Chapter 27: Getting Out of the Business

August 1982, Milford, Ohio

The landscape in Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky rolled by quickly, and with just a stop for lunch and two stops for gas, I made it back to Milford early enough that Kara wouldn’t be home from work. Instead of heading to her house, I headed to my parents’ house so I could talk to my dad, because I knew he’d been trying to arrange the meeting with the buyers.

When I went inside, I saw Stephanie, Trish, and Shelly in the pool and waved to them. They called out for me to join them, but I told them I needed to talk to my dad. I found him in his office with my mom, and he got up and we walked out past the pool onto the deck to talk.

“The meeting’s set for 9:00am on Friday morning at Larry Walsh’s office. I called Beth and Krista for you — they’ll both be there. That way, you and Beth can sign the power of attorney forms, and Bill and Jack can meet you and Krista. Everything is pretty much set with the legal documents. The sale will close in September. You need to run it like you own it until then, and after that, keep to the consulting contract.”

“Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” he said with a smile. “How was the race?”

“I enjoyed it a lot! I had a lot of fun with Stephie and her friends Red, Rose, and Emily. The real highlight was I got to talk to Bill Elliott, who finished sixth, for about thirty minutes at his house. Stephie and I are going to the race in Michigan the Sunday before school starts.”

“Do you remember the race in ‘69 we went to in Riverside when we lived in Bermuda Dunes?”

“I do. Richard Petty won that race. I remember some stuff, and there are pictures you shot that I used to see when we looked at those old carousels of slides.”

“I haven’t had those out in a long time. I think we still have those old 8mm and Super-8mm movies somewhere, too.”

“Mighty Mouse!” I grinned, “I haven’t seen those in forever.”

“You used to watch those all the time. But TV and now VCRs seem to have taken over. Well, and computers and video games, of course.”

“True! I’m going to have to figure out what to do with a fourth computer if they do go the IBM route. I’ll probably get rid of the TRS-80. At this point, it’s pretty much only used for the computer dating program and we haven’t had to change that in nearly two years. I’ll just pack it up and put it in the closet, so I have it if I need it. The last thing I used it for was my PASCAL class. I’ll just come over on Friday morning to see Stephanie and then hang out here with you until we head to Mr. Walsh’s office.”

“I did find what you asked me to find — the tea service. The box is in your old room.”

“Wow. Thanks!”

He told me how much it had cost, and while it was more than I had expected, I gladly paid him for it. We talked for a few more minutes and then he went back inside and I went to talk to Stephanie and her friends. I noticed she was wearing her modest one-piece suit today, which didn’t surprise me given my parents were home. It may have been modest, but it stirred memories of what it was covering!

“Get your suit and come in the pool, Big Brother!” Stephanie said.

“Yes! Get in the pool, Steve!” Shelly added.

“I have to head to Kara’s; she’ll be getting home from work soon.”

“I bet we’re WAY more fun than she is! There’s three of us!” Shelly giggled.

“As tempting as that would be, I need to go see my girlfriend,” I chuckled. “Stephanie, I’ll see you for breakfast.”

“You’re missing something really special, Big Brother!” Stephanie teased.

I smiled and shook my head, then went down the hall to call Stephie to let her know that I’d arrived safely. I asked her how were things with her mom, and she said her mom had given her some grief, but had calmed down a bit, and I shouldn’t worry. We talked for a couple of minutes more and I reminded her to call me with her flight details sometime next week. I called Josh’s house because he’d returned a few days before I’d left for Georgia, but we hadn’t had a chance to get together. I asked if he was interested in lunch on Friday and he said that he and Mary would love to. I told him I’d ask Kathy to join us because Kurt had gone home.

Next, I called Kathy, and she agreed to join us for lunch on Friday. After I hung up, I got into my car and headed for Kara’s house. I arrived just before she did, and was leaning against the tail of my car when she pulled into the driveway. She parked, hopped out of her car, and ran over to hug me. We exchanged a soft kiss, I grabbed my bags, and we went into the house.

“Do you mind if I do laundry? Or should I do it when we’re hanging out at the Spencers’ tonight?”

“Nah, do it now. By the time dinner is over, it should be done.”

“Did you plan dinner for three?” I asked.

“No, actually, now that you mention it. But I have stuff for chicken Caesar salads, plus a loaf of French bread. We also have some potato soup, but it’s in cans. Is that OK?”

“That’s fine. The way I ate down in Georgia, I think I have enough calories for a month!” I grinned.

I took my bags to the laundry room, sorted them into two loads and put the first one in the washing machine, then went back to the kitchen to start on dinner.

“Did you have a good trip?” Kara asked.

“I did. The race was fun, and I got to meet one of the drivers that Stephie is friends with. He’s from her hometown and lives pretty close to her. A real nice guy who married his High School sweetheart!” I grinned.

“He’s a smart man, even if he does drive in circles for a living!” Kara said with a silly smile. “Did you have fun otherwise?”

I wasn’t going to give her a direct answer to that one, because that was her code for having sex.

“I enjoyed spending time with Red, Rose, Stephie, and Emily. Those first two are her friends and the last one is her cousin. Rose didn’t go to the race with us, but Emily did.”

“What else did you do besides the race?”

“Hung out with her friends and family, went to their local swimming hole, and spent quite a bit of time on their front porch swing just drinking lemonade and relaxing. It’s not quite as good as a sauna, but it was nice and peaceful. The town is so small that there were more kids in my graduating class at Milford than people who live in that town!”

“Wow! That’s pretty small! And the drive was OK?”

“Both ways. Under eight hours each way, counting stops for food and gas. It was a four hour drive with all the traffic each way for the race in Alabama. First time I’ve been to Georgia or Alabama. I got a full dose of the South. Some of them are still fighting the Civil War, I think! I even got some moonshine from Emily’s dad!”

“Alcohol? Like from a still?”

“Yes. The stuff is pure firewater. Should be fun at my next party in Chicago!”

“Speaking of Chicago, what’s the plan for the next couple of days?”

“Well, you work during the day, so I’ll probably hang out with Stephanie in the mornings like usual. On Friday, after my meeting at the lawyers about selling the business, I’ll have lunch with Josh, Mary, and Kathy.”

“Not Bethany?” Kara asked. “She’s your usual go-to person for stuff like that.”

“She is, but I don’t want to stir up any further trouble. She has enough going on with breaking up with Gene when she gets back to Madison,” I said. “Otherwise, I’ll find something to do on Thursday — there’s always Larry, Pete and Melanie, or Anna, or I could stop in to see Donna W.”

“You do have a lot of friends around! What time are you leaving on Saturday?”

“Probably after lunch. That still gets me there in daylight. Am I sleeping here the next three nights?”

“Yes! I already talked to Mom about it. And I confirmed with her that I’ll be in Chicago for Labor Day weekend. So, what are we doing the next two nights?”

“I figured you wanted time with just me. Let’s have dinner with your mom, then head to the Spencers’ for a sauna, and then come back here. Just you and me, Honey.”

She smiled, “I like it!”

I heard the front door and Mrs. Blanchard came in.

“Hi, Steve! Good to see you back!” she said.

“It’s good to be back. Dinner is in about fifteen minutes.”

She nodded and went to change into more comfortable clothes. I finished preparing dinner and made up the bowls of salad, put the pot of soup on the table along with three soup bowls, and then set out the bread, butter, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. We called Kara’s mom to the kitchen and after I prayed, we ate.

After dinner, Kara and I cleaned up the kitchen and then headed to the Spencers’ to use the sauna. Pete and Melanie were home and asked to join us. I looked at Kara, who nodded, and the four of us sat for about thirty minutes in the steam while I filled Pete and Melanie in on my trip, Kara told us all about her new job and Pete and Melanie about their slowly evolving wedding plans.

“One more year, eh Pete?” I asked.

“Yep. And I’ve already started doing some of the preliminary stuff for my job search. I called to get all the hiring information from the agencies I’m interested in and talked to the Navy recruiter as well. That’s my last choice, but it would work out OK if that’s what happens.”

“The wedding plans will accelerate if you get a job in the area, right?” I asked.

“That’s right. If I land a job in Columbus, Dayton, or Cincinnati, we’ll get married next August. If not, then probably a year after that, when Melanie graduates. Where she goes to law school depends on where I end up, of course. What about you two?”

“Well, given what happened, Kara’s going to be in school until ‘87. I’ll be out in ‘85. A lot will depend on what happens when I graduate. Obviously, if she’s at IIT, I’ll find a job in Chicago. I’ll leave it up to her if she wants to get married before she graduates, but kids will have to wait until she’s done with school.”

Kara leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

“I hadn’t even thought about that!” Kara giggled. “I’d marry him tomorrow, so I think we’ll set a date once he gets his full-time job. So sometime after May of ‘85!”

The girls started talking about wedding plans and I tuned out, just relaxing in the steam. When it was time to get out, we all showered individually, then dressed. Kara and I headed back to her house and spent some time with her mom before we turned in. Kara and I made love and then fell asleep, spooned together as we usually did. We made love again when we awoke, and showered together. I kissed Kara goodbye and headed to my parents’ house.

Stephanie and I swam and, after we’d showered and dressed, went to the kitchen so I could make breakfast.

“You missed a great time yesterday, Big Brother! Three fifteen-year-old girls who wanted to fuck your brains out!” she giggled.

I smirked, “I can get that almost anywhere!”

Stephanie looked at me with an arched eyebrow, “Now who?”

“Stephie and her cousin Emily,” I grinned. “Emily is fifteen.”

“Both? At the same time?” she asked incredulously.

“What do you think?” I grinned.

“Big Brother, you are unbelievable! You can’t go anywhere without some girl throwing herself at you! And you always say ‘yes’. Except to me!” she said, her smile turning into a frown.

“You know the concerns there, Stephanie. And you also know I do say ‘no’ to other girls at times. Let’s change the subject; Dad will likely be here soon.”

“What are you doing today and tomorrow? Your girlfriend is working, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is. Tomorrow I have the meeting with Dad’s attorney to start the formal process of selling the business. Afterwards, I’m having lunch with Mary, Josh, and Kathy. Otherwise, no plans during the day. You have your WSI in the morning and volunteering in the afternoon, so you’re out.”

“There’s always Anna. And I’m sure that Ruth wouldn’t mind seeing you again!” she smirked.

“I’m sure of that. I’m not sure that I want to keep that going, though. Yes, Ruth’s fun, but I don’t want her to think this is a regular thing. Anna’s a better choice.”

“Is she? She wants you to dump Kara, doesn’t she? And Ruth is just a good fuck, right?”

“True, but Anna is content with the situation at the moment, and I really like hanging out with Kyle.”

“You are going to make a good dad, I think. Now, if only I could get you to run away somewhere so we could test that theory!” she whispered.

It was a good thing she’d dropped her voice because my dad came into the kitchen just at that point. A few minutes later, I served breakfast for the three of us and when we’d eaten, Dad left for work and Stephanie and I cleaned up.

After doing the dishes, Stephanie touched my elbow and cocked her head, pointing outside, “Let’s take a walk!”

“Of course,” I answered, following her out the door, as if I could ever say ‘no’ to her, even knowing where it would likely lead.

As I expected, on the way back from Klondyke, she drew me down the path to the clearing. I lay on the grass and rather than lie down next to me, she got on top of me and nestled her head into my chest. The feel of her body on me had the reaction I was sure she desired, and I was instantly hard. I wasn’t surprised when I felt her rock her hips and gently grind into me.

“Stephanie...” I warned. “We can’t do this.”

Instead of responding verbally, she gave me a soft French kiss and held me tight. She broke the kiss and looked me in the eyes.

“We can,” she whispered, grinding a bit more forcefully, “you just won’t.”

“What about Kara?” I gasped, as she moved in just the right way to send an electric shock of lust through me.

She sighed and rolled off of me, “I can’t say what I want to because you would never speak to me again.”

“You’re right, Stephanie. If you told me not to tell her, you would sound just like Becky.”

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” she huffed. “We should never have stopped!”

“But you know Kara would have put a stop to it, eventually. We ended on our own terms. It had to end eventually.”

“Not if you were with Jennifer! You know that!”

“I do. But Jennifer and I aren’t a couple and we aren’t going to be,” I said gently.

Stephanie didn’t answer, and we lay quietly for a few more minutes before she needed to head back to the house to get ready for her WSI class. We walked back to the house, and I decided to call Anna to see if she was free for lunch. There was no answer after ten rings and I considered going to see Ruth. I decided that wasn’t the best option, so I drove over to the Spencers’ house to hang out. Nobody was home, so I grabbed a book from my car and sat on the couch to read. I tried Anna again about 10:00am. This time, she answered on the first ring.