Chapter 7: Back to Normal, Part I

June 1981, Milford, Ohio

The four of us decided that we’d head to the Cincinnati Nature Center in Goshen to spend some time walking. It was drizzling off and on, but we all grabbed umbrellas so we could walk outside. We spent a couple of hours walking on the trails and talking. Stephanie had been pretty much down in the dumps when we got in the car, but the fact that the girls seemed to accept her back as a friend cheered her up somewhat.

I wasn’t surprised when Bethany raised the issue of my relationship with Stephanie and said that the physical side should probably end soon. Ultimately, Bethany said, it wasn’t healthy for either of us and the longer it went on, the more likely we would be caught with devastating consequences. She also made the point that it wasn’t good for Stephanie’s relationships in the future.

I kept quiet, though I felt Bethany made a convincing case. I could tell that my little sister didn’t agree, but Kara added her opinion as well, which more or less repeated what Bethany had said. Stephanie didn’t say much of anything, which I felt was good. She seemed to be thinking about what they were saying and the fact that it was coming from these two girls helped.

Melanie and Jennifer had not only been OK with my sexual relationship with my sister, but had actively encouraged it. Both Bethany and Kara, as well as Joyce and Karin, objected but tolerated it, to one degree or another. As much as I enjoyed the physical intimacy, I knew that eventually it had to end, and the girls were making very good points. I also knew my sister wouldn’t give up quite so easily. She and I would have to talk about this without the other girls present.

“Kara,” I said, “given you’ve changed your attitude towards intimacy with me, what are the ground rules?”

“What are you asking? You know darn well what my opinion is. I’d prefer you weren’t with any other girls. But I know you’ll be with Karin, and probably Bethany. Are you asking for permission to fool around? You know I won’t give you permission to just screw anyone you want. I won’t even give you permission to be with Bethany and Karin. I have to accept that. Beyond that? Well, you know my opinion.”

“I do. Let me ask a different way. Am I going to lose you if I fool around with anyone other than Bethany or Karin?”

Kara was quiet for a moment, and just as it appeared she was going to say something, Bethany spoke up.

“Kara, let’s talk alone a bit,” she said quickly, touching her arm.

Kara nodded, and they walked ahead, leaving me with Stephanie.

“Big brother, do you agree with them? That we should stop fooling around?” she asked softly, sounding very concerned.

“I think they have a valid point, Squirt. I did tell you that you should start dating. And at some point, things will come to an end between us. If Kara does what she says, and things go the way I think they will, we’ll have to stop a little over a year from now, no matter what.”

“She told me what she planned. And you would do that, Big Brother? You would make that commitment? You know that if she moves in with you, she’s expecting you to marry her.”

“I know, Squirt. But she’s expected me to marry her since that night we first made love. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. A lot can change in a year. Or in four years before I graduate.”

“So should we stop?” she asked in a very small voice.

I pulled her to me in a hug, “Yes, we should. You can have the week in Chicago with me, but then it really does have to be over.”

Tears ran down my little sister’s cheeks. I gently wiped them away with my thumbs.

“I have one request, Big Brother,” she said softly.

“What’s that, Squirt?”

“If somehow the opportunity for you and me to be with Jennifer comes about, that we can do that. You, me, and her. I know it’s not likely, but if it does?”

“Yes, Squirt. That’s fine. That would qualify as a very special occasion.”

She smiled. “Good. I have one other request, it’s just that you keep open the possibility that on your birthday and my birthday, we have a celebration fuck,” she giggled.

“OK. A possibility, Squirt. Not a guarantee.”

“You know what this means, right?”

“That you are going to want to screw every second of every day until we come back from Chicago?” I chuckled.

“As much as we can safely get away with. I promise to behave. You’re buying me breakfast tomorrow and then Friday and Saturday I have you as well! Did you want me to cancel with Trish and Shelly?”

“What did Bethany say?”

“She was fine with it, but I don’t think Kara is.”

“Don’t cancel yet, Squirt. Let’s play it by ear. If we change it on Friday, you can call them.”

“That’s true. Thanks Big Brother. You know I’ll miss doing it with you.”

“I do,” I said. “But I have a sense that my loss will be Ed Krajick’s gain!”

“Maybe! But I’ll need advice. I’ve never been with a virgin before!”

“Easy-peasy, Squirt. You suck him off first, then he’ll last long enough. Besides, he’s fourteen. Even if he cums quickly, he’ll be hard again in minutes, especially with that talented tongue of yours!”

“I hate this! But I knew it had to happen. And yeah, Ed is the guy!”

“Don’t scare him away. Take it easy at first.”

“The problem is, neither he nor I can drive.”

“I’ll help you until I leave for college. After that, talk to Tracey. I guarantee she’ll help you. Tell you what. When we come back from Chicago, we can double date with Bethany and you and Ed can use the apartment for a couple of hours.”

“You are so cool, Big Brother. I love you!”

“I love you too, Squirt.”

We waited a bit until the girls walked back to us. I decided to fill them in on the agreement Stephanie and I had come to, but leave out the very unlikely threesome with Jennifer.

“While you two were plotting against me, Stephanie and I agreed that we’re going to end our physical relationship after our trip to Chicago, though she’s reserving the right to ask for a birthday screw each year. I didn’t promise that would happen, though.”

“That’s a good thing,” Bethany said. “I’m glad to hear it. Are you OK with it?”

“I heard your discussion before, and I agree with both of you. And so does Stephanie, though she’s not happy about it.”

Stephanie was leaning against me, with a sad slight frown accenting her displeasure.

“I’m glad, too,” Kara said. “There are too many problems that can come from it. Better to end it cleanly and let it fade into the past.”

“Thanks girls,” I said. “So, did you come up with a master plan for world domination?”

“No, we just talked about you. I thought Kara needed to hear a different perspective on you.”

“Uh oh!” Stephanie said with a grin, perking up.

“No, not at all,” Bethany said. “I just told Kara about how my relationship with Steve has worked and why I let him have some freedom. He’s proved he CAN be exclusive, but for right now, because of the situation with Karin and him being away from both of us for a year, it’s better to give him some freedom. He needs to make these decisions now. Not me. Nor Kara. Not Melanie. Not Jennifer. And not you, Stephanie.

“Steve, the two of us agree that you can have some freedom, but do not go crazy. I think Kara told you that already. You know she’s not thrilled with the situation, but this is where we are. It was going to happen with Jennifer in August and she was prepared for that. You do not need to tell us and we agreed we don’t want to know. If Stephanie agrees, she should be the one you talk to about individual girls. Despite her major error with Karin, we think she has your best interest at heart. It’ll help you two rebuild trust, and that’s good. She just has to tell us if she thinks you’re being stupid.”

“So, my little sister has control over who I screw and who I don’t?” I chuckled.

“No, not quite. But we know she’ll give you good advice, Steve. And this is her chance to prove to us that we can trust her. I say that because I know for a fact that if you do something wrong, you’ll come to both of us and tell us. You always have. It’s just who you are. The Triumvirate is officially dissolved as of today. Kara and I both love you dearly, and we know that in the end, one of us is going to end up with you. We just don’t know which one.”

“Of course we do, Bethany. It will be me!” Kara said with a big smile.

“You are wrong, Kara! It will be me! As I said, WE don’t know!” Bethany said with an equally big smile.

“So, no open warfare?” I chuckled.

“No. But now that Stephanie is out of the picture, maybe the fuck-off is a good way to solve this!” Bethany giggled.

“Hah! You think you would win that, Little Miss Cheerleader?” Kara giggled.

“Easily, Miss ‘Holy Roller’!” Bethany giggled.

“Steve, you might be about to have the best time of your life!” my little sister giggled.

“Nah, they’re teasing. They know better. All three of you know my sexual preferences. Of course, I have an idea, but I doubt Kara would go for it,” I smirked.

“And what would that be, Mr. Smarty Pants?” Kara asked.

“We move to Utah and become fundamentalist Mormons! Then I can marry both of you! Problem solved!”

“No!” all three girls said at once.

“Wow, that was pretty vehement, girls!” I chuckled.

“You are not going to live that fantasy, Steve Adams. One wife. Period!” Kara said, wagging her finger in front of my face.

We all laughed. It was late enough now that we decided to get some dinner. We went to Pizza Inn in Milford and ordered a couple of medium pepperoni pizzas and a pitcher of Coke. We had a great time eating pizza and joking and teasing. I was still amazed at the transformation Kara had made. I swung by Kara’s house to drop her off, then headed back to my house where Bethany’s car was. Stephanie was a bit subdued, but that wasn’t surprising.

On Tuesday, we swam and went to breakfast. I wasn’t surprised when Stephanie asked me to make love to her, slow and sweet, ending in our usual tremendously satisfying orgasms.

“That’s what I’m really going to miss, Big Brother. It shows me how much you love me and I can show you how much I love you. I love the feel of you moving inside me, of the soft kisses and of our bodies touching. I wish this would never end,” she sighed.

“I know, Squirt. There is something so special about this that I don’t think I can replicate it with anyone else.”

“Not true. There is one person, but you’ve taken her off the table. And of course, there was Birgit, but I guess it’s impossible to know from just one time.”

“Jennifer took herself off the table. You know that.”

“I know. Despite what I heard from your girls, I hope against hope that somehow, some way, you and Jennifer can fix this. I know it’s not likely, but I hold out hope. You loved her so much, Big Brother.”

“I still do. But twice now she’s betrayed my trust. That isn’t a recipe for success in a relationship. I did it to Kara, Bethany, Jennifer, and you with Becky. And you’ve done it to me with Karin. Once can be forgiven and trust can be rebuilt. The second time, well, I don’t see how trust can be rebuilt because there’s a pattern. Remember that Squirt. If you and Ed do start dating, you have to be honest with him. And if you find him not being honest with you, then you have to break it off.”

I moved off my sister and pulled her into a cuddle. We lay there for a bit, then got up and showered. We went out to the car and because it was in the upper 70s and the drizzle had stopped and the roads were pretty dry, we took the T-tops off the car and went for a drive. I didn’t say anything to Stephanie, but I wanted to make sure that her hair was dry! I was still shocked by Kara’s revelation and how clueless I’d been. Lucky for me, her mom had been cool about it.

After lunch, I called Larry and headed over to his house to hang out. I told him about Jennifer and he was surprised. I was a bit surprised that she hadn’t called him, but didn’t say so. Larry offered to play chess but given that his Elo was now 2053, and I had barely played, I declined. We settled for video games. Mrs. Higgins invited me to stay for dinner and I accepted. I called and let my dad know that I wouldn’t be home for dinner.

It was good to hang out with Larry — it had been quite some time since I’d done that, and I realized, once again, that I should make more of an effort to do this. It seemed that whenever I resolved to do that, events conspired against us. I did take the opportunity to talk to him about school again, but he was adamant that he was going pre-med like his mom wanted.

I arrived home around 9:00pm and found two phone messages. One from Pam and one from Mary. I called Mary first.

“You calling to set up a time to collect?” I teased.

“You are the meanest person I know, Steve Adams!” she groused. “That’s not why I’m calling. I was thinking of a going-away party for Josh. Do you think you could host it? It would be some of our friends and some of his church friends.”

“Oh, that’ll be a fun party. No dancing, no rock music, no sex!” I teased.

“Let’s see, Kara, Susie, Josh, yeah, sure, no sex!” she giggled. “By the way, Susie is itching for a go at you.”

I chuckled, “Same offer!”

“Oh now THAT would be hilarious. Only if I can watch!” she teased.

“Sure. But if you want to watch, you have to do it first!”

“Arrgggghh!” she groaned. “You are SO frustrating!”

“Yes, I am. Back on topic, sure, I’ll host it. Besides Susie, Kara and Josh, who are we inviting?”

“Tracey, Marty, Bethany, Larry, Kathy, and three other kids from his church, besides Susie. Two guys and a girl.”

“Sounds good. When?”

“June 20th, so a week from this coming Saturday. The kids from his church and I will bring everything. All you need to do is provide the pool and grill!”

“Got it. I assume my sister can join us?”

“Of course!”

“Unless you object, I’ll invite Bethany’s brother, Ed. They get along pretty well.”

“That’s cool. Thanks! I appreciate it.”

“You can still have your marathon if you want it, but if you want to trade for the other fantasy, well, you’re running out of time!”

“Just shut up, Steve Adams!” she giggled. “You’ve been trying to get in there since that time at Melanie’s house.”

“Let me know any other details. Start at 2:00pm OK with you? Then go until 11:00pm?”

“That should work. I’ll need to get Josh home right after that, so is it OK if I leave cleanup to you, Bethany, Larry, Ed, and your sister?”

“Yes. I may have to get Kara home as well, but I’ll ask her dad for special permission for her to stay later because it’s at our house.”

We said goodbye and hung up. I pulled out my address book and dialed Pam’s house in Eau Claire.

“Steve! «Hejsan! Hur mår du?»” (“Hi! How are you?”)

“«Hej Pam, Bara bra, o’ du?»” (“Hi, Pam, Just fine, and you?”)

We continued in Swedish.

“I’m good. Any chance I can see you this Summer?”

“We might be able to arrange it, maybe the second week in July? My friend Bethany is going to UW and wants to scope out Madison. She was there for a campus visit, but it was really quick.”