talk to me on the deck. I got an icy stare from my mom, but he got up and followed me outside. I asked him how things went.

“It was pretty ugly, but in the end, I think it actually worked out in your favor, or at least to a situation you can manage.”

“What happened?”

“Well, as expected, the topic was the two of you being intimate, and I’m quoting her dad here, ‘acting sinfully’. Of course, your mother ate it up. I could tell, though, that Mrs. Blanchard wasn’t in full agreement by her body language, though she didn’t say much until the very end. Your mom told Mr. Blanchard about how sinful you were and how many girls you’d had. Then she made her fatal mistake. She said she was sad to see a nice girl like Kara turned into just another one of your sluts.”

“She didn’t!” I gasped, open mouthed, as even for Mom, that was just going too far!

“Oh, yes, she did. And at that point, Mr. Blanchard lost it, as you can imagine. From his perspective, you corrupted his little girl and stole her innocence. But, even so, he can’t possibly accept his daughter being called a slut. Your mom persisted, even though I tried to get her to stop. She basically said any girl who had sex before marriage was a slut. That’s when Mrs. Blanchard finally spoke up. You owe her, Steve.”

“What did she say?”

“It’s clear you talked to Kara and Kara talked to her mom because her mom said, and I quote, ‘Then I guess that makes both you and me sluts, Judy.’ You could have heard a pin drop in the room at that point. Your mom got up and stormed out of the room. Mr. Blanchard looked like he’d seen a ghost. Now, I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing that like your mother and I, they had sex before they married. I got up to leave and Mrs. Blanchard told me to have you call there tomorrow. Her husband just nodded grimly.

“So, Son, call there tomorrow and speak to Mrs. Blanchard. I don’t know what she’ll say, or what she and her husband discussed after we left. But, and I want your word on this, you cannot reveal what I’ve just told you beyond that we were there and that you should call.”

“You have my word! And thanks. I should thank Mom, but I suspect that would just lead to a fight.”

“You have six weeks. I’d try to keep it as calm as possible.”

“Actually, I have the apartment as of August 1st. I plan to head up to Chicago as soon as Jennifer leaves. That would make it around August 6th or 7th.”

“You won’t fit all your stuff in your car. I’ll drive the station wagon up with you. That way your sister could come along, and a friend or two, and I can bring them back.”

“Thanks. I’d like to take my desk and chair, my computers and the computer desks, my TV, my stereo, my clothes and my books. I’m going to buy a larger bed because I only have a twin.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll give you some money towards furniture for your new place because you’ll need to buy a couch, table, chairs and stuff. And no arguments!”

“Thanks again. I’m going to unpack and do some laundry before bed. I also need to call Elyse and let her know about the apartment. It’s a two-bedroom on 53rd street, on the second floor of a four story building. It has really nice hardwood floors, four large bay windows, and new appliances. The rent’s affordable, though Elyse and I will split it when she’s there, which is nine months, at least.”

We walked back inside, I started my laundry, then called Elyse. I described the place to her, and she was ecstatic. She wasn’t sure when she’d move in, but most likely it would be around August 22nd. I knew Kathy was going up that weekend and Bethany was heading to Madison around them as well. All of our plans were coming together. I told Elyse that I’d see her Wednesday night.

I decided to call Susie and see if she had any news for me, so I had an idea what was going on before I talked to Mrs. Blanchard. She told me that she had talked to Kara on Sunday, but Kara didn’t say anything to her about it. I asked Susie to keep my question to herself, and she agreed. She did say that Sandy was acting very smug and self-satisfied, both at church and at the youth group.

“She’s happy she wrecked my relationship with Kara?”

“She never approved of Kara and you dating. She thought Kara should date someone from the church.”

I played a hunch, “Was there someone specific?”

“Yes. Sandy’s older brother Lucas.”

That conniving little bitch! Now it made sense. Of course, if Mr. Blanchard had told the pastor about Kara’s behavior, I couldn’t imagine that the pastor would allow his son to date a ‘fallen’ woman. I didn’t think Mr. Blanchard would share that information, but I didn’t know the relationships at all, nor how their church worked. I was used to having a pope and bishop who called the shots, but from what I could tell, this pastor called all the shots based on input from something Kara had once called an elder board.

“Now I get it. I’m going to have to talk to Josh about his choice of friends.”

“He didn’t really have a choice. He and Sandy have been friends from the time they were little and Sandy wanted to date Josh, but he wasn’t interested. Then Josh got together with Mary and Sandy was upset.”

Which gave her even more reason to hate me, because I basically put Josh and Mary together. And, worse, I was the reason Josh had changed. And Sandy could strike at me for both affronts.

“Susie, I’m sorry, but it seems to me that Sandy is a conniving little bitch.”

“That’s about right. I don’t like her at all. The two guys at the party, Jake and Bill, are pretty nice, though they are a bit too stuffy for me. Them dancing at your party was a huge risk for them and they’re going to pay the price for it because Sandy ratted them out as well. I suspect by now Pastor Kent thinks you’re an agent of Satan himself. I don’t think you should come to youth group, if you thought about doing that.”

“It had crossed my mind, but at this point, I have to agree with you. Sandy has painted a picture of me as the defiler of daughters and corrupter of youth.”

“I hear that reputation is well-earned!” Susie giggled.

“Maybe so, but that isn’t something your pastor and Kara’s parents needed to know any more than your parents need to know about you and Johnny.”

I knew the name of Susie’s boyfriend because Kara had mentioned him once. I assumed he was the guy she had sex with and probably still was.

“Uhm, yeah. Good point. I have to be honest that I wanted to check out your reputation personally, but I could never do that to Kara.”

“Neither could I,” I said. “I think we can be friends, assuming you’re allowed to associate with me.”

“My dad’s not involved in church leadership, so there’s no way he’d know anything about this. It wouldn’t be discussed in public. I’d love to be your friend, just like Josh is. And I know other kids from church you should meet as well. They could use a good dose of Steve Adams to loosen them up!”

“And that would be a singularly bad idea at this point. If the stuff with Kara hadn’t happened, I could see it. But now? I suspect I’m already on the receiving end of negative thoughts. I don’t need more!”

I told her I’d let her know what happened tomorrow and that I’d love to have her at my going away party that someone would be planning, most likely for the first week in August. She promised to come. We hung up, and I went to find my sister.

“I’m supposed to call Kara’s house tomorrow morning. Mom really blew it.”

“Let me guess,” Stephanie said. “She called Kara a slut and Kara’s parents objected.”

“Yeah. And then, according to Dad, and you can NOT repeat this, Mrs. Blanchard said ‘I guess that makes you and me sluts, Judy.’”

“Holy shit!” Stephanie gasped. “Her parents had sex before they got married?”

“So it would seem. And from that, I have a glimmer of hope. If Mom hadn’t opened her big mouth, I’d probably never see Kara again.”

“That’s perfect! Mom helps you see Kara again! I love it!”

“Don’t get too excited yet, Squirt. I have no idea what’s going to happen yet. The only thing I’m sure of is that there is a tiny sliver of hope.”

“Can I have a hug?” Stephanie asked. “I’m heading to bed. I’ll see you for swimming in the morning.”

I pulled her into a tight hug, our bodies pressed against each other, the memories of what we had done together flooding my brain. I kissed Stephanie on the forehead and released her.

“I love you Big Brother.”

“I love you too, Squirt.”

I went to change the laundry load and then called Bethany to let her know I was home. I filled her in on the trip, the apartment, and the situation with Kara.

“So you and your sister are done?” Bethany asked.

“Yes, with the possible exception of her special request, but honestly, at this point, I doubt that will happen. Now it’s time to set up the double-date!”

“I think we need to have paramedics standing by, Steve. You realize she’s going to eat him alive, don’t you?”

“I think my little sister will be gentle, loving, and romantic,” I said evenly.

“Bullshit! I have no idea how you could say that without laughing!” Bethany giggled.

“My dear Bethany,” I said with the haughtiness of an offended academic. “I resent your implication that I would be less than serious about such a matter!”

At which point, I cracked up, then continued, “Of course she’s going to fuck him to within an inch of his life. What happened to Josh will be tame compared to this.”

We talked for a few more minutes and I promised to call her after I talked to Kara’s parents. When I hung up, I wrote in my journal and then got the laundry from the dryer. I folded it, put it away and then got ready for bed. I slept soundly, which was no surprise given the long drive and the previous night’s activities.

On Tuesday morning, Stephanie and I were back to our usual routine. The clock seemed to drag after breakfast, but I was sure that looking at it every two minutes was the reason for thinking that, rather than some kind of problem with the space-time continuum. Finally, the clock showed 10:00am and I went to my room to call Kara’s house.

Kara’s mom answered the phone and greeted me warmly once I identified myself.

“We’d like you to come to dinner tonight. Are you able to do that?”

“Yes, Ma’am. What time?”

“Dinner is at 6:00pm. Please come at 5:30pm.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Blanchard, from the bottom of my heart.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Just be on your absolute best behavior. I know you can do it.”

“I can and I will. I’ll be there at 5:30pm.”

We hung up. I had exactly zero information, but I had a good feeling from Mrs. Blanchard’s tone. She was, if not on our side, at least somewhat sympathetic to the situation. That gave me an additional glimmer of hope. I let Stephanie know, then called Bethany and Susie. When Dad arrived home just before lunch, I filled him in. He was happy that there at least seemed to be a chance. I wondered if I should give him all the details, but then decided against it.

Stephanie and I went to the deli for lunch, both to get out of the house and because I needed to speak with Andreas. While Kim made our lunches, I went into the office. I let Andreas know that I’d be going to Chicago at the end of the first week in August, and that I had a lot to do over the next month. He gave me several more driving assignments for the next few weeks, though I had to decline one on July 8th given I’d be heading to Madison. Andreas gave me a phone number to call once I got to Chicago.

Stephanie and I ate our lunches and Kim sat with us part of the time because the deli wasn’t busy. She was happy, had a steady boyfriend and expected to get engaged in the next year. She’d come a long way since the days when we both lived on Milford Hills Drive and she was my best friend and a complete tomboy. I filled her in on my plans, and when Stephanie and I had finished our lunches, we said goodbye and headed out to the car.

“We could go up to the apartment!” she smirked.

“You know better than that, Squirt. You should call Ed and set up the double-date. Just make sure it’s a day when we can spend the afternoon out. I’ll give you the keys, and Bethany and I will find something to do for a few hours. Just promise me you won’t kill the kid!”

“Only to within an inch of his life, Big Brother!” she giggled. “I promise.”

We headed home, and I called Joyce to confirm our Friday night date. I told her what I knew so far about Kara and that I’d let her know tomorrow what came of dinner tonight. I also let her know that I’d be heading to her grandfather’s house on July 12th. After we hung up, I called Kathy Will and let her know my plans for Chicago. She was heading up about the same time and was going to be living in the dorms as she had planned.

I spent the rest of the afternoon writing letters. I’d fallen behind in my correspondence and wrote long overdue letters to Sofia, Pia, Tina Hoff and Tatyana. Lastly, I penned a short note to Lars and Annika, thanking them for allowing Karin come to visit. When I finished, I asked Stephanie to help me decide what to wear for dinner.

“It’s got to be nice, but not sexy, Big Brother. You can’t wear all black, for sure. I think white slacks and your blue oxford. That looks nice, and it’s conservative, and if you add your brown belt and brown loafers, it’s pretty much about as non-threatening as you can be.”

“Thanks.”

“Can’t do anything about those dreamy eyes, though,” she added with a sigh.

I agreed with her in terms of what to wear and laid the things out on the bed. Without thinking, I stripped off my clothes and went to the shower. My little sister giggled and whistled as I walked away from her.

“Sorry Squirt. I didn’t even think about it,” I said.

“It’s OK Big Brother. I’ll never get tired of looking at you!” she giggled.

I shut the bathroom door but didn’t lock it, trusting Stephanie to behave. My trust was well placed because when I came out with a towel wrapped around me, she’d left my room. I dressed as she’d ordered and went to her room to show her.

“Yeah, that’s good, Steve. Classy but reserved.”

“Thanks, Squirt,” I said, kissing her on the cheek.

I headed out to the car and drove to the Blanchard’s house. I had no idea what to expect, so I simply did my best to stay calm and reminded myself to be cool and collected. I had to handle Mr. Blanchard even better than I had handled Ben van Hoek. And this was a much tougher nut to crack, as Ben van Hoek had not been an evangelical Christian. I parked the car in the driveway, took a couple of deep breaths and got out and walked to the front door and rang the bell.