Chapter 18: A New Home

March, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

After nearly breaking my eardrum with her squeals, Jennifer managed to calm down enough that we could finish up our call. We said our goodbyes, and I hung up the phone. I'd just set in motion something that might upend everything I'd done for the past couple of years, but it felt good and it felt right. It was time to see if Jennifer and I could put things back together or not. I knew it would be a slow process, if it worked at all, but I was determined to take the next step. I knew that if I didn't, I might, no, I knew I would, regret it.

In a sense, the distance was good. It forced us to take things slowly, to work hard on a relationship and gave us plenty of time apart to consider what we both really wanted. I had no idea, but I also knew that I wasn't going to miss this chance. If I got hurt again, so be it. Jennifer was worth it. She always had been. She always would be. Of course, I had one other girl who was always worth it, and I needed to let her know.

"Hi, Squirt," I said when she answered the phone.

"Steve! How was Boston?" she asked.

"Great!" I said. "I have some news for you that I think you'll like."

"We're running away together to Tahiti?" she teased.

"No, but close. I asked Jennifer to come visit me this Summer. And I asked her to go on our second date."

At least this time I was prepared for the reaction and I held the receiver away from my ear as Stephanie squealed in excitement. I chuckled because she was more excited than I was by the prospect. I knew the difficulties that Jennifer and I would have to overcome, and while they weren't as large as the ones I would have with Tatyana, they were still fairly hefty.

"I knew you would come to your senses eventually, Big Brother!" she gushed.

"One step at a time, Squirt. She's still in California and we still have two years and a lot of ground to cover. And you know all the problems we've had. It's going to take some time to rebuild trust enough to even see if something comes of this."

"Yes, but you just took a big step, Steve. I'm happy!"

"I knew you would be, Squirt. If Jennifer and I are together, you get your wish. But don't you dare say anything to her about this. It's important that you just let things happen naturally. If you interfere in any way at all, it could make a real mess," I cautioned.

"I know," she said meekly. "I learned that lesson the hard way."

"I'll see you a week from Friday!" I said.

"I love you Steve. And I'm happy."

"Oh, I almost forgot, Dad's coming up on Tuesday to look at a house we might buy. It has five bedrooms, and one of them is yours when you come to school here, assuming Dad agrees."

"What?! That fast?! I didn't think it would be for months!"

I quickly explained that I'd been lucky and found what looked to be the perfect house almost right away. She loved the idea, but was disappointed that it wasn't the following week during Spring Break. I promised I'd take pictures and send them to her, and she could see it if, or rather, when she visited during the Summer.

After we hung up, I fixed myself some dinner, and just as I sat down to eat, Elyse walked in. She sat down with me and I shared what I'd made, adding some bread and cheese to supplement so we would both have enough to eat. I asked how things had gone at home with Eduardo. She said that her parents really liked him and seemed a bit disappointed that he'd be heading back to Spain when he graduated from Wharton, where he'd be going in just over a year.

"How do you feel about that?" I asked.

"I'm fine, actually. I never intended anything long-term with Eduardo. I knew from the start he'd be heading back to Spain, so it's not like it's a surprise. He's a great guy, and yes, he's someone I could see myself with, but not under the circumstances. I don't want to move to Europe and he doesn't want to stay here. That pretty much means he's a college boyfriend and nothing more. Kind of like you and Stephie."

"Huh?" I asked.

"The smart money is on Jennifer, Steve. Kathy is pretty sure of that, and I know Bethany is as well. And your relationship with her can easily be open. It suits you. Jennifer, if I understand everything correctly, would let you have me or Stephie or both, and not worry about it, if we wanted that."

"And that's what you want?" I asked, incredulous.

"I told you that ages ago, Steve. If you and Jennifer were to get married, I'd happily stay with you guys until I was ready to get married, and who knows, that might never happen."

"I thought you wanted kids," I said.

"Eventually, and I could always have them with you, the rock-star computer god who's already raking in the big bucks. Jennifer won't mind and you know I don't care what society thinks."

I chuckled, "My mom's head would explode. But we're getting way ahead of ourselves. Let's see about finishing school first, especially you, because you still have four years to go."

"Ugh. Don't remind me. But I need the Master's to get anywhere, so I have to grin and bear it."

"I found a house today. My dad's coming up to look at it on Tuesday."

"You don't do anything part-way, do you?" she asked with a laugh. "You were in Boston for a week, for God's sake! How did you manage that?"

"I walked around the neighborhood today, found three houses for sale, fell in love with one, and called my dad. I was a little freaked out at the price, but he didn't seem bothered by it. If he's cool with it, we'll make an offer on Tuesday."

"Can I see it?" she asked.

"I think the open house had ended for the day, but you could come Tuesday afternoon if you don't have class."

"I don't. Stephie will be ticked, though."

"I'll bet you anything you care to wager, she'll skip class on Tuesday."

"No bet!" Elyse exclaimed.

We finished eating and cleaned up. She started her laundry while I headed to O'Hare to get Stephie. Fortunately, her flight was on-time, and she'd only taken a carry-on, so we were out of the airport quickly and on our way home.

"I found a house, Peaches."

"Already? Jesus, that was fast!"

"I'm glad you never say that in bed," I chuckled.

"Oh HELL no!" she giggled. "Sometimes I wonder if you're a cyborg or something! And no, I am NOT complaining!"

"My dad's coming up to see the house on Tuesday and we'll make an offer if he's cool with it. Elyse wants to see it, and I agreed she could come along."

"Damn you, I have class on Tuesday! Can you change it?"

"No, because of my dad's schedule."

"I'm going to call my professor tomorrow and tell her I can't make it and get the assignments! No way am I missing seeing this place!"

I chuckled, "Elyse and I both assumed that would be the case."

When we arrived home, Elyse had finished her laundry and the three of us relaxed on the couch. I showed them the flyers from the house and both of them gasped at the price, but I pointed out the features, and that it was in a very nice part of Chicago. Comparing it to prices in Glen Este or Dawsonville didn't make any more sense than comparing them to prices in Milford.

"And the best part is the basement isn't finished and I plan to add a sauna, rec room, and maybe another bedroom there for guests, plus we'll have the sleeper sofa. But there's so much room, we could easily have everyone stay over. And the attic is finished and will be a perfect place to entertain. You guys are going to love it!"

Stephie wanted to head to bed earlier than usual, of course, given we'd been apart for a week. She got the loving that she seemed to desperately need and we fell asleep spooned together.

Monday was a normal day at school, though I did take time out to walk over to the postal station on campus and mail the package and card to Kara. I felt like it was a wasted effort, but I had to make this one final gesture. Fundamentally, all I wanted was to talk to her, see if I could make sense out of what happened, and say 'goodbye'. There wasn't much else that could happen, really, and even that was unlikely, given the complete silence on Kara's part.

On Tuesday morning, my dad called to say he was just about to be on his way and would arrive about 1:00pm. I let him know I'd be getting home from school about 1:15pm, but Elyse would be home when he arrived. What I couldn't say was that I needed the extra time on campus to make my Tuesday rounds. Class seemed to drag, Stephie and I had lunch, and then she went to meet her professor to get her assignment while I did my rounds.

As was usually the case when there were no NCAA or NFL games, there were only a handful of guys to see, but one of them had a problem. A guy at Theta Xi, Arvind 'Arvy' Talwar, the heavy gambler, had taken some big losses the past few weeks and asked for time to pay. I informed him I didn't have the authority to extend time, and I'd have to tell Theo. He paused for a second and asked if I could front him the money personally. I thought about it for a minute, then decided that I could. I made it clear that he'd have to pay the standard vig for a 'juice loan', as Frank would call it. And I'd need to tell Theo that I'd lent money, but I wouldn't say to whom. Arvy quickly agreed and handed over the first week's vig.

I headed back to the car to meet Stephie, who was just coming back from her meeting with her professor. We got into the car and headed to Hyde Park. When I parked my Trans Am, I saw my dad's Lincoln, so I knew he'd be waiting upstairs with Elyse. We walked in and I was almost bowled over by a hug.

"Squirt? What are you doing here?" I asked. "Don't you have school?"

"I'm playing hooky. Well, not really because Dad called and I have an excused absence."

"And Mom?" I whispered.

"Pissed, but so what?" she whispered back. "I'm with Dad. What was the old bat going to say?"

"Hi, Dad," I said to my father, who was sitting on the couch talking to Elyse.

"She insisted on coming," he said, nodding towards my sister. "I figured with straight A's, missing a day wouldn't kill her."

"I appreciate it," I said.

I introduced Stephie to my dad and sister, and then the five of us got into my dad's car and drove the ten blocks to the house. As soon as we got out of the car, my dad nodded and said he liked the looks of it. The girls all agreed, quickly skipping up the walk to the front door. My dad and I followed behind them a bit more sedately.

The agent greeted us at the door and took us inside. I thought Elyse and Stephie were going to die of heart attacks as we moved through the house, as they took in every detail. My little sister was calmer, and I watched her evaluate each room. When we got to the master bedroom, Stephie stopped and turned to me.

"This? This would be our room? It's bigger 'n half my parents' house!" she said, totally awestruck.

"Check the bathroom, Peaches," I said.

"Holy crap, Yankee!" she exclaimed after walking into the bathroom. "My parents' dining room is only a li'l bit bigger 'n this! A tub, a huge shower, two sinks, mirrors, and room for a small sofa! Damn!"

"Yeah," I replied with a happy smile.

I saw Stephanie looking the room and bathroom over, a small smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. She was clearly hoping against hope that this could be our bedroom when she came to Chicago. That would present a whole host of problems, but I'd cross that perilous bridge when I came to it.

The biggest reaction came when we went up to the finished attic room. It was immediately obvious to the girls, just as it had been to me, that this was where we'd entertain — a huge open attic with hardwood floors, wooden benches set into alcoves along the wall, numerous small windows, though it did have a relatively low ceiling.

Our final stop was the basement, where my dad and I discussed a potential layout for a large sauna, a rec room that would hold a pool table, and a guest bedroom. We agreed on an overall outline and then went back to the kitchen so my dad and I could discuss things in private. He told me that he was impressed at the house I'd found and was sure it was a good investment.

"It's a lot of money, Dad," I said. "You're sure about this?"

"Yes. If interest rates normalize, the price of the house will nearly double. I think that's going to happen over time, but even if they only drop by a few percentage points, that will cause the price of the house to rise. It's in a prime location and it's in great condition. And, remember, we're coming in 10% less than the asking price, which is already less than the appraised price."

"You know this stuff better than I do, for sure," I said. "And you have that much free cash?"

He laughed, "Yes and no. With the interest rates where they are, I'm earning about 10% on money markets. My other investments are mostly in real estate. We still hold the notes on the houses in California, plus I have the businesses and quite a bit of stock. So yes, I can do it without causing any trouble. Your mom will have a fit, but the monthly income will make her happy, so it'll work out."

"OK, then. Let's do it!" I said.

He agreed wholeheartedly, and we met with the agent who had stayed in the great room while we toured the house. My dad didn't waste any time, pulling an offer letter out of his pocket for 10% less than the listing price, as well as a cashier's check for $10,000 in what he called earnest money.

"Here's our offer, along with a check to show we're serious. We can close in less than thirty days. It's an all-cash offer, so there's no contingency except the home inspection and a clean title."

"The title's clean," the agent said. "And we did our own home inspection before we took the listing, so I'm confident there. Let me call the owners and see if they'll accept this."

"Go on. They won't get a better offer that's a sure thing," my dad added as the agent went to make the call.

"Do you think they'll take it?" I asked quietly.

"They'd be fools not to. With interest rates the way they are, the mortgage would bury anyone but a millionaire. The payments would be over $4,500 a month. If rates were normal, around 5%, it'd be just over half that. Add in the property taxes, and you'd probably have to have a regular income north of $250,000 to get the loan to start with. Not a lot of people with that kind of income. Hell, even with my businesses, I'm not making that much after all the business expenses!"

Of course, I knew that he ran his taxes as close to the line as possible, and some of those expenses were debatably personal, but given he had a segregated office, a car dedicated to work, and took advantage of every line of the tax code, the income he showed the IRS was substantially less than his overall compensation. He'd survived audits, so I was positive he was pushing the edge of the envelope, but had never broken it.

The agent was back in five minutes with a counteroffer. My dad stood firm, feeling that he had the advantage. The agent tried to talk him up a bit in price, but my dad simply pointed out it was an all-cash deal and they should take it, because the house had been on the market for four months. After another phone call, we had a deal at the price my dad had offered. The agent promised to get my dad a copy of the blueprints for the house as well, and he'd send them by an overnight delivery service called 'Federal Express' that had recently expanded to cover Cincinnati.