Chapter 7: Vänner och Älskare, Part III

June 1982, Göteborg, Sweden

Friday, June 11th, dawned bright and sunny, with a forecast high of 23°C. Torbjörn put on a blue suit, white shirt, and blue tie. I put on white slacks, a black polo, and my black loafers, because I wasn’t participating in the ceremony. After breakfast, we walked to Elizabeth’s. She was wearing a knee-length, white sleeveless dress and an unbuttoned white sweater. I whistled in appreciation.

“It’s not supposed to be sexy! It’s supposed to be stylish!” Torbjörn said.

“Anything she wears is sexy!” I chuckled.

We caught the tram headed for Schillerska, where we joined the rest of the third-year students waiting to enter the auditorium. Parents and family would be arriving shortly as well, and based on everything I had heard, many students would have extended families in attendance. When we were let into the auditorium, I was shown to a seat in the first row of the balcony, halfway back on the left side of the auditorium, with my class right below me.

The ceremony was very much like my graduation, with a small orchestra to provide music. When the headmaster gave his speech, he did indeed call out my name and point, and I stood to a huge round of applause. Not wanting to distract further, I quickly sat back down and he continued with his speech. After several more speeches by teachers and students, the students were proclaimed graduates and caps were tossed in the air. The students remained in the auditorium while the guests moved out to the schoolyard.

I was shocked at the sheer number of people in the schoolyard. It seemed that at least two or three times as many people as had been in the auditorium were waiting outside with placards, banners, and flowers. Many of the placards and banners had pictures of students when they were babies or toddlers. The graduates filed out of the building to raucous cheers and applause and found their extended families, where they were lavished with hugs, handed flowers, and generally congratulated. The only word that came to mind was ‘madhouse’.

It was a couple of hours before the celebration in the schoolyard broke up and we headed back to Torbjörn’s with his parents. We had lunch and then Torbjörn and I hung out until late afternoon, when it was time to head to Lotta’s house in Bildal, which wasn’t too far from Hovås. Like the party the night before, there were lots of crayfish, lots of other delicacies, and plenty of other food. Afterwards, there was singing, dancing, and general merry-making. We stayed at the party until 3:00am and took a taxi back to Rosengaten.

On Saturday we slept in. I didn’t wake up until just after 10:00am, which was very out of character, but not really, given that I hadn’t gotten into bed until almost 4:00am. After showers and an early lunch, Torbjörn suggested that we use the building’s sauna. I was in hearty agreement and we took the elevator to the top floor where the sauna was. We wrapped towels around our waists per the custom of their building, though I questioned that.

“Too many people here don’t really know each other,” Torbjörn said, “so the Board of Directors has a rule of using towels. Some people don’t care. Some do. Mostly, like you know, friends are fine with being naked, but some people are bothered by strangers.”

“That makes sense,” I said, thinking of a few of my friends back home who were uncomfortable even with very close friends.

We sat in the sauna for about half-an-hour. There wasn’t nearly as much steam as I liked, but with several other people in the sauna, I didn’t feel I could dump extra water onto the rocks. Even so, the heat and the small amount of steam worked its magic on me, helping me to relax and recover from the previous late night. I hadn’t been drunk, but over the course of the ten hours, I’d had quite a few glasses of wine and several shots of vodka. At one point I’d felt a little buzzed, but backed off and stuck to soft drinks for a couple of hours.

We rinsed off in the showers just outside the sauna, then put on our robes and went downstairs to the apartment to get dressed. We had a few hours to relax while his parents and his older brother, Claes, put up decorations and prepared the food. I offered to help but was told to go spend time with Torbjörn. I did, and about 4:00pm I asked to use the phone to call Kara.

“Steve! I got the job!” she said breathlessly.

“The receptionist job?”

“Yes! I start August 2nd. The girl I’m replacing goes on maternity leave as of August 9th. She’ll teach me how to answer the phones, use the copy machines, that kind of thing. She’s planning to come back to work in May. It’s perfect!”

“Congratulations! How about your mom?”

“No interviews yet. She’s responded to a bunch of ads, but it’s only been a week, so hopefully she’ll hear this week. I guess it’s difficult with no experience to put on your application or résumé.”

“I can imagine. How are things otherwise?”

“Good. Your dad’s lawyer is handling everything. He told mom that she should have the check from the insurance company in another week or so. Your dad paid the mortgage for this month, so mom didn’t have to use any of our savings. He’s almost as amazing as you are!” she gushed.

“And you, Honey? How are you?”

“Tired. Sad. Hurt. But your friends and my friends have been great. Joyce calls me every day, and she came by on Wednesday. She’s coming to dinner tonight and she’ll stay over. I see Stephanie or Bethany or Melanie every day, and Susie has been here most days. Sandy actually stopped by and apologized to me for everything. I don’t think her dad knew she did that.”

“How was the new church?”

“The Free Church was nice, so we’re going back there.”

“Good. I love you Kara!” I said.

“I love you too, Steve! I hope you’re enjoying your trip.”

“I am. I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.”

We said our goodbyes and hung up, and I went back to Torbjörn’s room.

Because they lived in an apartment, Torbjörn’s graduation party would be smaller. Elizabeth, Lasse, Cecilia, Josh, Anne-Marie, Sofia, me, and two couples from his S3b class were invited. It was a more intimate gathering, but followed the same pattern as the other parties. We had a great time, and I did get a chance to dance to a slow song with Anne-Marie. I looked to Josh for permission, and he smirked. When I pulled her to me, I knew why! She felt fantastic. Josh was indeed a lucky guy. Of course, I danced much more with Sofia, and decided that if I had a choice, I’d take Sofia any day.

Josh, Anne-Marie, and Sofia needed to catch the last bus south, so around 1:15am I walked them to Linnéplatsen. When they boarded the bus, I went back to the party, which finally broke up around 3:30am when Elizabeth and Lasse left for her place. We went to bed and once again I slept late, this time until nearly 11:00am.

After lunch, a sauna, and some relaxation time, I dressed for my date with Suzanne Fjällman. I put on black slacks and a black polo, and of course, my black fedora which I hadn’t worn much on this trip, mostly having worn the brown one that looked very much like the one that Harrison Ford had worn in Raiders of the Lost Ark. A black belt and black loafers completed the outfit. This was the one that Kara, Bethany, and Stephanie had all told me was irresistible.

I had checked with Torbjörn to find a nice restaurant. He’d suggested a moderately priced place along the Göta Älv that specialized in seafood. I also checked the movie listings and decided on Missing, starring Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek. For once, the title in Swedish, «Försvunnen», exactly matched the one in English. One thing that would certainly be different about this date from an American one was that even if Suzanne was interested, we wouldn’t be necking in the theater because that was considered very rude in Sweden.

I walked to the taxi stand at the end of Rosengaten and got into the first cab in line. I gave Suzanne’s address in the Kyrkbyn section of Göteborg. The drive took just under fifteen minutes and when I walked up to the door and rang the bell, Suzanne opened the door. She was dressed in a blue cotton calf-length skirt with a white sweater. Her long brunette hair, which had a slight hint of red, was curled and draped nicely over her shoulders. We hugged, and she kissed me on the cheek, called goodbye to her mom, and walked out to the cab with me for the ten-minute ride back across the Göta Älv and then to the restaurant on Södra Hamngatan.

The restaurant was exactly as Torbjörn had described and a quick glance at the menu posted by the entrance indicated that the meal was going to run about $80, which was moderately priced in Sweden — and that was with a more favorable exchange rate than in 1980. We had to wait about ten minutes to be seated, but the service was prompt and we put in our orders immediately. Our food was out about fifteen minutes later, and we were both happy with our selections.

“I looked at the movie listings and it looked like the best choice was Missing. Have you seen it?” I asked.

“No. What’s it about?”

“A reporter who disappears during the American-sponsored coup against Salvador Allende. The reporter’s wife and father are trying to find him and find out what happened.”

“That sounds good,” she agreed. “Is it true that in the US, couples kiss in the movie theaters?”

I chuckled, “Yes, it’s pretty common. It’s the place where teenagers could make out without their parents seeing them.”

“And then you would go parking?”

I smiled, “That’s pretty common, too. There’s quite a bit of making out and more that goes on in the backseat of cars.”

“Why?”

“The US isn’t like Sweden. Most parents in the US would have a fit if their kids made out at home, let alone had sex. It’s way more conservative back home.”

“Have you fooled around in a car like that?”

“Only once after a dance. I was lucky to have girlfriends with parents who were, well, tolerant, I guess is the right word. But mostly, I had access to a flat that belonged to my boss where I could take girls without worrying about my parents or their parents. Actually, my dad wouldn’t have cared, but my mom is insanely conservative.”

“Mine too!” Suzanne said. “She’s divorced from my dad. My mom is German and my dad is Swedish. But she won’t interfere in my life the way I understand your mom did. I’m eighteen now, too, so she’ll give me some leeway.”

“My mom won’t give me leeway if I’m fifty and married,” I chuckled.

“Wow! And you put up with that?” she asked.

We were both eating when the other person was answering the questions we asked, but occasionally what the other person said was too short to even really take a bite. I finished chewing and swallowing some of my fish before answering.

“Hell no! I moved out almost as soon as I was out of High School. I moved to Chicago to go to university. I have a two-bedroom flat there that I share with a friend of mine. I’m pretty much on my own.”

“But you have to pay for university, right? It’s not free like here?”

“Correct. But I make good money from my computer business and it covers all the costs,” I said.

“How are your taxes? They can’t be as high as they are here if you have to pay for university and healthcare.”

“That’s true. And taxes are being reduced. Our government doesn’t do nearly as much as yours. People are expected to take care of themselves and their families.”

“And if they can’t?”

“There is some government assistance, but nothing like here in Sweden.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing, like you seem to think,” Suzanne said thoughtfully.

“I think the federal government in the US does too much. More should be left to the states or local communities. But did we really go on a date to talk politics?” I asked with a smile.

“No, I guess not!” she agreed.

We finished eating, and after I paid the bill, we walked to the theater in Nordstan and I bought tickets for the 8:00pm show. We had a bit of time to kill, so we walked in a park run by the Trädgårdsföreningen, The Garden Society. The roses were in bloom and the park smelled wonderful. We walked around until it was time to head back to the theater. The movie was gripping and both Suzanne and I enjoyed it. While we didn’t neck, I did put my arm around her about halfway through the movie.

When the movie finished, we walked to Centralstationen to find a Taxi. I gave Suzanne’s address and about ten minutes later, we pulled up in front of her house.

“Send the taxi on and come inside, if you want,” she said.

I paid the fare plus a tip and then followed Suzanne into her house. She introduced me to her mom, Hannelore. We went to sit in the living room and her mother brought us tea and cookies, and then left us alone. We talked and drank our tea and when we’d finished, Suzanne took the cups to the kitchen. When she came back, she sat close to me on the couch, turned sideways so she could look at me.

“How do dates usually end in the States?” she asked.

“It really depends. On a first date, mostly, it might just be a goodnight kiss. But sometimes they go parking and make out. The longer they’ve dated, the more likely they’ll do that. And as I said, some couples go so far as to have sex in the back seat of their cars because they don’t have any place to go.”

“How would you like this date to end?” she asked, almost in a whisper.

I paused only a moment to answer.

“However YOU want it to end, Suzanne.”

“That’s not really an answer,” she replied.

“I’ve had a wonderful time this evening. I enjoyed spending time with you. That’s all I expected out of the date.”

“Do you know why I asked you out?”

“I assumed you wanted to spend time with me! That’s the usual reason, isn’t it?”

She smiled, “True! When you were here and we were sixteen, I wanted to go out with you, but I was afraid of getting involved with you. Well, not just you, with anyone, really. And that didn’t change through most of «gymnasiet». I’ve never even been on a one-on-one date with anyone until tonight. When I saw you on Thursday, something just felt right, so I asked you out. I was super nervous, but you were always such a nice guy that I just felt like I could trust you. I was right.”