Chapter 22: Helping Out My Little Sister

July 1981, Milford, Ohio

On Saturday, after our usual morning routine, Stephanie and I hung out until it was time to pick up Ed and Bethany. We drove to Glen Este to go to a burger joint that Elyse and I had been to before. Bethany and I spent most of the time giving the kids relationship advice. I was amused that the tables were totally turned, because it had always been Stephanie giving me advice. Bethany was her usual self, playing amateur psychologist, though I realized that very shortly she’d start training to be a real, licensed psychologist.

“Steve,” Ed said at the end of the meal, “can I talk to you alone?”

Stephanie and I communicated silently with our eyes and she gave me the OK. Bethany just patted my leg to communicate the same thing.

“Sure. Let’s take a walk. The girls can hang out for a bit.”

I paid the check and left a tip on the table, and Ed and I walked outside and then down the sidewalk.

“What’s up, Ed?”

“Your sister is crazy!” he said with a grin.

“You’re telling ME this? I’ve known her for fourteen years! But you didn’t need to talk to me in private to say that. Stephanie would admit it in a heartbeat.”

“True,” he grinned. “What I wanted to ask you about was that apartment she took me to. She said that you had keys to it and that you used that so you could fool around with my sister without having to worry about your parents or my parents.”

I’d have to talk to Stephanie about how much she told Ed, but it seemed like she’d limited it to Bethany. That was reasonable, given I was sure Ed knew we had been intimate.

“That’s true. It belongs to my boss and I get to use it. Once I leave for Chicago, though, I think I’ll have to give the keys back.”

“That sucks.”

“Maybe we can work something out. When do you turn fifteen?”

“Next month.”

“Tell you what. On the way home, we’ll stop at the deli. Andreas usually needs to hire someone at the end of the Summer. Would your parents let you work on Saturdays?”

“Probably. Why?”

“Well, if I can get Andreas to hire you, maybe you can get the same kind of deal I had.”

“Hire me to do what?”

“Sweep the floors, stock the coolers, receive shipments, take inventory, that kind of stuff.”

“I could do that for sure! Would you talk to my parents? They trust you and like you a lot. Heck, they hope you and Bethany get married some day!”

“Now there’s a wild thought — a double-wedding,” I chuckled. “You and my sister and me and your sister!”

“My sister would go for it. And, well, let’s just say I like your sister.”

I suppressed a laugh. I bet he did. And once he got used to her, she was going to fuck him senseless every chance she got. This was one lucky kid! I couldn’t resist a bit of teasing.

“She seems to like you too, especially given what happened on your first date!”

“It’s strange that you’re OK with that. Most brothers seem to want to prevent guys from being with their sisters.”

I knew that he had a question that he couldn’t ask and I couldn’t answer. He knew she wasn’t a virgin and was wondering where she gained all her experience. I certainly wasn’t going to answer that, even if it hadn’t been me. He was wise enough not to ask it.

“Do you think I have a death wish?” I asked with mock fear. “Would YOU try to prevent Stephanie from getting what she wanted?”

He laughed, “Good point. I really appreciate it.”

We walked back to the car and found Stephanie and Bethany leaning against the hood, waiting for us. We got in the car and I told the girls we were going to make a stop at the deli so I could talk to Andreas about maybe hiring Ed. I saw Stephanie’s face light up and Bethany had a knowing smirk on hers. Poor Ed had no idea that the three of us knew way more than he did about the relationships in the car. But there was really no way to tell him.

At the deli, Ed and I went inside and Andreas invited us into his office.

“Andreas, I want you to meet Ed. He’s my little sister’s boyfriend. I think he’d make a great employee.”

“Well, I will need someone in September, as always. If he can work Saturdays and some Sundays, then sure. Let me talk to him alone a bit. Go get a Coke for you and your girls and I’ll talk to you afterwards.”

I grabbed three Cokes from the cooler and went outside to the table where Bethany and Stephanie were.

“Big brother, I love you!” she said when I sat down.

“You’re trying to set this up so Ed has access to the apartment, aren’t you?” Bethany smirked.

“Well, of course I am! I have to help out my sister and my possible future brother-in-law.”

“Who said we’re getting married?” Stephanie said, her eyes wide in shock.

“He’d be my brother-in-law if I married Bethany, Squirt!” I grinned, to Bethany’s delight.

“Wait, you and Kara are getting back together! What the hell is going on? Did Madison change things?”

“No. Bethany just thinks things won’t work out for Kara and me. I’m not bothered by that, mind you, but her reasoning isn’t totally crazy.”

“Since when did you get so calm about stuff like this, Big Brother?”

“Since he met Kara,” Bethany answered. “Honestly, she’s been the best thing that ever happened to your brother. Whichever one of us he ends up with — me, Jennifer, Karin, Joyce, or Kara herself, has Kara to thank for all the good changes. Now, we just need to keep him from obsessing for the next year or so, and everything will be fine.”

“Obsessing?” Stephanie asked.

“Yeah. Over what behaving is or is not. He told me you had to really push him to be with Katt’s skater friend, Laura, who is about as safe as anyone I can think of. I had to push him to be with Pam, who’s just as safe.”

“Yeah, he’s so afraid that he’s going to make a mistake that he will make a mistake! I think he was going to find a way to not sleep with Karin, personally,” Stephanie said.

“Not you too!” I said, whining slightly.

Both girls laughed as Ed walked out of the office and let me know Andreas wanted to see me. I went to the office and Andreas said that he’d be happy to hire Ed. I raised the issue of the apartment.

“Wait! You’re TRYING to get your sister to have sex? What is wrong with you? That’s not what a brother does!” he exclaimed, surprised.

“Andreas, you do not know my sister. She gets exactly what she wants from whoever she wants it from. Only a person with a serious death wish gets in her way! I’m telling you, I value my life and my balls far too much to oppose her!”

Andreas laughed hard and said, “That sounds like this Greek girl I knew when I was your age. She and I got together, and it was clear that I was to do exactly what she wanted, when she wanted it, how she wanted, or she’d tear my «testicoli» off and cook them for me!”

“So, could you see your way clear to let him use the apartment from time to time? Probably just Saturday evenings, or Sunday afternoons.”

“That depends,” Andreas said carefully. “Will he do the same jobs you did?”

“Ed’s a good guy. He’ll do what you ask and not ask dumb questions. I’ll make sure he knows.”

“OK. When are you going to see Don Joseph?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Take Ed, if you can. And if he goes, take your sister. I suspect that she won’t allow him out of her sight with all those pretty Italian girls around!”

“I’ll do that, Andreas. And thanks.”

“Here’s the contact information for Don Joseph’s friends in Chicago. You call this number as soon as you get there. I know they want the computer software, but they’ll have other jobs for you to do. You’re OK with that?”

“I told you when the Don allowed that favor for me with that kid, that yes, I would do whatever the Don asked.”

“Good. In Chicago, you’ll be on the regular payroll. You aren’t Italian, but the Don vouched for you. Do not disappoint him.”

That was a nice, clear reminder of just how deeply involved I was. But I had no intention of disappointing the Don. Now or ever. Which, of course, meant keeping Joyce happy, one way or another!

“I won’t. You have my word.”

“Good. It’s too bad you can’t actually be part of the organization, but even if you were to marry his granddaughter, that’s not permitted. Well, unless you have some Italian blood we don’t know about.”

“No, Andreas. I’m mostly German with some Dutch, Irish, French, and English thrown in to make me a Northern European mutt!”

He laughed. “Tell Ed to come back in and I’ll tell him he has a job.”

“Thanks!”

I went out to the girls and sent Ed back to see Andreas. I figured it was up to him to tell the girls. I’d pull him aside and let him know that there were other duties that came with the job if he wanted access to the apartment. Ed was back two minutes later with a big smile on his face.

“You got the job?” my little sister asked.

“Yep! I start the first weekend in September, assuming my parents are OK with it.”

“Ed, let’s take a quick walk. I want to give you a couple of pointers.”

We walked outside and down the street.

“Ed, Andreas is going to ask you to do some other stuff from time to time. It’s all stuff I did. Just do what he asks and keep your mouth shut.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Making deliveries and pickups. You’ll deliver sandwiches, but you’ll also pick up things and deliver things while you do it. Don’t ever look in the bag or the envelopes. Just make the deliveries. And don’t talk about it to anyone.”

“What the hell are you talking about? I’m confused,” Ed said with a worried look on his face.

“Tomorrow, you and Stephanie are coming with me to meet the real boss, Don Joseph. He’s my friend Larry’s grandfather. He runs a large organization that, well, provides goods and services that people want, but the government doesn’t allow them to have.”

I could see by the look on his face that Ed still wasn’t getting it. I’d have to spell it out.

“Ed, listen. I work for Don Joseph. An Italian. Just like in the movie The Godfather. I don’t know much about his business, except for the very few things I’m involved in. But, that Trans Am? I couldn’t afford it except for the extra pay I got for doing those errands. The same goes for my computers. Yes, I made some money from the computer dating stuff, but most of it came from writing programs for Don Joseph and doing errands.”

“So I’d have to do illegal stuff?”

“Not as far as you’re aware! When I was working at the deli, I didn’t know what I was doing other than making deliveries. I might have suspected things, but I didn’t know. It’s up to you, Ed. But that’s how I got access to the apartment and how I was able to get the car and computers.

“They won’t ask you to do any more than that. Trust me. I only got involved more because I asked for a favor that was granted. In return for that favor, I agreed to do other things. If I hadn’t asked for that favor, I wouldn’t have gotten in deeper. I’m telling you this so you understand, but you can never repeat it.”

Ed’s expression changed, and it was clear he fully understood. In fact, he understood better than I had thought.

“Josh Benton,” he breathed. “Holy crap, Steve. You agreed to work for the Mafia because they beat up Josh Benton! You should have had him killed for what he did to my sister!”

“I agree with you, but they thought that was too much. She was just a friend at the time. If she had been my girlfriend or sister, then maybe. If we had been Italian? Well, probably.”

“If you ever decide to kill him yourself, I’ll help you. That bastard deserves to die!”

“Your sister doesn’t agree. She made that clear when he was beaten up. Forget about it and just work at the deli. Don’t worry about stuff like that. Let’s get the girls and go talk to your parents.”

We walked back to the table where the girls were and then the four of us got in the car and went to the Krajicks’. Ed told his parents about the job offer and I confirmed that I had worked there and that I thought it would be good for Ed. It took a bit of convincing, but eventually his parents agreed to sign the papers for the work permit because he was only going to be 15 when he started working.

Stephanie and I said our goodbyes and headed home.

“Big brother, you are the best!” she said as we drove home.

“I know that!” I smirked. “All the girls say so!”

She stuck her tongue out at me. I knew the reply she wanted — I gave her a different one.

“I can’t wait to see you put that in Jennifer’s freshly fucked pussy!” I smirked.

“Oh God, Steve! Stop! Please! I can’t even get Ed to screw me to satisfy me right now!”

“So it’s kind of like the time between when I arrived home from Sweden and Spring Break. Poor baby!” I teased.

“Well, I’m going over to Ed’s on Monday. Think I could borrow the keys just in case?”

“Sure,” I smirked.

When we arrived home, I went to call Kara. I had meant to call her the previous night but had been distracted by Trish and then this morning I wasn’t sure how early I could call. I dialed the number and her mom answered, for which I was grateful. The less interaction I had with her dad at the moment, the better. I heard her call Kara and the hurried footsteps of an anxious teenager running to the phone.

“Hi!” she gushed. “I wondered when you would call. Didn’t you get home last night?”

“Yes, but I had a minor crisis to take care of. It’s all solved, so nothing to worry about. Then this morning I didn’t know how early I could call. I ended up going to lunch with Stephanie, Ed, and Bethany. Stephanie and Ed are dating now.”

“That’s great! You can call any time after 8:00am, by the way. How was Madison?”

“Pretty good. Bethany checked out her dorm, we walked around the campus and did some sightseeing. She and Pam got along really well and Pam arranged for them to be roommates, given they’ll be in the same dorm. Looks like they’ll end up being good friends.”

“This is the Pam you told me about? The one you met in Sweden?”

“That’s right.”

“I think you and I need to make an airplane trip!” Kara giggled.

“Kara Blanchard, are you are getting more adventurous, hmmm?”

She lowered her voice, “I think it’s just that I’m missing having you in me! It’s making me crazy!”

“I wish I could do something about that, but your dad has you under lock-and-key at the moment.”

“I think he’s going to keep it that way for a long time,” she said sadly. “Can you come for lunch on Monday, even though you’re also coming for dinner?”